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WNBACanada · Posted: 07/31/10 1:08 am ::: Ranking the Broadcast Teams of the WNBA

How do broadcast teams stack up against one another in the WNBA? This is my personal opinion as to which team is the top.

1. Tulsa Shock -- Why Tulsa? Because they're the most professional and are the closest to bringing what a typical NBA broadcast would be like. They haven't had much to cheer about, but I still find the play by play guy to be alright. Crystal Robinson is a wonderful analyst and hopefully she comes back soon. They also have a sideline reporter, which is a rarity for WNBA games that are NOT on TV.

2. Atlanta Dream - I've watched many Atlanta Dream games and they make the game more interesting/fun to watch. They both have wonderful insight and Lachina Robinson is wonderful. My only "beef" is that next year, I hope they cover road games instead of just home games.

3. Indiana Fever -- Chris Denari is a great play by play guy who also doubles for radio when Fever games are not broadcast on FSN Indiana. While I find Debbie Antonelli alright, she does provide insight.

4. San Antonio Silver Stars -- Andrew Monaco is a personal favourite of mine because of his delivery of the broadcast. While he does tend to push the Stars players(and every other team broadcasters do this) he doesn't go over the top. He also doubles for radio when Silver Stars games are not broadcast on Fox Sports SouthWest.

5. Los Angeles Sparks -- Larry Burnett is a pro. He has been and will always be. I enjoy listening to him and he really delivers. Lisa Leslie is also great. They're a great team to watch. I just wish more LA games were broadcast, considering its a major media market.

6. Minnesota Lynx -- Alan Horton is a good insightful guy to listen to when he is working for the games that are not on TV. He has a really engaging on air personality. I dislike the two women who do TV games. It's disrespectful because it's like they send the two woman to cover a game, and not their best TV play by play / commentator.

7. Connecticut Sun -- When the games are on TV, it is top notch quality because of the broadcast team. When it's not on TV, its a whole other story. To me, it's like listening to an old guy who somes misprounces names, sometimes a bit slow. Even though I appreciate the guy giving effort, I sometimes feel like it lacks quality.

8. Phoenix Mercury -- Kevin Ray is a good play by play guy who loves to give credit to the Mercury players. To other fans who are not a fan of the Mercury, it comes of a little bit called homerism. Other than that, Kevin knows his stuff and gets better. When the games are broadcast on TV, I personally don't feel Kayte Christensen is the right choice, becuase I feel like she doesn't know the league's ongoings, rather she just goes on what she knows. To me that's unprofessional, since broadcast teams can influence casual TV viewers.

9. New York Liberty -- the MSG broadcast team is fantastic. I love the play by play guy, but considering that there are only a few games on MSG, it's hard to give them the nod over the other brodcast teams. The other play by play is good, but he could be a bit better in knowing more about the WNBA ongoings.

10. Washington Mystics -- I feel like when I watch the Mystics brodcast, if I were the casual fan, I would change / find another thing to watch. If the Mystics for example, turn the ball over(which they do alot) the play by play would act disgusted as if he's never seen such appalling basketball. Or if the Mystics would miss baskets and be 0 for 9 fg in the first quarter, he would groan and act like a disgruntled fan. That's not good for a professional. The commentator is actually quite good and insightful

11. Chicago Sky -- the Chicago Sky broadcast teams are the second biggest "homers" in the WNBA. If they winning by double digits, they'll say phrases like "WOW, Can you belive that?" "The Sky are wonderful" you get the point. They pump their team more than they do than actually commentating / analyzing the game.

12. Seattle Storm -- Sorry Seattle Storm fans, but your broadcast team is the WORST. The play by play guy will literally SCREAM when the Storm are on a run and will just continue to make the Storm look like they are perfect. Even though they have every right to do that this year (22 - 2) overall, it still is unprofessional. Adia Barnes seems to pump up every single Storm player, even if they are benchwarmers.
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Luuuc · Posted: 07/31/10 1:43 am ::: Re: Ranking the Broadcast Teams of the WNBA

norwester · Posted: 07/31/10 1:52 am :::

I guess it depends on what you're looking for.

I think it's rather amusing that Alan Horton is up so high when he garnered plenty of criticism when he was calling Storm games too, for being too biased, etc. It just must be Seattle! Laughing

I like Adia's insight. She's been with the organization for like 7 years, and she practices with them a lot (or has in the past), so I'm not surprised that she talks highly about them all: they're all her friends. Plus, she can usually give insight into what it's like to be a player without bringing in the dreaded "when I was playing this is how I did it" stuff.

I think some of the "professional" broadcast teams are boring, and sound like they'd be anywhere else but calling a WNBA game.

I guess it's all a matter of taste, but the breakdown is interesting.

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dynasty0207 · Posted: 07/31/10 1:53 am :::

I really can't stand them. Whenever a call doesn't go in Seattle's favor they act like the refs are ridiculous and sometimes they will watch the replay and be like, "well maybe.. that was a good call. I guess that might have been right." I can't stand them.

FS02 · Posted: 07/31/10 1:57 am :::

IMO, Best broadcast team of all time was the Monarchs team of Kozimor, Ross and Blunk. Dick and Adia remind me of that type of chemistry because they make me laugh, so of course they are homers, but one of my favorites.

Some of the others are so boring and uninformed, it's hard to even separate one from the other.

I really don't want NBA broadcasts, if I liked anything about the NBA, i'd be watching the NBA.

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Linzin · Posted: 07/31/10 2:05 am :::

norwester · Posted: 07/31/10 2:33 am :::

Actually, I though that Dick and Adia were one of the most consistent broadcast teams to call the refs on what Adia calls "home cookin'". They even have a catch phrase for it! Laughing

The reason they often see the calls wrong is that they are sitting in the WNBA equivalent of the nose-bleed section so sometimes they can't see it properly until the replay. At least they own up to it.

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myrtle · Posted: 07/31/10 3:15 am :::

Interesting all the positives you have to say. I would be a bit more harsh because I think most are really not very good. Personally I like it when the play-by-play person actually tells you what is happening in the game, which is all too rarely the case. And I too think Kozimor and Krista were amongst the best - so sad to not hear them anymore. While I think LaChina has some interesting things to say, it totally cracks me up every time I hear the way she calls him 'Bob' - there is a certain intonation that makes me laugh, like she is talking to a not-too-swift child.

And I enjoy Dick and Adia. And I too like it when they watch the replay and admit they were wrong. This is something that really annoys me with the Mystics' team. They can show and re-show the replay which shows they were wrong and they go right on saying it anyway.

The ones that really annoy me are when they clearly don't know the players - like you would think they must get paid enough to at least know the 22 players in the game in front of them...like the guy that called Appel Apple. Helllooooo! And when they read from the media guide but clearly don't know anything else about a player. It's like they are reading it and say, "oh, isn't that interesting." You would think if it were your job you'd spend a little time learning about the people you were going to announce. Or the other one is when the play by play person clearly doesn't know the players so is continually mixing them up. When you can't tell Erin Thorne from Sylvia Fowles, there is a problem!

norwester · Posted: 07/31/10 3:32 am :::

A weakness of Storm broadcast teams for years has been play-by-play. And sometimes they get too caught up in their stories to talk about the game. When you're watching on Live Access (and it's working) this might not be such a problem, but when you only have the radio (which a vanishingly small amount of people--even in Seattle--have), it can get aggravating. I find myself sitting there screaming, "What's the time and score?!"

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Linzin · Posted: 07/31/10 3:59 am :::

Admiral_Needa · Posted: 07/31/10 5:53 am :::

Best Broadcast Team hands down is......

Seattle Storm's Dickin' Adia

Not a fan of boring broadcasters. Idea

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norwester · Posted: 07/31/10 6:46 am :::

I wonder if the Storm broadcast team is driven to yell because of how loud Key Arena gets when the Storm go on a run...I know technology is supposed to compensate for that, but it's something for me to ponder.

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LibWNBAFan · Posted: 07/31/10 7:17 am :::

Nah. They do that on the road too. Not only have I heard it, but from my seating perspective at MSG, I have actually seen it.

I'll say one thing about them though. Even if I find them annoying at times, at least they care. I know Adia watches the rest of the league, and I am pretty confident that the PBP guy does too.

I mean seriously. On two occasions this season I have heard PBP people call Pondexter "Poindexter". If you can't even pronounce the name of a top 5 player in the league, or be professional enough to find out the correct pronunciation before the game, can you possibly really care?

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Nerd2 · Posted: 07/31/10 8:24 am :::

pilight · Posted: 07/31/10 8:26 am :::

I love LaChina. She's a sweetheart. Bob Rathbun is "the guy". He's kinda goofy, but gets the job done.

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CourtsideTix · Posted: 07/31/10 8:59 am :::

Happycappie25 · Posted: 07/31/10 9:12 am :::

Bob Hussler and Rebecca Lobo for CT...also Hussler get's bonus points for promoting the game and the sport in Joe Sixpack country (He often gets Mike Francesa to let him talk about the Sun and Wear Sun gear when he does updates for him)

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SeattleStormFan · Posted: 07/31/10 9:29 am :::

I like Dick and Adia. At the very least they're entertaining.

Bretter · Posted: 07/31/10 9:35 am :::

Wasn't there a guy named Art who did the Sky games? I miss his bumbling, old-man, can't-pronounce-anything commentary Very Happy

petrel · Posted: 07/31/10 9:35 am :::

I miss Art Eckman. Very Happy

Plif05 · Posted: 07/31/10 9:51 am :::

Patricia Babcock-McGraw and her male partner-in-crime for the Sky. They are amateurs and it shows.

I abhor announcers who talk over the game. Who fouled? Who turned over the ball? You have to carefully listen for the arena announcer to find out what happened! Rolling Eyes

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meliflaw · Posted: 07/31/10 11:58 am ::: I like 'em, too (plus a question about PBP)

braveniler58 · Posted: 07/31/10 1:26 pm :::

My rankings...

1-12: Silence

Cool

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PUmatty · Posted: 07/31/10 1:28 pm :::

As an announcer, Adia Barnes is a great basketball player.

Nerd2 · Posted: 07/31/10 2:05 pm ::: Re: I like 'em, too (plus a question about PBP)

caune · Posted: 07/31/10 3:53 pm ::: Re: Ranking the Broadcast Teams of the WNBA

icey23 · Posted: 07/31/10 4:02 pm :::

OMG you got the First and Last mix up

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bballfan2005 · Posted: 07/31/10 4:09 pm :::

The best: Indiana (only Chris; no Debbie Annoyingelli), San Antonio (Monaco plus BVL or Tai Dillard), and Atlanta

The worst: Chicago (by far), Connecticut, Washington

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meliflaw · Posted: 07/31/10 4:12 pm ::: Re: I like 'em, too (plus a question about PBP)

[quote="Nerd2"]

Lib Fan · Posted: 07/31/10 4:24 pm :::

I very much enjoy Mary Murphy for the New York Liberty...doesn't matter who she is teamed up with she does a great color job.

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Queenie · Posted: 07/31/10 5:24 pm :::

I'm not really that fond of most of the teams. I miss Krista and Koz from Sacramento- they struck me as the best team since the sleep-deprived hijinks of Vera Jones and Doris Burke.

I think a lot of these commentators haven't realized that they're being streamed nationally and internationally. There's no such thing as a "local" broadcast anymore. I'd like to see a little more professionalism and a little less "we" from paid professionals.

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ChicagoAnnie · Posted: 07/31/10 5:30 pm :::

The Seattle crew is unlistenable. It's one thing to be excited, and it's another to be a screaming fool. Also, this crew along with the Phoenix guy bitch too much about the "physicality" of a game. It's basketball people. A contact sport.

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ChicagoAnnie · Posted: 07/31/10 5:43 pm :::

Ward lost my respect after the way she called the Detroit/LA pillow fight.
I like the guy that works with Carolyn from time to time. I like him so much that I don't even remember his name.. Laughing

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bballfan2005 · Posted: 07/31/10 5:53 pm :::

ChicagoAnnie · Posted: 07/31/10 6:14 pm :::

Linzin · Posted: 07/31/10 7:56 pm :::

My God, some people think listening to Mary Murphy or Terry Gagnon is bearable while listening to Dick and Adia isn't? Shocked

This is taking different strokes, different folks waaaaay too far. Laughing

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Admiral_Needa · Posted: 07/31/10 8:44 pm :::

I like the sound of Adia's voice... Razz

I don't know what kind of accent that is, but it's much nicer to listen to than others.

Yeah, I miss Koz and Krista too... I always listened to them in one earbud on the radio.

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Force10rulz · Posted: 07/31/10 9:03 pm :::

I could have swore I answered this yesterday Laughing

but I'm going with Dick and Aida, at least they love the game, and can pronounce the players name while many others don't take the time. Some sound like they got demoted to call a women's game, and just drone on............

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ChicagoAnnie · Posted: 07/31/10 9:08 pm :::

Linzin · Posted: 07/31/10 9:10 pm :::

icey23 · Posted: 07/31/10 9:23 pm :::

I miss Mark Jones,Vera Jones,Robin Roberts and Linda Cohn

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Whalen13 · Posted: 07/31/10 9:58 pm :::

Wow, my list would almost be a complete polar opposite of yours. I definitely think Tulsa and Atlanta are the bottom two when it comes to broadcast quality. I also really don't mind Seattle.

Nerd2 · Posted: 08/01/10 12:20 am :::

dynasty0207 · Posted: 08/01/10 12:33 am :::

I appreciate Dick and Adia's passion. I do. The comment and example I gave came from the Seattle home game against Seattle. The quotation I wrote was pretty close to what Adiantum really said.

Terry Ganon and Dave Pausch are both great, in my opinion.

Of course I'm a Chris Denari fan, and although I know his voice can get annoying, he knows his wnba material very well and does great play-by-play.

scowl · Posted: 08/01/10 12:33 pm :::

bballfan2005 · Posted: 08/01/10 12:46 pm :::

Nerd2 · Posted: 08/01/10 1:08 pm ::: Re: I like 'em, too (plus a question about PBP)

[quote="meliflaw"]

myrtle · Posted: 08/01/10 1:50 pm :::

I'm totally not big on Mary Murphy. She always sounds like she could coach better than whoever she is announcing...and she proved that was not true. But it's not just that. She sounds like a cracked record, same shit over and over again. And mostly I disagree with at least half of what she says.

eclair · Posted: 08/01/10 4:16 pm :::

Nerd2 · Posted: 08/01/10 4:23 pm :::

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