The only thing you could hear during TNT’s brutal Celtics-Wizards broadcast was Marv Albert continually misidentifying Marcus Smart and Aaron Nesmith. While the Celtics won Tuesday’s play-in game, watching the affair was a torturous experience.
Even Jayson Tatum’s 50-point outburst couldn’t negate the pain of trying to hear the muted crowd or Albert’s hushed commentary. It sounded as if the Hall of Fame announcer was calling the game from a closet.
On Monday, Turner Sports announced Albert, who turns 80 in June, will retire after the playoffs. He’s narrated 25 NBA All-Star Games, 13 NBA Finals and the 1992 gold medal men’s basketball victory for the United States. But now, it’s time for his illustrious career to end. Albert’s first NBA broadcast was in January 1963. The players in that game included Bob Cousy and John Havlicek.
It’s clear Albert is long past his prime. At this point, he can no longer even correctly identify the players are on the court.
All night long, Albert called Nesmith everything but his actual name. Most of the time, he mistook the rookie guard for Smart. When Smart passed the ball to Nesmith for a three-pointer midway through the third quarter, Albert’s brain appeared to combust. The call went like this (each ellipses represents several seconds of silence): “Smart … goes cross-court and it’s a three-pointer. … Beautiful pass for … Nesmith, the beneficiary.”
Later, Nesmith attempted a wide-open three with 1:38 left in the third. “Here’s Smart open for three,” Albert said incorrectly.
Early in the fourth quarter, Albert switched things up, and mistook Nesmith for Romeo Langford. At least they’re both young players?
“I’m impressed with your research for this game,” Grant Hill said with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter, without an apparent hint of irony.
Early in the contest, Albert said Bradley Beal was younger than Tatum. Beal is four years Tatum’s senior.
As TNT’s lead NBA play-by-play man, Albert is slated to announce the Eastern Conference Finals, and that is a terrifying thought. He came into Tuesday’s broadcast with the enthusiasm of someone who was on the call for a Summer League game.
Albert wasn’t the only problem with TNT’s game presentation. The crowd volume was kept to a low rumble and the telecast just felt amateurish. But even with better production, Albert’s errors would’ve been glaring. He simply couldn’t follow the action.
And everyone at home suffered.