With ESPN and TNT each airing one NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal game on December 7, the two networks are combining both their studio and game coverage for the games.
ESPN’s coverage begins at 4 p.m. with NBA Countdown. The cast of Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers, and Adrian Wojnarowski will be on-site in Las Vegas, and they’ll be joined “for an extended segment” by TNT’s Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal.
The semifinal game broadcast on ESPN begins at 5 p.m. and will be called by Mike Breen, Doris Burke, and WBD’s Reggie Miller, with Lisa Salters reporting courtside.
Coverage will then move over to TNT for their semifinal broadcast. The NBA Tip-Off pregame show begins at 7:30 p.m. and features the ESPN studio cast also appearing during “an extended segment.”
The TNT game broadcast of the second semifinal begins at 9 p.m. ET and will be called by Kevin Harlan, Candace Parker, and ESPN’s Doc Rivers, with Allie LaForce reporting courtside.
Following the game, ESPN’s Smith and Wilbon will also appear on Inside the NBA alongside Johnson, Smith, Barkley, and O’Neal.
An alternate broadcast for WBD’s four quarterfinal games and one semifinal game will also be available. Jordan Cornette hosts the NBA on TNT BetCast, joined by Tim Doyle and Chandler Parsons. The BetCast will air on Max for all five games, and will be available on truTV for the Monday quarterfinals and Thursday semifinal.
While specific game announcements have yet to be announced, these are the four broadcast teams for WBD’s quarterfinal coverage.
- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, and Allie LaForce
- Brian Anderson, Stan Van Gundy, and Chris Haynes
- Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, and Jared Greenberg
- Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony, and Stephanie Ready
Given that both networks will be broadcasting games in the same building on the same night, combining coverage makes a whole lot of sense. The prospect of Barkley and Stephen A. going head-to-head is also catnip to social media, and Smith already started talking a big game to the Wall Street Journal.
“Charles Barkley is my brother. Love ‘em to death,” Smith wrote in a text message. “But a mercy rule would have to be involved. He wouldn’t stand a chance.”
More collaborations like this between networks can only be a good thing and we’re here for it going forward.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.