Yesterday the New York Knicks brain trust, or lack there of, decided that the first half of the game between the home team and the Golden State Warriors would be played without music, video or in game entertainment, according to the statement that appeared on the big screen prior to the game, so that fans could “enjoy the game in its purest form.”
Though the actual game of basketball does not require any of those non-related additions to determine the outcome, it has become customary for these things to be added in order to maintain the overall spectacle of the professional game.
Let’s face it, the overwhelming majority of people who attend pro basketball games are not interested in seeing the game played in its purest form. If so, then perhaps they should have attended a UCONN women’s game instead of making the NBA richer. They’re there to get live, to get excited and to have a good time. Much of this energy is then absorbed by some of the players and used on the floor. The home team in particular.
For players and fans, music during games helps them get loose, and get in rhythm. For some, music helps a great deal. For players who have been listening to music and seeing in-game entertainment since high school, this was a major departure from basketball decorum.
Afterwards, outspoken Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had plenty to say about it.
“Did you see that first half?” he asked. “It was just bad, sloppy, all over the place. There was no rhythm to the game. All this stuff makes a difference in a game, believe it or not. You get in a rhythm. … You turn on music, it just helps you get into a certain area, takes you to a certain place. I don’t think they were doing it to, like, throw us off, but it definitely threw the entire game off. They need to trash it. That’s exactly what they need to do.”
“You advance things in the world to make it better. You don’t go back to what was bad. It’s like, computers can do anything for us. It’s like going back to paper. Why would you do that? So it was ridiculous.”
This approach didn’t sit well with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, either. He and Curry called it “weird”, as did New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingas.
Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee also used weird to describe it. “Imagine if we had that energy?” Lee said. “You’d rather have that. It gets the fans into the game, it keeps them in tune with what’s going on as opposed to it being quiet.”
