Monday, June 1, 2015
To give readers insight into covering the NBA Finals, which tips off at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, I
paneled five respected NBA media voices this week for a roundtable discussion:
The panel: • Howard Beck, national NBA writer, Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report Radio host. • Frank Isola, NBA reporter and columnist, New York Daily News, SiriusXM NBA Radio host. • Michael Lee, national NBA reporter, Washington Post. • Brian Mahoney, national NBA writer, Associated Press • Ramona Shelburne, senior writer, ESPN.com, ESPN LA 710 host. (Editor's note: The panel was asked to go as long or as short as they wanted with their answers. They were free to skip any questions. Some of the answers have been edited for clarity.) SI.com: How would you evaluate the media access for reporters at the NBA Finals? Beck: Let’s just say it’s, well, challenging. The NBA credentials about 2,000 media members, although it sometimes feels like 10,000. But that’s just the nature of the beast. The NBA Finals is a global event. So you go into the Finals accepting that you’re probably not going to get that 15-minute one-on-one with Draymond Green or Tristan Thompson. Even if you have prior relationships with certain players or coaches, you might have a tough time getting them to chat off to the side; they just have too many demands on them, even on practice days. So whatever story you’re working on, you’ll probably have to ask your questions in a group session, either at the main podium (with 500 reporters in the room) or, on off-days, at these on-court stations with 30-50 reporters surrounding each player. It makes it more challenging to develop a good, unique story, but, as the players say, it is what it is. I will say the NBA does an incredible job of keeping these sessions organized and on time, and ensuring that every significant player is available. Lee: To me, it's pretty excellent on off days. The star players and coaches from both teams are available for 10 minutes apiece and you can grab everyone else for as long as you need on the court. It can be a hassle trying to jump in with a big group of reporters, especially if some people are there to ask silly questions. But overall, I like that you get the people you need, when you need them. Postgame interviews are more difficult because of the late deadlines but I really can't complain about access at all. Isola: It’s actually quite good on off days because the league is in charge and all the players are available. They’ll bring the top players to the podium and since their interviews are recorded by a court stenographer, you have freedom to work the court. If you’re lucky and your timing is right, you could get someone alone. Trending on The Daily Cut Report: Chicago Bulls, Fred Hoiberg working on five-year deal 044 Kevin Love expects to play with Cavaliers next season 100 New Orleans Pelicans to hire Alvin Gentry as head coach 047 Mahoney: It's pretty good for a big event. We get at least some time with players and coaches on every day except the ones where teams travel. There's little hope of getting anyone alone to really get the in-depth quotes that are best, but with all the media at something this big, that's understandable. Shelburne: I think it’s actually pretty good. The NBA is in charge and both teams have to follow all the rules that the league and the Pro Basketball Writers Association have agreed upon. That means things generally run on time, whereas there is wide variation in adherence to the rules amongst individual teams. Now, most of the official access is going to be in group, press conference settings. You really have to work hard to get exclusive stuff. But if you’re a good, well-connected reporter, you can make it work.
SI.com: What is the most interesting storyline heading into this series? Beck: LeBron, always. I’m not one who subscribes to the notion that everything LeBron does somehow impacts his legacy. I won’t think any less of him as an all-time NBA great if the Cavaliers lose this series and he falls to 2–4 in the Finals. But you know that’s going to be a major storyline, even the storyline, for a great number of fans and commentators. LeBron is held to a ridiculous standard (something I wrote about last fall), and there’s this large contingent of the public that’s just waiting to pounce every time he stumbles, or his team falls short. Honestly, I don’t get it. LeBron James is indisputably one of the greatest players of all time, and within that superstar class, also ranks as one of the greatest teammates of all time. He conducts himself professionally, on and off the court. He’s never been in trouble. I think the public generally viewed his return to Cleveland as a positive thing. And yet he continues to be strangely polarizing. I get the sense that a majority of the country will be rooting against him (or, at least, for the Warriors) in the Finals.
Lee: Easily Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James. It's the classic case of the underdog vs. the heavy favorite but both could assume either role depending on your vantage point. Curry was the overlooked overachiever who became a star when little was expected of him. But he is also a child of privilege, the son of an NBA player who grew up around the game his whole life and had every opportunity to succeed. He also plays for the Warriors, one of the greatest regular season teams in NBA history, a team picked by many to win it all. James is a prodigy chosen to be the next great since he was in high school and has lived up to the hype while winning four MVPs and two championships. But he also had to overcome a hardscrabble upbringing to escape a community from which few are able to make it. While James recently said he's never an underdog, his injury-riddled team would pull a massive upset if it can win this series. It's also the new baby face of the league vs. the long-time familiar face. And both guys were born in Akron. Can't beat that.
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Isola: Besides J.R. Smith potentially leading Cleveland to winning the NBA Finals? It has to be Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James. The MVP vs. the so-called best player on the planet. I think they are the two toughest players to defend for very different reasons. If the Cavs win and LeBron continues to play at this ridiculously high level, he will have completed one of the greatest runs in playoff history. Sadly, if he loses you’ll hear people say, “He’s 2–4 in the Finals.” Yes, he is. But think about the two Cavs teams he’s led to the Finals. It shouldn’t be held against him that he’s made it this far.
Mahoney: For most people, it's Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who were THE guys in the NBA this season, trying to win for fanbases that have waited a long time. In LeBron's case, a lot of people would like to see him get one back home for the Cavaliers. For me, I'd say watching how David Blatt deals with all of this. He's been under scrutiny all season, to the point he would win a championship and I'm not sure anyone would be certain he'd be back in Cleveland next year.
Shelburne: There are a ton of interesting narratives in these Finals, but this is LeBron James’s league right now so I think every story begins and ends with him. This is what he came back to Cleveland to do. Can he finally deliver a title to his hometown? He’s had that pressure on him since he was 15 years old. Then he spurned Cleveland and its fans in 2010 and won his rings in Miami. Now he’s returned. Now that he’s won titles, only another ring will be considered a success.
The panel: • Howard Beck, national NBA writer, Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report Radio host. • Frank Isola, NBA reporter and columnist, New York Daily News, SiriusXM NBA Radio host. • Michael Lee, national NBA reporter, Washington Post. • Brian Mahoney, national NBA writer, Associated Press • Ramona Shelburne, senior writer, ESPN.com, ESPN LA 710 host. (Editor's note: The panel was asked to go as long or as short as they wanted with their answers. They were free to skip any questions. Some of the answers have been edited for clarity.) SI.com: How would you evaluate the media access for reporters at the NBA Finals? Beck: Let’s just say it’s, well, challenging. The NBA credentials about 2,000 media members, although it sometimes feels like 10,000. But that’s just the nature of the beast. The NBA Finals is a global event. So you go into the Finals accepting that you’re probably not going to get that 15-minute one-on-one with Draymond Green or Tristan Thompson. Even if you have prior relationships with certain players or coaches, you might have a tough time getting them to chat off to the side; they just have too many demands on them, even on practice days. So whatever story you’re working on, you’ll probably have to ask your questions in a group session, either at the main podium (with 500 reporters in the room) or, on off-days, at these on-court stations with 30-50 reporters surrounding each player. It makes it more challenging to develop a good, unique story, but, as the players say, it is what it is. I will say the NBA does an incredible job of keeping these sessions organized and on time, and ensuring that every significant player is available. Lee: To me, it's pretty excellent on off days. The star players and coaches from both teams are available for 10 minutes apiece and you can grab everyone else for as long as you need on the court. It can be a hassle trying to jump in with a big group of reporters, especially if some people are there to ask silly questions. But overall, I like that you get the people you need, when you need them. Postgame interviews are more difficult because of the late deadlines but I really can't complain about access at all. Isola: It’s actually quite good on off days because the league is in charge and all the players are available. They’ll bring the top players to the podium and since their interviews are recorded by a court stenographer, you have freedom to work the court. If you’re lucky and your timing is right, you could get someone alone. Trending on The Daily Cut Report: Chicago Bulls, Fred Hoiberg working on five-year deal 044 Kevin Love expects to play with Cavaliers next season 100 New Orleans Pelicans to hire Alvin Gentry as head coach 047 Mahoney: It's pretty good for a big event. We get at least some time with players and coaches on every day except the ones where teams travel. There's little hope of getting anyone alone to really get the in-depth quotes that are best, but with all the media at something this big, that's understandable. Shelburne: I think it’s actually pretty good. The NBA is in charge and both teams have to follow all the rules that the league and the Pro Basketball Writers Association have agreed upon. That means things generally run on time, whereas there is wide variation in adherence to the rules amongst individual teams. Now, most of the official access is going to be in group, press conference settings. You really have to work hard to get exclusive stuff. But if you’re a good, well-connected reporter, you can make it work.
SI.com: What is the most interesting storyline heading into this series? Beck: LeBron, always. I’m not one who subscribes to the notion that everything LeBron does somehow impacts his legacy. I won’t think any less of him as an all-time NBA great if the Cavaliers lose this series and he falls to 2–4 in the Finals. But you know that’s going to be a major storyline, even the storyline, for a great number of fans and commentators. LeBron is held to a ridiculous standard (something I wrote about last fall), and there’s this large contingent of the public that’s just waiting to pounce every time he stumbles, or his team falls short. Honestly, I don’t get it. LeBron James is indisputably one of the greatest players of all time, and within that superstar class, also ranks as one of the greatest teammates of all time. He conducts himself professionally, on and off the court. He’s never been in trouble. I think the public generally viewed his return to Cleveland as a positive thing. And yet he continues to be strangely polarizing. I get the sense that a majority of the country will be rooting against him (or, at least, for the Warriors) in the Finals.
