ESPN.com Offers NBA Fans, Viewers Extensive Finals Coverage

Courtesy:  ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

Thursday, June 6th 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 6th 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.

ESPN Radio Releases Schedule For NBA All-Star Game Broadcast

Courtesy:  ESPN/ESPN Radio

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will nationally broadcast the 2013 Sprint NBA All-Star Game.  This marks the 17th straight year that ESPN Radio will have events through the All-Star game, which lead up to the broadcast of the annual game.  The game will be broadcast this Sunday, February 17th at 7:30pm EST.  The game will be called by Kevin Calabro.  He will be joined by analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay. Marc Kestecher will join the team live from ESPN’s studios.  He will be joined by NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, ESPN NBA insider Marc Stein, and reporter Shelley Smith.

Coverage of this weekend’s All-Star Game starts Friday with a broadcast of First Take live from Houston at 10am.   ESPN Radio’s SVP and Rusillo will also broadcast live.  The pair will broadcast live at 1pm this Friday.  It will also simulcast on ESPNNEWS.  Both shows will broadcast from the House of Blues in Houston.  Along with the live broadcast, Ryen Rusillo will also participate in the 2013 All-Star Celebrity Game live from the George R. Brown Convention Center.  He and ESPN commentator Bruce Bowen will be among many other celebrities taking part in the game.  Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and James Harden (Houston Rockets) will serve as special coaches for the event.  Mark Jones will provide commentary for the game and will be joined by analyst Jon Barry and reporter Chris Broussard.  Audiences can catch the game via ESPN Mobile TV and online at WatchESPN.  Audiences with tablets and smart phones can catch the game with the WatchESPN app.

ESPN.com will have even more content through the weekend including live chats and grades for all events related to the NBA All-Star Game.  TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott will also present TrueHoop TV content all weekend.  A full schedule of events from ESPN Radio and ESPN International is available below.

ESPN Radio’s 2013 NBA All-Star schedule

 

Date Event Time (ET)
Fri., Feb. 15 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge 9 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 16 Meet the All-Stars 6 p.m.
  NBA All-Star Saturday Night:

The Sears Shooting Stars

The Taco Bell Skills Challenge

The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest

The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

8:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 17 2013 Sprint NBA All-Star Game 7:30 p.m.

 

ESPN International All-Star coverage

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game:  Live on Pac-Rim, Brazil, Atlantic, Caribbean and UK, Friday at 7pm EST

Rising Stars Challenge:  Live on Pac-Rim, Brazil, Atlantic, Caribbean and UK, Friday at 9pm EST

NBA All-Star Saturday Night:  Live on Pac-Rim, Brazil, Atlantic, Caribbean and UK, Saturday at 8:30pm                                                               EST.

NBA All-Star Game:  Live on Pac-Rim, Brazil, Atlantic, Caribbean and UK, Sunday at 8pm EST

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