Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, left, makes a 3-point basket while being defended by Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins and forward Kevon Looney during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
Jeff Chiu/APNBA fans are up in arms because of the way the Warriors broadcast called the late clutch shot from Thunder big man Chet Holmgren that sent Saturday’s game against Golden State to overtime on Saturday.
Down three in the fourth quarter with 1.6 seconds left in regulation, the Thunder inbounded the ball to Holmgren, who heaved a miraculous no-dribble three-pointer to tie the game at 117 at the buzzer. To his credit, Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald gave an appropriate exclamation of “He hit it!” after the shot.
The problem came with what Kelenna Azubuike said not even a half second after.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
“He was on the line though, I think,” the analyst said. “He might have been on the line. They’ve got to review it.”
Skepticism is one thing, but the replay indicated that Holmgren was well behind the line, to the point where his position should not have even been a question. Regardless, Azubuike’s comment briefly forced the broadcasters to discuss whether Holmgren’s incredible shot was actually as clutch as it looked. Officials very easily counted the basket, and Oklahoma City went on to win the game in overtime, 130-123.
To many familiar with the antics of this Warriors broadcast team, who have called games on NBC Sports Bay Area since 2019, this was the latest example of the kind of homerism the two have become known, and criticized, for. The clip was the top post on the NBA subreddit Sunday morning with the title, “I’m so tired of one commentator always being a contrarian to great moments.” Other people on social media similarly voiced their displeasure with the duo.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
This wasn’t even the first time Fitzgerald and Azubuike were criticized for their homerism this week, as their commentary during the scuffle between the Timberwolves and Warriors — which notably included Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold — left a lot to be desired. Fitzgerald initially described the headlock as simply “Draymond came in to defend Klay,” and then later compared it to a “big brother” helping out his sibling.
It’s a reputation that has followed this broadcast duo for quite some time. Awful Announcing ranked them 27th in the league out of 30 in 2020. Seemingly every year since, they’ve been column fodder simply because of the way they do their jobs. Given how things have gone so far this season, it sure looks like they could be well on their way to another homer performance in 2023-24.