The Gospel Herald talked with American sports analyst Chris Broussard of ESPN on Feb. 15 before the NBA All-Star Game in New York City.
In the video interview, Darrel Johnson first asked the 46-year-old ESPN analyst about what it meant to have the NBA's showcase game in the Big Apple.
"It's obviously great for the city, especially in a season where the [New York Knicks] team has struggled," Broussard said. "The fans haven't had a lot to look forward to since the first month of the season. It's been very disappointing, so to have the best players in the league come here, it's big for the fans in New York."
Broussard added that superstar and Knicks player Anthony Carmelo had a chance to be part of the All-Star team, even though he was sidelined on the court due to an injury.
"The comments from the players [indicated that they] are all excited to be here and to play on this stage," Broussard said.
Johnson then asked the sports analyst what surprises popped up during the 2013-14 NBA regular season.
"Clearly, the biggest [surprise] is Atlanta," Broussard said, referencing the Hawks. "Nobody expected them to do what they were doing, to have the best record in the Eastern Conference. A lot of people weren't even sure that they would make the playoffs, so they are clearly the No. 1 surprise."
Broussard then turned his focus to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Their struggles were surprising," Broussard said. "Everybody knew it would take them a while to get together and get their chemistry. The fact that they were below 500 for a while and the fact that LeBron James was not playing up to his normal level earlier in the season, those were surprises. Now they have things going well."
Broussard then had a few thoughts on the Golden State Warriors.
"Nobody expected them to be playing at this level," Broussard said in reference to Golden State. "We knew that they were a great team, but they look like the best team in the league right now. I think that's a bit of a surprise."
The ESPN analyst then turned his focus to James Harden and the Houston Rockets. He claimed that Harden was in contention for MVP this year.
"He's been able to carry the Houston Rockets to a great record without Dwight Howard for much of the season," Broussard said. "That's a bit of a surprise too."
Johnson asked the legendary sports analyst what his disappointments were with the current NBA season.
"Getting rid of Mike Malone was a bad move," Broussard said, referring to the decision made by the Sacramento Kings. "I think they may have rebounded well by hiring George Carl, but Mike Malone had that team playing good basketball. Now they fell off the map since he's gone."
Broussard added that the Kings were "moving in the right direction," but he hoped that Sacramento would continue moving that way under the direction of Carl. He later turned his focus to the Detroit Pistons.
"Detroit...did get it going after they traded Josh Smith," Broussard said. "I expected them to be in the playoff hunt. For the most part, it's a disappointing season with them because I expect them to be right there in the hunt."
The ESPN analyst then honed in on the local New York teams, the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. He first turned his criticism on Knicks coach Phil Jackson.
"Phil Jackson himself said that he thought they could be a playoff team," Broussard said. "I thought that they would be in the hunt. The fact that they have won only 10 games is a big disappointment."
Finally, Broussard had a few comments regarding the Nets.
"Brooklyn's a bit of a disappointment," Broussard said with a wry laugh.
In his final question, Johnson asked Broussard on where his Christian faith meant the most to him.
"Every day, when you live as a Christian, every day you try to live for Christ and glorify God," Broussard said. "I try to stay [on an] even keel."
Broussard admitted that even Christians can face tough challenges in life too.
"Obviously, there are times when you have challenges and struggles, and you lean heavier on your faith," Broussard said. "I try to do that even in the good times. God has been blessing me in so many ways. Like I said, every day you are just trying to glorify Him."
Johnson then thanked him for his time, and both men shook hands in a friendly manner.
