MSG Had No Music Or Timeout Segments For Fans To Have The Ultimate Basketball Experience
When a good idea on paper, isn’t as good in real life. For the first half of the Knicks-Warriors game, Madison Square Garden was without music, video or in-game entertainment. Really not the greatest of ideas.
Prior to the game the MSG Jumbotron had this message for the fans in attendance:
The first half of today’s game will be presented without music, video or in-game entertainment so you can experience the game in its purest form. Enjoy the sounds of the game.
I didn’t get to experience it in the arena, but I watched the game at home via League Pass and it was strange. You sometimes were able to hear some hecklers, or some players talking, but overall it was very awkward.
Intros without music THIS IS SO WEIRD pic.twitter.com/fA9SssCWE5
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) March 5, 2017
Draymond Green apparently wasn’t a fan either. But in true Green-fashion, he blasted and roasted the Knicks for the idea and called it disrespectful.
“That was pathetic. It was ridiculous. It changed the flow of the game. It changed everything. You get used to playing a certain way. It completely changed it. To me, I think it was completely disrespectful to everyone from [NBA senior VP of entertainment and player marketing] Michael Levine to [Warriors president and COO] Rick Welts and all these people who’ve done these things to change the game from an entertainment perspective.
It gives the game a great vibe. That’s complete disrespect. You advance things in the world to make it better. You don’t go back to what was bad. It’s like, computers can do anything for us. It’s like going back to paper. Why would you do that? So it was ridiculous.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5piYSIJoFeQ
According to ESPN, not only Drayond Green, but also Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr and Kristaps Porzingis thought the idea was weird. So did Twitter.
https://twitter.com/playorbplayd/status/838491499532861443?ref_src=twsrctfw
With no music or piped-in noise, you can actually hear the despair.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 5, 2017
So quiet at the Garden you can hear the bricks being laid
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 5, 2017
It's almost like fans are acting like they would during a tennis changeover during timeouts, talking in more of a hushed tone with no music pic.twitter.com/wskRadacq9
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) March 5, 2017
Let’s just hope it was a one time thing.