The Clippers CourtVision app completely reinvents the way you watch basketball

Launching this season and available to Fox Sports Prime Ticket subscribers, the LA Clippers CourtVision app has completely reinvented the way in which I watch basketball.

During last night’s game between the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets, I got the chance to try out the all-new Clippers CourtVision app. Aside from a few insignificant bugs, it ran to perfection and completely reinvented the way that I watch — and review — LA Clippers basketball.

Upon logging in, one of the first things I noticed was the option to watch previous broadcasts in full. So before last night’s game began, I toyed around with some of the options the app gives you with LA’s final preseason game, which also happened to be against the Denver Nuggets.

The first thing you’ll notice is that there are several different modes, camera angles, and audio styles to choose from. You can also scroll between stats and highlights, with the option to select the team as a whole or its individual players. This goes for both teams, of course.

The different modes are where the app really shines, though. There are four different options to choose from, including Broadcast, Player, Mascot, and Coach, each of which features a unique viewing opportunity.

On the left is the Player mode, which shows shot probability above each offensive player’s head. It uses a unique camera angle, similar to what is used in NBA video games like the 2K and NBA Live series. Some stats appear along the bottom of the screen too, although I’m unsure if this is exclusive to the Player mode or if it’s available all over — I still need to mess around with it some more.

On the right, then, is the Coach mode, which shows plays as they develop on the floor. It’s another really interesting way to watch the game, and it helps illustrate just how much movement and communication goes into each possession. Like the Player mode, stats appear as blurbs above each player’s heads on scoring plays, turnovers, and more. Below is another good look at the Coach mode in motion:

The Mascot mode is something that the gamers will probably feel familiar with. This option features more digital effects and video game-style graphics underneath the players. Just like in NBA 2K, a shape appears beneath the player with the ball, and player names and numbers show up beneath each other on the court. Below are two images that I grabbed upon review of last night’s game:

The different camera angles can really make for a unique viewing experience, too. They’re fun to play around with at first, and do a good job of sharing different perspectives from all over the court. The baselines cameras, for instance, show a view that’s much closer to the ground than a typical broadcast setup. The action feels more “in your face” than anything else, and though you can’t always see everything that’s going on, you don’t feel like you’re missing out. The cameras track the ball as it moves anyway, so you’re always seeing the most important thing.

Above all, I feel like the different camera options will be best for finding the best angle to watch highlight plays from. And after Montrezl Harrell threw one down last night, I knew I had to check it out for myself from above the Clipper bucket:

From what I understand, the different camera angles won’t be available in the full version of the app and are only available in the current beta. Fox Sports Prime Ticket subscribers will still have access to the Player, Mascot, and Coach streams via the Fox Sports app though, which I feel are the best things the app currently has to offer.

Clippers CourtVision is currently available on both iOS and Android, and will be compatible with virtually every game this season — both home and away.

I’ll be regularly sharing screenshots and clips from the CourtVision app all season long, so be sure to follow along on Twitter! Feel free to ask questions as well, especially since there are still plenty of things about this app that I’ve yet to discover.