If you missed ESPN’s halftime show from Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, you didn’t miss much.
The Boston Celtics dominated the first half of Game 1. When the second quarter ended, the ESPN on ABC broadcast went to commercial. When it came back, Mike Breen and J.J. Redick did the “Gettin’ Buckets’ segment.
Redick focused on Boston’s great three-point shooting in the first half. The segment lasted about 20 seconds. When it was done, the broadcast cut away to another commercial break.
The entire non-commercial portion of the ESPN on ABC halftime show for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Segment 1: Gettin’ Buckets.
J.J. Redick talks about the Celtics three-point shooting in the first half.
(1/4) pic.twitter.com/WL32Re9x32
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2024
After the commercial break, the halftime show resumed with the on-site studio team.
Host Malika Andrews kicked it over to Michael Wilbon, who was impressed with the play of Kristaps Porziņģis, playing his first game in more than a month after returning from injury. Bob Myers and Stephen A. Smith also both briefly spoke in the segment that, rounding up, lasted a minute.
Before going to commercial, Andrews threw in a teaser that New York Knicks forward Josh Hart — who was at the desk but said nothing in the previous segment, would talk about how to slow the Celtics down after commercial.
Segment 2: For roughly a minute, Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers and Stephen A. Smith talk about the shooting of Kristaps Porziņģis.
(2/4) pic.twitter.com/37MFe0edHz
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2024
As it turned out, the brief commentary of Wilbon, Myers and Smith was the studio crew’s longest non-commercial segment of halftime.
Hart did talk about how Dallas can slow the Celtics down. But the segment lasted roughly 20 seconds, with Hart talking for about half that time.
Segment 3: Josh Hart talks for about 20 seconds on how the Mavericks can slow the Celtics down.
(3/4) pic.twitter.com/0RLIMDHXVS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2024
And that was it from the studio crew.
When the broadcast returned from commercial again, it was the game’s announcers, Breen, Redick and Doris Burke.
Breen shared the first-half stats. Redick and Burke both offered a brief commentary on the first half. By the time Burke was wrapping up her thoughts, the third quarter had already begun.
Segment 4: We hear highlights of Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum being mic’d up in the first half.
After briefly going over the stats, J.J. Redick and Doris Burke briefly go over the first half as the second half begins.
(4/4) pic.twitter.com/y59R9oxoxH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2024
All told, the studio crew got roughly a minute and 20 seconds of air time. And remember, that time was split between five people. Much of that time was spent on intros from and outros to commercial breaks.
The effort was widely panned.
ESPN trotting out the most embarrassing halftime show. It’s the NBA Finals and they put up about 45 seconds of analysis.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) June 7, 2024
that was the halftime show … for The Finals?????! Josh Hart said one sentence lol
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) June 7, 2024
Strong 35 second segment for espn halftime between commercials.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 7, 2024
no offense to the ABC halftime crew but I can hear the Red Panda music in the background and they should be showing her instead
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) June 7, 2024
I feel like ESPN should show the halftime performance on the court over the ESPN halftime show.
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 7, 2024
There’s nothing…I mean nothing I hate more in sports broadcasting than ESPN ABC’s halftime show during the Finals. Why have a studio show when they say 2 words before break?!
— Anthony Alford (@AnthonyAlford92) June 7, 2024
And that gets to the heart of the issue.
We understand the need for commercials. The bills have to be paid and it’s not like the ESPN on ABC crew is there for free.
But if you can’t give your studio crew even two minutes of screentime at halftime, what’s the point of having a studio crew? Or, at the very least, what’s the point of having them on location?
[Photo Credit: ESPN on ABC]
