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Tuesday’s Hot Clicks: Kevin Harlan’s Fast Food Calls Were the Best Part of Nets-Sixers

Kevin Harlan is the best announcer there is.

Dan Gartland

Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

Kevin Harlan is the best announcer there is

Whether he’s doing something silly like narrating a fan’s idiotic sprint across the field or a fan spilling their beer on the court, or delivering an iconic call of a classic play like LeBron James’s “no regard for human life” dunk, Kevin Harlan always brings his A-game. And last night’s Sixers-Nets game was no exception. 

The game got out of hand quickly, but Harlan still had a fun time calling the action, or at least talking about fast food during the game. 

First he delivered an impassioned promo for Burger King’s “Angry Whopper,” really making us feel the burger’s anger in a performance Daniel Day Lewis would be proud of. 

Then, when the Philly fans could sense they were close to winning free Frostys from Wendy’s, Harlan really turned it on. 

Compare that to the way Al Michaels reads promos for the English Premier League. Michaels always sounds like he’s announcing the date of his own execution whenever he has to talk about soccer. Harlan, on the other hand, perfectly displayed what he thought of the “Angry Whopper” name without making it boring. That’s the mark of a good announcer.

The Warriors blew the biggest lead in playoff history

Not only did the Warriors blow a 31-point lead to the eighth-seeded Clippers, they did it at home. No team had ever come back from such a big postseason deficit, let alone against the NBA’s modern All-Star team. 

It’s just one game, and the Warriors will probably still end up winning the series, but maybe it indicates that the Warriors are vulnerable and not a lock to walk all over the Eastern Conference champ. 

To make matters worse, DeMarcus Cousins left the game in the first quarter with a leg injury and the Warriors reportedly fear he may have torn his quad. 

Ovechkin isn’t just a goal scorer

Alex Ovechkin isn’t known as a fighter, but try telling that to Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes rookie who got absolutely wrecked by Ovi last night. 

Svechnikov left the game and did not return with what the team is calling an “upper-body injury” (code for a concussion, usually). 

“I’m not a big fighter, he’s the same way,” Ovechkin said after the game. “He asked me to fight and I said, ‘Let’s go.’ I hope he’s O.K. You don’t want to see a guy get hurt.”

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t see it the same way. 

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Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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