It was bound to be a tough night at Chase Center. Following two traumatic losses, the Warriors fans received news about Stephen Curry having to miss a top clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Deprived of their ace, the Bay didn’t have the engine as an answer to the Thunder’s explosive offense. The night grew frustrating, more so for Draymond Green than anyone else.

At first, the defensive stalwart defended his teammate Pat Spencer from the referees. The 34-year-old joined by Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr argued with the officials about a technical foul assessed to their teammate. Later in the second half, Green himself grew livid with the officials. And there came the familiar sight. The four-time NBA champion received his fifth technical foul of the season.

His attention, though, immediately turned towards the announcers’ desk. In a humourous exchange, Draymond Green requested Bob Myers, the GM touted responsible for building a hoops dynasty in the Bay to pay his impending fine! Myers couldn’t help but laugh as they both shared the lighter side of the moment. However, it seemed to only be a way to cope.

The Thunder, finally having a center in Isaiah Hartenstein, has won both of their games ever since. Their treatment didn’t waver for the Warriors, who suffered from a 12-point deficit against the visitors. However, fans aren’t as frustrated at the Warriors potentially heading to another loss as much as they are about Myers. Why?

‘Biased’ Bob Myers becomes the target of the NBA community, as some of them were forced to “mute” the game

Myers served the Golden State Warriors for eleven years. Hence, when he moved to ESPN’s broadcast team last season, fans already raised some eyebrows. Tonight, hearing his support and optimism about the Bay Area team, seem to have realized their fears. “Bob Myers should be on the Warriors broadcast not the “neutral” ESPN broadcast,” one fan wrote.

Understandably, Myers did show some support for his former team, having worked with them for over a decade. But fans have started to feel some bias. It’s been the case since last season when they first began to realize it and led a similar purge against the ex-GM.

Some fans were still polite. However, some just weren’t. When Jalen Williams took a hard hit from Wiggins on a dunk, a Thunder fan didn’t hold back. “Clemente can you go slap these espn commentators for me,” they wrote. It was another knock on Myers.

Despite what many might think, Bob Myers does manage to keep his alliances aside for most games. ESPN has been satisfied with their on-field team too. However, at times during Warriors games, because of his attached history, Myers can’t resist but dive into his old shoes even though he left them to get away from the high-intensity environment.

Yet, fans are still craving game announcers to have a neutral tone. With Bob Myers, they felt they weren’t getting the right balance, despite the Warriors struggling to battle against a deficit. “I have this game muted because listening to Bob Myers call a Warriors game sounds like it should be a war crime,” one fan mentioned. 

Though Myers felt like leaving the pressuring demands that come with being a GM, being an announcer didn’t bring him much closer to the goal. When speaking to JJ Redick last season, the two-time Executive of The Year shared how difficult it is to always stay immersed in the game. “You can’t do that when you’re calling a game because you can’t just say nothing. So, I found myself in early games, ‘You gotta say something, dude,'” he said.

Another part of his assessment was the “study” that was to be done before games to excel at the job. That in itself added to the fuel of the Thunder fanbase. Cason Wallace, a productive forward for OKC, didn’t receive the right acknowledgment from Bob Myers. A fan revealed, “Bob Myers calling Cason Wallace “just another guy” has me pissed.”

Fans might be questioning Bob Myers’ abilities as an announcer, but his past warrants his job. After playing for UCLA till 1997, the former GM served as a radio commentator. He held the job for two years before moving around the NBA circuits until he found a ‘home’ with the Golden State Warriors. So, his resume definitely warrants him being ‘qualified’ enough.