Do the Celtics have an Image problem?

[bankshot1]

In general I like the bros Van Gundy, they generally are knowledgable, candid and entertaining, paricularly Jeff. I don't detect much anti-Celtic bias in his calls. I think Mark Jackson is not very good particularly for a guy doing color for as long as he has. IMO Jeff carries him. Reggie is ok.

The only guy I detect with some bias is Breen. I am convinced he grew up in the NY burbs a Knick fan, and I bet dollars to slam dunks as he listened to Marv call games, he detested Cowens, Hondo, Jo-Jo and the early 70s Celts. That rivalry with the knicks in the early 70s was as intense as 76ers rivalry. There was real hatred between Celts and Knick fans back then and it was the real precursor to the craziness that carried over to the Sox and MFYs in the mid-70s.

And I'm largely convinced that the city boy who loved the Knicks in their championship years, ('69 and '73) who grew up to be the voice of the Knicks, has vestiges of the Celts hatred that he learned 50 years ago.

Breen, no matter the protestations, is not neutral.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Breen’s biggest drawback, to me, is his typically fanatical defense of his former brothers in stripes. I get why, but good lord is there not a bigger defender on the airwaves of any and all officials in the sport. If you listen to ESPN/ABC games frequently enough over the course of a season, you’ll notice JVG giving him shit about this it can be so ludicrous the calls he will defend.

Generally the worst he will say about a call is the tried and true ‘well Scott Foster saw enough contact there to call a foul.’

 

[Devizier]

I mostly mute the announcers, because they're annoying. But I've never considered anyone of the national NBA guys biased in any way whatsoever.

 

[joe dokes]

And I'm largely convinced that the city boy who loved the Knicks in their championship years, ('69 and '73) who grew up to be the voice of the Knicks, has vestiges of the Celts hatred that he learned 50 years ago.

That was *me*, but I got over it. (Although I never really hated the Celtics of the early 70s.)

 

[lexrageorge]

I can't say I've found an actual bias. Sure, people make statements sometimes about who they think may win or who is better that I may not agree with, but for the most part it doesn't bother me. Nobody is going to agree with everything announcers say. I find the NBA announcing crew far more tolerable than the taste we had of the MLB announcers in last year's playoffs, or any of the myriad of anti-Belichick, anti-Patriots talking heads out there. Sets an extremely low bar for sure.