Superman Rivalry

In their third meeting this season, the Orlando Magic finally took care of business and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101 to 95. The game on Sunday February 21st at 1 pm was commentated by Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy. 

One of the main topics that the announcers focused on was the recent NBA trades. 

I knew about the rumors that LeBron might be thinking about going to the Knicks next year, but by watching this game and listening to the announcers I learned a bit more about the evidence that would prove these rumors true. 

General manager Donnie Walsh took over the New York Knicks in 2007. Since then it appears he has been trying to clear cap space for the 2010 off-season. They explained that the reason they wanted this monetary flexibility is because the 2010 off-season features superstars like Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Heat guard Dwayne Wade. 

New York made a few adjustments to their roster. They traded Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill for Houston’s Tracy McGrady, and traded Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry to Boston for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker.

These trades cleared an additional $9 million in the Knicks’ salary cap space, bringing their total salary cap space for 2010 to somewhere between $31 to $32 million. This could actually allow the Knicks to sign not just one big time free agent, but two. 

Throughout the game the announcers did I nice job of explaining all of this to the viewer. Before watching the game I knew that there were rumors about LeBron going to the Knicks. In fact, my parents are good friends with Coach D’Antoni. We live in the same town and my younger brother is his son’s friend. I always try to get information out of DAntoni, and I do know he is very interested in getting LeBron, but that’s not new or shocking information. 

By providing this information the announcers added to the game and made it more interesting. Along the same topic of trades they discussed how the Cavaliers just acquired Antawn Jamison. They were talking about what kind of player he is and the strengths he has to offer. He has the ability to post up and be a strong presence in the paint, but he can spot up and shoot the three as well.

I follow basketball so I know why his versatility is valuable, however they still explained to the viewers how he continue to fit into the team’s dynamics very well. 

And of course the announcers talked about the “Superman Rivalry.” Before the game I did not know that Shaquille O'Neal had called out Magic’s Dwight Howard just a few days ago for calling himself Superman. Everybody knows Shaq is Superman! Hasn’t Dwight seen MTV Cribs? Shaq sleeps in a round bed with a huge superman logo on the comforter. 

The announcing of the game’s play by play was standard. They followed the action and kept the viewer in tune with what was going on. They didn’t give the time and score too often, but I could just see it on the screen.

If I had announced this game I definitely would not have done as good of a job. These guys knew what they were talking about but didn’t talk over anyone’s head. Sometimes when someone has so much knowledge about the game, it is hard to speak to such a wide audience. Jargon and names come so easily to the knowledgeable, however in this situation, the announcer must make sure he or she is putting things in layman’s terms. Breen, Jackson, and Van Gundy did an excellent job of keeping the viewers informed. The way the announced definitely added a much-appreciated facet to the game.

(Photos by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)