Thanks for nothing, Doris

[Steve Weinman]

I've really tried not to let myself get too wrapped up into bumming about the media's abundance of love for LeBron -- in fairness, the dude is really, really super-duper good, so there are plenty of people that are going to laud the man, and rightfully so.

But Doris Burke took it to a new level tonight.

If you watched the Celtics' telecast of this game (was there one?  I'm writing from the road tonight, so I was on the national end), you might have been deluded into believing that the other 90 percent of personnel on the court had something to do with anything that occurred in this basketball game.  Simply not the case.

Doris made it quite clear all night long.  LeBron was wholly responsible for everything that happened on both ends of the floor this evening.  Divine force, I tell you.  Well, she does.  I'm just the messenger.

If we're willing to call out Dick Stockton for his performances on the play-by-play throughout the playoffs (truly impossible to listen to), it seems only fair to award Doris a similar distinction on the color side.  She killed me all night, and it went way beyond Bron.

Am I alone on this?

-sw

[angryguy77]

No your not. I was just telling my friend that I thought she was going to jump on the court and do things not meant for for tv

[Andy Jick]

i might be able to endure her if she was pretty, but she's not even good to look at...

[CoachCowens]

The first game i heard her, was enough for me. Luckily I could watch Mike Gorman, although I'm sick of Donny Marshall and his Ray Allen Idol worship.

[CelticBalla32]

I agree with you, Steve. And I didn't even watch the national telecast. That pretty much sums up my feelings about Doris "I haven't proven my womanhood" Burke.

With that said, I reluctantly might say that Doris is a step up from Dick Stockton. That's a toss-up.

Game 7: Jeff Van Gundy, please.

[Frontierboy]

Yeah, they need to get Erin Andrews to do the color commentary even though she has no experience with basketball or calling games.....

Erin for color commentary!!!!!!!!

[wdleehi]

I was happy to sit through Donny to avoid her. 

[Roy Hobbs]

Agreed, Steve.  She's just terrible at her job.

That's what I don't understand.  It's hard enough for a largely male television audience to accept a female sportscaster for a major men's sport; I wish that wasn't the case, but it's true.  With full knowledge of that uphill struggle, why on earth would you put a woman out there who is pretty terrible at her job?  That just cements stereotypes.

It's not just the Lebron thing, either.  It's her missing the fact that Ray Allen's shot was blocked off the backboard.  Miss that play live, fine.  But she missed it on the first replay, too; her colleague had to point it out to her.  I mean, come on...

[Redz]

Doris the Fink-a-saurus (thank you Beastie Boys)

[Chief]

This is what happens when Bill Walton has back troubles.

[Steve Weinman]

Agreed, Steve.  She's just terrible at her job.

That's what I don't understand.  It's hard enough for a largely male television audience to accept a female sportscaster for a major men's sport; I wish that wasn't the case, but it's true.  With full knowledge of that uphill struggle, why on earth would you put a woman out there who is pretty terrible at her job?  That just cements stereotypes.

It's not just the Lebron thing, either.  It's her missing the fact that Ray Allen's shot was blocked off the backboard.  Miss that play live, fine.  But she missed it on the first replay, too; her colleague had to point it out to her.  I mean, come on...

Absolutely, RH -- I certainly didn't purport to suggest that LeBron was the only source of my problem with her, just the biggest one last night.  You touch on a a great point -- like the Cavs, Doris needed second or third chances on several possessions last night -- only for her it was to correctly see what was clearly visible to the naked eye watching at home on television.  Ugh.  What a mess.

Was anybody else amused by her **repeated** (three or four times over the course of the night) explanation that the Celtics' road troubles were simply due to the fact that the three stars weren't used to playing with each other in the playoffs?  Apparently, that's the sort of thing that can have only a road effect...but when you're in your own building, it's no problem.  Unbelievable.

-sw

[jay_jay54]

Agreed, Steve.  She's just terrible at her job.

That's what I don't understand.  It's hard enough for a largely male television audience to accept a female sportscaster for a major men's sport; I wish that wasn't the case, but it's true.  With full knowledge of that uphill struggle, why on earth would you put a woman out there who is pretty terrible at her job?  That just cements stereotypes.

It's not just the Lebron thing, either.  It's her missing the fact that Ray Allen's shot was blocked off the backboard.  Miss that play live, fine.  But she missed it on the first replay, too; her colleague had to point it out to her.  I mean, come on...

How could she call it,when Lebron was still in her sight,

[Roy Hobbs]

Haha.  Good one, jay_jay!

[Yakmanev]

It really depresses me that the suckiest people can get the coolest jobs.

These people (Stockton, Burk et some of the others etc;) is commentating professional playoff basketball and I'm working at Wal-Mart. I'll be [dang]ed.