Inside the NBA: the sports gabfest that became late-night TV’s best show

For supporters of the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics, this is a joyous time indeed; their teams are in the NBA finals. But for me, it’s bittersweet because, well, the only TV show in the game worth watching has ‘Gone Fishin’’.

I’m referring of course to TNT’s Inside the NBA program and its uproarious tradition of sending off ousted playoff contenders with one last team photo – with the heads of their marquee players and celebrity fans photoshopped onto the bodies of random anglers. It’s just one in a slew of running gags that will have viewers missing Inside that much more as NBA coverage moves to ESPN for the finals.

Don’t get me wrong. ESPN is a fine network, and its NBA Countdown studio show is a more than credible source for insights on the game. But that’s just the thing. With Stephen A Smith et al, basketball isn’t basketball. It’s The Game of Basketball. It’s statistics as theatre and legacy quests; it’s sport as a very grave subject. I don’t watch sports for seriousness. Mostly, I watch for fun. And Inside never ever fails to deliver that score and then some.

The chemistry on their set fizzes. It starts with longtime anchor Ernie Johnson, the son of a major league pitcher and a consummate setup man in his own right. Kenny Smith, the sly New York City point guard, stirs the pot. Charles Barkley, the round mound who be loud, drops the bombs. And Shaquille O’Neal plays the mischief, a role that’s hardly beneath his 7ft frame. As star lineups go, only the Warriors come close in entertainment value the Inside guys have provided over the past decade. But then again Inside isn’t just another talking head exhibition. It’s the best damn show on late night.

It’s basketball as it was meant to be watched: with