Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards brought the house down in Salt Lake City on Monday night when he caught air against the Utah Jazz and slammed home an incredible dunk.
The dunk was so amazing that Timberwolves analyst Jim Petersen was left speechless.
Just as you might imagine, the spectacular dunk caught some serious attention everywhere.
HOLY CRAP ANT pic.twitter.com/tPxrijxGUB
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 19, 2024
Edwards shows up to NBA in 1984 instead of Bald Jesus and everyone is wearing Air Ants today. https://t.co/wgQJCF4rFj
— Letting Go (@ProvideContext) March 19, 2024
Even his own teammates couldn’t believe what they saw as one angle saw it.
https://twitter.com/DKSportsbook/status/1770072871886348681
The common point here, though, was the fact that Petersen didn’t let his voice be heard. By now, if you’re a basketball fan, you’ve heard some incredible dunk calls. Kevin Harlan’s “No regard for human life!” became a catchphrase overnight. Ralph Lawler’s “Oh me, oh my!” call became synonymous with Los Angeles Clippers broadcasts. But Petersen opted to stay quiet instead of providing the soundtrack to an incredible highlight play.
The man himself jumped online to answer why he decided to stay quiet.
Petersen opened up on X and addressed the situation, saying that people had been asking him why he let Edwards do the talking.
“It’s not about me,” Petersen claimed. “I like to let Michael Grady (the team’s play-by-play announcer) cook. He is on the same level as Ian and Breen in my book,” he said, referring to the great Ian Eagle and Mike Breen.
“I was so torn between the emotion of Ant’s dunk and the aftermath of what looked like a serious hand injury…I laid out and let the pictures do the talking. ”
People are asking me why I didn’t really react to Ant’s dunk. Two reasons.
1. It’s not about me. I like to let @grady cook. He is on the same level as Ian and Breen in my book.
2. I was so torn between the emotion of Ant’s dunk and the aftermath of what looked like a serious…
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) March 19, 2024
Letting the action breathe and speak for itself is something of a lost art in broadcasting. While there are commentators whose excitement levels are off the charts, creating something of a charm, the flipside of that is not being able to hear the sounds of the environment all the way. And sometimes, those can be even more satisfying to listen to.
Petersen‘s answer appeared to satisfy fans too. Plenty applauded his rationale, and if the reaction from T’Wolves fans and his colleague were any indication, he’s one of the most well-regarded commentators in the NBA.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022