ABC & ESPN 2009-10 NBA Schedule

90-Game Flexible Schedule; Five Games on Christmas
ESPN Telecasts Simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of the 2009-10 NBA regular season will include 90 games, highlighted by 15 exclusive broadcasts on ABC – the home of The Finals – and 75 telecasts on ESPN. All 90 games will once again feature flexible scheduling providing viewers with the best possible matchups with the most compelling storylines throughout the season. All games will be seen in high definition on ABC HD and ESPN HD, with all ESPN telecasts also available via ESPN360.com and nearly all on ESPN Mobile TV. ESPN Radio will broadcast 26 games, while ESPN Deportes will televise 22 games.

ESPN’s coverage of the NBA season will begin with doubleheaders Wednesday, Oct. 28 – New Orleans at San Antonio at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Utah at Denver at 10:30 p.m. – and Friday, Oct. 30 – Chicago at Boston at 8 p.m. and Dallas at the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m.

ABC and ESPN will combine to showcase the top teams in the league, including 16 appearances by the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers (the maximum allowed across networks), 15 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 14 by the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

The networks will jointly televise five Christmas games, opening on ESPN with the New York Knicks hosting the Miami Heat at 12 p.m., followed by a blockbuster doubleheader on ABC – the Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett at the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard at 2:30 p.m., then the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal at the L.A. Lakers and Kobe Bryant at 5 p.m. Holiday action will conclude with an ESPN doubleheader – the Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix at 8 p.m., followed by Denver at Portland in the nightcap.

ABC and ESPN will look to build on a strong 2008-09 regular season, which was ABC’s most-viewed NBA season in six years (averaging 3,684,000 viewers; 2,688,000 households) and ESPN’s most-viewed ever (averaging 1,680,000 viewers; 1,299,000 households). Both networks demonstrated significant gains across all major demographics. ESPN’s digital media platforms also posted considerable audience totals, with ESPN.com logging 1.3 billion total page views, the ESPN mobile Web site generating over 737 million total page views, and ESPN360.com’s total hours of NBA game viewership growing 64 percent (31 minutes spent per stream).

ABC highlights:

• 15 exclusive broadcasts;
• flexible schedule allowing for the best possible matchups throughout the season;
• blockbuster Christmas Day doubleheader – Boston at Orlando and Cleveland at the L.A. Lakers with coverage beginning with GMC NBA Countdown at 2 p.m.;
• five NBA Sunday doubleheaders;
• six appearances by the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, five appearances by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic and multiple appearances by the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs;
• Finals rematch between the L.A. Lakers and Orlando Sunday, March 7, at 2:30 p.m.;
• Eastern and Western Conference Finals rematches – Cleveland vs. Orlando (twice – Sunday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 11, at 1 p.m.) and Denver vs. L.A. Lakers (Sunday, Feb. 28, at 3:30 p.m.);
• elite showdowns between Boston and Cleveland (twice – Sunday, March 14, at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 4, at 1 p.m.), the L.A. Lakers vs. San Antonio (Sunday, April 4, at 3:30 p.m.) and a 2008 Finals rematch between Boston and L.A. Lakers Sunday, Jan. 31, at 3:30 p.m.;
• GMC NBA Countdown will preview all games 30 minutes prior to broadcast start times.

ESPN highlights:

• flexible schedule allowing for the best possible matchups throughout the season;
• 32 doubleheaders;
• 10 appearances – the most allowed – by the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, L.A. Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs;
• nine appearances by the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic; eight appearances by the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards; seven appearances by the Miami Heat; six appearances by the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Hornets; and five appearances by the Atlanta Hawks, L.A. Clippers and New York Knicks;
• opening week doubleheaders Wednesday, Oct. 28 – New Orleans at San Antonio at 8 p.m., followed by Utah at Denver at 10:30 p.m. – and Friday, Oct. 30 – Chicago at Boston at 8 p.m. and Dallas at the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m.;
• three Christmas games – Miami at New York (12 p.m.), L.A. Clippers at Phoenix (8 p.m.) and Denver at Portland (10:30 p.m.);
• rematches of both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals – Denver vs. L.A. Lakers (twice – Friday, Nov. 13, at 10:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 p.m.) and Cleveland vs. Orlando (Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m.);
• a rare Monday night doubleheader March 15 – Detroit at Boston at 8 p.m., followed by the L.A. Lakers at Golden State at 10:30 p.m.

ESPN Deportes’ first telecast of 22 games this season will be Dallas at the L.A. Lakers Friday, Oct. 30, at 10:30 p.m.

ESPN Radio
The NBA on ESPN Radio will tip off its 15th season Tuesday, Oct. 27, when the Los Angeles Lakers meet the Los Angeles Clippers at 10 p.m. (broadcast start time). ESPN Radio’s schedule will also feature four All-Star Weekend specials, including the 59th All-Star Game in Dallas, a Christmas game (Cleveland at the L.A. Lakers, 4:15 p.m.), four doubleheaders, eight appearances by the Cleveland Cavaliers, L.A. Lakers and Orlando Magic and seven appearances by the Boston Celtics.

ESPN International
ESPN International will provide extensive coverage of the NBA season to fans in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean), the Middle East, Africa, Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands), cruise lines and studio programming in Europe. ESPN International coverage will be offered in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

2009-10 NBA Schedule on ABC

Schedule Subject to Change; All Times Eastern

2009-10 NBA Schedule on ESPN

Schedule Subject to Change; All Times Eastern

* denotes preseason game

2009-10 NBA Schedule on ESPN Radio

All Times Eastern (Broadcast Start Times; Not Tip Times)

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