NBA on TNT announcers Marv Albert and Reggie Miller will be at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to call Game 5 of the New York Knicks’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. That will mark the first telecast Albert and Miller call together from an NBA arena this season because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hence, NBA fans might react with the similar one-word answer that has become Albert’s signature call for memorable players.
Yes!!!
Albert spoke with USA TODAY Sports about calling Game 5 at MSG, the antagonism Knicks fans have had toward NBA stars both past (Miller) and present (Trae Young), and the recent string of ugly fan incidents. Albert also explained why he will retire following the Eastern Conference Finals in what will mark his 55th year as an NBA broadcaster with various stops with NBC, Turner Sports and MSG. The interview below has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What will it mean to you to broadcast a game on site again after calling games remotely this season?
Albert: “It should be intriguing. We were doing games in a studio in New York while Reggie was in LA or Grant Hill was in Atlanta. It was a challenge. We should see each other on a Zoom screen. We felt like we would step on each other. It’s difficult when you’re not in the same room or right next to the person you’re working with, so they had to work out all technical problems. But we got it down to where it’s pretty good. The last two weeks, we’ve been [in studio] in Atlanta. I’m back in New York right now. We were doing it together where we were separated by plexiglass. To me, the thrill of it was doing the actual All-Star game and seeing real players at a real arena. We did that about 20 rows up.”
What do you think it will be like calling the game with Reggie given his history with Knicks fans?
Albert: “I’ve done games there with Reggie in the past. People kid him. Spike Lee often sits close to his left, and they are very good friends now. In fact, Spike wrote the forward to his book several years ago. It’s just a different scene there now not just with what we saw in Philadelphia with Russell Westbrook with the popcorn incident and in Boston with Kyrie Irving with the water bottle and the treatment that Trae Young received with the profanity and the spitting. It gives the wrong impression of the league.
It might be one person that just does something, but it’s still terrible and abusive. Hopefully we don’t see that at all. What Trae Young absorbed in that Game 1, I thought he handled it as well as he could. It’s a different scene these days. The Garden has seen many hated players coming in, and you may boo them. But they never had that type of situation. I’m sure that’s the case all around the NBA. But there could be one incident, and that looks terrible. It should not happen. But I look forward to it. We haven’t done that many Knicks games for obvious reasons in recent years. It’s nice to see them back, but they still have many moves to make and they do have cap space. But Atlanta is a really talented team.”
During all your years in broadcasting, to what extent have you seen similar fan behavior compared to what we have seen unfortunately in the past week?
Albert: “You’d hear profanity, obviously. But you didn’t usually see what took place in Philadelphia or New York. It’s a terrible thing to see. When I was a kid [at MSG], I wouldn’t even boo. I was just happy to be there to watch. You’d see some people scream foolish things out at players. That’s part of it. I realize that. But I’m sure there will be extra security in arenas from here on out. You can’t tell people, ‘Don’t shout or don’t yell at players.’ But not where it’s yelling profanities and throwing things. You have kids around and it’s impolite. If they walked on the street and said and done these things, I would feel sorry for them. That would not happen. They would not be so brave.”
What are the top moments you called when Miller faced off against the Knicks at MSG?
Albert: “I did the game where he had that incredible run at the end of the game and he gave Spike Lee the choke sign. They would be talking back and forth the whole game. I didn’t go to the game where he had eight points in nine seconds. I was doing a game out West at the time. But Reggie enjoyed that. It really pushed him. He kind of lived off of the reaction from fans. I get the idea that Trae Young is similar to Reggie from a competitive point of view. We would talk about it when we did games he played at the Garden. We would always be prepared with video of some of those incidents that Reggie was involved with. Reggie has such a great sense of humor. On the air, he would say, ‘Oh no not again guys.’ But deep down, I think he really likes it.”
What was the turning point for why you decided to retire after you call the Eastern Conference Finals?
Albert: “There was no real turning point. But three or four years ago, I felt it was time. I know next November, I’m going to miss it once the league starts up again. But I’ll be watching everything. I’m going to watch all sports. It’s been 55 years of NBA broadcasting, and that’s a lot of talking. I’ll miss getting together with coaches before and after games. Some have become friends before or after working with me, including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. There are others, too. I’ll miss the chats we’ll have with them before games or at the hotels and also in our production meetings.”
I saw you joked you’re going to spend post retirement honing your skills in gardening and ballroom dancing. In all seriousness, what’s next in retirement?
Albert: “I’ll go with that. It took hours to come up with that [laughs]. I found the pandemic – obviously I feel terrible for people who had have problems and suffered with it – but it was a rehearsal for retirement. I just felt this should be it. I’m going to be 80 years old. I feel great and I’m healthy. But I enjoyed parts of staying at home. I’m all for social distancing in many cases (laughs). I enjoy reading and watching TV. I became a binging fan, which I didn’t really have time for, and working out. So I didn’t mind it. I love going to baseball games here or there when I had time in the past. But I really found I have a lot to do.”
Where did your ‘YES’ calls originate?
Albert: “I grew up in Brooklyn where schoolyard basketball was all we did. A number of NBA players that were in high school or college would always play there (Connie Hawkins, Art Heyman). It was quite a haven for basketball fanatics. A friend of mine would always imitate the referee, Sid Borgia. On a basket where a player would be fouled, he would say, ‘Yes, and it counts!’ He was very colorful. So a friend of mine, he would announce the games as we were playing and he would, ‘Yes!’ So for the Knicks-Philadelphia game at the Garden (1968 NBA playoffs), I incorporated it when Dick Barnett took what he used to call his fall back baby jumper. Then I started to use it every once in a while. I heard people would throw it back at me. During practice, players would use it, too. So it basically happened to catch on. I save it for a special moment – usually a good line drive 3.”
What’s your favorite performance or moment that you called?
Albert: “Doing the Dream Team. I got the chills when they took the floor, even though they were so much better than anyone. But what they’ve done for international basketball, they were like The Beatles in Barcelona. Then there were the great moments the Knicks had back in the 70’s when Willis Reed stepped on the court when he wasn’t supposed to play Game 7 against the Lakers. They all stopped and stared. They couldn’t believe it because Willis wasn’t supposed to play because of his injury. Then he shows up and hits his first two field-goal attempts. It was inspirational.”
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