NBA games on network TV??

[BDP]

Anyone know how far in advance national broadcasts (ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, etc.)? What are the chances of getting the Ford Center crowd on nat'l TV?

[windowphobe]

They've already picked this season's games. No Hornets. Period.

(Unless, of course, they make the playoffs.)

[BDP]

Thatr's weird. Sounds like a bad strategy to me. It's kind of like Monday Night Football. They should have some options, so as to show the best match ups.

[Patrick]

They ought to go the route of college football.....make game selections on a week by week basis, based on which teams are winning, and which are losing.

[BDP]

I agree, patrick. I would think it would help with ratings and general interest. It's always nice in college football that all the meaningful games usuallt get some sort of coverage. ABC does do the regional thing, but with only 30 teams in the NBA, that doesn't seem nessecary. People complain that the NAB can be too boring, but maybe it's because they don't get to see the good ones as much. Many teams seem to have local deals, but it would be nice to see some of these top games.

[windowphobe]

The NBA's satellite package contains just about every game played in the league, but it's a tad pricey.

The two games with Toronto (one here, one there) will be picked up on Canadian television.

For comparisons, I checked two other teams with sub-.500 records: Portland (the Blazers will be on ESPN twice in coming months) and New York (the Knicks will be on ESPN or the Deuce four times, TNT twice and ABC twice).

This pretty well settles the question of how they pick 'em: combination of market size and expected record.

Next year? I bet we pull at least two slots.

[windowphobe]

Well, I get to eat some words, and I'm going to enjoy them.

ESPN has bumped the Wizards/Rockets game on the 31st of March to show the Hornets/Grizzlies game at the Ford Center.

[Karried]

I'm so excited by this - I have tickets! This is a great chance for OKC to shine..

[venture]

This should definitely help cement OKC in the spotlight for a relocation team onces one becomes available.