I’m in the minority on Will Ferrell. I don’t think he’s nearly as funny as everyone makes him out to be. I believe that with some exceptions, many of the more recent “Saturday Night Live” alumni have made an extraordinary practice of taking one skit or character that is worth 6-10 minutes worth of minor laughter and bleeding it dry by expanding it to a movie that repeatedly tells the same joke for 90 minutes.
However, Ferrell did do the movie “Semi-Pro,” a not terrible attempt at capturing the chaos that was the ABA. He is somewhat of a basketball fan and is in New Orleans filming “Dogfight,” a political comedy with Zach Galifianakis.
On Wednesday night, the Hornets allowed Ferrell to do the pregame introductions for the Bulls-Hornets game. And I must admit that Ferrell killed it. Watch and listen to the video below.
I am told that Ferrell’s introductions were not a hit with the broadcast team of the Bulls. That is understandable, but I guarantee you that if the United Center brought in one of the many famous comedians from Chicago to do a similar bit, Neil Funk and Stacey King would have thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The best part of Ferrell’s introduction package is that it thoroughly mocks what arena production has become in places like the United Center and across the NBA – lights, video, music, dancing girls, fire, explosions, a total assault on the senses that has indirectly created selfishness among some egotistical players who want to hear their names called as part of that production.
Ferrell’s bit illustrates perfectly why it’s much more important to be finishing the game rather than starting it. Just ask Manu Ginobili or Jason Terry, a couple of finishers who can spend pregame introductions admiring their championship rings.
It was funny Chris, I thought it may have been better used for the AllStar game. Half of them were just recycled intros from Semi Pro.