Less than a week after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey accused NBA broadcasters of “hate-watching” their own telecasts, Hornets announcers roasted James Harden for the infamous quadruple-double.
The Rockets lost in Charlotte Saturday night, despite 30 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds from Harden, but the former MVP also posted 10 turnovers, which caused Hornets TV announcer Eric Collins to erupt with joy.
“There it is, oh my goodness! Ten turnovers for James Harden – a quadruple-double!” Collins exclaimed.
Collins’ cheers for Harden’s gaff came less than a week after Rockets GM Daryl Morey complained about the lack of voluntary promotional support the NBA gets from their broadcasters.
“Right now, if you tune into a lot of NBA telecasts, the announcers are hate-watching their own game. It’s crazy. You’ll tune in, and they’ll be like, ‘Well, what’s happening here? They’re shooting too many 3-pointers. Back in my day…’” Morey said last week during an appearance on FS1’s First Things First.
“I think we have the best game that highlights our best athletes in the world, every single night,” Morey added. “It’s almost like cognitive dissonance. People tune in, and they’re being told how they shouldn’t watch, and how it’s not a fun game to watch. It’s bizarre to me. The NFL would never let it happen, and I don’t understand it.”
Although James Harden has been scoring at a historic rate in recent seasons, his style of play is regularly criticized for taking too many three-pointers and drawing too many fouls. Collins wasn’t ripping the NBA as a whole, but his cheering and excitement for Harden’s embarrassing feat certainly wasn’t a testament to his quality of play on the court.