> http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Anti_NBA_on_ABC_Page/
>
> On June 12, 2002, the NBA died. That was the night of Game 4 of the
> 2002 NBA Finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers finished off the
> overmatched New Jersey Nets. That was also the last night that NBC
> Sports aired an NBA game.
>
> Since taking over the NBA in 2002, ABC has taken remarkable creative
> license with telecasts. The games are secondary to strange camera
> angles; floorcam, FreeFlight and sideways shots of the backs of
> players jerseys have been favorites of ABC's game producers.
>
> Since ABC took over the NBA, the network has had three lead play-by-
> play voices (Brad Nessler, Al Michaels and Mike Breen). To put that in
> perspective, NBC only had two lead voices for the twelve-year duration
> of its coverage (Bob Costas and Marv Albert).
>
> There have been four different sets of analysts (Tom Tolbert and Bill
> Walton, Doc Rivers, Hubie Brown, and Mark Jackson). There have been
> six different studio teams ('03: Mike Tirico, Tolbert and Walton; 04:
> Tirico, Tolbert and Byron Scott; '05: Tirico, Walton and Steve Jones;
> '06: Tirico and Scottie Pippen; '06: Dan Patrick, Pippen, Jackson and
> Michael Wilbon; '07: Patrick, Jackson and Wilbon).
>
> There have been five different graphics packages (one for each
> season), three different theme songs and eight different music groups
> (Robert Randolph and the Family Band, LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake,
> The Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Rob Thomas, Tom Petty and The
> Pussycat Dolls).
>
> Indecision, constant change, appealing almost exclusively to the
> casual fan, camera shots that make no sense. Add to that the fact
> that, five years in, games that aired on NBC look as if they have
> better quality than those on ABC (thanks to brighter colors and a
> camera that was closer to the action) and it becomes obvious that ABC
> has done its fair share to diminish the NBA in stature.