The final minutes of the Warriors-Thunder game that aired on ABC Saturday night were "so incredible that they deserve consideration as the best regular-season NBA moment we've witnessed," according to Tom Jones of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. Warriors G Stephen Curry's 38-foot 3-pointer to win the game 121-118 in OT "made for the best regular-season moment we've ever seen." Jones: "That's not hyperbole. If you had watched it live, you would agree. Great job by ABC to capture it and squeeze every delicious moment out of it" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/29). THE MMQB's Peter King writes Curry "is the must-watch athlete of his day." King: "I'm now going to have to check the listings every day to see if Golden State is on TV. ... I've never done that with the NBA" (MMQB.SI.com, 2/29). ABC for the game earned a 3.9 overnight rating, making it the highest-rated, non-Christmas NBA regular-season game across all networks since '13. It peaked at a 5.6 rating between 11:15-11:30pm ET. The game drew a 14.9 local rating in the S.F.-Oakland-San Jose market, making it the highest-rated regular-season game (non-Christmas) ever on ABC or ESPN. In Oklahoma City, the game drew a 14.6 local rating, making it the highest-rated regular-season game on ABC or ESPN since '14 (ESPN).
JUST DOING THEIR JOB: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Tim Corrigan, Dir Jimmy Moore and sideline reporter Lisa Salters deserve credit for "opting to report on a Warriors player ... going on a profanity-laced tirade in the locker room during halftime" of Saturday's game. ESPN is a business partner with the NBA, and those relationships "are always tricky to navigate for sideline reporters given league offices don't want dirty laundry aired on the network." Deitsch: "This was news, and Salters reported what she heard, which is what good reporters do on the sidelines regularly." While not 100% sure, Salters believed Warriors F Draymond Green was who went on the tirade, and Corrigan said, "Once I felt like we had the right things answered, we went with it. Lisa was comfortable with the information and she's a talented reporter." Corrigan said that he "did not hear from either the Warriors or the NBA after the broadcast regarding the report" (SI.com, 2/28).
LET THE RECORD WATCH BEGIN: USA TODAY's Sam Amick writes the Warriors have produced "beautiful basketball ... the kind that has set the stage for what could be a special finish." They remain "on pace to have the best regular season record of all time," and will play 17 of their final 24 contests at Oracle Arena, "where they haven't lost a regular-season game since Jan. 27, 2015." Curry repeating as MVP "is seeming more like a foregone conclusion by the day." Amick: "By any measure, the Warriors are on the fast track toward becoming one of the greatest teams of all time" (USA TODAY, 2/29). In Chattanooga, Jay Greeson writes with Curry and the Warriors rolling, the NBA "has its best regular-season show since Jordan was in Chicago." Greeson: "Looking to the postseason, it's hard to remember the league with this many intriguing story lines" (CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS, 2/29).
