NBA Playoffs to Exclusively Tip Off on ABC & ESPN
ESPN Radio Begins its 18th Season of NBA Postseason Coverage
ESPN, will.i.am Team Up to Deliver #thatPOWER for NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs will exclusively tip off Saturday, April 20, on ABC and ESPN with four Game 1 presentations. The action begins on ABC when the New York Knicks and NBA scoring champion Carmelo Anthony host the Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce at 3 p.m. ET. ABC will also broadcast Game 1 of the San Antonio Spurs-Los Angeles Lakers series on Sunday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m. The team of Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox will provide commentary for both ABC games this weekend. KIA NBA Countdown with Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons and Michael Wilbon will precede both ABC games at 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
In addition, ESPN will televise a Game 1 tripleheader April 20: Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets at 5:30 p.m.; Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets at 8 p.m.; Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m.
The NBA Playoffs will exclusively begin and conclude on ESPN’s family of networks, culminating with ABC’s exclusive presentation of The Finals on ABC, starting June 6.
The NBA on ESPN Radio’s 18TH season of live, national radio coverage of the NBA Playoffs will tip off this weekend when Marc Kestecher and Basketball Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay describe the action for the Knicks-Celtics game April 20 with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. On April 21, Kevin Calabro and Chris Mullin will call the Spurs-Lakers game, with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ESPN Radio’s postseason coverage includes exclusive national radio broadcasts of every game of the Conference Finals and The Finals.
ABC, ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes first round schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Show | Commentators | Networks |
| Sat, Apr. 20 | 2:30 p.m. | KIA NBA Countdown | Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon | ABC |
| 3 p.m. | Boston Celtics at
New York Knicks (Gm. 1) |
ABC: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox
ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dr. Jack Ramsay |
ABC, ESPN Radio | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
(Gm. 1) |
Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Holly Rowe | ESPN, WatchESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets (Gm. 1) | Dave Pasch, Jon Barry, Sam Ponder | ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Memphis Grizzlies at
Los Angeles Clippers (Gm. 1) |
Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Chris Broussard | ESPN, WatchESPN | |
| Sun, Apr. 21 | 3 p.m. | KIA NBA Countdown | Johnson, Rose, Simmons, Wilbon | ABC |
| 3:30 p.m. | Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (Gm. 1) | ABC: Breen, Van Gundy, Cox
ESPN Radio: Kevin Calabro, Chris Mullin |
ABC, ESPN Radio | |
| Fri, Apr. 26 | 8 p.m. | New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 3) | TBD | ESPN, WatchESPN |
| 10:30 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Gm. 3) | TBD | ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (Gm. 3) | TBD | ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Apr. 27 | 7 p.m. | Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks (Gm. 3) | TBD | ESPN, WatchESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (Gm. 3) | ESPN: TBD
ESPN Radio: TBD |
ESPN, ESPN Radio, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes | |
| Sun, Apr. 28 | 1 p.m. | New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 4) | ABC: TBD
ESPN Radio: TBD |
ABC, ESPN Radio |
| 3:30 p.m. | Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks
(Gm. 4) |
ABC: TBD
|
ABC, ESPN Deportes | |
| Fri, May 3 | TBD | Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks (Gm. 6 )* | TBD | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| TBD | New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 6)* | TBD | ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| TBD | Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies
(Gm. 6)* |
TBD | ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| TBD | Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (Gm. 6)* | TBD | ESPN or ESPN2 |
*if necessary
ESPN and will.i.am Team up to Deliver #thatPOWER for the NBA Playoffs
ESPN and pop superstar will.i.am have teamed up to deliver #thatPOWER for the NBA Playoffs in a new telecast open starring the pop superstar and several of the biggest names in the NBA, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. In the spot, set to the tune of will.i.am’s new single #thatPOWER, NBA stars celebrate their strength and triumphs as they prepare for the NBA Playoffs. The new telecast open will debut Saturday, July 20, during ABC and ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NBA Playoffs’ first day. For more details on the spot, visit ESPNFrontRow.com on Saturday.
Additional coverage
Ø SportsCenter will provide extensive NBA postseason coverage, including on-site updates, game highlights and studio analysis from ESPN’s deep roster of NBA commentators, including Flip Saunders, Bruce Bowen, Kurt Rambis, Tim Legler, Antonio Davis, Steve Javie and more.
Ø ESPN.com announced its comprehensive coverage of the NBA Playoffs.
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