SAUNDERS: ABC pair stands out during Iverson debate

By Dusty Saunders, Special to the Rocky

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Pound for pound, ABC's Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were the best verbal punchers during the NBA's weekend coverage.

During Sunday's Lakers-Nuggets game, the duo squared off in an entertaining debate regarding the abilities of Allen Iverson.

Late in the second quarter, Jackson, saluting the play of the Nuggets guard, added: "pound for pound, Allen Iverson is the greatest player in the history of the league."

Van Gundy testily grunted his disagreement and the two went after one another, albeit in friendly fashion, until halftime.

Jackson, listed as a candidate for the New York Knicks coaching job, kept emphasizing his "pound- for-pound" description. And Van Gundy kept disagreeing. Their friendly verbal battle continued in the second half, as they debated if Lakers coach Phil Jackson (not exactly lean), was the best NBA coach - pound for pound, of course.

Such commentary helped lift ABC's coverage out of the predictable mundane rut announcers too often sink into while agreeing about what is happening on the floor or in the locker room.

The duo, along with partner Mike Breen, were in agreement in one area: The Nuggets will never win big-time in the playoffs until the team plays defense.

Noted Jackson: "Denver has no commitment to defense." He later severely criticized Carmelo Anthony's defensive play.

Van Gundy also questioned George Karl's decision to take reserves J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza from the lineup after they were mainly responsible for the Nuggets building an eight-point lead while Anthony was on the bench.

While the loss on national television probably was not a shock to most Nuggets fans, they at least could appreciate a lively debate over the value of one of the team's stars.

PUCK TALK: Speaking of national coverage, the Avalanche should receive some on Versus as the team enters the second round in the battle for the Stanley Cup.

The six games against the Wild were covered locally by Altitude, with Versus also airing four of the six games.

Who knows? Colorado might end up as a Sunday afternoon attraction on NBC.

And for those of you who have asked: NBC will cover the Stanley Cup Finals.

* ESPN anchors on SportsCenter and other programs never lack for enthusiasm. They could force emotional excitement over a tiddlywinks tournament.

But they really get revved up about the NHL playoffs, even though the network no longer carries the schedule. I'm told ESPN features numerous sportscasters who feel NHL hockey is the major professional sporting event.

BROADCASTING NAMES: Remember when Sandy Clough hosted Bronco Talk on KOA-AM (850), following Broncos games?

He gained fame (?) by arguing with some callers, often using the phrase "Sir, you are an idiot!"

The erudite Clough, now a talk-show host on KKFN-FM (104.3) still doesn't suffer fools lightly.

But his longtime interest in and knowledge about hockey is a decided plus for the station. Altitude, sensing that ability, is now using Clough on pregame and postgame TV coverage.

* Dino Costa, the current local bad boy of sports broadcasting, premieres a new weekly series at 7 p.m. April 28 on KWHD-TV, Channel 53.

Dino TV will feature guests along with Costa's comments about "sports and politics" - a potential combustible mixture.

* Charles Barkley, who's never considered the Nuggets among his "fave five" on his cell-phone commercial or in TNT studio commentaries, said last week the Nuggets-Lakers series would be a "knock-down, drag-out fight."

We'll find out Wednesday night if Barkley has changed his opinion when TNT covers the second game of the series.

WERE YOU WATCHING? Nielsen ratings show that about 28,000 Denver-area households were still viewing at 2 a.m. Friday (Denver time) when the Rockies won the 22-inning, 6-hour, 16-minute endurance contest over the Padres in San Diego.

FSN Rocky Mountain producer Ken Miller said the most fascinating away-from-the-game camera story was the showing of toddlers, playing in a sandbox at 1 a.m. (San Diego time) in a nearly deserted stadium, while their parents were still in the stands.

No, I wasn't a viewer when all this was being covered.

Dusty Saunders writes periodically about sports broadcasting. Contact him at tvtime@Comcast.net.

• April 21, 2008

  3:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  gkb2008 writes:

  California Social Services very well may be investigating those parents whose toddlers were still awake and playing at 1am at a baseball stadium in a sandbox. Those authorities do not look kindly at that kind of parenting behavior.