Victor Wembanyama’s controversial ejection may have been a bad moment for the NBA, but it was a moment where Mike Tirico was able to shine for NBC.
Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was on NBC Sunday night with Tirico, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Crawford on the call. And as Wembanyama develops into one of the most must-see players in NBA history, the last thing the league and NBC wanted to see was referees having to decide whether he should be ejected from the game.
But early in the second quarter, Wembanyama threw an egregious elbow at the throat of Timberwolves center Naz Reid that immediately garnered a whistle.
“That’s a problem for the Spurs,” Tirico said while watching the first replay as Miller noted the foul was definitely worthy of being upgraded to a flagrant-1. Tirico immediately interjected to note, “there is a possibility that’s a 2.”
Now it was on the replay center to decide whether the foul should be upgraded to a flagrant-1 or flagrant-2, with a potential ejection of the game’s biggest attraction on the line. And while the initial reaction may have been “there’s no way Wembanyama will be ejected from the game,” Tirico was all over the very real possibility of a flagrant-2 from the start.
Most announcers and fans are quick to complain about lengthy replay reviews. But everything Tirico did during the four-minute lull was a masterclass in how to handle a break in the action for an official review.
Tirico did an excellent job of narrating the different replay angles by NBC, he explained the criteria for flagrant fouls and stated who was behind the decision on Wembanyama’s fate. He explained why the audience was hearing the in-arena fans react when they did, and even offered some lip-reading as Wembanyama learned in real time that a flagrant-2 meant he was being ejected. But the best thing Tirico did was put the audience on the edge of their seats for the entire break by immediately noting Wembanayama’s elbow could get him ejected.
Tirico’s return to calling NBA basketball games has been one of the brightest aspects of the league’s new media rights deal with NBC. As much as there has been an emphasis on the nostalgia of the NBA on NBC, everyone forgot just how great Tirico was at calling basketball games. There has been no rust to shake. Nearly a decade removed from calling NBA games, Tirico has been as great as any announcer in the sport this season.
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