2008-2009 NBA TNT Schedule TNT’s full slate of regular season games includes 10 appearances each by the Cleveland Cavaliers, L.A. Lakers and Phoenix Suns and nine appearances by the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics. The network will televise 53 regular season primetime NBA games for the 2008-09 season - 47 of which will be part of its Thursday night exclusive doubleheaders, including doubleheaders on Thanksgiving and Christmas and a tripleheader on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Once again, TNT’s entire NBA preseason, regular and postseason telecasts will air in high-definition as part of “TNT in HD.” TNT’s coverage begins on Tuesday, Oct. 28, with a special one-hour preview show, NBA Tip-Off ‘08
presented by Autotrader.com , featuring the Celtics’
championship ring ceremony at 7 p.m. ET, followed at 8 p.m. with an exclusive opening night doubleheader. The first game will feature 2007-08 NBA scoring champion LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the defending NBA World Champion Boston
Celtics and the “Big Three” combo of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Game two features the first regular season game for 2007 NBA Draft #1 overall selection Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers as they visit reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant and the defending Western Conference champion L.A. Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET. Opening Week continues on TNT on Thursday, Oct. 30 as Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets take on Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a duel between All-Star point guards as Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns host Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets at 10:30 p.m. ET. TNT tips off its coverage with two preseason contests including the first outdoor NBA game in more than 35 years when the Phoenix Suns take on the Denver Nuggets from Indian Wells, California on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 10 p.m. ET. The second pre-season contest will pit the Charlotte Bobcats against the L.A. Lakers from Anaheim, California on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET.
Along with its Opening Week doubleheaders, TNT’s schedule includes a number of marquee match-ups, including:
Nov. 20 - A rematch of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals when Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons visit Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET), followed by Shaquille O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns hosting Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Dec. 18 - A night of battling big men as Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs takes on Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (8 p.m. ET) followed by Shaquille O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns visiting Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Dec. 25 - A Christmas night doubleheader will feature Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards traveling to Cleveland to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET) followed by Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks visiting Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Jan. 19 - A star-studded MLK Day tripleheader including Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons taking on Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies (5:30 p.m. ET), Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns facing Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET) followed by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Feb. 5 -A 2008 NBA Finals rematch featuring Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics hosting Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers (8 p.m. ET).
Feb. 12 - The top two picks in the 2008 NBA Draft go head-to-head as No. 1 pick Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls host No. 2 pick Michael Beasley and the Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET).
Feb. 26 - Former teammates face each other for the second time this season on TNT as Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers host Shaquille O’Neal and the Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m. ET).
TNT will once again serve as the exclusive home for NBA All-Star 2009, airing all the action on NBA All-Star Friday, NBA All-Star Saturday events and the 2009 NBA
All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 from Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, the network will also air 40 or more NBA playoff games including, on an exclusive basis, conference semi-finals games and the Eastern Conference Finals. The NBA on TNT’s marquee roster of NBA announcers include the studio team of two-time Emmy® award-winning host Ernie Johnson, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and two-time NBA Champion Kenny Smith. On-site game announcers will include Marv Albert (play-by-play), Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) Doug Collins (analyst), Mike Fratello (analyst), David Aldridge (reporter), Cheryl Miller (reporter) and Craig Sager (reporter). TNT is in its 20
th
consecutive year of NBA coverage.
Sister network TBS aired the NBA exclusively for Turner Broadcasting from 1984-89, with TNT serving as Turner’s sole NBA cable home from 1990-94. Both networks aired NBA games from 1994-2002. 28-Oct
Tuesday 7 p.m. NBA Tip-Off ‘08 presented by Autotrader.com - Celtics Ring Ceremony 8 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics 10:30 p.m. Portland Trail Blazers @ L.A. Lakers 30-Oct Thursday 8 p.m. Houston Rockets @ Dallas Mavericks 10:30 p.m. New Orleans Hornets @ Phoenix Suns 6-Nov Thursday
8 p.m. Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic 10:30 p.m. Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers 13-Nov Thursday 7 p.m. Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers 9:30 p.m. Dallas Mavericks @ Chicago Bulls 20-Nov Thursday 8 p.m. Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics 10:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers @ Phoenix Suns 27-Nov Thursday 8 p.m. Orlando Magic @ Washington Wizards 10:30 p.m. New Orleans Hornets @ Denver Nuggets 4-Dec Thursday 8 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks 10:30 p.m. San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets 11-Dec Thursday
8 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards 10:30 p.m. Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz 18-Dec Thursday 8 p.m. San Antonio Spurs @ Orlando Magic 10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers 25-Dec Thursday 8 p.m. Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers 10:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trail Blazers 15-Jan Thursday 8 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls 10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Denver Nuggets 19-Jan Monday 5:30 p.m. Detroit Pistons @ Memphis Grizzlies 8:00 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics 10:30 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ L.A. Lakers
22-Jan Thursday 8:00 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic 10:30 p.m. Washington Wizards @ L.A. Lakers 29-Jan Thursday 8 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic 10:30 p.m San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns 5-Feb Thursday 8 p.m.
L.A. Lakers @ Boston Celtics 10:30 p.m. Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz 12-Feb Thursday 7 p.m. Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls 9:30 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks ******************************NBA ALL-STAR 2009 13-Feb Friday NBA Rookie Challenge 14-Feb Saturday
NBA All-Star Saturday 15-Feb Sunday 2009 NBA All-Star Game from Phoenix, Arizona ************************************************** 19-Feb Thursday 8 p.m. San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons 10:30 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Utah Jazz 26-Feb Thursday 8 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Houston Rockets
10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ L.A. Lakers 5-Mar Thursday 8 p.m. Dallas Mavericks @ New Orleans Hornets 10:30 p.m. Portland Trail Blazers @ Denver Nuggets 12-Mar Thursday 8 p.m. L.A. Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs 10:30 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Phoenix Suns 19-Mar
Thursday 8 p.m. Portland Trail Blazers @ Cleveland Cavaliers 10:30 p.m. Golden State Warriors @ L.A. Lakers 24-Mar Tuesday 8 p.m. Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls 10:30 p.m. Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz 26-Mar Thursday 8 p.m. Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers 2-Apr Thursday 8 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Washington Wizards 10:30 p.m. Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets 9-Apr Thursday 8 p.m. Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls 10:30 p.m. Denver Nuggets @ L.A. Lakers 14-Apr
Thursday 8 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers 10:30 p.m. Utah Jazz @ L.A. Lakers Team Appearances: Cleveland10 L.A. Lakers Phoenix Boston 10 9 Washington Detroit Houston 5 4 4 10 Orlando 5
San Antonio 5
Portland 8 Dallas Denver Chicago Utah 7 7 6 6
New Orleans 3 Philadelphia3 Miami 2
Golden State1 Memphis 1