Random Thoughts on the Spurs' Box Set

[Reggie Miller]

1. I never appreciated Bob Costas until NBC lost the contract. Back in the day, I thought of him much in the same way that I now view Joe Buck. That's not fair to Costas. Joe Buck is a chancre.

2. When you begin working for ABC, they must force you to pronounce "athletic" as "athaletic." People that could pronounce the word perfectly well for NBC somehow lost that ability from 1999 to 2003.

3. Bill Walton: not so bad really. However, I now have about 1,000,006 different definitions of "what being an MVP is all about."

4. Tolbert's lisp becomes even more annoying on repeating viewings.

5. Hubie Brown must have been stoned out of his mind on beta blockers at least part of the time in 2005.

6. I want to hurt Stuart Scott, but I can never hurt him like he's hurt me. (Note to ABC/ESPN: I don't give a fuck what Ben Wallace did on Father's Day. Thanks.)

7. As poor as the ABC coverage was in 2003 and 2005, it looked like a D.W. Griffith masterpiece compared to the unholy mess of 2007. Thank you ESPN for dumbing down everything to the point that one-celled lifeforms were offended and disgusted.

[Sportcamper]

So you liked it then?

[J.T.]

Hubie Brown's rambles are pretty funny. They're always something like, "If I'm Steve Nash, I've got to make things happen. I've got to get Stoudemire the ball in the post. I've got to find the open man on the perimeter. And finally, I've got to make my own plays too. That's what makes Steve Nash an MVP."

[Reggie Miller]

So you liked it then?


Yes. Only one legitimate complaint: no extras.

Griping about the ABC announcers isn't really legitimate, in the sense that the production company is stuck with whoever announced the game. However, they could have added SOME value to the set. I was hoping it would make the individual season overview DVDs superfluous. No such luck. One of my friends has those, though.

[Sportcamper]

I heard from this guy that works in Hollywood that the NBA DVD’s are very structured...The DVD Mixers need to fight for every minute of correction time, improvements & that they have no say in edited footage...

I thought Coach Pop & Tony Parker had some cool scenes & The Bruce Bowen” learn from the pros” DVD was great...

[duncan228]

The box set is the only thing on my Christmas wish list.
I hope Santa is listening. :santahat

[FromWayDowntown]

I agree about the under-appreciation of Bob Costas. Before we heard that the league was going to put out this box set, I had undertaken to transfer some of my video tapes to DVD -- mostly tapes I made during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 playoffs -- and a lot of those games were called by Costas and Collins. That team was far and away superior, IMO, to anyone who does NBA games at the moment for a national network. I also think that NBC's production of those games was just fantastic as well. I've looked at parts of the box set, but haven't taken the time -- haven't had the time -- to sit down and watch them all; after re-watching some of those 1999 games again, though, I'm sure I'll be disappointed about the broadcasts from the ABC years.

By the way, if anyone knows of a way I can get my hands on broadcasts of the 1999 WCSF games against LA, I'd be interested in finding those.

[Reggie Miller]

Hubie Brown's rambles are pretty funny. They're always something like, "If I'm Steve Nash, I've got to make things happen. I've got to get Stoudemire the ball in the post. I've got to find the open man on the perimeter. And finally, I've got to make my own plays too. That's what makes Steve Nash an MVP."

That's dead on.

In fact, substitute "Chauncey Billups" for "Steve Nash" and "Rasheed" for "Stoudemire," and I think that may be a direct quote from Game 5 of 2005.

Funny thing about that game. No one talks about the easy lay-ups that Horry blew early in Game 5. He makes those and/or Timmy hits his FTs, and that game was never even close. I had also forgotten that almost all of Tim's misses rattled around on the rim before bouncing out.

[Reggie Miller]

I heard from this guy that works in Hollywood that the NBA DVD’s are very structured...The DVD Mixers need to fight for every minute of correction time, improvements & that they have no say in edited footage...

I thought Coach Pop & Tony Parker had some cool scenes & The Bruce Bowen” learn from the pros” DVD was great...

That makes sense. The sound is pretty bad on one of the 1999 games during the pre-game show. It stops once the game starts, but I did wonder why no one filtered it out.

[Sp Ginobili 20]

What exactly is on there besides the games? Is it worth it `cos I have the `03, `05, and `07 DVDs. Should I get it?

[Spurs Brazil]

My box set arrived here in Brazil last week and I'm loving it

It's great to see the game with the original audio. ESPN here in Brazil do a terrible job on that.

And it's also great have the 99 finals on DVD. My VCR tapes are getting old

[Mr. Body]

1. I never appreciated Bob Costas until NBC lost the contract. Back in the day, I thought of him much in the same way that I now view Joe Buck. That's not fair to Costas. Joe Buck is a chancre.

2. When you begin working for ABC, they must force you to pronounce "athletic" as "athaletic." People that could pronounce the word perfectly well for NBC somehow lost that ability from 1999 to 2003.

3. Bill Walton: not so bad really. However, I now have about 1,000,006 different definitions of "what being an MVP is all about."

4. Tolbert's lisp becomes even more annoying on repeating viewings.

5. Hubie Brown must have been stoned out of his mind on beta blockers at least part of the time in 2005.

6. I want to hurt Stuart Scott, but I can never hurt him like he's hurt me. (Note to ABC/ESPN: I don't give a fuck what Ben Wallace did on Father's Day. Thanks.)

7. As poor as the ABC coverage was in 2003 and 2005, it looked like a D.W. Griffith masterpiece compared to the unholy mess of 2007. Thank you ESPN for dumbing down everything to the point that one-celled lifeforms were offended and disgusted.

You're my new favorite poster. Alright, I didn't have a favorite before you.

Anyway, Costas is a really smart guy that loves sports. Far better than most anyone else in the business, even if he bothers learning figure skaters.

I defend Bill Walton now. He's annoying to a measure, but his love for the game cannot be doubted and I don't mind him anymore.

Stuart Scott is a gigantic tool.

[timvp]

Maybe it's just me but I can't stand Bob Costas. He just annoys me. It's like he used broadcasts to further his vocabulary and try to come up with the perfect analogies instead of just concentrating on calling the game. He always came across as self absorbed.

If we are going the self absorbed route, I'd much prefer Marv Albert.

[Reggie Miller]

You're my new favorite poster. Alright, I didn't have a favorite before you.

Anyway, Costas is a really smart guy that loves sports. Far better than most anyone else in the business, even if he bothers learning figure skaters.

I defend Bill Walton now. He's annoying to a measure, but his love for the game cannot be doubted and I don't mind him anymore.

Stuart Scott is a gigantic tool.


Thanks. I'm sure I missed a few targets here and there. The disaster of Mark Jackson and Breen is still fresh in our nightmares, so I sort of skipped that entire bag of worms.

[mattp2000]

Hey does anyone know where to purchase the box set other than amazon

[JBIIRockets]

.

By the way, if anyone knows of a way I can get my hands on broadcasts of the 1999 WCSF games against LA, I'd be interested in finding those.

Check your pm FromWaydowntown.

[Spurminator]

Could you please make it so I can check my PMs also and see the same thing as FWD?

[remingtonbo2001]

Maybe it's just me but I can't stand Bob Costas. He just annoys me. It's like he used broadcasts to further his vocabulary and try to come up with the perfect analogies instead of just concentrating on calling the game. He always came across as self absorbed.

If we are going the self absorbed route, I'd much prefer Marv Albert.

Can't bring up Bob Costas without showing this!

rIkm1K_4yPU

Best call by Bob Costas.

LONG LIVE BOB COSTAS! :clap :clap :clap

[easjer]

I wish I could get hold of all the games from the championship playoff runs. I didn't have the foresight or technologies to record them and it makes me sad.

[Spurminator]

I'd love a copy of Game 6 Spurs vs. Sonics 2005 (hint hint)

[easjer]

In fact, is there some reason the NBA/teams don't do a season compilation each year of the best, say 5-10 games and playoff clips, complete with interviews and other materials? Even if we didn't win, there are still some amazing games played each year that I wouldn't mind having on tape. The Dallas and Utah games would be the type of game I'm talking about.

Is there a way to legally purchase old games like that?

[T Park]

Maybe it's just me but I can't stand Bob Costas. He just annoys me. It's like he used broadcasts to further his vocabulary and try to come up with the perfect analogies instead of just concentrating on calling the game. He always came across as self absorbed.

If we are going the self absorbed route, I'd much prefer Marv Albert.


agreed

I don't get all the love for the garden gnome. He had zero clue about basketball, and Doug Collins and his constant screaming just were pathetic.

Tolbert and Walton's give and take was always funny.