Bob Costas is a traditionalist. The legendary broadcaster has previously advocated for MLB to address its pace of play issues; and now, he’s setting his sights on the NBA.
In a recent appearance on Michael Kay’s ESPN Radio show, Costas, who called NBA games for years on NBC, says the proliferation of 3-point attempts in NBA contests is sullying the league’s entertainment value.
“What worked for a competitive edge, or at least arguably that’s what the analytics showed you to do, did not work well for baseball as an entertainment product,” he said. “And I think the same thing is true – I’m not as close to the NBA now as I am to baseball – but in what I’ve observed, it’s not so pleasing to see two teams combine for 80 3-point attempts in a game. Or to see a potential fast break, and the two guys on the wing run to the respective corners instead of finishing off a beautifully-executed fast break.”
Over the last decade, the NBA has undergone a 3-point revolution, with execs and coaches encouraging players to take more shots from beyond the arc. The reasoning is sound: the three-pointer is a more efficient shot than a 2-pointer.
But players pulling up behind the line can interrupt the flow of a game, and also devalues the entertainment of the shot itself.
“A lot of the game’s texture has been reduced,” he said. “A three-pointer used to be a punctuation and a big deal. But when it’s a matter of force then I think it loses some of its impact.”
While that may be true, it’s unlikely that Costas will receive his wish. Teams believe analytics give them competitive advantages, and thus, they are here to stay.
MLB has implemented some rules to lessen the impact of analytics on the game, such as banning extreme infield shifts and setting batter minimums for pitchers.
But let’s be real: the NBA almost certainly isn’t going to mandate how many threes can be attempted in each contest. The three-pointer revolution is here to stay, much to Costas’ apparent chagrin.
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