JVG is my MVP

The excellence of Jeff Van Gundy as an NBA commentator has been bandied on the Interwebs for awhile now, but I feel like I have to add my two pennies. So here it is, an ode to JVG:

As a younger lad but still a hardcore NBA fan, I loathed Jeff Van Gundy. I loathed his baldness. I loathed the fact that he coached a loathsome team, the New York Knicks. I loathed the fact that he once fought a fierce battle with Alonzo Mourning's lower leg. I loathed the fact that he never seemed to get any sleep even though his only job was to bark orders at adult men wearing shorts. But, yea verily I was wrong. JVG is not loathsome - he's lovable.

As an announcer, JVG is the perfect antidote to all of the other announcers I am subjected to. I don't know if listening to Billy Packer Saturday night brought this on, but I wanted to praise Van Gundy because he is one of the few announcers who doesn't cause me to yell at the TV for no reason (Kat sometimes gets worried). I'm forced to watch sports regularly on mute because I can't stand the inanity, but hearing JVG once a week is a dose of sanity (that's the only romantic couplet I'll offer in this post).

Here is why Van Gundy is good: he takes the game seriously - knows stuff that only insiders know - isn't afraid to criticize the officials - doesn't rely on the same tired explanations for why things happen (see Billy Packer and players getting tired even though there are about three timeouts every five minutes in the NCAA Tournament) - has a great sense of humor - actually pays attention to things that don't have to do with basketball - doesn't resort to catchphrases - tends to reduce the amount of nonsense Mark Jackson spews - and truly loves the game.

Today during the Suns game, which contained three good quarters by the Suns and 12 of the most putrid minutes since Dr. Naismith hung a peach basket, the cameras panned the crowd and found Kevin Costner (Phoenix: Like LA, but with has-beens!), and then Van Gundy commenced on a 45-second encomium to "For the Love of the Game." I don't know if I saw that movie, but to hear Van Gundy tell it made it sound like The Natural meets Annie Hall. Normally, that sort of off-topic yammering would drive me insane, but with Van Gundy, I actually like it. It's amazing what being likable can do.

Bonus JVG stories: he once had his car destroyed when it was parked on the tarmac to meet the team plane. The car was too close to the landing strip, so when the plane flew over, the force flipped the car into the air. The beauty of the story was that even as the coach of the Knicks, Van Gundy was still driving a 1995 Honda Civic. And, he said he would not have minded, except it was a great car and the Knicks were flying home from a game they had lost.

I also recall him once getting into an extended debate with another commentator over the winning percentage for NFL teams that received the kickoff in overtime. JVG was adamant it was at 50 percent, while the other commentator said it was much higher. Here is the proof. In fact, only 28 percent of NFL games end on the first possession of overtime.

Also, this season during the Rockets' 22-game winning streak, Van Gundy was constantly faced with the fact that the team he coached was better off without him. But where other people would be unable to even speak about such a thing, Van Gundy was always self-deprecating and comfortable with the jokes.

Lastly, his heart is full. Read that link. I urge you. I have no idea what it means, but it's gold.

But more than anything else with Van Gundy is that he isn't afraid to talk X's and O's and give real fans something to actually listen for. While he probably belongs in the NBA as a coach, I sincerely hope that he stays on the sidelines for awhile longer. In an era when every member of the media has to have a shtick (did you hear, Craig Sager wears loud suits?), Van Gundy is just being himself and giving real fans what they crave: NBA basketball with intelligence and wit.

I realize this may sound like Brokeback Basketball, but I like so little of what I hear about the game that I can't help it. I have been on occasion accused of "hateration," so I take this opportunity to praise JVG. May he commentate forever!