Not surprisingly, the Lakers have dominated all other NBA teams when it comes to appearances on broadcast television over the past decade.
Through last Sunday’s Bulls/Celtics game, ABC has aired 293 NBA telecasts (regular season and playoffs) dating back to December 25, 2002.
The Lakers have made a league-leading 95 appearances on ABC (48 regular season, 47 playoffs). The Spurs come in a distant second, with 63 appearances (32 regular season, 31 playoffs).
Rounding out the top five are the Heat (52 appearances), the Celtics (48) and the Mavericks (48).
Including the sixth-place Pistons (47) and seventh-place Cavaliers (44), the seven teams with the most appearances on ABC have each appeared in the NBA Finals over the past decade. The Lakers (four), Spurs (three), Pistons (two), Heat (two), Celtics (two) and Mavericks (two) have made multiple NBA Finals appearances.
Only two teams have not appeared on ABC since the network acquired NBA rights — the Clippers and the Bobcats. The Clippers, who had a scheduled ABC appearance removed from the schedule in 2007, will presumably appear on ABC some time in the near future.
The Knicks, who will be on ABC this Sunday against the Mavericks, have made only seven appearances on ABC since the network acquired rights — fewer than the Minnesota Timberwolves (8), Indiana Pacers (9), Sacramento Kings (17) and New Jersey Nets (18).
Number of Appearances For Each NBA Team on ABC
Since the network acquired rights to the league in 2002
* Formerly Seattle Supersonics
** Includes regional telecasts
