Big stars, a big market and a 20-3 record make the Boston Celtics a prime television property.
The Celtics’ 87-85 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night was just one of several Celtics games to be moved to national television. Originally, Jazz/Bobcats was scheduled to air on ESPN; obviously, the network made the right decision to drop that game.
Four Celtics games late in the season have been moved to national television. On March 18 and 20, Celtics games on the road against Houston and Dallas have been added to TNT, replacing Suns/Blazers and Spurs/Bulls, respectively. The Celtics’ home game against the Phoenix Suns on March 26 will now air on ESPN, replacing Heat/Knicks, and a home game against the Indiana Pacers on April 2 has also been added to the network.
While the Celtics are not currently scheduled to appear on ABC at all this season, the team does play five times on Sunday afternoons. On January 27, ABC begins its regular run of Sunday afternoon games, with Suns/Bulls and Cavs/Lakers. That night, the Celtics play on the road against Orlando. Assuming the Magic do not continue their ongoing swoon, it would only make sense for ABC to dump Suns/Bulls for Celtics/Magic — or at least air the games regionally.
February 10 is more of a no-brainer. ABC and ESPN will combine for a rare regular season quadruple-header on that night, as both networks will air doubleheaders. Currently, ESPN is scheduled to carry Spurs/Celtics, a game that could feature the two best teams in the NBA. ABC, meanwhile, is scheduled to air Nuggets/Cavs and Lakers/Heat. As any NBA fan can attest, the 7-18 Heat are awful. While dropping the Lakers from a network telecast is never something one wants to do, Spurs/Celtics absolutely has to air on ABC.
On Feburary 24 and March 2, the Celtics play the Blazers and Hawks, respectively. The prospects of either of those games getting on ABC depend on whether or not Portland and Atlanta — both of whom are currently over .500 — maintain their good play. On March 30, the Celtics play the Heat, though by that point in the season, Miami may be well out of the playoff race.
