There’s a video making the rounds showing a somewhat heated exchange between Ian Eagle and Mike Fratello during Saturday’s New Jersey Nets-Boston game. All of which begs the obvious question: You mean, people are actually watching Nets games?

Somebody noticed and the video went viral.

In the video, Eagle scolds Fratello over a previous discussion about slip screens. It certainly sounds as if Eagle is ticked off.

However, Eagle tells Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News that the pair were just joking. Eagle said:

“Every bit of that was a put-on. Not 40%. Not 70%. It was 100% busting each  other’s chops. We do it every game. What happens sometimes is the  local audience knows what we’re up to, but when something like this goes viral  the unfortunate part is the familiarity goes out the window. There are people  who just don’t get it, they’re not in on the joke. . . . Sarcasm is hard to  comprehend, especially when you can’t see the broadcasters.”

Do you believe him? Matt Yoder, who did an initial analysis of the alleged spat at Awful Announcing, writes:

While that’s a good story, and it’s nice that Eagle addressed what happened, I’m not buying it…

I will say this: Calling Nets games would be enough to make anyone cranky.