Sun Sports to Broadcast 70 Regular Season Games ▪ All Sun Sports Games Available in HD
MIAMI - As the Miami HEAT prepares to defend their NBA Championship, the team and Sun Sports today announced the Florida sports network’s 2012-13 broadcast schedule.
Embarking on its 20th consecutive season of covering Miami HEAT Basketball, Sun Sports will air a total of 70 regular season games this season, the 25th Anniversary season for the HEAT. With Sun Sports leading the way as the HEAT’s exclusive regional television partner, all 82 regular season games will be available for HEAT fans to enjoy as part of either local or national broadcast coverage.
In addition, Sun Sports will carry four of the team’s eight preseason games, beginning with the preseason opener at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 7 vs. the Hawks in Atlanta. Sun Sports will also broadcast the games on October 20 (San Antonio Spurs), 23 (Charlotte Bobcats) and 24 (Washington Wizards). In all, seven of the team’s eight preseason contests will be televised. NBATV will air the two preseason contests live from China on Oct. 11 and 14, while ESPN will broadcast the preseason finale vs. New Orleans on October 26. HEAT originals Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino will be in China to serve as the broadcast team for NBATV.
Reid and Fiorentino return for a ninth consecutive season together. Reid, who began his career as the team’s color analyst and remains the longest tenured announcer with a single franchise in the South Florida market, begins his 25th season with the club. Fiorentino’s ninth season is noteworthy in that he becomes the longest tenured color commentator in team history.
Sun Sports kicks off its regular season coverage with the team's road opener on Friday, November 2 with a match-up of first round playoff opponents from a year ago. The defending NBA Champion Miami HEAT battle Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks.
HEAT fans will continue to enjoy extensive live pre-game and post-game content during HEAT Live, including expert analysis, news conferences, player interviews and more. A half-hour edition of the show will air before each of the 70 regular season games with an extended post-game edition to return immediately following each game broadcast. New studio host Jorge Sedano will join former HEAT point guard and current radio color analyst, John Crotty, for all road pre-game, halftime and post-game shows from the FOX studios in Ft. Lauderdale. Jason Jackson returns for his ninth season as host and courtside reporter. Jackson will continue to host the pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage from the studios at the AmericanAirlines Arena for all home games on Sun Sports while continuing to host a daily radio program on the team’s flagship station, Sports Talk 790 AM and 104.3 FM The Ticket, from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
The broadcast team also plans to build upon on the success enjoyed last season with their “Facebook Friday” social media initiatives by giving viewers and fans special opportunities to involve themselves with the telecast team on Twitter and Facebook during the 14 Friday night telecasts that will take place throughout the 2012-13 campaign.
Sun Sports will continue to bring HEAT fans closer to their hometown team with its commitment to feature programming produced by the network. Plans tentatively call for 12 new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning Inside the HEAT series with numerous player profiles and shows focusing on other aspects of the team and its operations. The first show in this year’s series will be a two-hour special documentary entitled “The Crown” – a special look at the HEAT’s remarkable run to its second NBA Championship.
Highlights on the Sun Sports’ schedule include:
- The season opening road game against Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.
- The final two meetings of the season vs Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics.
- Three meetings vs. the much improved Brooklyn Nets who prepare to play their first season in the new Barclays Center.
- Two match-ups vs. the team with the NBA’s best regular season record each the last two seasons, the
Central Division Champion Chicago Bulls. - All meetings with Eastern Conference playoff rivals: the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers.
- Both meetings vs. Western Conference contenders: the L.A. Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis
- Both meetings vs. the New Orleans Hornets and the #1 overall pick from Kentucky, Anthony Davis.
Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets.
The entire regular season slate and each of the seven preseason broadcasts will be delivered to fans in high definition. Sun Sports HD games will be available to fans in South Florida with HD service from cable and satellite systems offering Sun Sports HD. For a complete listing of channel locations for Sun Sports in your area, please visit FOXSportsFlorida.com.
Spanish-language audio for the games on Sun Sports will be available via secondary audio programming (SAP).