Hornets Announcer Eric Collins Was the Real Star of Karl-Anthony Towns' 62-Point Game

It is easy to say that any night in the NBA is wild, but last night was wild. Joel Embiid dropped 70 points against the San Antonio Spurts and Victor Wembanyama, including 24 in the first quarter. Simultaneously, Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 points in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets, shooting 8-of-9 from deep and 14-of-17 from the floor. However, KAT was overshadowed by another performance at the Target Center-- that of Hornets announcer Eric Collins.

You have probably heard Collins' voice at some point, even if you don't know the name. He has a well-earned reputation as the most outrageous home play-by-play announcer in the league. Collins screams, shouts, and emphasizes whenever there's a highlight play from either side. Sometimes it's deserved, sometimes not, but he's a prime example of how much juice an announcer can add for a bad, borderline unwatchable team like the Hornets. It can be a lot sometimes but when the right moment strikes there's nobody else you'd want on the mic.

Last night was one of those nights. Two of his calls went viral. Behold the first, featuring Collins screaming in shock/horror/awe as Towns hit a three to get to 41 points with over two minutes left in the second quarter.

The second came in the closing seconds of the game. The Timberwolves, despite enjoying a historic night from Towns, found themselves down by one point in the final moments. KAT drove to the rim and got hacked to all hell, but the referees swallowed the whistle and the rebound was secured by two-way rookie Leaky Black. Minnesota quickly fouled Black to send him to the line.

At which point it was Collins' time to shine.

"I LOVE LEAKY" is the greatest home announcer call of the last five years. Maybe the last 10. It was equal parts silly and electric, striking just the right balance of those tones for a professional basketball game in the middle of January.

Collins is awesome. His schtick would be way too much for a national TV broadcast or a big game, but it's perfect for a local broadcast and especially perfect for the Hornets, who have very little going for them otherwise. Glad he's getting another moment in the sun.