ESPN Networks Highlight Western Conference In This Week’s NBA Coverage

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has announced its NBA coverage schedule for this week. And in this week’s schedule of games the Thunder and Clippers will be highlighted.

This week’s NBA broadcast schedule kicks off tonight with a double header schedule on ESPN. First up on the night is a cross-conference matchup between Memphis and Boston. While the showdown pits teams from opposite conferences against one another it still will have its own playoff implications. Boston currently sits third overall in the East, seven games back from Cleveland while Memphis currently sits 5^th in the West, eighteen and a half games back from the Warriors. Neither team has yet clinched a playoff berth. So win or lose tonight’s game between the Celtics and Grizzles will play a big part in the teams’ playoff fates. Tipoff for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7pm ET. Mark Jones will have the call for the game. He will be joined by Tim Legler for additional commentary.

Second up on the night is a Western Conference matchup between Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder welcome the Clippers into the Chesapeake Arena in a game that will also determine both teams’ playoff fates. That is because neither team yet has clinched its berth in the post season. Oklahoma City currently sits third in the west with the Clippers not too far behind in fourth. Neither team has a chance of catching the Warriors or Spurs. But both teams can potentially set their place in the playoffs. Tipoff for the game is set for 9:30pm ET. The game will be simulcast on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Dave Pasch will have the call for the game on ESPN. He will be joined by Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Chris Broussard for additional commentary. On the radio side, Marc Kestecher will have the call for the game. He will be joined by P.J. Carlesimo for additional commentary.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s double header schedule Rachel Nichols, Tracy McGrady, and Brian WIndhorst will have a preview of the night’s games and will look ahead to the rest of the week’s schedule in The Jump beginning at 1pm ET on ESPN2.

After Wednesday night’s double header ESPN will shift its attention to college basketball. It will be carrying coverage of the ACC Tournament and Big Ten Tournament Thursday and Friday. The NBA action picks back up on Saturday night at 8:30 pm ET with a Western Conference matchup between Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The Spurs will play host to the Thunder on NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by La Quinta beginning at 8:30pm ET on ABC. Mike Tirico will have the call for Saturday’s game. He will be joined by analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson for additional commentary. Sage Steele, Jalen Rose, and Doug Collins will preview the night’s matchup and look back on the week’s other games ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the Western Conference opponents. San Antonio has already clinched its spot in the post season. But Oklahoma City has not yet solidified its spot in the playoffs. If it doesn’t clinch Wednesday night, a win Saturday could set its spot in that race.

Cleveland and the Clippers round out the week’s NBA coverage on ESPN and the ESPN networks Sunday afternoon on NBA Sunday Showcase presented by BBVA. Cleveland sits atop the Eastern Conference but has yet to clinch its spot in the playoffs. So the team will be looking to punch its post season ticket in the game. That is because the Raptors, who currently sit second in the East, are currently only two games back from Cleveland. So they are making things very interesting for Cleveland heading into the regular season’s final stretch. Win or lose Wednesday Sunday’s game will still have its own implications for the Clippers, too. That is because the Clippers sit fourth in the West. The fifth-place Grizzlies don’t have a chance of catching the Clippers and the Clippers likely won’t catch the Thunder either. So L.A. will be looking to solidify its place in the post season once and for all Sunday against the Cavs. Mike Breen will have the call for the game. He will be joined by analyst and Hall of Famer Hubie Brown for additional commentary. Reporter Lisa Salters will also be courtside throughout the game for all of the latest updates and more. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30pm ET. The game will be simulcast on ABC, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Radio. Kevin Calabro will have the call on ESPN Radio. He will be joined by P.J. Carlesimo for additional commentary. The full schedule for this week’s NBA coverage across the ESPN networks is noted below.

 

 

Date	Time (ET)	Telecast/Commentators	Network (s)
Tues, Mar 8	3:30 p.m.	The Jump presented by State Farm Rachel Nichols, Tracy McGrady, Brian Windhorst	ESPN
Wed, Mar 9	1 a.m.	NBA Tonight Cassidy Hubbarth, Tim Legler	ESPN2
	1 p.m.	The Jump presented by State Farm* Rachel Nichols, Tracy McGrady, Brian Windhorst	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics Mark Jones, Jon Barry	ESPN
	9:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder Dave Pasch, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Chris Broussard Radio: Marc Kestecher, P.J. Carlesimo	ESPN, ESPN Radio
Thu, Mar 10	1 a.m.	NBA Tonight Cassidy Hubbarth, Brad Daugherty	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	The Jump presented by State Farm Rachel Nichols,	ESPN
Fri, Mar 11	1 a.m.	NBA Tonight Cassidy Hubbarth, Brad Daugherty	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	The Jump presented by State Farm Rachel Nichols	ESPN
Sat, Mar 12	1 a.m.	NBA Tonight Cassidy Hubbarth, Amin Elhassan	ESPN2
	8 p.m.	NBA Countdown Sage Steele, Jalen Rose, Doug Collins	ABC
	8:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs  presented by La Quinta Mike Tirico, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters	ABC
Sun, Mar 13	1:30 a.m.	NBA Tonight Cassidy Hubbarth, Amin Elhassan	ESPN2
	3 p.m.	NBA Countdown presented by Straight Talk Wireless Sage Steele, Jalen Rose, Doug Collins	ABC
	3:30 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers  at Los Angeles Clippers presented by BBVA Mike Breen, Hubie Brown, Heather Cox Radio: Kevin Calabro, P.J. Carlesimo	ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio

 

 

More information on the ESPN networks’ NBA coverage is available online along with all of the latest NBA headlines at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/nba

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NBAonESPN

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Networks To Offer Extensive Coverage Of The 2015 NBA Draft Presented By State Farm

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2014 – 2015 NBA season is officially in the books. But the road to the 2015 – 2016 season has already begun.

This Thursday, June 25th, ESPN will carry exclusive coverage of the 2015 NBA Draft presented by State Farm live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Coverage for this year’s draft is expected to begin at 7pm ET. This year’s broadcast marks the 13th consecutive year that ESPN has carried the draft. NBA fans that won’t be near a TV during the draft won’t have to worry about missing a minute of its coverage as they can hear all the coverage on ESPN radio and online via WatchESPN. Rece Davis will anchor this year’s broadcast. He will be joined at the desk by ESPN college basketball analyst and NBA Draft expert Jay Bilas, college basketball analyst Jay Williams, and NBA analyst Jalen Rose. Mark Kestecher will anchor ESPN Radio’s broadcast. He will be joined by Ryen Rusillo and analyst P.J. Carlesimo for additional insight and commentary.

ESPN’s coverage and insight of this year’s NBA Draft presented by State Farm doesn’t stop at the desk. ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn will add to the network’s coverage with front office perspective while ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla have a look at international players poised to be drafted into the NBA. Heather Cox will be in the green room and Shannon Spake, new to the draft this year, will have interviews with draftees once selections are made. ESPN college basketball insiders Andy Katz and Jeff Goodman will each offer additional draft and NBA news throughout the broadcast. Brian Windhorst, Ramona Shelburne, and Chris Broussard will each be embedded with one of three teams throughout the Draft for even more coverage–Windhorst with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shelburne with the Lakers and Broussard with the Knicks.

Leading up to the big night, ESPN2 will air a special one-hour NBA Draft preview show Wednesday night at 7pm ET. Following the Draft, ESPNU will provide Post-Draft coverage beginning at midnight. Anish Shroff, Tim Welsh, and Seth Greenberg will be on hand for commentary.

NBA fans can get more information on the ESPN networks’ coverage of the 2015 NBA Draft presented by State Farm onine at:

Website: http://www.espn.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NBAonESPN

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN.com Offers NBA Fans, Viewers Extensive Finals Coverage

Courtesy: ESPN

Thursday, June 6^th 2013 is one of the year’s biggest days of the year for NBA fans across the country.  That’s because tomorrow is the first game of the 2013 NBA Championship series.  In celebration, ESPN and the ESPN family of networks will have complete coverage of this year’s NBA Finals.  This includes coverage online via ESPN3, WatchESPN.com, and ESPNRadio.com  Broadcasts on ESPNRadio.com are being made available courtesy of autotrader.com.  Game One will be broadcast live Thursday evening, June 6^th at 9pm EDT on ABC.  It will be simulcast on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes.

Coverage of each game will be handled by a variety of NBA analysts, reporters and contributors.  ESPN.com will have on-site coverage of the game.  This includes scouting reports, a look at each game by the numbers, expert predictions, feature stories, video analysis, and some very special interactive experiences for fans and viewers.  Among the reporters handling coverage will be, Marc Stein, J.A. Adande, Mike Wallace, Brian Windhorst, and Tom Haberstroh.  Henry Abbott will have coverage of the finals on site for TrueHoop, TrueHoop TV, and HoopIdea.  Daily Dime and Daily Dime Live interactive chats on ESPN.com will be offered for up-to-the minute conversation and reaction to each game each night.

Feature stories written by Kevin Arnovitz, Kevin Van Valkenburg, Liz Merrill, Israel Gutierrez, Ramona Shelburne, and Marc Stein will be posted on all things centered on the NBA Finals.  Topics covered include: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs organization as a whole, and even one of the game’s biggest names, Lebron James.

Forecasts of each game will be offered by a panel of some two hundred NBA experts with extensive NBA experience, knowledge and perspectives.  Richard Swarbrick will present a new animation featuring the greatest moments of the NBA Finals.

ESPN Insiders will offer premium content a thorough NBA Finals preview.  It will also include daily Per Diem columns, from Kevin Pelton and Tom Haberstroh, and a ranking of the fifty greatest single playoff performances of all times.  If that’s not enough, then try out David Thorpe’s post-season MVP rankings, too.

True hardcore NBA fans will appreciate the chance to take part personally in the Finals.  That is thanks to “Finals 50/50 presented by Sony Electronics.”  This is an NBA fantasy pick ‘em game.  It allows fans to answer ten questions related to each NBA Finals game.  Contestants have until tip-off of each game to enter answers for the questions.  Five additional questions related to each game will be presented at half-time of each game.  The questions will be presented in relation to the status of each game at that point.  Those questions will be worth five additional points each.  The big prize is well worth the entries.  That’s because of the total contestants, that contestant that accumulates the most points by the end of the finals will win a Sony Home Entertainment System grand prize.  Those that accumulate the most points per game will earn a four hundred dollar gift card.  The game will be available online at ESPN.com and on mobile web for fans to play at home or on the road.

NBA fans can keep up with all of the latest news and more throughout the finals on the official ESPN Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ESPN and on the official ESPN website, http://www.espn.com.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.