NBC is in its first year back as an NBA broadcast partner. While the network has earned pretty high marks for its production throughout the season, one aspect of its coverage of the Western Conference finals is earning awful reviews. During the playoffs, NBC and Peacock have been experimenting with alternate camera angles to give a different viewing experience, and viewers hate it.
The Western Conference finals series features two of the NBA's best, most exciting teams, who are part of an exciting rivalry. Victor Wembanyama and the young Spurs are attempting to dethrone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Thunder. NBC didn't need to add anything to this series to make it more interesting. Unfortunately, the network has decided to try to mix things up where it wasn't necessary.
There have been several angles used, some from the corners, others from different angles above the court. None of them have added much to the broadcast and have only served to turn the most vocal viewers off.
Here’s a sample of the loudest complaints.
Does NBC realize we all hate that weird camera angle they keep giving us?
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) May 21, 2026
Can we all agree this camera angle is terrible? pic.twitter.com/vkavduTTfT
— Sandy Plashkes (@SandyPlashkes) May 19, 2026
The game is getting really awesome. Break out the oblong camera angle everyone hates pic.twitter.com/xuOIC5Y8E6
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) May 19, 2026
Alternate camera angles are the worst thing to happen to watching sports on TV. I wait all day for this game, just let me watch it like normal!
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) May 21, 2026
Some personal news:
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) May 21, 2026
I just started a new job this week as the person who decides only the opening camera angle of every quarter during the Western Conference Finals.
the nba should never use an alternate camera angle during live ball. it’s disgusting. an affront to basketball.
— richard (@richard_normal) May 19, 2026
stop with that terrible top camera angle, @NBCSports. we all hate it.
— brianna (@briannawood_) May 21, 2026
hey pals you’re doing the camera angle thing again and it’s not good!
— dylan (@dylangonzalez21) May 21, 2026
What is this camera angle pic.twitter.com/bmkmQyADLE
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) May 19, 2026
That’s only a small sampling.
Networks are overthinking this. Fans have gotten used to specific angles of live action over the years. They don’t want it changed, especially not during the biggest games of the year. This is the kind of stuff that should be done in a throwaway regular-season game, not during the most anticipated series of the year.
NBC had gone 23 years without broadcasting the NBA before this season. It was a long time for the network to be without what used to be one of its signature sports offerings. The last run ended after the 2002 NBA Finals, but the game returned to the NBC’s airwaves at the start of this season as part of an 11-year, $27 billion agreement.
Innovation in broadcasting is one thing, but this feels like a network trying to do too much now that it’s back in the NBA game.
This Spurs-Thunder series doesn’t need help
Oklahoma City (64-18) and San Antonio (62-20) had the two best records in the NBA this season. Both teams are packed with young stars who NBA fans are fascinated with. This series doesn’t need broadcast bells and whistles to get their attention.
Gilgeous-Alexander has won back-to-back MVPs for a Thunder team that won the title last season and won its first eight playoff games in 2026 before dropping Game 1 to the Spurs. He’s surrounded by a loaded roster that features Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, who are stars in their own right.
San Antonio is led by Wembanyama, the newly-crowned defensive player of the year, who is set to be an MVP candidate for maybe the next decade. The 22-year-old averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks per game this season. He might have the highest upside of any young player in NBA history. His Spurs feature the youngest starting lineup in conference finals history, and he’s backed by guys like Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox.
This is a heavyweight battle between two teams who will almost certainly be squaring off like this for years to come. It’s what NBA fans want. NBA didn’t need to add anything to the mix to make this better.
