Kevin Harlan

[stevenash]

Kevin Harlan, in my opinion, and I've been saying this for at least six years running is the most entertaining play by play man currently in all of televised sports.

Now before you jump ugly on your pal Nasher here, I said most entertaining, and I think he's the best listen, I didn't say he was the greatest play by play man, IMO Mike Emrick in NHL is, but for my money my favorite listen without a doubt is Harlan.

He's not over the top excitable like Gus Johnson is, Johnson's too hyperbolical for my taste, Harlan's excitement level is controlled, he's an excellent wordsmith, not quite on the same level as Costas is, but up there nevertheless, and Harlan's analogies are spot on perfect, makes you think for a second before you figured out what he just said before laughing so hard you almost pee your pants.

Oh, and Harlan does his homework before all his broadcasts, he knows what he's talking about.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

He's very good. Makes a game very listenable.

He picks his spots to get amped up. Like you say, not over-the-top like Gus Johnson.

[cobra_king]

What I like about Harlan is if the game he's doing is radio only, he has a completely different perspective on it, far more descriptive and understands that he is painting the picture for the viewer. He's the only one who instinctively knows the difference and calls the game to the specific audience he's announcing to.

[TheMoneyShot]

Definitely born for the industry.

[edawg]

Harlan is very good especially on radio. The best I ever heard was the radio guy that used to do the Cavaliers in the NBA.

[stevenash]

Harlan is very good especially on radio. The best I ever heard was the radio guy that used to do the Cavaliers in the NBA.

Shame that some of the best ever were only regional, never got the national spotlight and their just due .That's because there are only a handful of national play by play opportunities and many got their gigs by nepotism or some other way not based on merit.

Case in point is Joe Buck.
If Joe's dad Jack wasn't one of the GOAT's Joe doesn't have a national gazillion dollar contract and he'd be pushing a pencil someplace in Bumfuck Missouri as a middle manager in some small potatoes company.

Let's call a spade a spade, the son of the great Jack Buck isn't very good at what he does on TV.

That and the fact the Buck family has major clout with the Budweiser people, also out of St. Louis.
The Bucks have *major* pull in the Midwest.

[texhooper]

I think honestly most of the NBA play by play people these days over at TNT and ESPN are pretty good honestly, and of course of those Harlan is one of the best. It’s when you start looking at the analyst role where things usually fall apart. The latest is Stan Van Gundy, I mean TNT makes so many head scratching decisions in this regard. You can listen to his voice for two seconds and know this ain’t the dude. But these are the same guys who gave Reggie Miller and Chris Webber long-standing analyst roles also, so go figure.

And someone mentioned Gus Johnson, I love him calling anything. They need to get him in a higher rotation calling NBA playoff games imo

[jjgold]

I’m using doing something else and I’m watching the game I don’t pay too much attention

[MinnesotaFats]

We were lucky to have Harlan doing Wolves games for awhile

Great voice, Great calls

Now we git fukkin Paul Allen all over radio it's just annoying

[shadymcgrady]

Harlan is to marv Albert what robin is to batman

[Bedrockfred]

We were lucky to have Harlan doing Wolves games for awhile

Great voice, Great calls

Now we git fukkin Paul Allen all over radio it's just annoying

I lived in St. Paul, Mn when Harlen was doing Wolves broadcasts. He was great! Then the they had Chad Hartman doing play by play. Chad was a was a train wreck. They fired Hartman and I moved shortly after that.

I loved the Twin Cities.

[pavyracer]

He is much better to listen to than that chick they have on ESPN doing games sometimes.

[KVB]

[stevenash]

^
I was waiting for you to pull that video.

Classic.