Friday, February 12
T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam (9-11pm)- Kevin Harlan, Kevin McHale, Dwyane Wade, Craig Sager

(Rookie Team: DeJuan Blair, Omri Casspi, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Taj Gibson, James Harden, Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko Sophomore Team: Michael Beasley, Danilo Gallinari, Marc Gasol, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook)

All-Star Slam Dunk-In (Half-Time of Rookie Challenge)- Kevin Harlan, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller

Saturday, February 13th

TNT All-Decade NBA (5-6pm)- Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith
Dunk Defying: Spud and Nate (6-7pm)
H.O.R.S.E. presented by GEICO- Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Chris Webber

NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm (8:30-11pm)

Haier Shooting Stars- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello, Cheryl Miller
Taco Bell Skills Challenge- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello, Cheryl Miller
Foot Locker Three-Point Contest- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller
Sprite Slam Dunk- Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller

Sunday, February 14

NBA Tip-Off (7-8:30pm)- Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith; Matt Winer, Kevin McHale, Chris Webber will appear for a segment
2010 NBA All-Star Game (8:30-11pm)- Marv Albert, Doug Collins, Reggie Miller, David Aldridge, Craig Sager

I wasn't one of them, but a lot of people tuned into the NBA All-Star Game yesterday. In fact, the game was up 6% over last year. Via TNT PR....

TNT's exclusive coverage of the 2009 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday delivered a 4.1 US HH Rating, representing a 6% increase from the prior year, and 6,855,000 Total Viewers, up 8% from last year's telecast, according to Nielsen's Fast Nationals. The West, led by co-MVP's Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, defeated the East Squad 146-119.

The event also delivered ratings growth in Homes (4,665,000), up 8% from last year, as well as key adult demographics, including:

* A18-34 (2,517,000) +10%
* A18-49 (4,033,000) +6%
* A25-54 (3,445,000) +12%

As far as All Star games go, the NBA one is by far the most entertaining, but it's still only about half of what the MLB gets.

The All-Star Game failed to keep my attention once again this year, Shaq-Kobe blah blah blah, but leave it to Craig Sager to dress wild and botch a name or two. This time it was the name of the dance crew Jabbawockeez, and while that was entertaining, not nearly as entertaining as Shaq's dance routine with the troupe....

Went on a little too long, but still very entertaining.

The Rookie Challenge and Youth Game is just about the most boring game on the planet, but this year's contest was actually a bit entertaining. There were less terrible alley-oop attempts, an actual semblance of plays being run, and one Kevin Wayne Durant. Not only is the kid having a ridiculous season (25.6 ppg, 6.7 reb, 2.8 assts), but he set a Rookie-Sophmore record with 46 points tonight.

Here is the dunk that capped the whole performance off, and his interview after the game....

Not only did he beat the previous record, but he crushed it by ten points (Amare Stoudamire - 36). Just an amazing kid, and he's now on the "must watch" list with Lebron, Kobe, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. At least that's my list at the moment.

Oh and by the way, as much as I can't stand Lebron as a player, I have to say he was really good on the mic with Kenny and Kevin Harlan. Now excuse me while I pen my next hate column on the lazy, Cavs' Forward.

What do you get when you combine Jon Barry falling for the confetti bucket trick, Stuart Scott on a putting green, Mike Breen reffing AND Michael Rappaport tripping over the three-point line? Nothing but the highlights from this year's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game!

What a fitting end. Still though, Rappaport tripping over himself and the Jon Barry thing made up for the crappy play. Good times.

I love old clips of Sports broadcasts, and I've been known to spend an hour or so watching random ones on Youtube. Well this clip created by Didn't Draw Iron is even more fun than that. DDI not only used the voice of Dick Stockton on an old 1986 All-Star reel, but he even added in video of current players. Enjoy!

Amazing. This is the most ingenuitive thing I've seen in quite some time. I'm pretty sure that Jameer Nelson didn't get the most votes though. I kid....great work.

Vintage 1980’s Style 2009 NBA All Star Preview Found! (Didn't Draw Iron)

I figured people like different things on different nights during NBA All Star Weekend, so I decided to put together a handy little schedule for you to refer to. Well TNT did, I really just moved things into a more readable format. Either way though, here is your full, three-day NBA ASG schedule....

Friday, February 13th

-T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam (9-11pm)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and LeBron James with Craig Sager reporting

Rookies: Michael Beasley (Miami), Rudy Fernandez (Portland), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Eric Gordon (L.A. Clippers), Brook Lopez (New Jersey), O.J. Mayo (Memphis), Greg Oden (Portland), Derrick Rose (Chicago) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City)

Sophomores: Aaron Brooks (Houston), Wilson Chandler (New York), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), Jeff Green (Oklahoma City), Al Horford (Atlanta), Luis Scola (Houston), Al Thornton (L.A. Clippers), Rodney Stuckey (Detroit) and Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia)

-Inside the NBA (11pm)

-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2009 presented on TNT by Jim Beam (11:30pm)

Saturday, February 14th

-Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai featuring H.O.R.S.E. presented by GEICO (5-7pm)
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber with David Aldridge reporting

Participants: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), Joe Johnson (Atlanta) and O.J. Mayo (Memphis)

-NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Theater (7-8pm)

-NBA Tip-Off (8-8:30pm)

-NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm (8:30-11pm)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello with Cheryl Miller reporting

Haier Shooting Stars
Participants: Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon (San Antonio), Aaron Afflalo, Bill Laimbeer and Katie Smith (Detroit), Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper and Lisa Leslie (L.A. Lakers) and Leandro Barbosa, Dan Majerle and Tangela Smith (Phoenix)

Playstation Skills Challenge
Participants: Devin Harris (New Jersey), Jameer Nelson (Orlando), Tony Parker (San Antonio) and Derrick Rose (Chicago)

Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout
Participants: Mike Bibby (Atlanta), Daequan Cook (Miami), Danny Granger (Indiana), Jason Kapono (Toronto), Rashard Lewis (Orlando) and Roger Mason (San Antonio)

Sprite Slam Dunk
Participants: Rudy Fernandez (Portland), Dwight Howard (Orlando), Nate Robinson (New York) and J.R. Smith (Denver)

Sunday, February 15th

-NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com (8-8:30pm)
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber

-2009 NBA All-Star Game (8:30-11pm)
Announcers: Marv Albert, Doug Collins and Reggie Miller with Craig Sager reporting

Eastern Conference Starters: Kevin Garnett (Boston), Dwight Howard (Orlando), Allen Iverson (Detroit), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Dwyane Wade (Miami)

Western Conference Starters: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Yao Ming (Houston), Chris Paul (New Orleans) and Amar’e Stoudemire (Phoenix)

-2009 NBA All-Star Game Encore (11pm-1:30am)

So not only was TNT hip enough to throw H-O-R-S-E into the mix for the ASG, they are now getting into the IPhone App business. TNT has teamed up with Apple to provide a $.99 application so those on the go can watch the game. Via TNT....

As the NBA All-Stars align and prepare to rise up in Phoenix, Turner Sports announced today that for the first time ever unique camera angles providing specialized coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented on TNT by State Farm and the 2009 NBA All-Star Game will be available via a new application on the Apple App Store, as well as on TNT OverTime Extra on NBA.com, which will integrate a real-time feed of Facebook® status updates.

Fans can log on to NBA.com to view TNT OverTime Extra, an online mosaic player that will feature four live streaming camera angles for both the Saturday (Feb. 14) and Sunday (Feb. 15) night events . By logging in through Facebook® Connect on the mosaic, Facebook® users can update their status directly as they watch live camera angles (see attached photo). Additionally, the wireless NBA.com All-Star Live application, will be available for $0.99 cents from Apple’s App Store (http://www.apple.com/iphone/appstore/) for fans to watch all four live angles on their mobile device (see attached photo).

I'm all for technology, but a lot of the recent ideas from networks and leagues have been rather pointless. This however is an excellent idea, especially with the number of IPhone users out there. If I had one, I'd definitely pay $.99 so I could watch the festivities.

I'm still bitter about TNT changing the name of H-O-R-S-E to G-E-I-C-O, but at least they and the NBA put together a pretty good field to participate in the contest. Instead of four people playing the game, there will be three, and of here they are....

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)

Each player will have 24 seconds to complete their turn, and there will be no dunking allowed (good thing for Johnson). I'm also hoping that they are allowed to use the set that TNT is broadcasting from, and Kenny Smith as props. Oh and if someone doesn't try a bounce shot....I'll be very disappointed.

I'm personally thinking that Joe Johnson is the favorite because of his outside shot, but with the way Durant has been playing this year, he could challenge him. Should be fun.

ESPN puts this event on every year, and if you have some time on Friday night, I beg of you to check it out. Not for the Basketball, but rather the unintentional comedy that the game provides. Every year something crazy happens, like T.O. dunking or Reggie Bush almost blowing out his knee, and some random TV star is bound to airball a layup. It's really a blast!

Not only that, but ESPN is even giving you an added bonus. Former referee, and current ABC/ESPN play-by-play man, Mike Breen will be your zebra for the game! Here are some of the celebrities from the NBA's official press release....

Basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins join actor/comedian Chris Tucker, Desperate Housewives' James Denton, and Scrubs' Donald Faison along with other stars of Hollywood, music and sports in the McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, Feb. 13, in association with 2K Sports, Cisco and T-Mobile USA. The game will be televised live on ESPN (7 p.m. ET) from Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

Basketball Hall of Famers Magic Johnson (ESPN analyst) and "Dr. J" Julius Erving, who combined for 23 NBA All-Star appearances and who each earned two All-Star Game MVPs, will serve as coaches for the star-studded teams. Other celebrities-turned-hoopsters competing include Dallas Cowboys All-Pro receiver and Terrell Owens (last year's Celebrity MVP), Chuck's Zach Levi, and Prison Break's Michael Rapaport.

To add pro hoops firepower, NBA legends Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins, who combined for 19 NBA All-Star appearances, will compete with former Phoenix Suns All-Star Dan Majerle, three-time NBA champion Rick Fox, and WNBA stars Lisa Leslie of the L.A. Sparks and Kara Lawson of the Sacramento Monarchs, as well as Harlem Globetrotters "Wildkat" Edgerson, "Special K" Daley, "Scooter" Christensen and "Handles" Franklin.

Mark Jones and Jon Barry will be on the call for the game at 7pm this Friday, and again, I urge you to at least record the game and watch it later. You won't regret it.

Here is your announcing schedule for the NBA this week, complete with NBA All-Star festivity schedule and announcers....

Monday, February 9th

Phoenix Suns at Philadelphia 76ers (NBATV, 7pm)- Marc Zumoff, Steve Mix

Tuesday, February 10th

Fan Night Matchup: Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat (NBA TV, 7:30pm)- Eric Reid, Tony Fiorentino

Thursday, February 12th

Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (TNT, 8pm)- Dick Stockton, Mike Fratello, David Aldridge
Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks (TNT, 10:30pm)- Marv Albert, Doug Collins, Reggie Miller, Cheryl Miller

Friday, February 13th

McDonald's Celebrity Game (ESPN, 7pm)- Mark Jones, Jon Barry
T-Mobile Rookie Challenge (TNT, 9pm)- Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith, LeBron James, Craig Sager

Saturday, February 14th

NBA All-Star Saturday Night:

Haier Shooting Stars (8pm)- Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller
Playstation Skills Challenge- Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller
Foot Locker 3-Point Shootout- Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest- Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith, Cheryl Miller

Sunday, February 15th

NBA All-Star Game (TNT, 8pm)- Marv Albert, Doug Collins, Reggie Miller

Ugh. First Cuts, gives us more background on the new the H-O-R-S-E competition TNT is putting on during All-Star Saturday, and it's not good news. Instead of going with the standard name of the game, or even putting a sponsor in front of it, TNT is completely changing the name of the contest from H-O-R-S-E to G-E-I-C-O. From USA Today via FC....

So it shouldn't surprise — especially as all sports are scrambling to find new places to hang "for sale" signs given the current economy — that the NBA's first H-O-R-S-E contest won't use those letters.

As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT's NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants — who'll be overseen by an NBA ref — will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event's unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.)

I understand the need to get a sponsor for every competition, but that's just a bit annoying. Couldn't they have done what they do to every other event and just call it the Geico H-O-R-S-E contest? Either way though, that setup pictured above is pretty badass. If someone doesn't take a shot from that raised platform where EJ, Kenny and C-Webb are, they should be banned from ever competing again.

NBA Players To Play 'G-E-I-C-O' Not 'H-O-R-S-E' (First Cuts)
Missed shot gets you letter, ad bucks (USA Today)

Bill Simmons' dream of H-O-R-S-E being added to the NBA All-Star Game are finally coming true! But wait....there's a catch. The event won't be featured with the Dunk and 3-Point contests, but rather during an episode of Inside the NBA, two hours before TNT's Saturday night. Via TNT PR....

The game will take place on a 45' X 50’ court alongside the network's new NBA on TNT Rig (photo attached) at the NBA All-Star Block Party presented by Right Guard, the NBA's new outdoor All-Star event. The NBA on TNT Rig will also serve as the host set for other studio shows on TNT and NBA TV throughout the weekend. The rig can rise up to 14 feet off the ground and rotate to show views of the arena, downtown area and NBA All-Star Block Party presented by Right Guard, can seat up to 117 guests and will be open to the public on select days. Calling the action from the rig will be Ernie Johnson, along with analysts Kenny Smith and Chris Webber.

The game will use a traditional format in which three players will establish the playing order. Once a shot is made, the next player in the predetermined order will attempt the same shot. If that player misses, he is assigned a letter (ex. H for the first miss, O for the second, etc.). The player following the miss can pick a new shot with which to challenge his competitors. There is no dunking allowed and players will have 24 seconds each to create and mimic shots. Players remain in the game until they have missed five shots following made baskets, thus spelling the word H-O-R-S-E. An NBA referee will be assigned to authenticate the new shots (that the player executed what he announced) and any mimic shot.

The participants have yet to be named, but this certainly has a lot of potential. If Gilbert Arenas wasn't injured, I think he would be a shoe-in as a participant, but alas he probably won't be involved this year. The possibilities are endless though, and you could even get legends involved in the game. I would pay good money to see Jordan, Magic and Bird, playing H-O-R-S-E!

No, he's not giving up on Basketball, or joining the Browns full-time, but King James will be an analyst for TNT during their coverage of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. James will be working along side Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager for the game. Via TNT PR....

Perennial NBA All-Star LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a participant in the 2004 and 2005 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, will join TNT’s Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) as part of the network’s telecast of the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. ET. The Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai will follow the game live from U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2009 All-Star Game from Phoenix, AZ will air on Sun., February 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Great job by TNT pairing him with Kevin Harlan, and hopefully we can get Lebron's version of Harlan's famous "No Regard For Human Life!" call. As far as the game, it should be a pretty good one. The Rookies actually look like they could end the Sophmores' 6-game winning streak, and as an added bonus, you get Dwight Howard (Sophs) and Dwyane Wade (Rooks) as coaches. Here are the rosters in case you missed their unveiling yesterday....

Rookies: Michael Beasley (Heat), Rudy Fernandez (Trail Blazers), Marc Gasol (Grizzlies), Eric Gordon (Clippers), Brook Lopez (Nets), O.J. Mayo (Grizzlies), Greg Oden (Trail Blazers), Derrick Rose (Bulls), Russell Westbrook (Thunder)

Sophmores: Aaron Brooks (Rockets), Wilson Chandler (Knicks), Kevin Durant (Thunder), Jeff Green (Thunder), Al Horford (Hawks), Luis Scola (Rockets), Al Thornton (Clippers), Rodney Stuckey (Pistons), Thaddeus Young (Sixers)

There are a lot of "Internet Campaigns" out there these days, especially in the NBA. A lot of them are pretty boring, and re-treads of other people's ideas, but one I'm in full support of is "See Joe Dunk". The Bucks' Joe Alexander is trying to get into the dunk contest, and has been posting various vids on YouTube trying to gain support. Here's a taste with one called "Cookies"....

Good stuff, but in all honesty, all Joe needs to do is show them this clip from the Big East Tournament last year and he's in....

Well I was thinking for a few moments that this 3-D thing was just a fad, but after glowing reviews from the Thursday Night Football game last week, it appears networks are going all-in on the technology. So much so that Turner Sports is planning on providing the NBA All Star Game in 3-D to approximately 35 states, 80 theaters in those states, and on 160 screens, this February. Via Turner PR....

Turner Sports, The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. today announced that they will team up to broadcast TNT’s coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night in Live 3D to 80 digitally-equipped theaters across the United States. The announcement represents the first-ever fully marketed deal to deliver an NBA sporting event to the public in Live 3D. The Live 3D HD event will be shown on a nationwide basis and continues to expand the league’s groundbreaking efforts in 3D HD.

Overall, the live 3D HD event will be shown on up to 160 screens in Carmike Cinemas, Celebration Cinemas, Cinema West, Emagine, Galaxy Theatres, Marquee Cinemas, MJR, NCG, Rave Motion Pictures, Showcase and UltraStar Cinema locations, and will serve fans in 35 states across the country

The 24th annual NBA All-Star Saturday Night broadcast, expected to be one of the year’s most watched sporting events, is scheduled to air on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 8 pm ET on TNT. NBA All-Star Saturday Night on TNT last year was the most watched in the event’s 23 year history, enjoying increases in households and significant growth in all key demographics.

The first I heard about the technology was following an extremely limited screening at last year's ASG, and the reviews then were tremendous as well. Something on this scale though could end up blowing up in Turner's collective face. I think the idea on a whole is a good one, but with not many people knowing about 3-D Sports (or where the heck a Cinedigm Digital Cinema is), there could be a good bit of empty seats come February 14th.

After this video, I think I'm changing my stance on the whole Bill Simmons' "H-O-R-S-E at the NBA All-Star Game" idea because it's boring it's boring as hell to watch people play the game. Buuuuut the video definitely still has it's moments. If you wait until the end you get the "Awkward White Dude Backflip, Off The Backboard Oop To Lebron" moment. Here's some background on the event I mentioned in the Lebron rap post below. Via SI....

James was on an outdoor court at Venice Beach to take on David Kalb in a shooting game, mostly of trick shots, although James' outside shooting touch was way off. At one point, he grinned and said, "That wind."

Kalb won the matchup with James in an online contest, "LeBron's Trick Shot Challenge sponsored by Cub Cadet."

Kalb's bag of trick shots including one where he bounced the ball very high in the lane, raced around the goal post, caught the ball as it came down, and tossed it in the basket. James missed his try, and after losing the first game, declared best two-of-three. Each made, among other shots, left-handed free throws, but Kalb went on to win the second game as well.

After he missed his final shot, James tossed the ball away in mock anger.

Here's the video via TBL, but like I said above.... eight minutes of watching people play H-O-R-S-E is like a level of hell. Well, if you're like me, you might also get enjoyment out of Lebron missing about 40 jumpers with no one covering him, but other than that....hell. Enjoy!



LeBron gets S-M-O-K-E-D (SI.com)
Unassuming, Bald, Crafty 26-year-old Kid From Ohio Destroys LeBron in H-O-R-S-E (*VIDEO) (The Big Lead)

It must be schedule release day today. I'm pretty sure this is a sign that the slow summer is over and thank goodness for that right? Football is almost back and now we have our first look at the television schedules for the upcoming NBA season in August. Hey why not? October is right around the corner. TNT is up first, but ESPN/ABC's will follow this post.

TNT's got a total of 53 games for you this year including doubleheaders on Thanksgiving and Christmas and a tripleheader on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It looks like the winner of the Thursday Night lottery this year are the Cavs, Lakers and Suns with ten appearances each. The Celtics are a close second with a total of nine games on the network including the opener on October 28th which will also include their Championship Ring Ceremony. The biggest surprises in the schedule are Portland getting eight games (not a bad thing though), and the Hornets only receiving a total of three.

Here's the rest and feel free to pick it apart in the comments....

Tuesday, October 28

NBA Tip-Off ’08 – Celtics Ring Ceremony (7pm)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (8pm)
Portland Trailblazers at LA Lakers (10:30pm)

Thursday, October 30

Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks (8pm)
New Orleans Hornets at Phoenix Suns (10:30pm)

Thursday, November 6

Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic (8pm)
Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30pm)

Thursday, November 13

Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers (7pm)
Dallas Mavericks at Chicago Bulls (9:30pm)

Thursday, November 20

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (8pm)
L.A. Lakers at Phoenix Suns (10:30pm)

Thursday, November 27

Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards (8pm)
New Orleans Hornets at Denver Nuggets (10:30pm)

Thursday, December 4

Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks (8pm)
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (10:30pm)

Thursday, December 11

Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (8pm)
Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (10:30pm)

Thursday, December 18

San Antonio Spurs at Orlando Magic (8pm)
Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30pm)

Thursday, December 25

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (8pm)
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers (10:30pm)

Thursday, January 15

Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls (8pm)
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets (10:30pm)

Monday, January 19

Detroit Pistons at Memphis Grizzlies (5:30pm)
Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics (8pm)
Cleveland Cavaliers at L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

Thursday, January 22

Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic (8pm)
Washington Wizards at L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

Thursday, January 29

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (8pm)
San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns (10:30pm)

Thursday, February 5

L.A. Lakers @ Boston Celtics (8pm)
Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz (10:30pm)

Thursday, February 12

Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (7pm)
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks (9:30pm)
________________________

NBA ALL STAR WEEKEND

Friday, February 13

NBA Rookie Challenge

Saturday, February 14

NBA All-Star Saturday (Dunk Contest, 3 Point Shootout, Shooting Stars, Skills)

Sunday, February 15

2009 NBA All-Star Game from Phoenix, Arizona
_________________________

Thursday, February 19

San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons (8pm)
Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz (10:30pm)

Thursday, February 26

Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets (8pm)
Phoenix Suns at L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

Thursday, March 5

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets (8pm)
Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets (10:30pm)

Thursday, March 12

L.A. Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (8pm)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns (10:30pm)

Thursday, March 19

Portland Trail Blazers at Cleveland Cavaliers (8pm)
Golden State Warriors at L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

Tuesday, March 24

Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls (8pm)
Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz (10:30pm)

Thursday, March 26

Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (8pm)
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers (10:30pm)

Thursday, April 2

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Washington Wizards (8pm)
Utah Jazz @ Denver Nuggets (10:30pm)

Thursday, April 9

Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls (8pm)
Denver Nuggets @ L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

Thursday, April 14

Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers (8pm)
Utah Jazz @ L.A. Lakers (10:30pm)

(ESPN/ABC's schedule is up next)

If you haven't been reading NBA D-Leaguer Rod Benson's Blog on Yahoo Sports then there's no better time to catch up then now. It's Monday and I know you're bored. His column is a must read and his post this past Friday about the D-League ASG and Bill Simmons was no different.

He [Bill Simmons] knew my name already? Hell yea! After that, the confused look went away. We spent the next 30 minutes just talking about the D-League and the NBA while watching the H.O.R.S.E. and 3-point competitions. Guy is solid, real solid. I gotta be honest, if The Sports Guy knows my name, I must be doing something right. I'm gonna start big timing people, it's the obvious next step. I can see it now ...

"Look, Tyra, I already told you, I don't just give out my number. If you wanna hook up have your people call my people and we'll try to pencil you in. Gotta be honest though, Halle and Jenna have this weekend locked up and you know how wild Halle gets."

Ha, I'm not entirely sure which Jenna he's referring to but I hope it's not this one. Not only can Mr. Simmons meet up with Isiah Thomas and Gus Johnson in Vegas, but he can hook you up with Porn Stars. Now that's a talent I'd like to have.

Celebrity game, Shaq and the Sports Guy (Yahoo Sports: Too Much Rod Benson)

(P.S.- Bill, if you're reading can you please provide the Internet with more pictures of you. I think I've used the one about about 40 times now. Thx Bai!)

Now with less 2004 Stats! I somehow managed to post a report from 2004 the other day that the NBA ASG tied a record low. If you missed it...well then good, but in the end it was actually worse than 2004....it got the worst ratings ever.

According to the numbers I posted on Monday, the low for the game was back in 2001 with NBC drawing a 5.1 national household rating. Well what was this past Sunday's number you ask?

4.5

Not only is that the lowest it's ever been but it's down 11.8% from last year, AND it's gone down every single year that TNT has carried the game. Here are the numbers from the past 6 years....

'08 New Orleans- 4.5/6,334,000
'07 Las Vegas- 5.1/6,843,000
'06 Houston- 5.2/7,070,000
'05 Denver- 6.0/8,082,000
'04 Los Angeles- 6.2/8,190,000
'03 Atlanta- 8.2/10,829,000

Wow that's bad, but get this. Via Bob Wolfley in Milwaukee...

On Feb. 10, the National Football League's Pro Bowl on WITI-TV (Channel 6) had an audience almost 2½ times the size of the NBA game. The Pro Bowl had a rating of 10.7, or 95,337 households.

Even adding the audience for both of those games together does not match the audience for major-league baseball's 2007 All-Star Game on Channel 6. The rating for that contest was 16.1, or 142,163 households.

Cable is obviously not a good place for an All Star Game to reside. It could have been that it ended near midnight on a Sunday, or that Kobe wasn't playing, but for some reason people just don't tune into the game on TNT. With the Finals ratings in the 6's last year it might not be a bad idea for Stern to look for expansion opportunities in Europe.

Area dims out NBA stars (JS Online)
Weekend Tube Review: Daytona 500 > All-Star Game (The Sporting Blog)

(Numbers via Sports Business Daily)