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PCmor7

PCmor7

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What the heck is this fixation the network has with Westbrook, PG and the Oklahoma City Thunder?

I'm watching this morning and see this huge segment about them after our win last night. Can Russell win? Oh, it's a statement on Paul George's shoulder. Blahddy, blahhdy, blahddy, blah.

This is a sixth seed from a small market and they didn't get out of the first round the last year or the year before in spite of all this hype how they were going to challenge the Warriors.

I can see the Blazers not getting props against a higher seed or a bigger market, but this just makes no sense to me.

Watching the postgame coverage with Ernie Johnson, Barkley, Shaq and Kenny Smith is such a breath of fresh air because they focus on so many different things that the major media narratives and they are a million times more entertaining in how they do it.
 
It is strange. All I can say is the Thunder have a guy who, like it or not, has won an MVP Award and they have another player who was considered a Top 3 contender for this year's MVP. So people just assume that makes them the favorites.
 
PCmor7 said:
What the heck is this fixation the network has with Westbrook, PG and the Oklahoma City Thunder?

I'm watching this morning and see this huge segment about them after our win last night. Can Russell win? Oh, it's a statement on Paul George's shoulder. Blahddy, blahhdy, blahddy, blah.

This is a sixth seed from a small market and they didn't get out of the first round the last year or the year before in spite of all this hype how they were going to challenge the Warriors.

I can see the Blazers not getting props against a higher seed or a bigger market, but this just makes no sense to me.

Watching the postgame coverage with Ernie Johnson, Barkley, Shaq and Kenny Smith is such a breath of fresh air because they focus on so many different things that the major media narratives and they are a million times more entertaining in how they do it.
Click to expand...

ESPN is the NBA's mouthpiece.

The NBA is all about stars. The Thunder have two marketable stars that most casual fans know by name. Russ is a flawed player, but most casual fans know him because he has averaged a triple double for... what... three years straight? Paul George is mostly known because he was a star for Indy and he got pretty far in the playoffs in the East.

The Blazers have Dame... and the NBA doesn't promote Dame hardly at all. It's really too bad because Dame is the kind of star that should be promoted. He's the kind of pro athlete that you can point your kids to and say, "that's how you do it." I just wish people would recognize that Dame was really beat up last year in the playoffs, but he didn't use it as an excuse, unlike Paul George.
 
Natebishop3 said:
ESPN is the NBA's mouthpiece.

The NBA is all about stars. The Thunder have two marketable stars that most casual fans know by name. Russ is a flawed player, but most casual fans know him because he has averaged a triple double for... what... three years straight? Paul George is mostly known because he was a star for Indy and he got pretty far in the playoffs in the East.

The Blazers have Dame... and the NBA doesn't promote Dame hardly at all. It's really too bad because Dame is the kind of star that should be promoted. He's the kind of pro athlete that you can point your kids to and say, "that's how you do it." I just wish people would recognize that Dame was really beat up last year in the playoffs, but he didn't use it as an excuse, unlike Paul George.
Click to expand...
It's just one of those things. I've seen the espn guys(Jalen and Isola) mention the post game difference between Dame and russ, and others have mentioned how Portland has become a complete team..it is being talked about, but it's like an afterthought of the okc narrative.
It's as if they know what's happening but since none of them gave The Blazers a chance, no need to expose your wrongness.
 
Lukee said:
I love Rachel Nichols and Zach Lowe. Okay, Jalen and Jacoby too.
But Rachel is great.
Click to expand...


Rachel is great. She loves Dame and promotes him very well. I’ve always respected her for that.
 
Natebishop3 said:
ESPN is the NBA's mouthpiece.

The NBA is all about stars. The Thunder have two marketable stars that most casual fans know by name. Russ is a flawed player, but most casual fans know him because he has averaged a triple double for... what... three years straight? Paul George is mostly known because he was a star for Indy and he got pretty far in the playoffs in the East.

The Blazers have Dame... and the NBA doesn't promote Dame hardly at all. It's really too bad because Dame is the kind of star that should be promoted. He's the kind of pro athlete that you can point your kids to and say, "that's how you do it." I just wish people would recognize that Dame was really beat up last year in the playoffs, but he didn't use it as an excuse, unlike Paul George.
Click to expand...

I agree completely that the NBA and the media that suckle on it are all about the "stars". For better or worse, Russ and PG are considered bonafide "stars". I think that Dame would have made the crossover to "star" last year in most people's minds with having made First Team All-NBA. Unfortunately, the Blazers' flameout in the playoffs last season kind of killed that buzz. The playoffs are where "stars" get their credentials in the public eye. What I'm excited about this season, if the Blazers can carry on winning deep into the playoffs, is that Dame and CJ are going to get the chance to enhance their "star" credentials. They're kind of giving NBA fans and media gurus who have ignored them in the past a bit of a "Brozillian" treatment on their prejudices about the Blazers' backcourt stars.
 
e_blazer said:
I agree completely that the NBA and the media that suckle on it are all about the "stars". For better or worse, Russ and PG are considered bonafide "stars". I think that Dame would have made the crossover to "star" last year in most people's minds with having made First Team All-NBA. Unfortunately, the Blazers' flameout in the playoffs last season kind of killed that buzz. The playoffs are where "stars" get their credentials in the public eye. What I'm excited about this season, if the Blazers can carry on winning deep into the playoffs, is that Dame and CJ are going to get the chance to enhance their "star" credentials. They're kind of giving NBA fans and media gurus who have ignored them in the past a bit of a "Brozillian" treatment on their prejudices about the Blazers' backcourt stars.
Click to expand...

If they can get to the WCF, that would go a long way to cementing them as being some of the best in the game.
 
I had 3 hours of commute time today to listen to several talk shows on ESPN and Fox radio. The topic on most shows was either the NFL draft or....... Westbrook Not much about the games, but they did praise Dame and CJ a few times.
 
Lukee said:
I love Rachel Nichols and Zach Lowe. Okay, Jalen and Jacoby too.
But Rachel is great.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I was too busy being enthralled by Rachel Nichols' plunging neckline. What were we talking about?
 
What I don’t get is how Westbrook is so hyped? Okc is even a much more smaller market than ours
 
People’s entire jobs are dedicated to knowing which stories attract viewers. That’s what they’re going to talk about.

But since nothing they say actually matters and doesn’t effect the games, I could give a shit what they talk about. Not like I have to listen.

Anyways, I kind of prefer being overlooked and I bet Damian and CJ do too.
 
BoBoBREWSKI said:
I dont understand why fans choose to watch the ESPN and TNT playoff broadcasts over NBCSNW.
Click to expand...
Ive watched the local feeds and its better. Though I do find the TNT inside the NBA crew of Ernie, Kenny, Shaq and Barkley to be entertaining (albeit sometimes dumb).
 
TorturedBlazerFan said:
Ive watched the local feeds and its better. Though I do find the TNT inside the NBA crew of Ernie, Kenny, Shaq and Barkley to be entertaining (albeit sometimes dumb).
Click to expand...
The color balance is much more appealing in TNT/ESPN.
 
KingSpeed said:
It is strange. All I can say is the Thunder have a guy who, like it or not, has won an MVP Award and they have another player who was considered a Top 3 contender for this year's MVP. So people just assume that makes them the favorites.
Click to expand...

I think it's that, and that a Thunder/Westbrook matchup against the Warriors/Durant would be catnip for them.
 
Westbrook is the culmination of 11 years of narrative that had 3 MVPs scattered to the wind. Any story about him has Harden, Durant and George as major satellites, and Dame as a direct contrast. It is pretty compelling. Sucks the Blazers are an afterthought, but they'll be relevant longer.
 
noknobs said:
People’s entire jobs are dedicated to knowing which stories attract viewers. That’s what they’re going to talk about.
.
Click to expand...

Colin Cowherd is the king of this. It was all Lebron all the time, and now it's Westbrook ad naseum. Why? Those guys capture eyeballs, having a foil makes for drama, and that again equals ratings and money.

Dame is a sweet story, but not dramatic.
 
PCmor7 said:
What the heck is this fixation the network has with Westbrook, PG and the Oklahoma City Thunder?

I'm watching this morning and see this huge segment about them after our win last night. Can Russell win? Oh, it's a statement on Paul George's shoulder. Blahddy, blahhdy, blahddy, blah.

This is a sixth seed from a small market and they didn't get out of the first round the last year or the year before in spite of all this hype how they were going to challenge the Warriors.

I can see the Blazers not getting props against a higher seed or a bigger market, but this just makes no sense to me.

Watching the postgame coverage with Ernie Johnson, Barkley, Shaq and Kenny Smith is such a breath of fresh air because they focus on so many different things that the major media narratives and they are a million times more entertaining in how they do it.
Click to expand...

ESPN knows who butters their bread.
 
OKC is in the heartland(it’s close anyways) and most of America doesn’t even know where Portland is. East coast is only an hour later to watch their games, 3 hrs for ours.
 
Shit, it's not just ESPN. I listened to national sports talk radio most of the day yesterday and every show was basically the same. Whenever our series came up they would talk at length about Westbrick and OKC and how they were blowing it. Then the last 5 seconds a co-host or caller would add "oh but the Blazers are also playing well" and the host would agree and that would be that. The only guy I heard go out of his way to praise us was Chris Haynes on Doug Gottlieb's show. He said that Dame has been controlling the series and itemized some of what Dame is doing well. In response Gottlieb basically said yeah yeah yeah, but what do you think about Westbrick?
 
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