NBA HORSE tournament roasted for ‘beyond embarrassing’ flop
The NBA has served up one of the most clueless, moronic season shutdown offerings seen this year — and the sport world has torn the game to shreds.
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The NBA may not know when — or if — play will resume this season, but what we learned from Monday morning’s HORSE tournament kick-off is that it better be soon.
The mesmerising drama of the real NBA has never been more juxtaposed than the trainwreck that ESPN served up with its first instalment of the highly anticipated HORSE bracket challenge featuring some of the biggest stars in and out of the game.
It was a straight up schmozzle — and it’s made NBA commentators realise how desperately the world needs the NBA to return.
The eight-player event based on a traditional basketball playground game started Monday with $200,000 being donated to charities focused on relief efforts for the coronavirus pandemic that forced the NBA to shut down the season last month.
Players are competing in the single-elimination tournament from courts at their respective back yards.
Participants include Boston legend Paul Pierce, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., Atlanta star Trae Young, NBA legend Chauncey Billups, three-time Women’s NBA All-Star Allie Quigley and 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Tamika Catchings.
The first ever HORSE showdown matches featuring Young and Billups began on the same day a report revealed the NBA has drawn up a plan to return to season matches in 25 days — after being given the all clear to return from coronavirus restrictions.
25 days feels like a lifetime for any NBA fan that had to endure Monday’s HORSE challenge.
Billups produced a huge first-up upset to knock out Young in the first match before Utah star Mike Conley eliminated Catchings.
Nobody seemed to care, though.
The majority of the NBA world just couldn’t look past the amateur mobile-phone vision, the disjointed, pixelated camera footage, the audio breaking in and out, and the large stretches of awkward silence where nobody on camera knew whether to talk or not.
HORSE is even worse than expected. There’s gotta be something better than this. Why not have players offer live commentary of classic games with breakdowns of key plays? Why not have better produced player-with-player convos like on IG Live? Anything but a laggy stream of HORSE.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 12, 2020
It’s beyond terrible. All cell phone camera footage. Video & audio freeze. This is embarrassing. https://t.co/xMCFU82V5u
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) April 12, 2020
Is @TheTraeYoung hoop even at 10ft? And it’s bent! C’mon man!! #NBAHorseChallenge #nbahorse @shaqtin pic.twitter.com/zo6KiJ0apb
— ChestPoundnGen (@ChestPoundnGen) April 12, 2020
This HORSE game is so low tech it's hilarious.
— Detroit Bad Boys ☠(@detroitbadboys) April 12, 2020
i mean i commend them for trying but holy shit
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 12, 2020
i appreciate the effort of a HORSE tournament but this is awful television hahahahaha
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) April 12, 2020
I’d rather watch @BarstoolBigCat run fake plastic toy horses around a track in his 1 bedroom apartment. https://t.co/nWjZliauec
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) April 12, 2020
Watching this NBA/WNBA game of HORSE challenge like: pic.twitter.com/p8Myp7sMah
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) April 12, 2020
ESPN put zero effort, money into production value for HORSE challenge. Could have been great. Instead, it’s garbage.
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) April 12, 2020
Unfortunately, the NBA world has to endure it all over again on Friday when the semi-finals and final will be staged.
Meanwhile, According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the league has a “25-day plan” that would allow the game to return to proper 2019-20 season matches in just over three weeks’ notice.
“They’re spending a lot of time getting a back-to-basketball plan ready,” Windhorst said.
The plan reportedly involves 11 days of individual workouts where players must continue strict self isolation before a 14-day team camp.
The NBA halted its regular season on March 11.
Commissioner Adam Silver has previously said the league doesn’t plan to make any decisions regarding the calendar until at least May 1.
The regular season had about a month remaining when it was suspended, and the playoffs typically take about two months to complete.
The 2020-21 regular season typically would begin in October, although Silver acknowledged that could be affected as well.
— with AP, AAP
Originally published as NBA HORSE tournament roasted for ‘beyond embarrassing’ flop