Seventy-One Regular Season Games Will Be Aired on Sun Sports; All 82 Games Available via Local and National Broadcasters
MIAMI 08/20 The Miami HEAT and Sun Sports, the NBA teams exclusive regional television home, have announced the Florida sports networks 2008-09 broadcast schedule.
A total of 71 regular season Miami HEAT games, 39 home and 32 away, are scheduled to air on Sun Sports throughout the South Florida region this season. Spanish-language audio for the games on Sun Sports will be available via secondary audio program (SAP). While channel positions remain the same for Sun Sports on South Florida cable systems and on DISH Network, those fans who enjoy the games on DIRECTV will want to make a note of the new location for Sun Sports - channel 653 (previously 632). Select games may also air on Ch. 655 for DIRECTV customers.
All 82 games will be broadcast either locally or nationally. In addition to Sun Sports, ABC, ESPN, NBATV and TNT are among the stations scheduled to air HEAT games.
The regional sports network will also produce and distribute more than half of the games in high definition. The 2008-09 local HEAT HD broadcast schedule will be released at a later date. HD games will be available to fans in South Florida with HD service from cable and satellite systems offering Sun Sports HD. In most cases, the HD feed will be on a channel separate from Sun Sports standard definition channel.
In addition to game coverage, Sun Sports will also continue to offer fans extensive live post-game coverage with expert analysis, news conferences, player interviews and more with its HEAT LIVE post-game shows immediately following each game broadcast. Sun Sports will also continue to bring HEAT fans closer to their hometown team with its commitment to feature programming produced by the network. Plans call for approximately 11 all-new episodes of the popular INSIDE THE HEAT series with numerous player profiles and shows focusing on other aspects of the team and its operations.
The 2008-09 season also marks the 16th consecutive year Sun Sports has provided live regional cable coverage of Miami HEAT NBA action. The networks production team, including members of the HEATV crew, has been awarded multiple regional Emmy Awards for their coverage of HEAT basketball on Sun Sports in the last several years.
Highlights on the Sun Sports schedule include:
- Three appearances by the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics
- A January match-up vs. reigning MVP Kobe Bryant and the Western Conference Champion L.A. Lakers
- All four primetime meetings between the HEAT and Cleveland Cavaliers featuring 2003 NBA Draft classmates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James
- All four match-ups between the HEAT and much improved Philadelphia 76ers with Elton Brand
- The return of Shaquille ONeal March 4th vs. the Phoenix Suns
Eric Reid will enter his 21st season as a member of the HEATs broadcast team, serving his 18th year as the television play-by-play voice of the HEAT. He is joined in the Sun Sports booth by Tony Fiorentino, entering his sixth season as analyst, and courtside reporter/host Jason Jackson, who returns for his fifth season.
Sun Sports begins its coverage of Miami HEAT NBA basketball this season with a half-hour MIAMI HEAT PRESEASON SPECIAL premiering in mid-Oct. regular season coverage tips off on Sun Sports when the team travels to New York to take on the Knicks on Wednesday October 29, at 7:30 p.m. A special half-hour HEAT LIVE pre-game show, hosted by Jackson, will air prior to Sun Sports first home game broadcast on Friday, October 31, at 7:00 p.m. (ET).