Kevin Harlan bemoans Grizzlies' 'calamity' in legendary call

The Memphis Grizzlies were trailing by three points with 5.4 seconds left when the Warriors' swarming defense, particularly the roaming Jimmy Butler, caused Santi Aldama to commit a five-second violation and turn the ball over.

Announcing for TNT for one final NBA playoffs, Harlan left his mark in a barn burner of a play-in game that saw him refer to rookie Zach Edey as a "big rascal" as the Warriors tried in vain to contain the 7-foot-4 big man. The description was highly folksy, but also accurate.

Harlan rose to the occasion on a big Curry shot with about a minute to go, as he pump-faked his defender twice before draining a three, declaring, "Stuck it! He just stuck it!"

One real downside of the NBA's new multi-billion broadcasting deal is that it breaks up long-standing teams like Harlan and Reggie Miller, who is joining NBC, while Harlan is expected to join Amazon's telecasts. 

Harlan is one of the all-time greats, but his broadcasts are especially good thanks to the consistency with his broadcast team — he's been calling the NBA playoffs on TNT since 1996.

While basketball fans will likely still have Harlan calling games next season, the viewing experience of the playoffs with brand-new broadcasting crews could be a big step down. Some might even call it a calamity.