Without ‘The King’, the Cavaliers will make half as many appearances on TNT next season as the Sacramento Kings.
The Cavaliers, who were scheduled for the maximum ten appearances on TNT last year, will make only one during the 2010-11 season — a December 2 home game against LeBron James and the Heat. TNT will air a one-hour special prior to the game, likely owing to the hype it will almost certainly generate.
Heat/Cavaliers is just one of several high profile matchups dotting the TNT schedule, including Lakers/Celtics on February 10 (8 PM ET) and Lakers/Heat on March 10 (8 PM).
The Heat and Celtics lead the way with ten appearances each on TNT, followed by the Lakers, Magic and Nuggets (nine apiece). The Bulls, Suns and Spurs will each appear seven times, the Mavericks and Trail Blazers six, the Knicks and Thunder four and the Hawks and Jazz three.
TNT will feature some not-so-good teams with up and coming stars during the regular season, with Blake Griffin and the Clippers, Tyreke Evans and the Kings and John Wall and the Wizards each appearing twice.
The Rockets’ lone appearance on TNT will be Opening Night against the Lakers. Other teams with just one appearance include the 76ers, Warriors and the aforementioned Cavaliers. The Bucks and Bobcats, both of whom made the playoffs last year, will not appear on TNT.
Due to the NCAA Tournament, TNT will not air any NBA action on Thursday, March 17 or Thursday, March 24. However, the network will air a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 22.
(Turner Sports)
