Johnson Makes it Fun
When Gus Johnson calls a basketball game for CBS, he does so with a certain conversational, passionate tone that transcends time. You hear Gus, you remember what you were doing when Princeton upset defending-champion UCLA in 1996. It was Gus that called UCLA’s 17-point Sweet Sixteen turnaround in ‘06 over Gonzaga, Ohio State’s second-round OT triumph of Xavier a year ago and most recently, Kentucky’s much needed win of unbeaten Vanderbilt. Find me another play-by-play guy that fights back tears on a regular basis, that treats every basket like it’s a buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, or that, prior to the game, arms his partner with a taser gun … you know, just in case it’s needed down the stretch.
Johnson’s company
Jim Nantz is quiet, subtle and generally, very informative. I’d disagree with those that say he’s boring, but I would say that he isn’t on the same level as Johnson. Nantz annually calls the Final Four (including the title game) along with Billy Packer (ever heard of Greg “Odom”?), who is genuinely awful and ultra critical. James Brown, in a move no one has quite figured out, stole Johnson’s job during last year’s regional semifinals and finals (in which I had to fight back tears). Brown’s staccato voice is more suited for an NFL studio. CBS learned their lesson after receiving hundreds upon hundreds of complaints, and Johnson will be back, sedatives packed and all, for the first four rounds of the 2008 NCAA tourney.
Here are some of Johnson’s most fulfilling calls:
Vanderbilt finally loses to Kentucky
Ohio St. stays alive on Row Lewis’ three
Ohio St. upsets top-seeded Illinois
Gonzaga upsets Florida
UCLA erases 17-point deficit
Princeton upsets UCLA