In N.Y., Scott Cacciola notes the in-game interview has "become a staple of the NBA’s national broadcasts" despite being "part nuisance (for the coaches), part high-wire act (for the sideline reporters) and part spectacle (for the viewers at home)." Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, "It's just abnormal." ESPN's Doris Burke said, "You try to ask the best questions possible, but you don't necessarily control the outcome." Cacciola notes some coaches are "more invested in the process than others." Burke: "You're going to feel every bit of Stan Van Gundy's frustration if his team had a tough quarter." She added, "Doc Rivers might not tell me anything" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/12).
SOUTH BEACH STORIES: ESPN VP and Exec Producer of ESPN Films & Original Content John Dahl said that he is "very much open" to projects focused on late Marlins P Jose Fernandez and the Heat's Big Three era. He noted that "'a couple' of people have inquired about producing a Fernandez documentary." But Dahl believes it is "too soon." In Miami, Barry Jackson reported Miami-based filmmaker Billy Corben has "pitched the Fernandez film to ESPN." Regarding a Heat film, Dahl said, "It would make great sense down the road. Nobody has presented us with a proposal. We're always looking for an interesting angle or fresh take" (MIAMI HERALD, 12/10).
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? In N.Y., Phil Mushnick wrote Magic Johnson "served as little more than Hall of Fame decoration" during his first stint as an ESPN analyst from '08-13, but the net apparently had "no better ideas" when it announced his return to "NBA Countdown." Johnson's "awkward takes produced winces, especially from those who previously cherished him as a superstar." The last thing a viewer wants to feel is "sorry for a person on the air who doesn't belong on the air" (N.Y. POST, 12/11).
