Game 2 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday night delivered about as much as a first-round NBA playoff series possibly can.<\/p>\n
In the latest clash in what has become one of the league\u2019s signature rivalries, Anthony Edwards played through visible knee pain to outclass Nikola Jokic and Co. once again.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the only problem for viewers at home was NBC\u2019s broadcast booth, which featured two announcers closely linked to Minnesota: FanDuel Sports Network North\u2019s Michael Grady on play-by-play and former Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers on commentary.<\/p>\n
Their presence was widely noted on social media, especially by Nuggets fans.<\/p>\n
Are these Peacock commentators Timberwolves fans? Like is this the Wolves stream?<\/p>\n
\u2014 Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n I think NBC paid extra for the commentators to glaze Minnesota to the max<\/p>\n \u2014 Nuggets SZN\u2692\ufe0f (@Nugscentral) April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In the r\/NBA\u00a0subreddit, fans\u00a0alternated<\/a> between praising Grady for a standout performance, calling the game, and accusing him and Rivers of bias.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s easy for a Denver fan to call this out, the grouping was a bit strange by NBC. Rivers was mostly paired with Robbie Hummel in the Monday-night \u201cOn the Bench\u201d broadcasts this season, while the third wheel, Brian Scalabrine, was mostly used as a fill-in analyst while calling Celtics games locally for NBC Sports Boston.<\/p>\n When fans aren\u2019t used to an announce team, they are more likely to complain about it. And even with the top broadcasters in the industry, fans often level accusations of bias or preferential treatment. Fox\u2019s Joe Davis<\/a>, ESPN\u2019s Mike Breen<\/a>, and many others deal with this while calling championship events nationally.<\/p>\n In particular, fans react strongly to the use of nicknames (like Grady and the analysts calling Anthony Edwards \u201cAnt\u201d or \u201cAnt-Man\u201d throughout the game) and other hints of the familiarity a team\u2019s local announcer might bring to the national call. While Rivers certainly still has relationships in Minnesota after playing there during his final NBA season, anyone frustrated by that fact also has to note that he played for the Nuggets for the two seasons before that.<\/p>\n \t