Jones: I blame the Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson situation from Super Bowl XXXVIII for giving us songs like this. Can you imagine an aging ’80s rock band and the biggest country star on the planet being the centerpiece of the NBA’s biggest event? It’s really a lot more for “Monday Night Football” than it is NBA Finals, but it does the job. MVP: Tony Parker 2008 Def Leppard and Tim McGraw, “Nine Lives”ĭrobny: Astonishing what 15 years will do. Jones: Maybe this was supposed to be LeBron’s time - “Right Now” - but the Spurs said, “Nah.” MVP: Dwyane Wade 2007 Pussycat Dolls, “Right Now”ĭrobny: It worked so well, they ran it back the following year. It just makes sense, especially with the Mavs in the finals. The title is fitting for a team chasing a championship. With time, I’ve developed a soft spot for Tom Petty. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Runnin’ Down a Dream”ĭrobny: I grew up in a Sacramento suburb where classic rock was played so much by the time I was in high school, I couldn’t stand the sound of it. That reason alone makes it a good choice, even if this assignment was the first time I actually listened to the Pussycat Dolls by choice. Jones: This sounds like a song I’d hear in Miami. Let us all appreciate a time when Ronny Turiaf dancing from the bench was an early meme. MVP: Tim Duncan 2006 Pussycat Dolls, “Right Now”ĭrobny: Give me the Latin horns. NBA Finals result: Spurs beat Pistons 4-3 I wonder how many players on either team had this playing on their iPods back then.
OURWORLD SONG SERIES
Then again, this series wasn’t the lane for a lot of fans who had little interest in two teams that were fundamentally sound and played defense. Jones: This is 100 percent not my lane, musically. Can’t say I’d choose to play it on my own, however. When I think about matching this song with cutaways for ads during the finals, I get it. MVP: Chauncey Billups 2005 Rob Thomas “This Is How a Heart Breaks”ĭrobny: I remain absolutely stunned that Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty wove themselves so crucially into the fabric of 2000s popular music. NBA Finals result: Pistons beat Lakers 4-1 It did the job for commercials, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard this played anywhere but on television.
Jones: Typical pop-ish theme song … but there was no way I was going to get the edgier will.i.am tracks for an NBA deal. Black Eyed Peas, “Let’s Get It Started”ĭrobny: It was overplayed beyond belief during this period, and it’s one of their worst songs. This song was probably the best choice of a Destiny’s Child song for the NBA - more on the pop side, not edgy and catchy. It was the end of the Shaq-Kobe era, and I had to watch the Pistons dismantle the Lakers. Also: Shout-out to Denver native Chauncey Billups! Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle were the queens of making literally anything look cool.
Timberlake wasn’t in heavy rotation for me, and this song didn’t do anything to change that.ĭestiny’s Child (Theo Wargo / WireImage for Clear Channel Entertainment)ĭrobny: Especially for the later-stage Destiny’s Child era, this is a fantastic song independent of basketball.
It probably means I didn’t pay much attention to intro songs, or the song just didn’t do much for me.
(“Can’t Get Enough” slowly disappeared from NBA broadcasts, and by the time the playoffs arrived, there was an LL Cool J song, “Spurs and Nets Goin’ to War,” which was played before each finals matchup.) It’s a little slow and boring despite coming from a Hall of Famer. (I was more of a Backstreet Boys guy myself.) I do love so much of what JT has done over the years, but this particular song didn’t move the needle. (Editor’s note: The songs that weren’t found on Spotify have been linked under their respective year.)Ģ003 Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Get Enough”ĭrobny: There was a time period when Timberlake ruled the world … but this was not a very good song. Want to hear each track? The Athletic’s Spotify playlist below is here for you, as well! Others are covers and were specifically selected for broadcast throughout the finals. In some cases, the songs had been published before the playoffs began and were selected as background music (many of which were several decades old). Those years had tracks mixed throughout the playoffs and the finals. You also may notice some years will have multiple songs. Others were specifically written for the finals as the lead track for the broadcast. Some were just often played throughout the playoffs. Some of the tracks listed here are not the theme or signature song by the broadcaster or the league. As Denver faces Miami in this year’s NBA Finals, The Athletic’s Eric Drobny and Jason Jones broke down some of the most-heard songs during the playoffs broadcast on ESPN or ABC over the last 20 years.
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