NBA Finals Game Three Tips Off AT 9pm Tonight On ABC

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2014 NBA Finals are “heating up” after Miami evened its series against the San Antonio Spurs Sunday. The Heat defeated the Spurs Sunday 98-96, tying the series at one game each. Game three will be broadcast exclusively on ABC tonight at 9pm ET. Mike Breen will have the call for tonight’s game. He will be joined by analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. Reporter Doris Burke and officiating analyst Steve Javie will also be on hand for commentary.

Broadcast of tonight’s Game Three will be preceded by NBA Countdown live from the American Airlines Arena in Miami at 8:30pm ET. Sage Steel will anchor the broadcast and will be joined by analysts Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, and Doug Collins.

Along with its broadcast on ABC, tonight’s broadcast of Game Three will be simulcast on ESPN Radio affiliates nationwide. Kevin Calabro will have the call. He will be joined by analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Marc Stein for additional insight throughout the game. ESPN Radio’s pre-game coverage begins at 8pm ET. Marc Kestecher and analyst Jon Barry will contribute to that broadcast. ESPN Deportes will carry tonight’s broadcast of Game Three as well. Alvaro Martin and Carlos Morales will have commentary for ESPN Deportes. .

Game Four of the 2014 NBA finals will be simulcast on ABC, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Thursday, June 12^th at 9pm ET. Game Five is scheduled for Sunday, June 15^th at 8pm ET. Both games will be preceded by NBA Countdown half an hour before tipoff.

All games of the NBA Finals broadcast on ABC are also available online through most internet and mobile internet platforms including: Xbox, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV via WatchESPN. There are also special simulcasts on ESPN3.

More information on coverage of the 2014 NBA Finals is available online at http://www.facebook.com/NBAonESPN and http://espn.go.com/nba. 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, AFL Announce Details Of New Broadcast Deal

Courtesy: ESPN

There’s good news for fans of the Arena Football League.  ESPN and the AFL have announced that they have reached a deal that would bring a handful of games to the Worldwide Leader in Sports.    The multi-year agreement gives ESPN broadcast rights to more than ten games on the league’s schedule.  That includes many regular and post season games, and the league’s annual championship, the Arena Bowl.  Terms of the deal also mean that seventy-five games or more will be available for viewing online via ESPN3.  Fans will also be able to go to the official AFL website, http://www.ArenaFootball.com to see games on ESPN’s video player.

The new deal between ESPN and the AFL is not the first between the two organizations.  ESPN carried the AFL’s first ever Arena Bowl in 1987.  It carried the league’s regular and post season games from 1995- 1999, playoff games from 2000 – 2002, and playoff games from 2007 – 2008.  ABC, which is part of the ESPN family of networks also covered the AFL.  It broadcasted the Arena Bowl from 1998 – 2002.  Matthew Volk, ESPN’s director of Programming and Acquisitions, expressed his respect for the rich history between ESPN and the AFL as he commented on the announcement.  He tied that in to the network’s dedication to football coverage throughout the year stating, “ESPN has a long history of working with the Arena Football League and this new agreement is a great opportunity to showcase the AFL as part of our year-round commitment to football.”

Arena Football League Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz also shared his thoughts on the partnership between the AFL and ESPN.  He was optimistic about the league’s future in discussing the deal.  Speaking to reporters, Kurz said, “The AFL’s return to ESPN is the latest example of the strides our sport has made in recent years.”  He went on to say, “Having the ArenaBowl on the ESPN family of networks for years to come puts our Championship game alongside some of the most prominent events in television.”

AFL fans that get their video and internet from affiliated providers will have access to ESPN3 online at WatchESPN via mobile devices through the WatchESPN app.  Subscribers can also stream games on TV through ESPN on Xbox Live with a Gold membership.  Games will also be available to stream for Apple TV customers and those with Roku.  ESPN’s AFL broadcasts will begin with the league’s 2014 season.  A full schedule for the 2014 season will be announced at a later date.  More information on the deal and ESPN’s full upcoming AFL coverage will be available online at http://espn.go.com/afl/.  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.

Activision, Infinity Ward Debut New COD Trailer

Courtesy: Activision/Infinity Ward

Courtesy: Activision/Infinity Ward

Mark your calendars, gamers.  On November 5^th, 2013, the latest installment in the highly successful Call of Duty franchise will be released. In anticipation of the game, the very first trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts has been released.  It made its debut this morning at Microsoft’s press event announcing what gamers can expect to come out this Fall.  The trailer shows that this proves to be the biggest game in the franchise yet.  Gamers get to go through big cities, jungle backdrops, and even more throughout the course of this upcoming game.  Its graphics live up to the expectations created by the series’ previous installments.

Courtesy: Activision/Infinity Ward

Here’s the gist of the storyline according to Mark Rubin, Executive Producer at Infinity Ward.  The game’s creators worked with Traffic and Syriana writer Stephen Gaghan on the story.  What players get in this new installment is a world n which the United States military has been devastated by a giant event.  The nation’s government is for all intents and purposes, in shambles.  Players get to play as one of the remaining U.S. military forces against those that caused all of this death and destruction.  The Ghosts are “ghost soldiers.”  They are the elite of the elite, the ultimate cream of the crop.  Fans who want even more info on the game, from its plot to everything on how the game came to life, they can check out a behind the scenes featurette on the game now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B00xKmtyfaY.

Courtesy: Activision/Infinity Ward

The mix of the trailer’s music bed and voice-over declaring, “We are ghosts, fighting for something that can’t be killed” will send chills up anyone’s spines, gamer or not.  Fans can check it out for themselves now, online right here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxnx3W-HA18.  Also provided throughout this article is just a handful of shots from the game that is to come this holiday shopping season.  So check it out, and spread the word to the gamers of the world.  Call of Duty: Ghosts is coming!

Courtesy: Activision/Infinity Ward

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.

Treyarch, Activision Offering DLC Soundtrack

Courtesy: Treyarch/Activision

Fans of the wildly popular Call of Duty video game series have even more reason to celebrate today.  The latest DLC (Downloadable Content) package includes a new map titled, “Mob of the Dead”, which lets users play as one of a group of famed prohibition era gangsters stuck in Alcatraz prison facing off against zombie hordes.  Now thanks to Treyarch and Activision, fans of the COD series can purchase the soundtrack to the specific map.  The soundtrack can be downloaded via iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play, and many other outlets.  It is being made available for download by BFM Digital.  The soundtrack includes twenty-four original compositions as well as bonus tracks by Tranzit and Die Rise.

The “Mob of the Dead” map allows players to play as Billy Handsome, Al “The Weasel” Arlington, Salvatore “Sal” DeLuca, and Michael “Finn” O’Leary.  The gangsters are in Alcatraz because they are serving time there.  And in order to survive, the gangsters have to face zombie hordes that inhabit the prison. 

Fans can purchase Uprising–the new Black Ops II DLC—as a standalone map pack for a suggested retail price of $14.99 first, exclusively on Xbox Live.  Call of Duty: Black Ops II is sold separate from the recent DLCs and is needed in order to play the extra maps.  For more information on the new “Mob of the Dead” soundtrack and all the latest COD news, go online to http://www.callofduty.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.