T
he 2012 NBA Finals begin tonight in Oklahoma City as the Thunder host the Heat. TSN will show every game live in Canada. Coverage will begin an hour before tip with a TSN pregame show from Toronto. TSN will then simulcast ABC’s coverage from 30 minutes before tip (NBA Countdown) through the game. ABC’s commentators are Mike Breen and Jeff van Gundy.
Here is TSN’s press release.
TSN has basketball fans covered for the final round of the NBA Playoffs, as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder battle LeBron James and the Miami Heat for the prestigious Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in the 2012 NBA FINALS. The series tips off tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12) at 8 p.m. ET on TSN, with the network producing a special 30-minute pre-game show before every match-up (see complete broadcast schedule below).
Games are also available live on TSN Mobile TV and on the following Bell Media sports radio stations: TSN Radio Toronto (AM 1050), TSN Radio Montreal(AM 990), Team 1410 in Vancouver and Team 1200 in Ottawa.
TSN’s Rod Black hosts the network’s pre-game NBA FINALS coverage alongside analysts Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins. SPORTSCENTRE’s Jermain Franklin is on site in Oklahoma City and Miami, filing daily reports throughout the series beginning tomorrow. TSN’s flagship sports news and information program also has highlights and reaction after every game.
TSN.ca offers highlights, analysis and reports from the NBA FINALS, as well as Armstrong’s popular basketball blog and a live blog during games. Canada’s industry-leading sports website also features “Ask Jack and Leo” – an interactive fan Q&A component, with Armstrong and Rautins posting video answers to fan questions exclusively on TSN.ca.
This year’s NBA FINALS is the fifth time since 1967 that the NBA’s leading scorer (Durant) and MVP (James) will compete for the league championship. The Miami Heat are making their second straight appearance in the FINALS, with the superstar trio of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh trying to achieve their goal of bringing a championship title back to South Beach. However, the Heat will be in tough against the Oklahoma City Thunder featuring three-time scoring champion Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who was voted the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year.
Here is the complete schedule. Tip times (in Eastern) are listed. TSN’s coverage begins an hour before tip, while ABC’s begins 30 minutes before tip. All games are on TSN and ABC.
Tuesday 6/12, 9:00pm – Game 1 at Oklahoma City
Thursday 6/14, 9:00pm – Game 2 at Oklahoma City
Sunday 6/17, 8:00pm – Game 3 at Miami
Tuesday 6/19, 9:00pm – Game 4 at Miami
Thursday 6/21, 9:00pm – Game 5 at Miami
Sunday 6/24, 8:00pm – Game 6 at Oklahoma City
Tuesday 6/26, 9:00pm – Game 7 at Oklahoma City
A Rouge Point 
An hour pre-game seems a little excessive. Do we really need a “Canadian” take on it, before hearing the exact same stuff from the ABC telecast?
Why not? Better than the umpteenth re-broadcast of the documentaries on Magic Johnson and Divac/Petrovic (as good as both are). Or another broadcast of PTI.
Well, when you put it that way…
So does simsub only apply to channels that are available over the air? I’m really glad that we actually got the ABC feed, as it meant we could see the latest tv spots of upcoming summer blockbusters and not have to endure those awful CTV Believe commercials.
“So does simsub only apply to channels that are available over the air?”
That’s the way simsubs are supposed to work. However, Rogers will simsub Sportsnet & Sportsnet One over top of an American OTA feed which is showing the same game. Bell TV will do the same thing with TSN & TSN2. This shouldn’t be allowed to happen but for some reason the CRTC allows it to happen.
Too bad there isn’t an international feed like baseball.
I think there is. ESPN produces it as far as I know. Not sure exactly what countries it goes to.