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ESPN X Games to Host First-Ever Real Moto Video Competition

August 12, 2015 By admin Leave a Comment

August 12, 2015

**ESPN X Games to Host First-Ever Real Moto Video Competition**

First Video Part Revealed Today on XGames.com
Winner Announced during World of X Games Real Moto show August 22 on ABC

As part of the World of X Games on ABC, X Games introduces Real Moto – the latest addition to the Real Series, an online video competition. All five Real Moto video parts will debut today on XGames.com/RealMoto where fans will be allowed to vote for their favorite video. X Games medal winners will be chosen by the Real Moto riders and their filmer/editors and announced during the World of X Games show on Saturday, August 22 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on ABC. This marks the third Real Series competition out of five this year.

Next weekend’s Real Moto show will feature five of the top freestyle motocross professionals in the world and their individual video parts, behind-the-scenes, athlete interviews and conclude in the selection of the winner for the event. Athletes were given the opportunity to team up with an editor and produce a 90-second video part to showcase their unique riding styles in their own vision.

The five Real Moto athletes invited to compete are from left to right: Drake McElroy, Jeremy Stenberg, Mike Mason, Ronnie Renner and Wes Agee. Photo Credit: ESPN Images

Athletes featured in Real Moto are detailed below:

Drake McElroy (Sparks, Nevada)
- X Games Moto X Freestyle medalist and host of Red Bull Media House web series “Drake’s Passage”
Jeremy Stenberg (Winchester, California)
- X Games Moto X six-time gold medalist; one of the pioneers of FMX
Mike Mason (Carson City, Nevada)
- X Games Four-time Moto X Freestyle and Speed & Style gold medalist; Only X Games athlete to win Speed & Style gold more than twice
Ronnie Renner (Tampa, Florida)
- X Games Moto X Step Up six-time gold medalist; commentator for Red Bull X-Fighters series and host of “Upside Down and Inside Out” on Network A’s YouTube channel
Wes Agee (Temecula, California)
- X Games Moto X Freestyle bronze medalist; landed a 190-foot backflip in the 2012 Metal Mulisha team video “Black Friday”

The World of X Games is a weekly program on ABC and ESPN platforms, which features a variety of X Games and athlete-focused content. For the most updated schedule and information on World of X Games, go to www.xgames.com. Check local listings for additional details.

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Contacts:

Joyce Wang ESPN Communications, 213-405-4403, joyce.wang@espn.com
Crystal Yang Edwards ESPN Communications, 213-405-4401, crystal.j.yang@espn.com

Grantland Basketball Hour to Air Six Episodes During NBA Postseason

April 15, 2015 By admin Leave a Comment

April 15, 2015

Grantland Basketball Hour to Air Six Episodes During NBA Postseason

Begins with Playoff Preview Shows April 16 – 17

Grantland Basketball Hour will air six one-hour episodes during the NBA playoffs beginning this Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. In addition, hosts Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose will also present two later shows which will focus on the NBA Draft and free agency period.

On Thursday, the first of two playoff preview shows will feature Grantland’s Zach Lowe and special guest JJ Redick of the Clippers to discuss key playoff storylines. Friday’s playoff preview show on April 17 will countdown “The 25 Most Intriguing People of the NBA Playoffs.”

Segments of the show will also be featured on Grantland.com, B.S. Report podcasts and incorporated into various ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter.

Date	Time (ET)	Show Title	Network
Thu, Apr 16	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Playoff Preview Show	ESPN
Fri, Apr 17	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Playoff Preview Show	ESPN
Sat, Apr 18	1:30 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Playoff Preview Show (Re-air)	ABC
Tue, May 12	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Playoff Show	ESPN
Tue, Jun 2	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Playoff Show	ESPN
Mon, Jun 8	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Finals Show	ESPN
Mon, Jun 15	10 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Finals Show	ESPN
Mon, Jun 23	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Draft Show	ESPN
Thu, Jul 9	7 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Free Agency Show	ESPN
Sun, Jul 12	2 p.m.	Grantland Basketball Hour Free Agency Show (Re-air)	ABC

*Schedule and times are subject to change. Please check your local listings.

Grantland Basketball Hour, produced from ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Center as one of the first television extensions of ESPN’s Exit 31 initiative, aired several one-hour, prime-time episodes throughout the NBA regular season on ESPN. In addition, re-airs were seen regularly on ESPN2 and at times on ABC.

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Contacts:

Danny Chi ESPN Communications, 213-405-4400, danny.chi.chi@espn.com

Joyce Wang ESPN Communications, 213-405-4403, joyce.x.wang.-nd@espn.com

Transcript: ABC & ESPN NBA Countdown Season Preview Media Conference Call

October 31, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

ABC and ESPN NBA Countdown analysts Jalen Rose and Doug Collins discussed the start of the 2014-15 NBA season on a media conference call. ESPN’s NBA season tips off Wednesday, Oct. 29, beginning with an hour-long NBA Countdown at 7 p.m. ET with Rose, Collins and host Sage Steele. The program will feature a live performance by International recording artist Aloe Blacc. Following Countdown, the Chicago Bulls and the returning Derrick Rose will visit the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony at 8 p.m. while the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard will host the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook at 10:30 p.m.

Here is the replay of today’s conference call.

Q. With a couple of the top title contenders this year coming in San Antonio, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, while some of the big markets rebuild, I was wondering if you think that it’s a good thing for the league that a lot of the top teams and most marketable stars are in smaller markets rather than bigger markets now?

JALEN ROSE: Well, a couple of things. The game has graduated with social media, international and world presence, television sponsors – to where you can get the game and get the experience on so many different avenues. You know how people today basically watch television on their phone as they’re moving around.

So playing for a storied franchise – the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets – it’s not necessary per se to continue to make big time endorsement dollars, to continue to be the face of a franchise that’s successful, to be in one of those markets. So if you’re a really good player like a Kevin Durant who gets drafted by Oklahoma City, you can become the MVP of the league and get exorbitant dollars from a shoe company, and at that point it’s all about winning. It doesn’t work out for everybody like it worked out for Kobe Bryant getting five championships and spending his entire career in LA or even a Carmelo Anthony who just got a max deal.

If you’re in a good situation now, instead of chasing a large market like Kevin Love could have, he chose to chase the championship rings to Cleveland, something LeBron James couldn’t get people to do a handful of years ago.

Q. I’m going to go parochial here with the Heat. What do you expect from them this year?

ROSE: I’ve got to see how many games Dwyane Wade is going to play, just like everyone else. He has a few different phases to his career and that’s what happens when you become a veteran. You reinvent yourself on and off the floor. He’s been really mature and handled himself like a leader and a champion off the floor, but on the floor early in the career, it was drive to the basket, contest and/or block shots, one or two spectacular dunks a game, Finals MVP champion.

Then there was what I consider, I guess, The Flash versus Flashes stage where you’ve got LeBron. First year he plays 76 games. This past year he missed 28 games. Four Finals, two championships.

Now can he be that guy again that the team can rely on to play over 65 games? I don’t know health wise if he’s going to be able to hold up, and because of that, that’s what’s going to make it a tough season for the Miami Heat, especially based on the recent success they’ve had.

Q. I know the city of Boston has changed dramatically since you were in the league and you came out in ’94. What would be your impressions for the city as a free agent destination? They’re going to have cap space next summer, and obviously Doc is not here to sell the team, nor is Garnett or Pierce or Allen. It’s going to have to be maybe Rondo or if not, a bunch of young guys. How do you see Boston as a free agent destination?

ROSE: Now if you’re a city like Boston where you haven’t been able to land terrific superstar level free agents other than your big three scenario with KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It was literally a perfect storm with Doc Rivers standing on the sideline, a young Rajon Rondo, who developed into a high-level point guard. That was more of the exception than the rule.

I know that they flirted somewhat with Kevin Love and didn’t get too far on trying to attract him as a free agent. I think when you’re one of those destinations like Boston, you have to draft real well and hope that one of the guys that you’re taking with all the picks you’ve been stockpiling for the last few years either becomes a player that’s already under contract from another team that really has no choice but to come and play there, even if he wouldn’t sign as a free agent, or hope that one of those players turns into a multi-time All-Star that can play alongside Rajon Rondo. Since that has not happened, you kind of have the picks, you kind of have the money. You’ve still got Rondo, but you’re not contending in any way, shape or form, and you have the cap space next year.

I think it’s going to be crucial to see what happens with Rondo. They have to turn him into a player and/or a few players that are going to be multi All Stars, and then once you’re able to do that and you’re a winner again, people always want to try to play for a winner.

Q. How much does the city itself, obviously with Miami and LA it does, but in terms of just the money you get versus the city you’re playing in, can Milwaukee or Sacramento attract free agents if they have the right amount of money?

ROSE: Yeah, absolutely. I joke all of the time, keep getting them checks. You’ve got enough money, you’ll get some players. Now, the thing is, is it going to be the New York Knicks? You sign Amar’e Stoudemire, it doesn’t turn out, all of a sudden you bring in Andrea Bargnani, you’re paying him over $10 million to go with Melo and Tyson Chandler. All of a sudden you’ve got the highest-paid front court in the NBA’s history, yet you’re not a playoff team.

So you want to be responsible with how you spend the money, but the second part of the league as the finances start to change and everybody knows the new TV deal is going to be in play, there are players who have role-player statistics now looking for max dollars. So when you see what they ended up having to pay for Avery Bradley, who I really like his game, he’s tough defensively. He’s learned to make an open shot, and he is somebody you can have in the game the last two minutes. If you take his salary base, if you’re going to be a great team, he’s probably going to be your fourth or fifth highest-paid player. So who are those other guys? That becomes the dilemma.

Q. My question specifically is about the Philadelphia 76ers and what you feel about Sam Hinkie’s approach toward turning this team from a loser to supposedly building it into a winner, and he seems to think it’s maybe the only way you can do it in the NBA. Do you agree?

ROSE: There are a lot of different ways to do it, so just because you get the No. 1 pick, that guy has only went on to win a championship with that team – if it was Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan, those are the only No. 1 picks that have gone on to win titles with the team that drafted them. It’s not an exact science that tanking is going to get you a great player or a franchise championship player, or it’s going to turn around your forces. You still need Nerlens Noel to become that shot blocker he was at Kentucky and play hopefully reminiscent of how Jermaine O’Neal played. He kind of reminded me of him; Jermaine has a softer touch. You hope he grows into that kind of player.

You hope Embiid becomes a guy that was worthy to be the No. 1 pick. He was a game changer defensively in college and all of a sudden you’ve got two rim protectors to go with Michael Carter-Williams, who was the Rookie of the Year.

But now, what price do you pay as fans? How long are you willing to wait? Because Philadelphia does have knowledgeable fans but also ticket prices are so exorbitant in today’s landscape. If you support your team, are you going to spend your money to support your team, which makes it bad for the rest of the league because what happens when other teams that are moderate come to town, a .500 team comes on a Wednesday night? You have guys taking pictures like he did last year, a guy I think bought basically a whole roll of tickets for $75. So that becomes bad for the entire league.

Hopefully if that is the plan, which they’re definitely engrained to have that as being the plan, this is the last year for that for everybody involved.

And one other thing that affects that is it’s a league issue. It’s when you decide that you can pay rookies 500K or first year contract or people in their first contract $500,000 but a 10-year veteran is around $1.5 million. It waters down the roster to where not only do you have a team that’s struggling, but you have a team of young guys that aren’t experienced that are struggling. So they don’t understand how to be professionals and bring it every night, compete every possession, still work hard in practice, know what to say to the media, still be involved in the community. Those are learned behaviors because of the reasons of trying to save money that teams hurt their roster from just having a competitive team on a nightly basis.

Q. I’ve got a couple Bulls questions. How much of an upgrade do you think Pau Gasol will be over Carlos Boozer, and how would you compare Joakim Noah’s game?

ROSE: I think the Chicago Bulls on paper right now, you’d have to argue the players that they’re going to have playing minutes at the four and five position, and I’m including McDermott because of his size, I’m including Mirotic because of his size even though they’re rookies, and I think the team drafted well to add those two guys. But when you have Pau – who averaged 17 points last year, still is a factor around the basket and is a really good passer high low and he’s an unselfish player and he’s a cerebral player to go with an all-NBA performer in Noah, who was the Defensive Player of the Year, and then add Taj Gibson, who they still have, who can finish over the top, who’s tough to the point where they allow Carlos Boozer to be expendable because he’s so good defensively in the fourth quarter. That’s as formidable as it gets, and that’s what I’m looking at when you compare them to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

You know what you’re going to get from Kevin Love. You can book his 20 plus and 10 plus. Tristan Thompson, he was close to a double-double last year. Is he going to be consistent? Can he stay out of foul trouble? How many games are you going to get from Varejao? I’m not really a big believer in Haywood at this point of his career playing quality playoff minutes.

If I had to go interior and give a team the edge, it would be the Bulls, and that’s why at this point of the season, if I had to pick who I felt like was going to come out of the East, it would be Chicago for those reasons.

Q. So I take it you have really high expectations for Derrick Rose this year then?

ROSE: Yes, I like a guy that can get 30 points in 24 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coach Collins broke down a play on our Countdown show where it was 0-0 and Derrick Rose got a long outlet, dribbled up the left side, went over a high pick and roll, drove right to the basket and laid it up. So what that showed me is that that’s another thing that’s going to make that rivalry great. Kyrie can boogie with the ball. I joked that he’s like, I guess, Turbo and Breakin’ outside of the store dancing with a broom. He can really make it happen, but he has to learn as well as Love and even Waiters to compete defensively.

Chicago has a toughness about them. They have a defensive identity, and they have the coach in the league with the highest win percentage that has never won a championship in Tom Thibodeau. They have those pieces in place, and I think they could be ready to take that leap.

Q. What do you think about Chris Bosh as a No. 1 option offensively at this point?

ROSE: When you look down at the stat sheet, I think he’s still going to be 18 points, shoot a high percentage, cause matchup problems for the opposing four. He’s shown that he can be an All Star level player, whether in Toronto, and/or a champion in Miami, who’s clutch. He makes big shots at the end of the games. But the difference is the wear and tear that’s going to happen with him now having to play closer to the basket, doing more post ups, and grabbing more rebounds. That’s the biggest decrease that I’ve seen in his game is that as he’s shot more threes and basically it was because of their system that was successful for that team, that took him away from the paint, and he got less rebounds.

So he’s going to be in there trying to get more rebounds and be more of a physical presence, and it’s going to be good. I think he’s going to be able to live up to the fact that they need him to score buckets, but they’re going to need a lot more points from that roster than he’s going to be able to deliver, I think.

Q. Two quick questions: One quick one with regards to the Wizards and your thoughts about the entire Southeast Division, and secondly, your thoughts about the Cavaliers’ first year coach, David Blatt?

ROSE: I’ll go Coach David Blatt first because it was last and it was fresh. Having LeBron James, Kevin Love and also Kyrie Irving with the fact that he is a really successful championship international coach that’s been really creative with his teams, and his players have really enjoyed playing for him, playing in his system – the way that he wants them to move the basketball and not really play a lot of isolation – for that I think they’re going to be one of the most efficient teams that we’ve seen in the league.

If I had to pick two players to play with LeBron just from an offensive standpoint, it would be Kyrie Irving and it would be Kevin Love. When is the last time that guy has played on a team where one guy is going to get the rebound, somebody else is going to get the outlet, and he can actually be on a 2-on-1 break trying to dunk on someone? I’m excited to see that.

Q. Not since college.

ROSE: I joked that the best point guard that he’s probably played against his high school was Rich Paul. And the second question?

Q. The Washington Wizards and your assessment of the entire Southeast Division.

ROSE: The Washington Wizards, I really enjoyed seeing the emergence of John Wall, becoming an All Star caliber player. It’s hard sometimes as a point guard where that’s the toughest position on a nightly basis in the league to come into your own, and he ended up staying healthy last year and became an All Star level player. Couple him with Bradley Beal, I really like them as a young, talented backcourt. I affectionately call them Hustle and Flow.

You bring in a Paul Pierce. The last two or three minutes of a game, Paul Pierce has shown that he’s a guy that you want the basketball in his hands because he can make plays with the best of them.

You’re really going to lose Trevor Ariza’s athleticism, his defense, his ability to switch multiple positions, and he has quick hands, so I think they’re going to miss that. Can Nene stay healthy? When you look at him, whether it was in Denver, every time I see him, I was like, wow, if that guy could stay healthy, he could be an All-Star caliber player, and then he just had health issue after health issue. You saw what he can bring if he’s healthy come playoff time, what he did in this past playoffs, and Gortat, who they just signed to new deal, that’s a real formidable four/five. They basically remade their bench and those guys have got to prove their worth.

As far as the entire division?

Q. Do you feel it to be kind of an up for grabs situation, that there’s Washington, there’s Miami, there’s Carolina, literally any number of teams that could really jump in there and take it?

ROSE: Absolutely, but I want to grade Miami on a curve for a second. They’re getting graded on having Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and going to four straight Finals, okay. The other teams in this division still have a lot of work to do, and they did add Luol Deng, and I don’t think that they’re going to be an Eastern Conference finalist, but don’t be surprised if the Heat are a playoff team.

Atlanta, I love Al Horford. He’s going to back in the lineup. You put him back with Millsap, they’re a team no one really talks much about. They can also be in the playoffs again.

Lance Stephenson is now with Charlotte. Put him with Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, they’re quietly putting their team together, who’s going to make three point shots for that squad.

And Orlando, they’re dealing with Oladipo’s injury, and I really like Vucevic and Tobias Harris. It is a division that’s up for grabs, but don’t be surprised when the smoke clears if the Heat is not a lot closer to the top than people really realize on paper.

Q. A couple more Cavs questions: Starting with LeBron’s thing that the offense that they’re running is unlike anything he’s done in his 11 years in the league, and in watching the preseason games, have you picked up on any of that that you could explain to us as to what they’re doing that’s so different than the rest of the league is doing?

ROSE: LeBron gets to play as a small forward. In Miami he was a point power forward. Early in his Cleveland days he was basically like a point forward because he wasn’t playing post-up basketball much at that point in his career.

His whole dynamic of how he’s seeing the game has changed because his positions have literally switched. When you have a legitimate All Star point guard in Kyrie, you don’t have to come and get every outlet pass because you know, A, that’s his job; B, you want him to make the second pass sometimes. And then all of a sudden, Kyrie, while he may get the hockey assist, LeBron is in a position in transition to make a play for himself or for others.

In the half court, it’s basically throwback NBA basketball. Some teams still play power basketball like the Memphis Grizzlies where they go and throw it to the elbow and drop it to the box and see if they can take advantage of a mismatch or set a small screen for the big weak side like Stockton used to do Malone, then all of a sudden we can get some action that way.

How they’re trying to do it, it’s just have five-man basketball. Pass, cut, moving like your hair is on fire, no standing around, the basketball finds the energy, the energy finds the hot man, and you hope to get a good shot and have a situation where people never feel like they have to force their offensive flow.

Q. And then to follow up, you were on a Phoenix team with some big time personalities and stardom between Nash and Stoudemire and Marion. When you have a group like this Cavs group where you have Love and Kyrie and LeBron, how much is that on the responsibility of the players to fit together, and how much does David Blatt shoulder that to make sure everyone is on the same page?

ROSE: Well, the ultimate responsibility is going to fall to LeBron because I think those pieces are in place even though they hired the coach before. He officially decided to come back to Cleveland. When you have a four time MVP on your roster it’s going to start and end with him. He’s the marionette that learned from the puppeteer Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade how to be a champion, how to lead the team, how to recruit players to come play in Cleveland.

He even poached a couple of the Heat players off their roster, formerly Mike Miller and then James Jones.

So when you’re now in Cleveland, his whole goal is to show a young Kyrie Irving, a young Dion Waiters how to be a pro, how to work, how to compete, and Kevin Love how to transform those numbers that he was getting into wins and losses, into more wins.

I think that dynamic is really ironed out, and there won’t be any gray area at all.

Q. LeBron James basically transformed the Miami Heat franchise, obviously the players, the roster, everything from the organization, top down. What’s the toughest thing for the Heat, the players on the roster and the organization as a whole going forward while that shadow of LeBron’s departure hovers over the franchise?

DOUG COLLINS: Well, the thing about it is you know with Miami, the blueprint is in place. You know, Pat Riley has been there, Erik Spoelstra has been there 20 years. They call it the Miami way. This is the way we do things.

The big thing for Erik now is he’s got to find the best way for this particular team without LeBron to win basketball games. It’s going to be a different offense. It’s going to be a different defense, and you’ve got a lot of different dynamics. Last year, so often LeBron was the point guard, so now you’re asking Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole to assume those duties of being the point guard and running whatever kind of offense that Erik feels they need to run to be able to be successful.

Chris Bosh has gone from being the third guy, a spacer shooting the ball and not being in the post much, shooting threes, to now being the No. 1 option, being in the paint more, scoring on the block, going back to a lot of the ways that he played in Toronto.

The big question to me is going to be Dwyane Wade. Last year he missed 28 games and the blueprint looked like it was working until into The Finals, where it looked like he didn’t have a lot left at that particular time. How are they going to manage him this year? What role is he going to play? We know that when he’s healthy, he’s still a dynamic player.

You’re adding Josh McRoberts, when he’s healthy, to be a starting power forward. Chris Bosh is a center. Who’s their bench going to be?

The Miami way is in place. It’s now going to be what do we have to do in the absence of the best player in the NBA to find a way to win on both ends of the floor. How can we maximize our bench? How can we maximize our starters? But to me at the end of the day it’s how effective are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh going to be, and everybody has got to play off them.

I didn’t mention Luol Deng. I think it was an excellent acquisition in that deal. We know what kind of player Luol is, but it’s going to be a totally different team, and how long it takes them to come together is going to be very interesting.

Q. And then for Jalen, as a player coming out of this, what’s your perspective? How do you deal with this? Just everything in general from the lack of media circus to maybe lower expectations now?

ROSE: This is where your pride and professionalism kicks in, in particular for Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. They want to prove like, wow, LeBron was a leader and the MVP, that they weren’t just living off his fumes. That’s what’s going to drive them. I can be a first option if I’m Chris Bosh. I can put up the numbers that people feel like I wasn’t able to put up because I was sharing the basketball and sacrificing myself for championships.

And for Dwyane Wade, already one of the top two guards that the league has seen, can he go back to being a guy that was blocking shots, getting steals, being active, playing multiple games a year?

It’s hard just to imagine on paper to have a maintenance plan with LeBron James that called for him to miss 28 games, and unfortunately he got fatigued come Finals. I can’t imagine how that could go stronger this year without LeBron James on the roster.

Q. With the Lakers not being able to land like a big time free agent in the off season, a lot has been made about the fall of the Lakers and that franchise, and a lot of the blame seems to be going towards Kobe Bryant. How much blame for the struggles of the franchise do you believe should be pointed towards Kobe?

COLLINS: I’m not going to put any blame on Kobe Bryant. That guy has played for almost 20 years now. He’s played over 50,000 career minutes. When he’s healthy, he’s been the best player at his position throughout his time in the NBA. He’s been all defense.

You have to understand, success is cyclical in this league. How did the Celtics do after they lost Bird, McHale and Parrish? How did the Lakers do after they lost Magic and Kareem and Worthy and that group of guys? How did the Bulls do after they lost Michael, Scottie and Phil and that group of guys?

And sometimes we don’t understand, the league has changed a lot, where super teams are put together to last for a while with each other. Look at the Boston Celtics right now. They had the run with Doc and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Look where they are. It’s a cyclical part of the NBA, and what’s changed, and maybe Jalen can talk about this, is if you look at it, when is the last time the Boston Celtics signed a big-time free agent? When is the last time that the Philadelphia 76ers have signed big-time free agent? When is the last time the New York Knicks have signed a big-time free agent?

The days of those teams automatically signing those guys isn’t happening. Guys are going and playing other places. They understand that you don’t have to play in the biggest markets to have success as well as get endorsements and all. Look at Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City; look at the team down in San Antonio.

To put that on Kobe, I’m not buying it. The guy is one of the all-time great competitors. I think he’s an easy target right now because Kobe is not a warm and fuzzy guy, and he’ll step up to the plate and compete every night, but I just think that’s wrong to put all this on his plate.

ROSE: And I’ll second what Doug said because great teams in today’s era, the elite teams have three guys playing at All-Star levels; the contending teams have two; playoff caliber teams, especially in the East, can have one. Kobe was great when he had Shaq. He was a champion when he had Gasol.

I look back at one decision that changed the Lakers’ fortune that probably is going to put Kobe in a position not to get a sixth ring. It was the decision to hire Mike D’Antoni over Phil Jackson. Now, for a guy that’s won five championships with your franchise, and we know about the personal relationship he has with Jeanie Buss, but just professionally, when they decided to go to Mike D’Antoni, well, who else was in tow with Mike D’Antoni? Steve Nash. Well, Steve Nash we all know is already out for the season and Mike D’Antoni has been fired.

Those were the two catalyst decisions to me that put Kobe in a position to now say, of course I’m going to ask for maximum dollars. I see the team that’s probably a shell of itself taking me into my twilight, so of course, who am I going to leave money on the table for? So he looks at a young team and he looks at a situation that’s in flux, and he says, I’m going to be a pro, I’m going to get healthy, I’m going to show the world I can come back and average 25 points. But when he does that, he’s coming back to a Western Conference that 32 wins won’t get you in the playoffs, and I think that’s what they’re looking at.

Q. Feeding off that, comment on the notion that free agents don’t want to go play with Kobe.

COLLINS: When you’re a great player in this league, I mean, LeBron James had two choices: LeBron was either going to stay in Miami or he was going to go home. He wasn’t going to go to his third city. At the end of the day, Carmelo was not going to leave New York City and what that brings to him. I think that’s really unfair to say guys don’t want to go play with Kobe.

I think there’s a lot of chatter and all that kind of stuff or whatever, but I don’t buy that at all. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that.

ROSE: It relates to one All Star caliber player who’s listed around a top 10, top 15 player, and that’s about Dwight Howard, and since they didn’t click initially and Dwight didn’t stay, that was the other domino that I talked about with the other scenarios. Then all of a sudden you lose an All-Star guy to Houston and you don’t get anything in return.

Q. Clearly the biggest storyline of the offseason was LeBron returning home to Cleveland. What storylines are you most intrigued by as we’re getting ready to open up the season?

COLLINS: For me, obviously to watch this Cleveland team as they grow through this period of time. Some of these guys are going to be under the greatest scrutiny they’ve ever been under as players. You’ve already seen it. Kevin Love makes a little statement I need more touches to get going, and basically LeBron gets the guys together and says, guys, understand that every word we say is going to be parsed. Don’t you find it interesting that every press conference that they had in Miami, he and Dwyane Wade did them together? We’re going to make sure that we’re on the same page every single day, so it can’t be divide and conquer. This guy said this, this guy said that.

To watch them, David Blatt is a terrific coach. I think his biggest challenge is going to be handling the media and all that goes with this team as it continues to grow.

I think it’s going to be interesting with the Chicago Bulls. They’ve got new pieces. Jalen and I differ on this a little bit. I think they have the right pieces, but I think that’s going to take a while longer. Derrick Rose coming back, they’re still not solidified yet with that starting situation. I’m of the belief that McDermott would be a better starter and Dunleavy coming off the bench would solidify that second unit, but I think Tibs is concerned about having the best possible team he can have out there to start the season so they don’t get off to a slow start.

How do you incorporate Pau Gasol into the low post? They played through Joakim Noah last year. Now he’s playing as a power forward. He’s not catching the ball as much. He’s not much of a playmaker because you have Rose and you have Pau Gasol. Jimmy Butler has already got an injury. So there’s a lot of stuff going on there that we know they’re going to be great defensively. Can they get good enough offensively to be a team that can win a championship?

And then to me the West Coast, I mean, it’s unfortunate the injury to Kevin Durant, but you’ve got eight teams that made the playoffs last year. If any team is going to be able to break through, can the Pelicans break through? They’ve got six really good players. Do they have enough depth? Can they stay healthy?

Phoenix Suns had a feel-good season last year. Can they build on that? So to me there are 10 teams in the West for eight spots. How far is Oklahoma City going to drop with the injury to Durant?

I think as much as the Clippers had a great year last year, I think they still have some questions. Jalen and I both talk about I’m concerned about their size on the wings and on the perimeter. When it comes to playing teams, they really struggled against Oklahoma City last year, size on the perimeter. That three-spot right now is by committee. J.J. Redick has got to stay healthy. There’s a lot of things going on out there.

To me, so many storylines in the West, but the East, last year we were talking about two teams. Start of the year we said Indiana and Miami are going to be there in the Conference Finals, and they were. This year in the East, we’re talking about two teams: Cleveland and Chicago and everybody else, so it’ll be interesting to watch for me.

ROSE: And I’ll give you a couple of quick nuggets because Coach killed it. The return of Derrick Rose. If he can play at an all NBA level, I feel like they should win the Eastern Conference. LeBron’s return to Cleveland, I mean, just the maturation to forgive the letter written by Dan Gilbert, but also that means an acknowledgment of his transgressions that he felt like he could have done things a lot different with the organization and with the fans, then to turn around and be able to recruit Kevin Love, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, James Jones and possibly Ray Allen. Stay tuned for that one.

On the West, working the NBA Finals and being at those games, just appreciating the Spurs fans, I just have a soundtrack in my head that just literally says, Go Spurs Go! I think I’m so wound up that I might just blurt it out every now and then because that’s how dominant they were and how impressed I am with the way they do things.

Their offseason included re-signing Pop, re-signing Tony, re-signing Tim, Patty Mills, Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner, and they’re hoping to obviously get an extension going with Kawhi Leonard.

They’re back in tow, along with what Coach said, the Clippers. Is it their turn? CP3, Blake Griffin, all-NBA performers. DeAndre Jordan is going to be in position to lead the league in field goal percentage and blocks and rebounds, probably the first guy to be able to do that in NBA history.

So I’m trying to see if it’s going to be the Clippers’ turn because I think they have what it takes to push the San Antonio Spurs.

COLLINS: Just to build on what Jalen said, too, to me there’s some really intriguing teams in the West. Golden State, can they cut down on their turnovers? Steve is really working on having a more free flowing offense. Can they keep their defensive integrity? You look at a team like Portland; last year their starters were healthy most of the entire year. They win 54 – they hope to be able to have some internal improvement. They’ve added Chris Kaman and Stevie Blake. Can C.J. McCollum help them? Can they have a bench?

To me, Memphis, all these teams, first of all, the success of every team as Jalen knows is all based upon health. So given every team stays healthy, to me it’s going to be interesting to see at the end of the day who comes out of the mix.

ROSE: And also, me and Coach really love Dallas and we didn’t mention them.

COLLINS: Yes, sir, absolutely, I’m glad you mentioned them. They’ve got a great coach. I like Tyson Chandler going there, Chandler Parsons. They’ve got depth. They’re going to be able to score the ball, but the big thing is can they defend well enough to win a championship.

Every team, as great as their strengths are, every one of them is flawed. There’s not a team out there that doesn’t have a flaw. You say Spurs, the only flaw they would have is they’re older. Other than that, they play beautiful basketball. They’re locked in, they’ve got the corporate knowledge, they’ve never had a back to back champion. Can they do that? There’s so many things to talk about.

ROSE: And also Houston with Harden and Dwight Howard, you add Trevor Ariza who I really like, can Terrence Jones become a guy that’s consistent as his career high nights.

Q. I just want to get your impressions on Brad Stevens, his second season. What kind of coaching job do you think he did in his first season, and how do you manage a roster like I’m sure you did where everybody is about even, you’ve got one star but you’ve got, the rest of the guys have got chips on their shoulders, something to prove, maybe have underachieved in other places and it’s pretty even? How do you manage that?

COLLINS: I think Brad is a terrific coach. The first thing, when you’re Brad Stevens, you’re walking in, you’re navigating basically an 80-game season, and you’re coming in. I mean, we saw what he did at Butler. That team was as well coached as any team that was in college basketball. He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s got a nice demeanor. He’s a terrific teacher. The hardest part is dealing with the losses. I mean, he’s never lost before. The guy has been to two Final Fours with Butler.

So when you go in, and understand doing your job on a daily basis, and a lot of it was almost like a developmental league team, D League team, where your job is as much to try to get players better and create the assets of your team to put your team in a position to move forward as it is to focus in on how many games you can win. That’s tough because as a competitor, all you think about is winning that next game.

I give him a lot of credit. Brett Brown had 63 losses last year. That’s tough to take to keep your energy up, the positive energy, to walk in practice every single day, to continue to teach, to do the things you do.

I’m a big Brad Stevens fan. I think he did a wonderful job, and he’s going to be more comfortable this year because the second year going through it, you’ve got a better feel for the pacing of everything. Your practices, the days off, who needs extra work, who doesn’t.

You know, I had a team in Philadelphia when I went there, probably Andre Iguodala on paper was our best player. He became an All-Star my second year there. Drew Holiday became an All-Star my third year there. But when I looked at our team, I thought we had strength in numbers, and I thought if we could get seven guys averaging in double figures and develop a bench, we had a chance to get a lot better, and we went from 27 wins to 41, a 14-game improvement, was the second most in the league. We got an identity of how we wanted to play, we defended, we didn’t turn the ball over.

But the two keys for me were Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young. They were two of my five best players, and I went to them and I asked them if they would come off the bench for me to make us a better team. They would play crunch time minutes. Lou became the leading scorer for me. Thad was one of my best players. Lou was second in sixth man of the year, I think Thad was five. Our team grew and we got better.

But it was because those players were willing to step up and play a role because they were two of my five best players and we got off to a 3-and-13 start that year, and for the guys to hang with it and for it to turn, it was a fun thing to watch. But when you’re losing every single night and you’re trying to build something, it’s hard because I don’t care what any coach says, you go home, and it eats at your stomach when you’re losing basketball games.

I give Brad a lot, a lot of credit, and also I said, Brett Brown, to take those kind of losses, to start to build something for Philadelphia and Boston. I’ve got a lot of respect for both of those guys.

Q. How do you feel about Sam’s approach toward rebuilding this franchise, especially the way you have kind of brought it up, especially the second year and the second round to see what’s happening now? How do you feel about his approach and the state of the franchise?

COLLINS: Well, I think, first of all, obviously I miss being in Philadelphia. You know what that franchise means to me, so I always root for them. I want them to do great. It’s a little painful for me right now to be a former Sixer and see the losses and all.

But the one thing I remember when I left, I talked to Josh Harris, the owner, and I said, Josh, regardless of what you’re going to do, stick with the plan. You can’t switch in mid-stream. If it gets painful, it’s going to be painful and you’re going to have to ride through it, and once you make the choice to do what you’re going to do and I felt they were going to do it, is to blow the team up and start all over again. This is what we’re going to do, this is how we’re going to do, we ask you to stick through the pain of what we’re doing.

And you can see that Michael Carter-Williams last year was the Rookie of the Year. Hopefully he’s going to be healthy and come back. Nerlens Noel looks like he has a chance to be a high-energy activity defender, shock blocker, rebounder. I don’t know if he’s ever going to be a big time scorer, but a guy who could be a part of a really, really good team. Embiid, can he get healthy? The Shved kid who’s overseas, all the draft picks and everything.

But there’s a lot of pain that goes with that, and that’s why I said I have a lot of respect for Brett Brown. He’s a tremendous coach. He walks in that gym every single day with great positive energy to teach that team.

It’s interesting when you get older you hope you can shoot your age in golf. You don’t want to lose your age as a coach, and last year had I coached, it was 63 wins, that’s how old I am. I did not want to lose 63 games. At my age I just couldn’t go through that.

Sam has got a plan. The most important thing is Josh, David Blitzer, and all the owners are on board, and they’ve made no bones about it with the city of Philadelphia, this is what we’re doing, stick with us. We think it’s going to work. Whether or not it does, I don’t think anybody knows, but that’s their plan.

Q. Is there any scenario in which you could see Miami competing with Chicago and Cleveland in the East?

COLLINS: I don’t see it unless there’s a major injury to one of those teams. I think I just look at Cleveland, I think they’re going to be one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the league. I said the first exhibition game they played, I think LeBron took seven shots, had two buckets, Kyrie didn’t play, and they had 122 points. So they’re going to be a team that can score the ball. I think the question is going to be for them as a champion. Can they become a top-10 defensive team? I think it’s going to be vital for Varejao and Tristan Thompson to stay healthy. They’re their two big guys that they’re going to ask to give them some size. They’re going to be a great rebounding team. And I think at the end of the day, LeBron has a chance to lead the league in assists, and I think once again, he’ll become a first league all defender, and so I think that they’re going to be awfully tough to beat.

With Chicago, polar opposites. Right now a team that is built on their defense. Can their offense come up to snuff? Can Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol give them extra points at all and make the game a little easier for them to where they don’t have to grind out every game every single night?

I’ve got a lot of respect for Miami. I just – when I look at their team, I say, you know what, there’s still a lot of questions with Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers being your point guard, still a lot of questions about how many games Dwyane Wade is going to be able to play at a high level because of the injury to his knee that he suffered, can Chris Bosh be back to that No. 1 option, Josh McRoberts and Luol Deng filling in, what kind of bench play they’re going to get. I know they’re going to be well prepared. I know they’re going to compete. I know they won’t beat themselves. I just don’t see them being in the class of those other two teams.

Q. As a coach, what do you think about running an offense through Chris Bosh? Is that viable?

COLLINS: Well, I mean, the thing about it is, I think when you look at their team, that’s the way they’re built now. It’s interesting to me because we played them in the playoffs the one year, and Bosh was a little bit more of an integral part of their offense. I thought that first year where they ran out of timeouts, they got him the ball at the elbows, they ran some isolations for him, they started games running plays for him, they got him the ball in the paint a little bit more, and I thought as time went on he became more of a home run hitter, where he was depending so much on that three, a little bit what you’ve seen with Kevin Love in the preseason in Cleveland. I think Jalen and I did a game the other night and 22 of his 45 shots, Love shot it in from the three point line.

Chris Bosh is going to be a guy, you’re going to go back, throw the ball in the post to him. It’s sort of interesting, but you go back to one of his quotes last year in the playoffs, he said, I don’t play down in the post anymore; I don’t take all that pounding. Well, that’s where he’s going to be right now and we’ll have to see how he plays.

Q. You touched on the Bulls and Derrick Rose a little bit. I just wanted to get more elaboration on what you think Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic add to the front court. Do you think that’s going to be enough to get past Cleveland, and do you think Rose can stay healthy for the whole year?

COLLINS: Well, I sure hope that Derrick Rose can stay healthy because as a man who suffered injury, my heart aches when you see a great player, and I was never a Derrick Rose, an MVP, but I was a player who played at a pretty high level and loved to play. When the game was taken away from me, it was heartbreaking that I couldn’t play. I hope he can play. He’s taken a lot of grief from being hurt. Nobody wants to be hurt, and so for him to be back out there – I saw some great play from him in the preseason, and I think the question is going to be his building on the minutes. But his efficiency has been terrific.

I think when you look at the Bulls, I don’t think people realize that you have a lot of the same pieces back, but they’re a very different team. To me when I see Pau Gasol out there playing as a center, and I see Joakim Noah playing as a power forward, his defensive role has changed. Last year he was the Defensive Player of the Year as a center. Now you’re going to see him playing at that four spot a lot when Pau is in there as a five. You’ll see him play as a five when he’s out there with Taj Gibson.

But so much of what they did last year, their offense, they played through Joakim as an offensive player, not necessarily to score but to facilitate.

Now he’s got to find his role in that offense now because the ball is either going to be in Derrick Rose’s hands or it’s going to be in Pau Gasol’s hands in the post. So that’s a little different.

To me it’s going to be interesting at the end of the day who Tibs ends up settling on to be the starter. It looks like Dunleavy maybe to start the year, but that second unit has got to get an identity. I thought in the preseason they were very inconsistent.

When you had McDermott out there, when you had him out there with Mirotic, two rookies; you had Aaron Brooks, who was a new guy; you had Taj out there; and you had Kirk Hinrich, so I thought they were struggling to find who they needed to be.

I’d go on record and say I feel like at the end of the day, if somehow Doug McDermott can be a starter, I think he’s going to get better shots with that starting unit being out there with Pau Gasol and with Derrick Rose, and it’s not going to depend so much on Jimmy Butler having to make as many shots. And then I think Mike Dunleavy is a guy who has played off the bench in his career, and to me with him out there and Taj Gibson and Kirk and Aaron Brooks, you’ve got a little bit more of a veteran feel to it.

I don’t know what kind of minutes Mirotic is going to get because I don’t know if Tibs can play four bigs, and we know there’s 96-minutes between Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, and I think the interesting thing for Tibs is it’s going to be – last year, it was a given, the third quarter ended, Carlos Boozer put on his warm up, he ended the game with Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Now Pau Gasol wants to finish those games, too, so what’s it going to be? It might be from night to night he doesn’t always finish with the same two guys. I think that’s a dynamic that he has to figure out.

With all this said and done and Chicago coming back, I think they have as much work to do as Cleveland in getting themselves together to where they want to be.

Q. Quick question with regard to Coach Blatt in Cleveland. What are some of the challenges as a first-time head coach do you think that he’s got, and do you think that he’s up to the challenge?

COLLINS: Well, first of all, I think he’s up to the challenge. This guy has been a success everywhere he’s been. He’s coached everywhere, and he’s taken the talent of his team and he’s played that kind of basketball. I know there was one team that he played, I can’t remember off of top of my head right now which one it was, but it was a team that they had to win with defense, and then he’s had some of the most dynamic offenses.

So I think he’s a guy that knows both sides of the ball. I think to just say he’s a terrific offensive mind would be selling him short. I love his assistant coach; he’s got T [Tyronn] Lue in there, who played for me. I think LD, Larry Drew, is there with him, so he’s got a good group of guys. Jimmy Boylan I think is there. So he’s got a good group of guys who understand the NBA.

To me it’s going to be managing people. Every word that comes out of Cleveland is going to be parsed. Miami was the most scrutinized team in the NBA when LeBron was there. They’re going to be the most scrutinized team in the NBA with him back in Cleveland. So to me it’s going to be just managing the media, dealing with the day to day, managing the personalities. He has all the other stuff. He has all the Xs and Os; he has all that stuff he needs, and I think he’s got the greatest sidekick you can have, a guy who’s locked arms with him, is LeBron.

LeBron is going home, and LeBron knows that at the end of the day, whether they rise or fall, the pressure is on LeBron James. To me, it’s not on David Blatt. When LeBron went back to Cleveland, he said, I’m stepping up, all the pressure is on me, it’s not on Kyrie Irving, it’s not on Kevin Love, it’s not on anybody else. It’s on me coming back to help make sure this works.

What I’m feeling from everything I’m reading and everything that he and David Blatt have gotten together, they have a wonderful working relationship. But Cleveland hasn’t had a bump in the road yet, and until they have that first adversity where anything happens where they’ve got to fight through it, we don’t know how they’re going to be. But I do know this: There’s no more pressure in Cleveland LeBron is going to have on him than what he faced down in Miami on an everyday basis for four years down there.

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ABC & ESPN 2014-15 NBA Schedule

August 18, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

v LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony in Action during Star-studded NBAOpening Week on ESPN

v LeBron James Returns to Miami for Cleveland Cavaliers-Miami Heat Christmas Day Showdown

v Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant Lead the Way with 16 Total Appearances

v ABC & ESPN Combine for 90 National Regular-season NBA Telecasts

Star-studded NBA Opening WeekonESPN

The NBA returns to ESPN on Wednesday, October 29, for a doubleheader during NBA opening week. At 8 p.m. ET, the Chicago Bulls welcome Derrick Rose back to action as they visit the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. At 10:30 p.m., the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant will visit the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard. The NBA’s opening week continues on Halloween – Friday, October 31 – as the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James visit the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose at 8 p.m. In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers and the returning Kobe Bryant host the Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Paul at 10:30 p.m. NBA Countdown will precede both games with special one-hour pre-game shows at 7 p.m.

All ESPN games will be available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Xbox, Fire TV and Apple TV via WatchESPN. ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes will also have coverage throughout the season. In addition, the NBA Countdown pre-game show will generally preview ABC and ESPN games or doubleheaders 30 minutes prior to game time.

NBA Christmas Day Highlighted by LeBron James’ Return to Miami

ABC and ESPN will combine to televise three games on Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, beginning at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN when the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony host the Washington Wizards and John Wall. ABC will then broadcast an NBA doubleheader: the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and Tony Parker host the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant in a rematch of the 2014 Western Conference Finals at 2:30 p.m., followed by the Miami return of LeBron James as the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade at 5 p.m.

Christmas Day schedule

Time (ET)	Telecast	Network(s)
12 p.m.	Washington Wizards at New York Knicks	ESPN, WatchESPN
2 p.m.	*NBA Countdown*	ABC, WatchABC
2:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs	ABC, WatchABC
5 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat	ABC, WatchABC

ABC schedule highlights

v 15 exclusive, national broadcasts and seven doubleheaders, including Christmas Day – Dec. 25, Jan. 25, Feb. 8, Mar. 1, Mar. 8, Mar. 15, Apr. 5;

v Christmas Day blockbuster doubleheader: Oklahoma City Thunder at defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs at 2:30 p.m.; LeBron James returns to Miami for Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat at 5 p.m.;

v Multiple appearances by top NBA superstars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and more;

v Six appearances by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant, plus five appearances each by the Cleveland Cavaliers – led by LeBron James – and the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose;

v Four appearances by the Los Angeles Clippers, featuring the “Lob City” tandem of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin;

v Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers – Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James in matchup of last two MVPs – Jan. 25;

v Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers – Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James – on Feb. 8;

v First-ever Golden State Warriors appearance on Mar. 8;

v NBA Countdown pre-game show generally 30 minutes prior to every ABC game or doubleheader.

ESPN schedule highlights

v 75 national telecasts and 34 doubleheaders;

v LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony in action during star-studded NBA opening week on ESPN;

v Los Angeles Lakers to visit New York Knicks on Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 1; Phoenix Suns to host Chicago Bulls Super Bowl Weekend on Jan. 30;

v 10 appearances each by the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant, the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan, the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, the Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Paul and the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard;

v Nine appearances each by the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry, the Houston Rockets and Dwight Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade, the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony and the Washington Wizards and John Wall;

v Derrick Rose’s return to the Chicago Bulls to air on ESPN’s opening night of NBA coverage, Oct. 29;

v First Christmas Day appearance by the Washington Wizards;

v Special Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 19;

v The Houston Rockets will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in a matchup emanating from Mexico City on Nov. 12;

v Kia NBA Countdown pre-game show generally 30 minutes prior to ESPN games or doubleheaders.

ABC Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Thu, Dec. 25	2:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
	5 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat
Sun, Jan. 25	1 p.m.	Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
	3:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers
Sun, Feb. 8	1 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder
	3:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Sun, Feb. 22	1 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
Sun, Mar. 1	1 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Chicago Bulls
	3:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
Sun, Mar. 8	1 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs
	3:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
Sun, Mar. 15	1 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder
	3:30 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers
Sun, Apr. 5	1 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
	3:30 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers

ESPN Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Wed, Oct. 29	8 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks
	10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers
Fri, Oct. 31	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
	10:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers
Wed, Nov. 5	8 p.m.	Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
Fri, Nov. 7	8 p.m.	Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder
	10:30 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets
Wed, Nov. 12	7:30 p.m.	Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat
	10 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves (From Mexico City)
Fri, Nov. 14	10 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers
Wed, Nov. 19	7 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers
	9:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets
Fri, Nov. 21	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Portland Trail Blazers
Wed, Nov. 26	7:30 p.m.	New York Knicks at Dallas Mavericks
Wed, Dec. 10	8 p.m.	New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
	10:30 p.m.	Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets
Fri, Dec. 12	7 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Bulls
	9:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs
Tue, Dec. 16	8 p.m.	Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks
	10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings
Wed, Dec. 17	8 p.m.	Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors
	10:30 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
Fri, Dec. 19	8 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs
	10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
Thu, Dec. 25	12 p.m.	Washington Wizards at New York Knicks
Wed, Jan. 7	7 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Cleveland Cavaliers
	9:30 p.m.	Phoenix Suns at Minnesota Timberwolves
Fri, Jan. 9	8 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
Wed, Jan. 14	8 p.m.	Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics
	10:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers
Fri, Jan. 16	8 p.m.	Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder
	10:30 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers
Mon, Jan. 19	2:30 p.m.	Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks
Wed, Jan. 21	8 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
Fri, Jan. 23	8 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks
Wed, Jan. 28	8 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks
	10:30 p.m.	Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns
Fri, Jan. 30	8 p.m.	Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat
	10:30 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Phoenix Suns
Sat, Jan. 31	9 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
Sun, Feb. 1	2 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
Wed, Feb. 4	8 p.m.	Chicago Bulls at Houston Rockets
	10:30 p.m.	Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
Fri, Feb. 6	7 p.m.	New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
	9:30 p.m.	Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs
Wed, Feb. 11	8 p.m.	Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers
	10:30 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers
Fri, Feb. 20	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors
Wed, Feb. 25	8 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets
	10:30 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers
Fri, Feb. 27	8 p.m.	Miami Heat at New Orleans Pelicans
	10:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers
Wed, Mar. 4	8 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat
	10:30 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
Fri, Mar. 6	8 p.m.	Miami Heat at Washington Wizards
	10:30 p.m.	Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
Wed, Mar. 11	8 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder
	10:30 p.m.	Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers
Mon, Mar. 16	8 p.m.	Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat
	10:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
Wed, Mar. 18	8 p.m.	Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls
	10:30 p.m.	Washington Wizards at Utah Jaz
Wed, Mar. 25	7 p.m.	Los Angeles Clippers at New York Knicks
	9:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
Fri, Apr. 3	8 p.m.	Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls
	10:30 p.m.	Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers
Wed, Apr. 8	7 p.m.	Toronto Raptors at Charlotte Hornets
	9:30 p.m.	Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks
Wed, Apr. 15	8 p.m.	Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors
	10:30 p.m.	Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors

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Transcript: NBA Finals on ABC Media Conference Call with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson

June 5, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Transcript: NBA Finals on ABC Media Conference Call with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson

Earlier today, ABC and ESPN NBA analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson discussed the start of the 2014 NBA Finals on a media conference call. ABC’s exclusive coverage of The Finals tips with Game One on Thursday, June 5, when the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat visit the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 2013 Finals at 9 p.m. ET. Van Gundy and Jackson will join Mike Breen – the voice of The Finals – reporter Doris Burke and officiating expert Steve Javie for commentary. NBA Countdown previews the game at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. The Finals are also available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and WatchABC. Additional details are available on ESPN MediaZone.

Q. Could you have thought that the Heat could have gotten back here without contributions from their two new guys Michael Beasley and Greg Oden? As you know they’ve gotten very little from either during this run.

JACKSON: I would say to that answer, yes, they certainly anticipated both of those guys playing some sort of role. But at the end of the day, they brought back the nucleus, and when you bring back the big three in James and Wade and Bosh, and you bring back the same mentality, and obviously some of the guys off the bench that have proven, that are champions. Erik Spoelstra has done an outstanding job. I would say, yes, because at the end of the day they’re built defensively, and they’re built with some special talent that puts them in position to, in spite of who they rotate as far as role players, be in the mix year in and year out.

VAN GUNDY: I concur with Mark. I think there are a couple factors. I think we have to change the big three moniker to the big four because I think Spoelstra definitely belongs in there. They have four guys who could be going to the Hall of Fame as players, Ray Allen and Bosh and Wade and James. But Spoelstra is absolutely vital and instrumental to their success and he’s going to be there as well. You add to that the weakened state of the Eastern Conference. They really weren’t tested. Throw out the playoffs and so they’re here once again.

You know, Beasley in particular I thought might find his way onto the court, but Rashard Lewis has given good minutes. At times Battier has given them good minutes, but he hasn’t been able to find his way consistently on the floor.

Q. I was wondering if either of you have any interest in the Lakers head coaching position, and if they’ve reached out to you about it?

VAN GUNDY: I found that it’s in everybody’s best interest never to comment on jobs. I don’t think it does the team any good or the individual coach. If teams ever want to state what their plans are before they’ve named a coach, that’s up to them, but I think it’s best that I don’t get involved with that.

JACKSON: I totally agree. Obviously, it’s an incredible job, and I’m sure they’ll pick an outstanding coach to lead them forward.

Q. Could you look into your crystal balls and speculate on what might happen if the Spurs either win or don’t win this or the same question with the Heat. How does the outcome impact how these things might be made up next year?

JACKSON: I’m tired of looking in the crystal ball when it comes to the Spurs. Not just me, but we’ve all been wrong for quite a while now. We had them dead a couple years ago. We had them dead after The Finals last year. Truth be told, they’re going to be relevant and be around for the foreseeable future because they’re playing the right way, led by an incredible coach, an all-time great coach – not just in basketball but in sports in general – a bunch of Hall of Famers, and they just find ways to win ballgames. So they’ll be around.

I think when you talk about the Heat, I think it depends on those guys and the decision they’re going to make after the season. When you talk about Pat Riley and that organization, when you talk about Erik Spoelstra, I’m sure they’re going to, whatever the decisions are by the players, find a way to regroup, come back, and be just as strong, if not stronger.

VAN GUNDY: Yeah, I can’t envision going to four straight Finals and any of the better three players deciding that they’re better served someplace else. The Eastern Conference is definitely the place to be right now if you’re a great player because the road is just a lot easier to navigate. So I can’t see them willingly changing their path. And San Antonio, I think the Kawhi Leonard-George Hill trade got them back to where they are now. They’re a little small at that position. Now not only did they have the courage to make that trade, then they picked the right guy, and he has performed fantastically over his short career, and along with the depth they’ve added, and the great, great coaching, they’ve been able to surround their three best players with terrific players, and it’s going to be fun to watch.

Q. I know the word legacy gets thrown around a lot. But how do you view a third championship for LeBron James on an historical plane if the Heat end up winning the series?

VAN GUNDY: I think it would be a terrific accomplishment. Winning a championship is hard, being in The Finals is hard, but a lot about how much you win is who you play with and who you play against at any particular time in your career. So I don’t look at his career in Miami as being any more successful than his time in Cleveland. He’s just surrounded with better players, weaker conference. I think this guy is an all-time great. I think one of his greatest accomplishments is taking a very average to below-average Cleveland Cavaliers team to The Finals, I think, it was in 2007. I think he won 66 games with a starting lineup in Cleveland that I’m not sure would have won 36 games without him.

So to me, both places have been ultra-successful. I don’t think a guy’s greatness is directly tied to his number of championships won because a lot of it comes down to circumstance.

JACKSON: I totally agree. I look at LeBron James, and he’s an all-time great basketball player. I said it, and it’s documented that my opinion is he’s one of the best forwards that ever played the game. I really am not a guy to look and see championships to find your greatness. Because I, like Jeff, agree the fact is who you play with and who you play against. At the end of the day, the guy has played at an incredible level for a long time, and it does not seem the end is near anytime soon.

Q. Mark, can you comprehend what Jason Kidd and maybe Derek Fisher is pondering going straight from a playing career to a coach? Would you have been able to do that a few years ago after you retired? And are you sure – are you convinced you want to coach again, or are you good where you’re at? What is your state right now, now that you’ve signed with ESPN?

JACKSON: Well, I do look forward to coaching one day if it presents itself again. Right now I’m having a blast being back with my crew. I’m fortunate and thrilled to death to be back. If the opportunity presents itself, I look forward to coaching again. If I end my career the way it ended and I continue to call games, I’m fine with that, just to clear that up also. I’m having the time of my life calling these games and being back with this incredible group.

To answer the first part of the question, I believe I would have been able to do it. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity. But as far as players today, obviously Jason Kidd had success and continued to get better. I think his future is extremely bright. So I believe that the point is picking the right person. So I believe you can do it and you can be successful. It’s important to make sure that you pick the right person. I don’t think just anybody can do it, but the right person can be successful.

Q. Jeff, you’ve alluded to the weakened state of the Eastern Conference a couple times now. I’m curious if either of you think that might affect the Heat’s standing when you look at that team and what they’ve accomplished among some of the all-time greats? You know the Bulls dynasty very well. Where does the Heat as a team and what they’ve accomplished kind of rank with some of the all-time great teams?

VAN GUNDY: I hate to compare because ultimately people will read into it that you’re diminishing one at the expense of the other. I would just say the Bulls teams back in their heyday had to go through some monster teams to win it all, some really incredible teams. I think it’s hard to compare teams from different eras. But to me, Jordan’s Bulls could compete against any of the great teams that were ever put up. I think they were that good, and they had to go through some great other teams to win those championships.

JACKSON: For me watching Jordan’s Bulls, and obviously the Celtics with Bird and McHale and Parish, and those guys, D.J., watching Ainge and the great Showtime Lakers, those were incredible teams. I look at this Heat team, and I, like Jeff, don’t diminish what they’ve been able to do. Obviously, the competition is not the same as far as the teams that they’ve faced but you go through who you have to go through. They’ve done it; they’ve done it with class, and at an incredible level, so I don’t think it diminishes their accomplishments at all.

Q. I saw a story on the website that refers to the 1994 NBA Finals 20 years ago as being sort of a forgotten Finals. I presume part of that is because of the O.J. Chase, and part of it may be because of other factors. Do you agree with that thinking that the Rockets Knicks series has been lost to history for circumstances that have nothing to do with basketball?

VAN GUNDY: Well, for me, it’s not lost on me. I think about that, maybe not every day, but most days. I’ve talked about this to Mark a lot because, to me, you’ll never convince me that those Knicks teams from when Pat Riley came to when he left to go to Miami – even though they didn’t accomplish winning a championship – that the players there weren’t champions, because they gave championship energy and effort and enthusiasm every day. Unfortunately, they came up a few plays short.

But when you’re talking about Olajuwon in his prime, he’s as great to me as anybody that’s ever played. Ewing didn’t match up a lot with Olajuwon in that series because we played him single coverage, and they doubled Ewing on every catch. But it was still having two great, great competitors, players, humble people going at each other in that series.

I don’t remember anybody talking about O.J. in our locker room and those circumstances. I think the nation was captivated by that. I think the teams were locked in very much to that series. It was hard fought. Houston got home court. They beat us both times in the regular season, and that gave them the advantage to have home court, and they made a couple more plays than we did, and I’m not bitter.

Q. Do you have any regrets about your stint with the Warriors? Jeff, how does it feel having Mark back in the booth with you guys? Obviously, it cuts into your time.

JACKSON: Well, listen, there are no regrets. I think about the three years there. I think about the opportunity that was presented to me by the ownership, by management. I think about the relationship with incredible players and what they were able to accomplish in three years and where that organization was and where it is today – you got a lot to be proud of. Ownership, management, players, fans – it’s in a great place. There are absolutely no regrets.

VAN GUNDY: Before I get to what you were asking me, I would say the unfortunate thing when change comes about whether it’s players or coaches in the NBA, is more focus is given to how things ended than what was accomplished during their time together. I think it speaks volumes that everybody wants to talk about how it ended between Mark and Golden State instead of taking a look at and examining Mark’s impact there in that he came into a team that, minus minor blips of success had been historically bad for two decades. And he came in there and remade them. Who would have thought Golden State would become an elite defensive team?

Defense in this league is about coaching and the ability to protect the basket, and I was utterly amazed how quickly Mark transformed them from a porous defense into an elite defense, and taking them to 47, 51 wins. They hadn’t won 45-plus games in back-to-back years in forever.

So my focus when I look at that is what was accomplished versus how it ended. Now, to get to your question about less air time, basketball fans in America are applauding the three-man booth so they don’t have to listen to my inane rants. And believe me, no one is upset, myself included, that I do less talking.

Q. I know both of you have said that you don’t want to discuss any team’s interest in you or your interest in any job openings, and I definitely respect that. But I did want to ask you, there’s been a groundswell from a vocal segment of Knicks fans that Phil Jackson reach out to you guys for the Knicks coaching vacancy, I just wanted to know if you had gotten wind of that at all, and how you react to that?

VAN GUNDY: When you spend 13 years with an organization like I did, which gave you your first chance of being in the NBA, your first chance of being with a championship-caliber team, and your first chance to be a head coach, you’ll always be a Knick.

So there are a few box scores I check every morning right when I get up. It’s obviously wherever my brother is coaching, Chicago, Charlotte, Golden State, the Rockets and the Knicks. Those are my guys and those are my teams. I’m always going to have great, great feelings for the Knicks, hoping that they have great success and really appreciate whenever I am back in New York, how positive the fans were to me when I was just getting started. So I’ll always be so appreciative of how they treated me.

JACKSON: Obviously, you hear the talk, even if it’s the New York Post reporting my inner circle made a statement, and I have no clue because my wife and kids have not spoken to the Post, so just to counter that. It’s an incredible job. It’s an incredible opportunity. And I’m sure that Phil Jackson will do an outstanding job of finding the right coach to get that organization and that team headed back in the right situation.

Q. You guys mentioned some of those old Bulls teams. It’s been 30 years since that ’84 draft that Michael Jordan came in. Just wanted your thoughts and memories on facing him, and particularly at this time of year how good he could be.

JACKSON: He’s the best I’ve ever faced, and he’s the best I’ve ever seen. Flat out, there were times when Jeff can recall he single handedly beat us with the Knicks when other guys were not ready at that particular time. He propelled them to be great and propelled them to championship level. Absolutely incredible, fierce competitor. Invited a winning spirit, and did everything on the floor to attempt to tear the heart out and put daggers into his opposition, and you can see the impact that he’s had not just in that time, but even in watching players after him, how they attempted to duplicate or put some of the things in their game that he had mastered. But those were great Bulls teams. Like I said, there are times when he single handedly put them in position to win it all.

VAN GUNDY: Yeah, we used to kiddingly refer to as the triangle with the 23 in the triangle because that’s what made it run. I just went back and looked at his numbers. I think sometimes with great players you forget the longer they’re out how great they were. I mean, this guy played huge minutes with the Washington Wizards when he was 39, and averaged over 20 points a game. Played all 82 games, I think, when he was 38, averaged 22.6. Then the run he had with the Bulls, I mean, this is legendary stuff.

But if you don’t take a peak back every once in a while, you can start to forget just how great he was. To me, his post-up game and the triangle, how he got into the post, out of the triangle, to me was the hardest part to guard. We didn’t have big two guards at that time in New York, but we did have big point guards. We had Mark, we had Doc Rivers, and we had Derek Harper. Starts with a great competitor, add the two, but we had no answer for him in the post. Defensively it wasn’t an every play mentality, but he had the ability, along with Pippen and Grant and Rodman to turn it up such that it was they could make it very difficult for you to find good shots.

So Jordan to me, it’s like Mark said, I don’t like to compare eras because I didn’t see some of the guys play live. But with my own two eyes I loved going into Chicago Stadium, the old Chicago Stadium, because you came out of that tunnel three and a half or whatever it was, and you knew it was on. In a great atmosphere against the greatest to ever play during my time in the NBA. You know, it was an honor to be on the same floor.

Q. It’s been mentioned the East is much weaker than the West this year. Do you think either team has an advantage? The Heat have had a fairly easy pass through the playoffs so far versus the Spurs who have been much more tested in the regular season and the playoffs. Do you think it gives either team an advantage?

JACKSON: I think that’s a great question. I think the Spurs being battle tested this year certainly puts them in position. But I don’t look at it as just this year. I think both teams are prepared for this moment because of their history, not just the history of 82 games and a playoff round, but the history – playoffs, battle-tested, championship. So I don’t think it plays a role in who gets the advantage. Both teams are prepared, both teams are ready, both teams are extremely well coached, and I think it sets up for an outstanding NBA Finals.

VAN GUNDY: I would agree. I think so much of it depends on Parker’s health. If he’s healthy, obviously, the Spurs have a great opportunity. If he’s hobbled, I think Miami has a better opportunity. I think both teams are missing some people who had a major impact on last year’s series. Gary Neal had some great moments for San Antonio. Mike Miller, obviously, had some great moments, had a great run for Miami.

I think both teams are ready, like Mark said. I don’t think either team has an advantage in that way. I just think it’s going to be close, hard-fought, a tip of the ball here, a missed free throw there or an injury that crops up or doesn’t heal right could be the difference in who wins it.

Q. Do you think the Heat will have a problem with the Spurs bench with the way Diaw and Ginobili have been playing in the playoffs this year?

JACKSON: I believe that the Spurs bench creates match-up problems every single night the way that they’ve played all season long, the way that you cannot identify one guy that comes in and impacts a basketball game. They do a great job of understanding their roles, being prepared and playing within a system. I think the difference this year is Ginobili’s fresh body, the way he’s playing. Diaw is certainly playing at a high level. I think Patty Mills gives them a guy that can continue to play pick and roll off the bench, Belinelli’s ability to shoot the basketball.

But I think the Heat also have guys that are playing at a high level coming in off the bench. It was amazing to watch Ray Allen this late in his career still playing with fresh, young legs and a live body. So I think it’s going to be a chess match as far as both benches in the level that they play. They very well could, when you talk about the benches, decide who wins this series.

VAN GUNDY: I love how both teams are constructed. They surround their best players with shooting and passing so that their best players have enough room to operate. You look at San Antonio, the floor is spread and they may have weaknesses in some areas, but their guys can shoot and pass. Same with Miami coming off the bench. I love Norris Cole, his competitive streak. I love how Battier comes off and can hit timely threes. Ray Allen, Mark spoke about, one of the great shooters that’s ever played.

You need to have a team that fits together well, and both teams played beautiful offense because they have Hall of Fame, first-option players surrounded by skilled, smart shooting at the other positions. I think that’s why this Finals is going to be absolutely beautiful basketball viewing for the fans.

Q. I wondered if you guys thought LeBron James was a better player this season than he was last season?

VAN GUNDY: I think you would actually have to coach him and watch every possession to really know that. I think he’s been great from probably his second year on in this league, and he’s had incremental, steady improvement. But at this date, I think it would be miniscule improvements and Erik Spoelstra would have to be the one to decide if he’s taken a dip in certain areas or he’s upgraded other areas. That would be hard for me to be perceptive enough to see.

JACKSON: I totally agree with Jeff. He’s in rare air, and if you look at how great he’s been throughout the course of his career, to me it’s tough to say if he’s better this year than last year. I just know he’s still great and he’s still playing at a level that we’ve only seen a couple of people play at in the history of this game.

Q. People always make a big deal with the idea of coaching in New York, and it takes a certain type of guy. You guys worked at other places too. And Steve Kerr came close to getting the job, a guy that got close to getting the job, a guy with no connection to New York other than Phil Jackson, and same thing with Derek Fisher. Do we make too much of it? Is it a little different in New York with all the demands, whether it’s from within the organization, with the media?

VAN GUNDY: I don’t know if too much is made about it, but I do believe that New York, their fan base, the media coverage helps a coach coach his team well. I think there is a misnomer that New York demands someone famous. I mean, I just don’t believe that. I think they embrace – New York embraces, to me, everybody that works hard, competes, shows confidence in what they do and fights for their team, whether it’s player, coach, management person, owner, whatever it is.

So I think this idea to be a star before you come in there to either play or coach is wrong. I think New York fans have a patience to allow someone to develop and get better. I’ve always thought that the thinking of them having to win right away, and they wouldn’t undertake a rebuilding plan, New York fans – I’ve always disagreed with that as well. I think they’re bright and they understand where a team is at at any particular time. But they do want to see progress, and they want to see effort, and they want to see a combative spirit on the floor. If you do that, I think you’ll be appreciated.

JACKSON: Obviously, Jeff can answer the question better from a head coaching aspect in New York City, but as a kid that grew up in New York City and with the Knicks, everybody’s not made for New York City, whether you’re in management, whether you’re playing, whether you’re coaching. I can remember as a kid watching very good to great players play other places, be traded to the Knicks and not be the same player, whereas some propelled when they got the opportunity to put on a Knicks uniform. It’s something about the fans. It’s something about the pressure. It’s something about the media.

So to be quite honest, everybody is not built for it. It’s a different animal. It’s a different monster. It takes special personality and a person understanding the things that come into play to a tee. I thought, obviously I’m biased, but I thought Jeff did an incredible job juggling all of them during his time as head coach of the Knicks, but everybody’s not capable or qualified to do just that.

Q. You had a nice debate going about the Greg Oden, Kevin Durant draft class, do you think we’ll see more of that during The Finals? And do you think you’ll fill in for Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless on First Take?

VAN GUNDY: I can say that they broke the mold with those two guys, so there is no replacing those two. But I would say this. Mark and I agree on everything, basically, except what we don’t agree with which is about everything too. I think we even agreed on that, but got bogged down in semantics. I just, the idea that because everybody would have taken Oden first wouldn’t have made it the right selection.

Durant from his physical, to his great career, hey, you make mistakes in the Draft, and Oklahoma City was the beneficiary of a mistake by Portland. You know, he’s proven out to be – I think he’s going to be one of the all-time, all-time greats. I’m not sure what we were arguing about, but I remember Mark was wrong.

JACKSON: Well, I will say that Stephen A. and Skip do an outstanding job, and they’re enjoyable to watch, but they do have substitutes so I think it would be a great opportunity.

What you see with Jeff and I, the thing I love about it is we don’t create the moment. Sitting there talking with a mic, you get the same thing if you sat with us at a restaurant. We’re going to grab different topics, we’re going to have different opinions, we’re going to honestly and respectfully agree or disagree, and it’s going to be entertaining.

So the thing I love about it is I was raised in a household that way, and Jeff is like family to me, so it’s something I truly enjoy doing. I’m sure you’ll see – who knows what the topic will be, but you’ll certainly see plenty of that starting Game One.

Q. How useful a motivation is it to the Spurs to look back 12 months ago to what happened in The Finals? As a coach, how would you channel that correctly to benefit the team?

VAN GUNDY: I think too much is made about last year and the motivation it provides for this year. You don’t get to this point if you need some outside force to motivate you. I also think Duncan’s quote about they’re going to, I forget the exact words, but they’re going to do better and win this year, like that’s going to motivate LeBron James and Dwyane Wade like they were sitting there in the need of some motivation from the outside, external motivation. I don’t think you need to channel anything. I think both teams are ready. Both teams are great, great teams. I think the games and the script has yet to be written, but I think it’s going to be an interesting one.

JACKSON: I believe your question was geared towards the Spurs, so that’s the way I’ll answer it. But I believe that you don’t get caught up in what happened yesterday, meaning last year in The Finals, if you’re the Spurs. They’ve already put together an incredible season post last year’s Finals experience. So, my mindset would be don’t get caught up in yesterday and lose sight of the now.

The bottom line is they have an opportunity, and they are back in position to win a championship. That’s old news and let’s move forward. They’ve done an incredible job, and I think that’s been their mindset the entire season, and that’s why they’re in this position again.

Q. What do you both feel are the main differences between last year’s Heat and Spurs teams and this year’s and what do you think will be different in the series?

VAN GUNDY: I think Ginobili and Wade’s health are better, Parker’s health is not as good. Both are missing shooting that had an impact on the series. Neal for San Antonio, Miller for the Heat. And I think to me the Kawhi Leonard-LeBron James match-up becomes even more fascinating the second time around because we know where James is at. We don’t know where Leonard is going to reach. But when you look at his demeanor, his improving skillset, this guy has a chance to be very, very, very good. I love watching him compete against James. So that’s still to me the best part of this series.

JACKSON: I agree with Jeff. I think the health of Wade and Ginobili will play a huge factor. They’re at a different place right now. I think the difference is the role players of San Antonio. They’ve enhanced, like I said earlier, difference is having a guy like Patty Mills who really was a third point guard last year, played a huge part and had a great year for them in his ability to play out of pick and rolls. Going and getting Belinelli, another guy that can stretch the floor and play out the pick and roll. Last year pretty much Ginobili was the impact player off the bench creating offense. This year it’s other guys, and they’ve got live weapons all around the floor.

With the Heat, it’s just Wade is playing at a high-level right now, and it takes the pressure off of LeBron to pretty much carry them. I think that’s a huge difference.

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The Finals on ABC to Tip Off June 5: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs

June 3, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

NBA Finals on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes; NBA Countdown, SportsCenter & First Take on Site

The Finals on ABC will begin Thursday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET with Game One between the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch from the 2013 NBA Finals. Mike Breen – the voice of the NBA Finals – will provide play-by-play with analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, reporter Doris Burke and officiating expert Steve Javie. The Finals on ABC is also available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and WatchABC.

The Finals on ABC production highlights:

updated broadcast open celebrating the greatest players and moments from the NBA Finals;
I-MOVIX cameras presenting dramatic slow motion replays from unparalleled vantage points;
36 high-definition video cameras;
use of eight Super Slo Mo cameras;
SkyCam providing aerial views of the action;
former NBA referee Steve Javie to contribute insight and analysis of officiating and calls;
in-game interviews with coaches and both coaches will be “wired” for the games;
pre-game and halftime locker room access.

ESPN Radio – the exclusive national radio home of the NBA Finals in its 19^th year of NBA postseason coverage – will nationally broadcast the NBA Finals with Kevin Calabro and analyst Hubie Brown. Additionally, Marc Kestecher and Jon Barry will serve as on-site studio host and analyst, respectively.

ESPN Deportes, for the second straight year, will present exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the NBA Finals. The telecasts will feature the commentary of Alvaro Martin and the analysis of Coach Carlos Morales.The games will be followed by SportsCenter presenting comprehensive on-site coverage and reporting from Sebastian Martinez Christensen and Alejandro Montecchia, who will also serve as sideline reporters during the games.

NBA Finals schedule with 2-2-1-1-1 format

Date	Time	Broadcast
Thurs, June 5	9 p.m.	Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (Gm. 1)
Sun, June 8	8 p.m.	Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (Gm. 2)
Tues, June 10	9 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat (Gm. 3)
Thurs, June 12	9 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat (Gm. 4)
Sun, June 15	8 p.m.	*Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (Gm. 5) if necessary**
Tues, June 17	9 p.m.	*San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat (Gm. 6) if necessary**
Fri, June 20	9 p.m.	*Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (Gm. 7) if necessary**

NBA Countdown – ABC’s NBA pre-game and halftime show – will be on site for 30-minute pre-game shows throughout the NBA Finals. Countdown will air at 8:30 p.m. preceding weeknight broadcasts and at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. Sage Steele hosts NBA Countdown with analysts Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons and Doug Collins.

SportsCenter on ESPN will provide comprehensive, on-site coverage throughout the NBA Finals, beginning on Monday, June 2. Reporters Chris Broussard and Mark Schwarz will provide daily coverage of the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, respectively. Additionally, Jay Harris will host daytime SportsCenter segments, beginning Wednesday, June 4, while Stuart Scott will host the evening SportsCenter segments. In addition, ESPN NBA analysts will be on site to provide commentary, including Tim Legler, Bruce Bowen, George Karl, P.J. Carlesimo and Avery Johnson.

First Take – with host Cari Champion and commentators Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless – will be on site during The Finals with shows airing from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The First Take set will be located outside of the Hard Rock Café at the San Antonio Riverwalk. In Miami, the set will be located poolside at The Clevelander Hotel on South Beach.

ESPN International will provide live NBA Finals coverage throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. In addition, ESPN International will air Spanish-language pre-game shows throughout Latin America (except Brazil) during the NBA Finals.

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Transcript of Indianapolis 500 on ABC Media Conference Call

May 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

A media conference call was held today to discuss ABC’slive telecast of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Participants on the call were ESPN vice president, motorsports, production, Rich Feinberg, along with the three members of ESPN’s booth for the telecast: lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick and analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever. This is the 50^th consecutive year that the Indianapolis 500 will air on ABC. A transcript of the call follows:

RICH FEINBERG: 50 years on ABC. For me, that starts with a ‘Wow.’ What a run. My personal memories of the Indy 500 and ABC’s coverage of it date back to when I was a kid. Memorial Day weekends with my family, appointment viewing. Those days it was on a tape delay at night. To see it come around now to the 50-year anniversary is just amazing.

Our team looks at it like it’s a privilege to produce the Indy 500. It always has been. It always will be. It’s a cherished assignment that everybody embraces. Our goal is quite simple, and that’s to uphold the tradition of excellence in coverage that’s been established by our ABC colleagues over the past 49 years.

That may sound a bit cliché, but it’s a fact. We do that by focusing our coverage on the drivers and their stories, their team’s race strategy. Perhaps the most intriguing thing for the casual fan, that’s the speed. When you’re talking about cars doing over 230 miles an hour, that’s an off-the-charts number.

Through our coverage, we want to make sure our viewers feel like they’re not only enjoying the race but thirsting to be there. I look forward to being a part of it as I do every year.

ALLEN BESTWICK: The history for me, when I was a young kid, my dad had racecars at a racetrack in Seekonk, Massachusetts. Didn’t get much racing on television then, except for the Indianapolis 500. That was appointment television for us. As a young boy, watching this race every year sparked my fascination with the broadcasting business, in particular as I continued to follow, watching Jim McKay, the role he played, the variety of sports he did, the excellence with which he did them, and how much you felt like even though you never met him, he was a friend through the television.

So for me all these years later to get a chance to sit in that seat on this occasion, it’s not just bucket list, it’s beyond bucket list. It’s a little overwhelming to think about how fortunate I am and how honored I am to be part of this.

I can’t wait for Sunday. It’s been a wonderful month so far and I really look forward to a great race.

SCOTT GOODYEAR: I can certainly remember the very first time I went to Indianapolis in 1973 with my father. It was a bit of a surprise visit because I was racing a go-kart and he surprised me on the Saturday night and said, We’re not racing tomorrow, we’re going to drive all night and go to the Indianapolis 500. It has been a part of my life for a long time.

Then having a chance to go there as a rookie in 1990 as a driver was pretty cool. Having some reasonable success there, and now having an opportunity as I have done for many years to be in the booth with ABC is truly a privilege. When we get together for meetings, there’s a lot of passion and pride to being involved in this race.

For me, I view this race now from the television booth almost like a driver. There are the super teams that you anticipate will do well, there are teams in the middle of the road that have a good shot at it, then there are teams there participating, if they’re in the top 10 at the end of the day they feel pretty lucky.

The split between group one and group two seems like it’s been shrinking for the past couple years. This year, smaller teams winning some events, Long Beach and the Indy GP, that might be true this weekend.

Ed Carpenter, surprising everybody. Neat to do qualifying, see the frustration on the big teams’ faces because they are missing some answers.

Indianapolis is all about the weather literally, the sense of what it can do to your racecar; emotions, what it can do to you as a driver. That’s just qualifying. The race is no different.

What I watched in practice yesterday from the group racing, last year practice shows it’s going to have the same thing for this coming Indy 500. Excited about it.

Somebody asked me the other day, Pick a winner. I don’t think I can. I think there’s an honest 10, 12 people that can win this event. Eddie and I were talking about it. If you were betting in Vegas, it would be hard to put your money on somebody. Looking forward to it.

EDDIE CHEEVER: I dreamed about it as a child when I was living in Italy, I heard it on the radio. I kept racing. I was lucky to come here and race. I was lucky enough to win it. Now I’m going to be sitting in the booth with two friends calling the 50th anniversary of ABC calling the Indy 500. I don’t know how it could be any better than that.

It’s going to be a very exciting race. There’s too many stories to sit down and go through them one by one, so many different possibilities, that I really think it’s going to go down as one of the most exciting races we’ve ever had at Indy. And when you consider how we ended last lap, the result would have probably changed if the race would have gone another 400 yards, and I expect we’ll see the same thing on Sunday.

Q. Eddie and Scott, there’s two names that have returned this year that link back to some important moments in IndyCar recent history, with Villeneuve coming back, and Montoya being back. What do you think about having both of those names back in the field? Have you heard from fans? Do you feel there’s a different vibe having them back?

EDDIE CHEEVER: They’re two totally different types of drivers. They have been extremely successful in Formula One. Villeneuve is a Formula One world champion, which in my books is as high as it gets in open-wheel racing.

I knew Villeneuve’s father very well when we were racing together in Formula One. I remember driving back around in a car where I was doing the steering and — he was doing the steering and I was doing the throttle. I was never pushing on the throttle strong enough.

I have a great interest in seeing him do very well. I think he’ll approach the race differently. He’s with a smaller team. He already looks like he’s starting to think about how he will prepare himself for those last laps.

A lot of people have gravitated to him during the race. As the race goes on, people will remember the great win he had not too long ago.

Montoya is racing for Penske. He’s committed to the series for the whole season, whereas Villeneuve is committed for one race for the moment.

He’s had an exciting beginning, but not quite up to pace where everybody expected him to do well. He all of a sudden laid down a very good lap on the day of qualifying.

I think you’ll really see a lot of aggressive moves from Montoya early on. He’s going for a perfect record, having competed only twice. I really think he has a good chance of winning.

There’s a lot of excitement whenever you mention the word ‘Montoya’ in the pits, even amongst the drivers. Whereas Villeneuve, he’s going to have to build that back up, but there’s a lot of respect for what he has done.

SCOTT GOODYEAR: I think everything Eddie said is spot on. The interesting thing for me is I had an opportunity to spend half an hour with Jacques in the garage area a week ago. Through all the questions I was asking him, catching up with him, I asked him, Why come back to something that you’ve won, have great memories with? Why come back after a 19-year absence?

He said, Racing is my oxygen. I need to race something. I loved it. It didn’t really interest me for quite a few years. But I’ve been watching it for the last year, year and a half, and he said it’s something he would like to go back to.

He said he would like to come back to the series next year and run full-time, if it’s possible. If this is an audition to get his feet wet and make sure that he can go out and let people know his interest, it may be. I’m not sure that if everybody is running strong at the end of the day that he has enough experience in these new cars, which he says are different to drive, to be a contender. I think finishing in the top 10 would be a success for him and the team.

With Montoya, I’ll add to what Eddie said, every driver you speak to in the paddock says that when he has enough time underneath his belt in these cars, from being in the tin tops for the last little while, they’re going to worry that he’s going to be dominating like he was before, from the factor that he’ll be one of those guys you’ll be battling with in the top 3-5. As.

The drivers say, they have enough drivers they have to contend with. A lot of respect for Montoya in the garage area.

Q. Is it good generally for the series to have both of those drivers back?

EDDIE CHEEVER: I think it’s phenomenal, exceptional. Montoya brings a lot of Formula One sense. Montoya brings a lot of people back to watching open-wheel racing.

Villeneuve, I can’t repeat it enough, was a Formula One champion. His father was, I would say, one of the top three drivers that ever drove for Ferrari. The history, the whole amount of energy they bring is tremendous to anything they participate in.

Q. This is the first time we have a youngster from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, not named Andretti. I wanted Scott and Eddie’s take on the young Sage Karam, in high school still. Your thoughts of his challenges, how he might add to the storyline on Sunday.

SCOTT GOODYEAR: When I met him earlier this month and spent some time with him, speaking with him in the garage, nice young man. At 19 years of age, times have changed, because at 19, I was just finishing karting and about ready to take my first day of Formula Ford school.

We were talking about this on our conference call this morning. They almost have harnessed him back a little bit because the team says he is very eager to get going and is trying to get so much accomplished in a short amount of time.

As a rookie here, you can be very fast. But 500 miles is such a long, long time on the racetrack. I always broke it up into five 100-mile races. You have to get yourself through it and not rush.

This will be interesting for Villeneuve and Montoya. It’s been a while since they’ve come here and run this race. Everybody is anxious. Seems like it happens between 250 and 300 miles. Everybody seems like they want to get going. I always did.

For him as a rookie, he’s going to have to be throttled back, have somebody good with him on the radio talking to him, his spotter is going to have to do well. He has enthusiasm, good looks, an American, so he has a bright future ahead of him.

EDDIE CHEEVER: Just to add to what Scott said, talent and youth and energy are wonderful things to have. Don’t really fit in that well in how you approach the Indy 500. Here you have to have an enormous amount of patience. You have to be willing to listen to the pits. You have to be able to pick yourself up from a bad stint with the tires not working or you have some sort of problem.

It will be a great testament to his ability if he can finish the 500.

We saw another youngster last year from Colombia called Munoz, Scott and I were betting which lap he was going to crash because he was almost in the grass, but he made it.

Those things that carry you forward in open-wheel racing on a street course don’t really come much into play around the Speedway.

Q. Marco Andretti, your take on Marco? Seems like he can’t get over the hump. Very close, very much in contention for a good portion of the race last year. It just didn’t happen for him. Same thing happened a couple weeks later at Pocono where he had the dominant car all weekend. Seems like he’s there every week.

EDDIE CHEEVER: He is always a threat to win. It’s his family’s team. He has been very quick. His rookie year at Indy was unbelievable. He lost by the smallest of margins. He is unfortunate in that he has some incredibly talented teammates.

He’s really going to be judged not so much by the fact that he wins or doesn’t win, but how he compares with his teammates. That’s a tall order.

SCOTT GOODYEAR: I would be delighted to see Marco win from the standpoint that I understand what it’s like to come to win this event, but not, obviously in ’92 and ’97 being second, obviously ’95 across the line first and being disqualified.

Regardless, it’s a scenario that weighs on you every racetrack you go to. It weighs on you when you come back here to the Indianapolis 500. For him, I’m sure he thinks about it. I talked to him about it. He said, No, it’s behind me, I don’t think about it too much.

But you do. I always looked at it like you’ll get another chance. I’m sure he feels the same way.

When you get close to the end of your career, then when you retire, and you haven’t accomplished that goal, which is the reason your living, breathing and racing, and your last name is Andretti, and the pressure that’s on a third-generation driver, I would love to see him win. It would be great for him, his family, and our sport to have Andretti win again.

Q. Allen, from everything I understand, Kurt Busch is resonating well with the fans and other drivers at Indy. Have you noticed anything different in his demeanor or mannerisms or attitude when he’s out there in an IndyCar than you’ve noticed when he’s maybe in the NASCAR garage.

ALLEN BESTWICK: I think anytime you go someplace and try something new and different for the first time, have a little bit of success at it, you’re going to have a little pep in your step.

Think about how much Kurt has hung himself out there by doing this. I’ll borrow Eddie’s thought about this. Here is a guy who is a NASCAR champion. All the race wins he’s accumulated. He was willing to put that reputation out there on the line for the world to step out and try and drive a type of racecar he’d never driven before.

I’ve seen nothing but good things from Kurt. I see a guy who is determined to master it, has fit in very well with his teammates, has dug into the engineering, the aerodynamics, driving techniques, soaked it up like a sponge, acquitted himself very, very well in an IndyCar. I’m not surprised by that. We know Kurt is a heck of a racecar driver.

I’m not surprised he’s acquitted himself well. He’s having fun. He understands the challenge ahead of him. He got a taste of the difficulty of that challenge yesterday. You can say he’s gotten the full Indy experience now.

But I’ve seen nothing but smiles from Kurt. Why not, right? He had the guts to put himself out there and try this. He’s doing well. He has the opportunity to have a good, solid race experience on Sunday and do something he probably never thought he’d get the chance to do in his life. I can relate to that. It makes you smile.

Q. Eddie, I’ve seen some of your comments in recent weeks. What are your impressions of Kurt in an IndyCar?

EDDIE CHEEVER: I am totally impressed by everything he has done in the car. Going out and turning into turn one when you’re up at speed, and engineers have told you, Don’t take your foot off the throttle, you’re talking to yourself telling yourself it’s going to be okay. That’s a difficult moment even in a racecar driver that’s done it his whole life, to be committed to doing that.

He’s been incredibly fast. Every hurdle he got to, other than yesterday, when he got very lucky and hit the wall at the right angle. Other than that, I am just impressed. When he had to go out and do his qualifying run, that’s 230, that is really moving the mail. That’s fast. Turning into turn one at 236 miles an hour, and everybody said that the cars were sliding at the end of their run because they were so much on the limit trying to trim them out. He went and did it as if he’s been doing it his whole life.

He is talented and incredibly brave. If he digests this last hit he had, it took me a long time to digest, if he can go through that, he’s in that leading group at the end of the race, I would consider him a possible top-three finisher, if he gets through all the problems during the race. But he’s been incredible. I’m very impressed.

Q. Rich, 92 cameras planned. Why the increase this year? Are any of those specialty cameras?

RICH FEINBERG: The 92 is actually in concert pretty close to what we did last year. 36 of those cameras are on racecars. We will have this year a complement of 12 different teams, including Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Simon Pagenaud, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter, all carrying on-camera systems. All 36 are on track, if you would.

The remaining cameras include some specialty things. We will have a helicopter cam for the entire race. We have several ultraslow motion cameras that we have strategically placed around the track. We have wall cams. We have grass cams. We have hand-held cams. We have robotic cams. I think we got the place pretty well wired up.

The unique thing about this race, racing in general, is the size of the playing field is gigantic, so it takes more. We’re always watching multiple things. A lot of our camera systems allow us to focus on multiple battles on the track to make sure we can document as much of the action as we can for the fans.

It is a very large production, one of the largest that we do every year. Tremendous credit to our technical and engineering staff to put together this system and ultimately I think our fans are the benefactors of it.

Q. Are there any other production enhancements planned?

RICH FEINBERG: Well, we’ve made some changes since we were at the track last. I’d start with probably the most noticeable one for our fans will be welcoming Allen Bestwick to the family. Allen and I have worked together for many, many years. I know not only he’s excited about doing the project, but I’m just as excited to have him along. He’s one of the best in the business, and I think our fans will really enjoy his call.

We have some new graphic elements we’re using. We have some good feature stories we’ll tell before we get going with the race. As I said earlier, our ultimate job is to tell the stories of the drivers, and to the best of our ability, through the pictures and through the sounds, create that thirst for our viewers to want to be there and enjoy this very special sporting event.

Q. Allen, you’ve had a very long career in calling NASCAR races. How does it feel to be in the open-wheel world now?

ALLEN BESTWICK: It feels pretty good. It’s been a great experience so far. It’s funny because for as long as I’ve been around racing, I’ve spent my whole career in the month of May in Charlotte basically and watched the 500 from afar.

I’ve been at the Speedway, around the NASCAR race there since 1994, so when I walked in the gate this month, it wasn’t a new experience for me to be at the Speedway. I knew where the gate was to get in and I knew where the TV compound was, where the booth was. I knew where to find things. It’s not a completely new experience at the Speedway.

Then I’ve had great support from Rich and my bosses to do the research that I needed to do. I spent time in Indianapolis in February just after the Daytona 500. Some of the race teams were more than gracious in welcoming me in. I went through IndyCars from top to bottom at team shops. Had dinners and lunches with drivers and team managers. I’ve had plenty of time to acclimate myself – short way to say it – the same thing done differently.

It’s still an auto race. The object is still to get the distance covered from start to finish in the least amount of time possible. Terminology, styles, strategies are a little different.

I look forward to the race. Obviously it’s the premiere auto race in the United States, maybe the world, every year. To have the opportunity to call it is a fascinating thing. I’m more excited than anything because it’s been a great experience so far. I can’t wait to see what race day is like in person.

Q. For Scott and Eddie, obviously you have a lot of experience on both sides. There’s so many changes in TV in 50 years. Probably what hasn’t changed much is the raw talent that open-wheel drivers share. What special traits do you think open-wheel drivers have to be able to perform so well in what is basically a road rocket before enormous crowds on prime ABC TV?

SCOTT GOODYEAR: I think for me, now that I’ve stepped away from it, I honestly believe that you can be trained to be a very good, proficient driver that can compete at IndyCar level. But I think the ones that are winning and are just a little bit faster have something different. I think it might be something that you’re just born with.

There’s been that question for years and years, especially when we talk about different generations of drivers. When you stand at a road course, you watch a guy like Will Power drive around, even his fellow competitors say that they expect him to be on pole everywhere they go to on a road course.

You go to ovals and see the smoothness of guys like Scott Dixon, and honestly a very impressive Ed Carpenter. Ed obviously trained hard, not through the road courses, because he’s not that great on a road course, but he spent so many years doing the midgets and the dirt cars.

I think it’s training and then I think you have to have a little bit of a gift.

With that I think I am more impressed now than I was when I was doing it. When you’re doing it, you eat, breathe and sleep it. You expect to be good. You expect to be competitive. You don’t feel that you’re doing anything different than anybody else ’cause you’re getting up, going and doing your job every day.

It’s only when you step away from it like I have, and maybe Eddie feels this way, you truly understand how different your occupation was when you’re sitting in a racecar.

Our racecar happened to weigh 1500 pounds and have in our day 900 horsepower, now they’re about 725. And, oh, yeah, as Eddie mentioned earlier, we go into turn one at 230, 240 miles an hour and don’t take our foot off the gas.

The last comment I’ll make on all that is when you’re doing it back then, it seems like it’s in slow motion. It seems like the straightaways are long, and I guess that’s what I guess they call being in the zone in other sports.

When you’re getting ready to retire, you notice that life is going by a little quicker in the racecar than it did before. That’s probably the first indication it’s time to go find something else to do.

I know how difficult it is, I know how brave you are when you’re doing it. That’s the neat thing I think when I watch the cars go around today.

EDDIE CHEEVER: Having raced for a decade in Formula One, Monaco, Spa, everywhere else, then coming to Indy, I don’t say this trying to make a joke of it, I think you have to be a little bit crazy when you’re racing on the limit at the Indianapolis 500.

It is, I would say by far and away, the most dangerous and most intoxicating race that I have ever been a part of. When you have to throw a car into a corner at 235 miles an hour, two feet behind a car that’s doing the same speed, another car that’s trying to pass you, do all this and stay away from that horribly hard wall, you have to be a little bit different.

The more time I had spent with A.J. Foyt, Unser, Andretti, there’s a common thread: they’re all capable of dealing with the danger very well and yet perform at such a high level.

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Indianapolis 500 Airing on ABC for 50th Consecutive Year

May 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

ESPN3 to Offer Second Screen Experience with Onboard Camera Views

Continuing a Memorial Day weekend TV tradition that began in 1965, ABC will air the Indianapolis 500 for the 50^th consecutive year on Sunday, May 25. The telecast of the 98^th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing begins with a one-hour pre-race show at 11 a.m. ET with the green flag waving at 12:12 p.m.

What began as highlights in black-and-white on ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1965 has evolved into ESPN’s massive production of the modern telecast for ABC, one of the largest and most complex that ESPN does each year. The production will utilize 92 cameras to televise the premier event of the Verizon IndyCar Series, including three onboard cameras per car in 12 of the 33 cars competing in the race.

The relationship between ABC and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the longest-running between a network and a sporting event. Weekend coverage of the Masters has aired on CBS since 1956, and ABC has aired the Little League World Series since 1963.

“The stewardship of ABC’s storied history at the Indianapolis 500 is something we take very seriously,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer. “The heritage of this event, and the pure excitement and spectacle of it, are what we look forward to bringing to our viewers every year.”

During the past 49 telecasts of the race, some of the most familiar names in sports television history have been part of ABC’s coverage, led by the legendary Jim McKay, who called the race for 18 years and served as telecast host for two others. Chris Schenkel, Bill Flemming, Keith Jackson, Al Michaels, Jim Lampley and Brent Musburger have all served in various roles on the telecast.

The “Dean of Motorsports Journalists,” Chris Economaki, originated the role of pit reporter and was part of many Indianapolis 500 telecasts on ABC, while former Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward originated the driver-analyst position that was later filled by Jackie Stewart, Sam Posey, Bobby Unser, Rusty Wallace, Tom Sneva, Arie Luyendyk and others. Paul Page anchored the telecast 14 times and before his late night career, David Letterman was a pit reporter on the 1971 telecast.

Allen Bestwick will become the 10^th person to call the race on ABC when he makes his debut this year.

“One of the things that sparked my fascination with broadcasting was that appointment viewing of the broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 with Jim McKay behind the microphone,” said Bestwick. “It’s one of those things that attracted me and inspired me to get into the business and to think that I’m going to have the opportunity to sit in that chair – THAT chair – is mind-blowing.”

Joining Bestwick in the broadcast booth will be analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever, both former Indy 500 competitors. ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will host the telecast from the Speedway’s iconic Pagoda while pit reporters will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.

ABC’s Indianapolis 500 telecast will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, production Rich Feinberg. Shawn Murphywill produce the race telecast and Bruce Watson will direct, while Terry Lingner will produce the pre-race show with Chip Dean directing.

Viewers of the ABC telecast will have the option of a second screen experience through a choice of live streaming video from the onboard cameras on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network. ESPN3 will carry the feeds exclusively through WatchESPN and on Indycar.com. ESPN3 is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. The network is currently available to more than 92 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

Among the features that will air during the pre-race show or in ESPN SportsCenter’s Indianapolis 500 coverage:

ESPN’s Chris Connelly tells the story of Tony Kanaan’s lucky charm, a medallion given to him by his mother, shared by him to a girl facing life-saving brain surgery, and returned to him, days before he won the most important race of his life.
ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee interviewed some 30 current and former ABC announcers and behind-the-scenes production personnel in search of unique and interesting memories of some of the greatest and memorable Indy 500 telecast moments over the past 50 years.
Helio Castroneves was the first driver to climb the fence to celebrate his wins, a tradition so loved by fans that he is forever begged by fans to climb in their seat section. And so enjoyed by the racing community that even Tony Stewart couldn’t resist copying ‘Spiderman’. Now he’d like a 4th climb at the Indy 500.
A Memorial Day feature: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honors those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. And so the sentinels stand guard. Their uniforms meticulous, their movements precise and their commitment unflagging, Every hour, every day, year after year.
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch, competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte in the same day, will be interviewed prior to the race.

In addition to television in the United States on ABC and Watch ABC, ESPN also distributes Verizon IndyCar Series race telecasts through a combination of ESPN networks and syndication to more than 198 countries and 101 million homes. Also, U.S. troops serving overseas and on Navy vessels around the world can watch live via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network.

Timeline – 50 Years of Indy 500 on ABC

Charlie Brockman, an Indianapolis media personality who had called the closed-circuit broadcasts of the Indy 500 in previous years, is play-by-play announcer for the first telecast in 1965 on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
ABC veteran Chris Schenkel calls the 1966 race telecast.
In 1967, the race appears in color for the first time and Jim McKay calls the first of his 18 Indy 500 telecasts.
Former race winner Rodger Ward joins McKay in the 1967 telecast in the new role of driver-analyst.
In 1971, for the first time, ABC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 airs as a same-day, stand-alone, tape-delayed telecast in prime time rather than as part of the Wide World of Sports program.
In 1975, Keith Jackson handles anchor duties for ABC as Jim McKay misses the race for the only time between 1967 and his final race in 1987.
In 1983, Al Unserand Rick Mearscarry onboard cameras, the first used in Indy 500 coverage.
In 1986, after many years of tape-delayed telecasts, the race is televised live for the first time.
In 1987, Jim McKay, who serves as host, works his 20^th and final Indianapolis 500 for ABC (18 years in play-by-play role, two years as host).
In 2004, several rain delays take the telecast to 8 l/2 hours, making for one of the longest single-event telecasts ever.
Also in 2004, Jamie Little makes her debut as a pit reporter, the first woman ever in that role at the Indy 500.
In 2006, ABC introduces the “side-by-side” format, allowing viewers to continue watching the action during national commercial breaks.
In 2007, the race is televised in High Definition for the first time. Also, for the first time, two women work as pit reporters in coverage as Brienne Pedigo joins Jamie Little in the pits.
In 2011, ESPN and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announce a new six-year agreement to begin in 2013 to keep the Indianapolis 500 on ABC through 2018, including the 100^th running in 2016, and make ABC the exclusive broadcast network partner of the IndyCar Series.
The 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 airs on ABC in 2011, the 47^th consecutive year the network has televised the event.
In 2012, ESPN introduces a second-screen experience to the Indianapolis 500 telecast with streaming onboard cameras available for viewing on ESPN3 during the race telecast.
In 2013, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak becomes the first woman to host ABC’s Indianapolis 500 telecast.

Indianapolis 500 lap-by-lap announcers on ABC

(1965-2014)

1965 – Charlie Brockman

1966 – Chris Schenkel

1967-1974 – Jim McKay

1975 – Keith Jackson

1976-1985 – Jim McKay

1986-1987 – Jim Lampley

1988-1998 – Paul Page

1999-2001 – Bob Jenkins

2002-2004 – Paul Page

2005 – Todd Harris

2006 – 2013 – Marty Reid

2014 – Allen Bestwick

Summary:

Jim McKay – 18 years (two additional years as host)

Paul Page – 14 years

Marty Reid – 8 years

Bob Jenkins – 3 years

Jim Lampley – 2 years

Charlie Brockman, Todd Harris, Keith Jackson, Chris Schenkel – 1 year

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ABC & ESPN to Present 2014 NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Pacers vs. Heat

May 16, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

NBA Countdown on Site for Pre-game and Halftime Shows throughout Eastern Conference Finals

2014 NBA Draft Lottery on ESPN Prior to Game Two of Eastern Conference Finals

ESPN Radio to Nationally Broadcast Both Conference Finals Series

ABC and ESPN will combine to present the 2014 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the two-time reigning NBA Champion Miami Heat with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and the top-seeded Indiana Pacers with Paul George and Roy Hibbert. The series starts Sunday, May 18, on ABC with Game One at 3:30 p.m. ET from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Doris Burke (@HeyDB)will provide commentary throughout the series.

NBA Countdown – ABC’s and ESPN’s NBA pre-game show – will hit the road for on-site pre-game and halftime shows throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. Countdown will precede every Eastern Conference Finals telecast on ABC and ESPN, starting Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC. Additional Countdown telecasts will generally begin at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. NBA Countdown is hosted by Sage Steele (@SageSteele) with analysts Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons), Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) and Doug Collins.

The 2014 NBA Draft Lottery will air live on ESPN prior to Eastern Conference Finals Game Two at 8 p.m. Mark Jones (@MarkJonesESPN) will host Draft Lottery coverage with Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) and Heather Cox (@HeatherESPN). The telecast will include interviews with draftees and team representatives.

ESPN Radio – the exclusive, national radio home of the NBA Playoffs in its 19th season of NBA postseason coverage – will nationally broadcast both the Eastern Conference Finals and the Western Conference Finals (San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder). Marc Kestecher (@MarcKestecher) and analyst Jon Barry will describe the action for the Eastern Conference Finals, while Kevin Calabro (@RealKCalabro) and Hubie Brown will handle commentary for the Western Conference Finals.

ESPN Deportes will also televise the Eastern Conference Finals with Alvaro Martin and Carlos Morales calling the action. In addition, Claudia Trejos and Sebastian Martinez Christensen will serve as the pre-game and halftime team.

ESPN International will have coverage of both Conference Finals series. The Eastern Conference Finals will be available throughout South America, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean and Oceania, while the Western Conference Finals will be available in Oceania.

2014 Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Countdown schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Telecast	Network(s)
Sun, May 18	3 p.m.	*NBA Countdown*	ABC, WatchABC
	3:30 p.m.	Game One: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers	ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchABC, ESPN3
Tues, May 20	7 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8 p.m.	2014 NBA Draft Lottery	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Two: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Sat, May 24	7:30 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Three: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Mon, May 26	7:30 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Four: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Wed, May 28	7:30 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Five: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers *if necessary	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Fri, May 30	7:30 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Six: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat *if necessary	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Sun, June 1	7:30 p.m.	*Kia NBA Countdown*	ESPN, WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	Game Seven: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers *if necessary	ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

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ABC News Coverage for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

May 2, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Cross-Platform Reporting from Brazil begins Thursday, June 12

ABC News will work closely with ESPN to cover the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil beginning Thursday, June 12. Throughout the tournament ABC News will broadcast from ESPN’s studios at the Clube dos Marimbas on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to provide extensive coverage across all programs and platforms.

ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff will report for ESPN across all platforms and will contribute to ABC News reports along with ESPN Correspondents Jeremy Schaap and Julie Foudy. ABC News Correspondent Paula Faris will report from Brazil on the tournament, athletes, breaking news and other highlights. In addition, ESPN’s World Cup features and interviews will air across ABC News programs, including “Good Morning America,” “World News” and “Nightline.”

ABC News Digital will provide updates of the tournament daily as well as offer users sharable content that will drive the conversation and appeal to fans and novices alike, including an interactive bracket challenge, quizzes and explainers that focus on the intersection of the tournament and pop culture. Users will also be able to tailor their own experiences based on their individual interests. In addition, ABC News Digital will serve up original digital videos from correspondents out in the field as they explore the culture in and around Brazil.

ABC News Radio will also deliver extensive coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. ABC News correspondents will provide reports on newscasts and sportscasts to ABC News Radio affiliates and digital partners from Brazil throughout the tournament. ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service, will provide reports for more than 200 ABC affiliates and clients.

ESPN and the 2014 FIFA World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be ESPN’s eighth World Cup and most comprehensive presentation to date. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to air all 64 matches live and in high definition (June 12 – July 13). All ESPN and ESPN2 games will be available on WatchESPN, while ABC matches will be available on WATCH ABC. ESPN3, ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network available in more than 85 million homes, will present matches live in multiple languages (other than English and Spanish). ESPN’s presentation will also include comprehensive news and information coverage of the month-long soccer showcase with renowned journalists reporting on the tournament and the host country of Brazil. ESPN garnered more than 40 industry awards, including three Sports Emmys, for its presentation of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa – more accolades than any single event in the company’s history.

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