Make your plans accordingly. All times CT. Game 1- @ LA Lakers Mon May 4th 9:30 TNT Game 2- @ LA Lakers Wed May 6th 9:30 TNT Game 3- @ Houston Fri May 8th 8:30 ESPN Game 4- @ Houston Sun May 10th 2:30 ABC Game 5- @ LA Lakers Tue May 12th TBD TNT Game 6- @ Houston Thu May 14th TBD ESPN Game 7- @ LA Lakers Sun May 17th TBD http://www.nba.com/playoffs2009/seriesWest5/ Let's hope JVG will call Games 3 and 4.
I would think the short window favors the Rockets over the Lakers. After we spank them in Game 3, they won't have much time to make adjustments.
How much time do they need to adjust, assuming we spank them really good in Game 3? On the other hand, everybody knows Yao doesn't have the best stamina in the world.
NBA trying to favor the Lakers, but one need not worry. Let's hope the ESPN crew will be Hubie Brown, I do not want to hear Mark Jackson twice in a row. Also TNT, let's hope it's Doug & Kevin, cannot stand Reggie, Carlesimo or Tzar
They should atleast give 3 days for travel and preparation between games 2 and 3. Dallas gets 4 days between games 2 and 3. If we lose both games in LA we would have more time to change our strategy. One benefit of playing the lakers..no games on NBA TV.
NBA's concern is for ratings, so this way, they're guaranteed at least 1 Sunday game (game 4), and then a game 7 Sunday. Both are on ABC. There's really no other way to accomplish the schedule with 2 Sunday games and have 2 day breaks. I could have started on this Sunday on ABC, but I'm thinking TNT has some sort of rights to air game 1. At least it's better than when the Knicks (I think the Knicks) played the Bulls in what was it, 1992 or 1993 playoffs when NBC put both Bulls home games back to back on Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to look this up now. Edit: Found it. 1992 Playoffs. Link here: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1992_games.html Bulls played in New York for Rd 2 on a Saturday and Sunday for games 3 and 4. They went on to win in 7 and win the championship that year vs. Clyde's Trailblazers. Double Edit: Michael Jordan made $3.25 million that year.
It happened again...95-96, May 11th-12th http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1996_games.html
Everyone should keep one thing in mind about a playoff series schedule, which is, BOTH teams are playing on the same schedule, meaning, equal amount of rest time between games. When it comes to losing a game, there are no such excuses for a team to make like what one would often make during the regular season, such as "Well, we had to play a game last night, and travel while they haven't played for the last three days, etc." ENOUGH SAID!!! As far as the Rockets are concerned, I'm glad that they're not having to play Game 1 of this series until Monday rather than today.
The first year we beat Phoenix, didn't we play games 3 and 4 on back to back days (Sat and Sun) rather than even getting a day in between?
We already know that Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins will call Games 1 and 2 for TNT. I believe Craig Sager will be the sideline reporter. For Games 3 and 4 on ESPN and ABC the play-by-play announcer will be Mike Breen with JVG and Mark Jackson providing analysis.
I'm thinking that if there is a game 5 and its 2-2...Marv Albert will be doing play-by-play with Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller.