The Knicks' decision to play the first half of Sunday's game against the Warrior without any music or artificial sound was a major topic of conversation yesterday on sports talk TV shows, with ESPN's Dan Le Batard calling the move "disrespectful." He said, "You cannot tell players 15 minutes before the game that you’re making that kind of change without bargaining it with the players’ union" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 3/6). But the N.Y. Daily News' Frank Isola said, "It’s not about the players not liking it. It’s about the fan experience.” Isola, who was covering the game, did call the atmosphere a "little weird" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 3/6). ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said the Knicks were trying "to see if fans would like" a quieter atmosphere, as that is "the way basketball is played in most places in the world." Kornheiser: "The NBA needs to cater to fans” ("PTI," ESPN, 3/6). ESPN’s Amin Elhassan noted there are "some arenas where the music is too loud and too obnoxious.” However, MSG “isn’t one of them” ("The Jump," ESPN, 3/6).
THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE: In S.F., Scott Ostler writes he was "soothingly swept back to the '60s and '70s," when he "fell in love" with the NBA. Ostler: "When I go to a concert, I don’t wish there was a basketball game being played on stage. What’s wrong with a basketball game where the featured entertainment is basketball?" He proposed a compromise that teams could use the video board for "replays only -- no cartoons, promos, ads, cheerleading cues or stupid interviews with the Fan of the Game" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/7). In Toronto, Doug Smith writes trying a quiet atmosphere at a Raptors game "would be worth a try to see what the fans felt." However, fans are "creatures of habit and I bet a large number of them would want their noise back." A compromise could be "no music except at halftime, no 'contests' except at quarter breaks, no 'Make Some NOOOOIIISSEE’ or 'get on your feet' or chanting from any PA announcer or in-game host at any time" (TORONTO STAR, 3/7).
