The NBA Finals kicked off on Thursday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers in what proved to be an instant classic. The Pacers overcame a 15-point fourth quarter deficit ot win the game 111-110 after star point guard Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning basket with 0.3 seconds left in regulation.
Unfortunately, the game was overshadowed by the poor decisions of the broadcast. ABC, which aired Game 1, elected not to show the national anthem or any of the pregame intros. When coupled with the removal of the Finals logo from midcourt, it’s as if the league has decided to completely devalue the gravitas the NBA Finals once held.
Fans reacted to the strange choices on social media.
“It’s the NBA Finals and the NBA didn’t even show the National Anthem, Pre-Game intros, no logo on court or jerseys. These are little things but they’re so important for the experience,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“No celebrity doing the National Anthem, no player intros, no Finals logo on the court. Just an absolute fail all the way around. Can you imagine if the Super Bowl started like a Noon game on CBS? Do better,” someone else added.
“Why on earth did ABC not show the national anthem or warmup just went from 5 minutes of commercials straight into the game no build up at all like cmon guys this is the finals,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how the broadcast responds to all of the backlash.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.