Old Men in Short Shorts

TNT has really outdone themselves this year with their new round of NBA playoffs commercials. The tag line "Where will amazing happen this year?" attached to great plays and superstars from recent NBA history combined with Black and White slow motion footage is really one of the strongest sports based advertising campaigns i've ever seen. They started off with clips from the last year or so...


Dwayne Wade "Off Balance"

Then as the playoffs progressed, they went back in time further to the 90's showing the previous generation of superstars making history...


Michael Jordan "The Shot"

But the other day I saw a new one which was similar but different from the rest. The famous Larry "Legend" Bird steal and pass to beat the Pistons. I love the idea of playing with memory and having these great moments fade in and out of perception. The sights and sounds fading in and out giving the viewer just enough to understand whats just happened, but still playing up the idea that great moments come and go very fast. On top of that I love how they not only paid tribute to former great players, but to a great arena, The Boston Garden that is no longer standing.



Larry Bird "The Steal"

Lets hope that the younger generation googles some of these great players and moments and learn a bit about history instead of just laughing at all the old men in short shorts.