If you watched ESPN's coverage, of the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, you should have muted the whole thing.
Dan Patrick on Peacock and Pat McAfee on the Pat McAfee show (ironically on ESPN) wasted no time blasting the network and rightfully so in regards to their pampering of the big market New York against small tiny Indiana.
"The Pacers' did play in the game, I just want to let ESPN know. If you want to buy into east coast bias, you have every reason to buy into ESPN's east coast bias watching that game. How about some impartiality here? I was embarrassed for ESPN"#Knicks #Pacers pic.twitter.com/qtZyoMeQSW
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 20, 2024
Pat McAfee on Pacers-Knicks: "On-air personalities, TV, before the game: 'This is what the Knicks are going to have to do to win this game.' Halftime, Mike Wilbon: 'There's no way the Pacers are going to be able to keep shooting the way' -- THEY DID!" pic.twitter.com/GVVjoJoT6e
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 20, 2024
Dan Patrick and Pat McAfee did the right thing in calling out ESPN for biased broadcasting between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers
They certainly weren't alone. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic echoed the same sentiments. If anything, the broadcast was nothing more than everyone associated, including Doris Burke and Mike Breen, getting on their knees and begging for an Eastern Conference Finals between Boston and New York. Los Angeles is already out and the weeping for that is already over, now Boston is the last big market left outside of Dallas.
Too bad. Who cares about big market bias outside of TV personalities who have officially deviated from reporting to celebrity entertainers? Yes, they have an opinion, but when a professional network shows this level of non-professional commentary, it's disappointing. The bottom line is this, based on the way ESPN acted, you wouldn’t have known the Pacers were also involved in a Game 7 on Sunday.
As of today, the Pacers are on their way to Boston to meet the Celtics for the Conference Finals. Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated highlighted the event so perfectly — the incessant Stephen A coverage, the lack of his appearance following the Knicks loss, Reggie Miller getting the last laugh yet again against New York? It was too good for everyone, and that includes Dan Patrick and Pat McAfee, both of whom have strong opinions BUT can put aside personal bias for professional analysis.