Schedule Highlights: What to Watch | NBA TV Analysis
NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2007 -- The NBA today released its complete game schedule and broadcast schedules of ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV and NBA on ESPN Radio for the 2007-08 season.
The league's highly anticipated 61st season commences with "NBA Opening Week...It's Game Time!", a new basketball-themed season launch inspired by the hard work and passion of the players featuring special events and NBA Cares community initiatives in each team market.
The NBA's Countdown to Tip-Off 07 has begun and is now 89 days away. Team preparation for the upcoming regular season will begin Oct. 1 when NBA Training Camps open. Six teams will participate in international training camps and exhibition games across eight cities outside North America as a part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports and NBA China Games 2007.
The 2007-08 season tips off on TNT, which will begin its 24th season of NBA game action, with a doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 30 that features the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers at AT&T Center at 8 p.m. ET. TNT’s coverage of the Spurs-Trail Blazers game also features the Championship ring ceremony for the Spurs. The second game of TNT’s doubleheader showcases Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets squaring off in Los Angeles against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN’s game coverage begins with a doubleheader Wednesday, Oct. 31 beginning at 8 p.m. as the 2007 Finals runner-up Cleveland Cavaliers host the Dallas Mavericks, who won a league-best 67 regular season games in 2006-07. The nightcap features the debut of Kevin Durant, the second overall selection of the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 Draft, in Denver to battle Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET.
On Thursday, Nov. 1, TNT presents a doubleheader featuring perennial Eastern Conference heavyweights and a battle out West showcasing the promise of present and future. Two recent NBA Champions square off as Chauncey Billups and the Pistons (2003-04 Champions) travel to Miami to tangle with Shaquille O’Neal and the Heat (2005-06 Champions) at 8 p.m. ET. The second game features Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns heading to Seattle to face the SuperSonics at 10:30 p.m. ET.
“NBA Tip-Off 07” continues on Friday, Nov. 2 with ESPN’s second doubleheader of the week. At 8 p.m. ET, the new-look Boston Celtics - led by perennial All-Stars Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce - make their debut by hosting Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards. The second game showcases the 2006-07 scoring champion, Bryant, and the 2006-07 assist-leader, Nash, as the Lakers visit the Suns at 10:30 p.m. ET.
NBA TV tips off its 96-game regular season coverage when the Trail Blazers visit the Rockets on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, Nov. 4, NBA TV airs a showdown in the desert, when the Cavaliers travel to Phoenix to battle the Suns at 8 p.m. ET.
During the 2007-08 season, NBA TV features a slate of intriguing matchups, including a home-and-home series between the Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. Golden State, winners of last season’s memorable first-round series with Dallas, hosts the Mavericks on Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET and travels to Dallas on March 30 at 9 p.m. ET. Rivalry matchups featuring Western Conference powers and Eastern Conference adversaries are also on tap. Tim Duncan and the Spurs play host to the Suns on Dec. 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET, while the Cavaliers head to Detroit to renew acquaintances with the Pistons on March 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
ABC tips off its NBA game coverage with a Christmas Day doubleheader. At 2:30 p.m. ET, a showdown between the last two Eastern Conference Champions takes place at Quicken Loans Arena as the Cavaliers host the Heat. The Suns travel to Staples Center to play the Lakers in the second game, with the tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. The ABC national television schedule consists of 18 exclusive regular-season broadcasts, including game action on eight consecutive NBA Sundays from Feb. 24 through the end of the regular season. The NBA on ABC presents flexible scheduling throughout the regular season in order to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
Among other highly anticipated match-ups throughout the regular season:
Two of the league’s youngest scoring sensations go toe-to-toe in a home-and-home when LeBron James leads the Cavaliers into Denver to tangle with Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets at Pepsi Center on Nov. 12 (NBA TV, 9 p.m. ET). Cleveland plays host to Denver in an ABC-televised matchup on Feb. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The top two picks in the 2007 NBA Draft face off for the first time on Christmas Day on ESPN. Durant and Oden meet in the first of four regular season meetings as the Sonics visit the Rose Garden to face the Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 25.
Garnett returns to Minnesota with his new Celtics teammates to face the Timberwolves on Feb. 8 for an 8 p.m. tip-off on ESPN.
Chicago hopes its youthful exuberance can overcome the veteran-savvy Detroit Pistons in a March 9 Eastern Conference semifinals rematch at the Palace of Auburn Hills. (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
The league’s two highest-scoring teams from a year ago are set to run-and-gun when the Warriors visit the Suns on March 13. (TNT, 10:30 p.m. ET)
ESPN networks are televising 72 regular-season games, which include 27 games on Wednesdays and 36 on Fridays. The slate consists of 26 doubleheaders.
TNT is televising 52 regular-season games, 46 as part of Thursday night doubleheaders and a tripleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. TNT also exclusively televises NBA All-Star 2008 festivities in New Orleans from Feb. 15-17, culminating with the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 17.
Along with its most comprehensive regular season schedule ever and up to nine Playoff games, NBA TV features all access programming including NBA TV GameNight Live, NBA TV Daily and NBA TV News, as well as NBA Hardwood Classics specials. NBA TV telecasts this year’s National Basketball Association Development League All-Star Game, which is played as part of NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas at NBA All-Star 2008 in New Orleans. The network is available in U.S. homes through the nation's top cable and satellite companies including Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Cablevision, Bright House, DIRECTV and the DISH Network. NBA TV can also be seen in 73 countries, including France, Russia, Spain, Israel, the Philippines, Hong Kong and throughout the Middle East.
The NBA on ESPN Radio’s 30-game regular-season schedule debuts with two games during "NBA Tip-Off 07” – opening night with the Spurs hosting the Trail Blazers from AT&T Center and the Lakers at the Suns on Nov. 2. The NBA on ESPN Radio also broadcasts all the events from NBA All-Star 2008 in New Orleans.
For the fifth straight season, ABC will exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals, which tip off in June 2008. This season, TNT is the exclusive home of the 2008 NBA Western Conference Finals and ESPN and ABC exclusively televise the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
NBA.com offers day-by-day and team-by-team schedules as well as regular-season telecast schedules of the league’s North American broadcast partners – ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and the NBA on ESPN Radio.
NBA games and programming are currently seen in 215 countries and territories in 41 languages via a record 188 television partners.
RSS Feeds
NBA.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
