[chron]Rockets' schedule short on national TV exposure

[chron-historical]Rockets' schedule short on national TV exposure

For the newbies who think we are getting disrepect.
HAVE SOME.. HISTORY.

This is REAL DISREPECT from the MEDIA.


http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1994_1215411
Paper: HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Date: FRI 07/22/1994
Section: Sports

Rockets' schedule short on national TV exposure

By W.H. STICKNEY JR.
Staff

Move over, Sports Illustrated. The NBA schedule-makers, NBC, TBS and TNT have taken a snub at the world champion Rockets, too.

Rockets fans were outraged when Sports Illustrated announced it would not print a commemorative issue recognizing the 1994 NBA champion Rockets. But an outcry of public sentiment forced the magazine to switch gears and print 500,000 issues to be sold in the Houston area.

But there is nothing that can be done regarding the 1994-95 NBA regular-season schedule that was released Thursday. Although the Rockets are the defending champions and feature Hakeem Olajuwon, last year's regular-season and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the year, NBC has scheduled them for its weekly telecasts only three times. The network retains an option for three other Rockets appearances.

The Knicks, who lost to the Rockets in the NBA Finals, are guaranteed to appear on NBC five times -- twice as the first half of a doubleheader -- and the Chicago Bulls eight times.

At noon Sunday, Feb. 19, NBC will carry the NBA Finals rematch between the Rockets and Knicks from Madison Square Garden.

The Rockets and Knicks are also part of an NBC doubleheader two weeks earlier. New York will be on the road to face the Orlando Magic in the first game at noon Feb 5. The Rockets face the Suns in a rematch of the Western Conference semifinals in Phoenix at 2:30 p.m.

TNT and TBS will telecast a total of 70 NBA games. The Knicks, Suns and Magic will get the lion's share of the air time, each with 13 games on the cable networks.

The Bulls will appear 12 times, the Rockets and Charlotte Hornets 11 times each.

The Rockets open the season Friday, Nov. 4, in The Summit against the New Jersey Nets. That's the same team and the same site from which the Rockets launched their journey to the world title.

The Rockets then embark on a five-game road swing, their longest of the year -- Minnesota on Nov. 5, Cleveland on Nov. 7, Indiana on Nov. 9, Boston on Nov. 11 and New Jersey on Nov. 12.

The longest homestand of the season (six games) begins at The Summit on Thursday, Dec. 8, against the Charlotte Hornets and Larry Johnson and ends Thursday, Dec. 22, against Charles Barkley and the Suns.

The Boston Celtics make their only appearance of the regular season at The Summit on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic make their only visit to The Summit on Thursday, March 2.

The 45th annual All-Star Game will be played Sunday, Feb. 12, at the America West Arena in Phoenix at 5 p.m. It will be televised on NBC.

Rockets' schedule highlights

15-0?

If the Rockets are to repeat their record 15-0 start of last season, they will have to win nine on the road and six at home. Game No. 15 is against the Lakers at the Forum. Toughies in the stretch are at home against Chicago (Nov. 17), at Denver (Nov. 19), at Orlando (Nov. 23) and at home against Seattle (Nov. 26).

Star search

Shaquille O'Neal makes his only Houston visit on March 2. Charles Barkley comes to Houston on Dec. 22 and March 7.

Road warriors

The longest road trip is five games at the start of the season from Nov. 5-12 with games at Minnesota, Cleveland, Indiana, Boston and New Jersey.

Home cooking

The longest homestand of the season is a six-game stretch from Dec. 8-Dec. 22 against Charlotte, San Antonio, Washington, the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston and Phoenix.

Rematch

The Rockets don't play the New York Knicks until Jan. 19, when the Knicks come to The Summit for a game to be televised on TBS. The Rockets play at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 19 in a game to be shown on NBC.

On the air

The Rockets will be shown at least 14 times on national television on TNT (five games), TBS (six games) and NBC (a minimum of three games with three games optional).

 

Thanks!!

1. People who don't want to read it, don't have to read it.

2. If one person is new to the Rockets is shocked that TV personalities and Sports talk show hosts are "DISRESPECTING THE ROCKETS", then this will waken them up that this is not bad.
Lord, if you are crying that Bill Simmons didn't pick the Rockets to win, imagine if we win and we don't even make the cover of Sports Illustrated or worse LESS TV TIME.

3. This is HISTORICAL FACT. Some people like speculation. But FACTS are stronger in any argument.

4. if the historical posts are annoying, then so are the whining and crying threads about what so and so said about the Rockets.

 

what if I post a billion threads about Yao and his personal life?
is that psychotic also?

What the hell are we if we don't know our history?

besides. THE SEASON HAS NOT STARTED and people are already crying about disrespect.

 

well I hope Mike James and Steve Francise turn into scrubs too.
cause that Kenny Smith scrub sure can hit wide open shots in the playoffs.

Luther Head? Rafer? oh let those guys shoot when the game is on the line

 

this is the paris hilton/britney generation of Rocket fans rimrocker that we are dealing with.

life must be really stressful for them if the Rockets aren't on SportsCenter or Stephen A Smith didn't give them a shout-out.

back in the Hacksaw Jim Dugan / Mattress Mack days we had to mass cancel subscriptions to get the MEDIA to respect us for ...Heavens forbid..
WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP