Where are the good announcers of the NBA?

I was watching a little of the Magic/Celtics game this afternoon on ABC and Hubie Brown was doing the color commentary.  When I moved to New York back in 1984 he was the coach of the Knicks.  His first two years he coached them into the playoffs but the next two, which led to his firing, were awful 24 and 23 win seasons.  These were the Knicks of Rory Sparrow, Michael Ray Richardson, and Trent Tucker.  I remember going to the Garden,sitting in the upper deck, and being able to hear Brown yelling at his players, exhorting them at the top of his lungs to pick and roll, foul, and play defense. 

Maybe he was a good coach but he is a terrible announcer.  Simply put he doesn’t shut up.  He fills every single second of dead air with his nasally, raspy, drone of a voice.  There is no such concept as ‘letting the game breathe’ when Brown is behind the mic.  He has a didactic way of intoning, as if he’s talking down to us. 

Outside of Marv Albert I cannot think of one good basketball announcer.  I used to love Walt Frazier who does color commentary for the Knicks.  There must be some other good local announcers that I am unaware of, but nationally they are either grating, like Brown, or generically bland. 

In baseball and football I can name several announcers that I enjoy listening to.  I am not a big hockey fan but I have watched enough games to know that they have a much higher caliber announcer than basketball does. 

So I ask you:  Who are they, and where are they?

 

Hubie Brown