The NBA on CBS
Encyclopedia
The NBA on CBS was a weekly presentation of National Basketball Association
games on CBS Sports
. The NBA on CBS ran from the 1973–1974 NBA season
(when CBS succeeded ABC Sports as the national broadcaster of the NBA) until the 1989-90 NBA season
(when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports).
in instant replays. Regular features included a pregame show that consisted of mini-teams of celebrities and active and former NBA players competing against each other, and a halftime show called Horse.
The NBA eventually took notice of the criticisms and managed to persuade CBS to eliminate its original halftime show. In its place, came human-interest shows about the players (similar to the ones seen on the NFL Today
program on CBS). There also was a possibility that CBS would start televising a single national game on Sunday afternoons.
Other adjustments that CBS made in hopes of improving their coverage included hiring reporter Sonny Hill
to cover the league on a full-time basis. CBS also put microphones and cameras on team huddles to allow viewers to see and hear coaches at work. Finally, CBS introduced a halftime segment called Red Auerbach
on Roundball, featuring the Hall of Fame
Boston Celtics
coach. The segment intended to not only educate CBS' viewers about the complexities of the pro game, but also to teach young players how to improve their skills. They also subtly introduced audiences to an all-star team
based on Auerbach's criteria such as screening and passing.
, the NBA's first after the ABA-NBA merger
brought the American Basketball Association
into the league, CBS held a slam dunk contest that ran during halftime of the Game of the Week telecasts. Don Criqui
was the host of this particular competition. The final, which pitted Larry McNeill
of the Golden State Warriors
against eventual winner Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman
of the Indiana Pacers
, took place during the 1977 NBA Finals
. CBS, anxious for star power, gave big names of that era (Julius Erving
, George Gervin
, and David Thompson
) the opportunity to be eliminated three times.
–1979
CBS aired all NBA Finals
games live
(usually during the afternoon). Starting in 1982
, CBS resumed live coverage of all NBA Finals games. During this era, CBS aired weeknight playoff games from earlier rounds on tape delay at 11:30 pm Eastern Time (airing games live when the game site was in the Pacific Time Zone). CBS continued this practice until at least the mid-1980s.
CBS didn't want sportscasters to give the final score on the 11 pm/10 p.m. newscasts. They preferred the games to not be over by that time if they were going to be aired on tape later that night. Most CBS games were either 8:30 pm or 9 pm local starts. For instance, CBS aired Games 1–3 of the 1981 Western Conference Finals
(between the Houston Rockets
and Kansas City Kings
). Ironically, CBS featured both Western teams finished the regular season
with a record 40–42 instead of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics
and Philadelphia 76ers
(both teams finished with a 60–22 record).
1986
was the last year that CBS ever aired an NBA playoff game on tape delay. It was Game 3 (on Friday, May 16) of the playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers
and Houston Rockets
. The game aired at 11:30 pm after having a 9:30 pm tip.
The 1976 NBA Finals
had three straight off days between Sunday afternoon opener and Thursday night second game due to CBS' concern with low ratings
for professional basketball. The 1975–76 network television season (as well as May sweeps) ended after Wednesday, May 26 (with weekend afternoon games not factored into the prime-time ratings). Accordingly, CBS allowed Game 1 to be played on Sunday afternoon, since the ratings would not count, but would not permit Game 2 to be played live
in prime time unless the NBA waited until Thursday evening.
For Game 3 of the Finals, CBS forced the NBA to start the game in Phoenix
at 10:30 am local time (1:30 pm EDT) on a Sunday morning. This was done in order to accommodate a golf telecast that afternoon. Many local clergymen were outraged, as attendance at Sunday church services was drastically reduced that day.
By 1977
, CBS' NBA schedule was composed of six regionalized telecasts on Sundays. Not only that, CBS would run one national game if they felt that match-up itself warranted national coverage. CBS also could stage doubleheaders and switch from a one-sided game to a close one. During this period, CBS stopped doing any pre-NBA Finals prime time games. They, instead started airing several West Coast
games at 11:30 pm ET.
For most of the early years, the NBA tried to assist CBS by allowing the network to choose any game it wanted to broadcast. But too often, it was small market teams like the Portland Trail Blazers
that were in the playoffs or won the championship.
CBS wanted the NBA to start Game 6 of the Finals
at 10:30 local time on Sunday morning to accommodate a golf telecast
of the Kemper Open (similar to 1976). This time, the NBA refused and CBS agreed to a noon start in Portland
. Despite the fact that this was the Finals' clinching game, CBS cut away from their NBA coverage very quickly after the game ended, skipping the trophy presentation in the Portland locker room to instead televise the golf tournament.
By 1978, NBC
aired Saturday afternoon college basketball games, CBS aired NBA doubleheaders on Sunday afternoons, and most independent stations aired local professional and college games. CBS started to fear that their ratings suffered as a result of too much basketball being on television at once. So as an experiment of sorts, CBS aired the first two games of the Conference Finals
at 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.
In 1979
, Games 2 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals were televised live, while Game 7 was broadcast on tape delay. Games 3 and 6 of the Western Conference Finals aired live, while Games 2, 5 and 7 were televised via tape delay. Games 6 and 7 of the 1979 NBA Finals
would have been televised live (at 3:30 pm on a Sunday and then 9:00 pm on the following Tuesday), but were unnecessary.
By 1979–1980
, CBS' NBA ratings
had bottomed. In 1980, CBS' regular season rating
was a 6.4. By this time, they had eliminated their regional coverage and only used two play-by-play men (Brent Musburger
and Gary Bender
) and three color commentators (Bill Russell
and Rod Hundley
, who teamed with Musburger and Rick Barry
, who teamed with Bender) CBS felt that wasn't worth it to them to pre-empt their Friday night lineup (the smash hit Dallas
in particular) during May sweeps to show an NBA Finals game. The consensus was that a basketball game in prime time would have drawn fewer viewers. As a result, CBS used to regularly run NBA games in the 11:30 p.m. time slot (then occupied by The CBS Late Movie
). For the 1980
and 1981 NBA Finals
, CBS scheduled Games 3 and 4 on back-to-back days (Saturday and Sunday) to avoid an extra tape delay game.
When it came time for CBS to broadcast Game 6 (on Friday, May 16) of the 1980 Finals, they gave their affiliates (in fact, WAGA-TV
in Atlanta didn't carry the NBA on CBS for numerous years) the option of either airing the game live or on tape delay. If the affiliate choice to air the game later that night, then prime time viewing would consist of reruns of The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard
, and Dallas. Game 6 (the clincher) of the 1980 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
and Philadelphia 76ers
was most notably, aired live in the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle markets; the latter three could air the game live and still show most of the CBS prime time schedule since the game tipped at 6 pm Pacific Time. Otherwise, most CBS affiliates chose to air Game 6 on tape delay.
The reason for this scheduling dilemma was the fact that the NBA had opted to start the regular season earlier. Starting in the mid-1970s, the NBA had pushed back the start of the regular season, resulting the regular season ending later and later (e.g., April 6 in 1975
, April 11 in 1976
). Prior to that, the regular seasons had always ended in late March. For 1979–1980
and 1980–1981
, the NBA reverted to the earlier practice, with the season ending on Sunday, March 30, 1980 and Sunday, March 29, 1981, respectively. That meant that the Finals in those years began in the first week of May rather than the end of May, and thus the weeknight games were played during May ratings sweeps. Consequently, West Coast
weeknight games started at 8:30 pm Pacific Time, which was 11:30 pm in the East. Those games could be shown live. But non-West Coast weeknight games required tape-delay, to be shown at 11:30 pm
The 1980–1981 season
was arguably the rock bottom point of the tape delay era for CBS. CBS aired four of the six Finals
games on tape delay and six of nine during the Conference Finals
. Just like the previous year, CBS scheduled Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals without an off day to avoid yet another tape delay game. CBS wanted the Pacific teams
to advance in the playoffs
so that they could show live games at 11:30 pm on the East Coast
; however, the Los Angeles Lakers
and Portland Trail Blazers
were upset in Round 1, while the Phoenix Suns
were upset in Round 2. This left two teams playing in the Central Time Zone—the Houston Rockets
and Kansas City Kings in the Western Conference Finals.
The NBA responded to CBS' actions by returning to a schedule that started later --- usually the last weekend in October --- and ended in mid- to late-April, resulting in the NBA Finals ending after sweeps. The NBA had experimented in 1979–1980
and 1980–1981
with ending the regular season at the end of March, thereby ensuring that the Finals were played in early to mid-May; starting in 1981–1982
, a late April regular season finale was held, resulting in the finals starting in late May and stretching into June. For example, while the 1980 Finals were slated for May 4–18 if they went seven games, and the 1981 Finals for May 5–17, the 1982 Finals were scheduled for May 27 – June 10.
While CBS would stop using tape delay after the 1981 NBA Finals
, many first round playoff games were not nationally televised (a practice that didn't begin until 1995
). During this era, CBS typically provided regional coverage of two games in a late Sunday afternoon time slot during the first three weekends of the playoffs. In 1986
, CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conferences Finals and Western Conference Finals games on May 18. This would be the last time that any NBA Conference Finals game was not nationally televised.
During the 1980s, CBS showed a mixture of NBA and college basketball
during the regular season. Each March, CBS would essentially put their NBA coverage on hold during the NCAA Tournament. CBS typically showed a few regular season NBA games in the weeks after the NFL season
ended, before March Madness, and several weekends leading into the playoffs
.
In the 1982–83 season
, CBS greatly reduced the number of regular season broadcasts from 18 to four. The rationale was that cable television (namely, the USA Network
and ESPN) was carrying a large number of regular season games (at least 40 each). In return, CBS executives believed that the public was being oversaturated with NBA coverage.
For the 1983–84 season
, CBS would televise just ten (out of 170 nationally) regular season games. Meanwhile, CBS televised about 16 playoff
games.
In 1984, CBS Sports
' Lesley Visser
(wife of lead NBA on CBS play-by-play man Dick Stockton
) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals
.
On May 12, 1985, during halftime of the Boston Celtics
/Philadelphia 76ers
playoff game
, CBS televised the first ever NBA Draft Lottery
.
1986 was the last time CBS ever aired an NBA playoff
game on tape delay. It was on May 16, 1986, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
and Houston Rockets
. The game aired on 11:30 pm following a 9:30 pm tip. Also in 1986, CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals games on May 18. As previously mentioned, this was the last time that any NBA Conference Finals game was not nationally televised.
In 1987
, CBS provided prime time coverage for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This marked CBS' first pre-Finals prime time playoff telecast since 1975
. CBS was able to do this because the NBA decided to push the Finals back from late May until early June. With the Finals starting a week later, the awkward long pauses between Games 1 and 2 were no longer required. Thus instead of Game 2 of the Finals being shown on the first night after sweeps ended, CBS could show Game 6 of the Conference Finals.
By the late 1980s, CBS was telecasting 15–16 regular season games a year. In 1989
alone, only 13 of the 24 playoff games (Games 1–3 to be exact) in Round 1 appeared on TBS
or CBS
. For example, none of the four games from the Seattle-Houston first round series appeared on national television.
Another interesting fact is that Game 5 of the 1989 playoff series
between Chicago
and Cleveland
(featuring Michael Jordan
's now famous game winning, last second shot
over Craig Ehlo
) wasn't nationally televised. For instance, CBS affiliates in Virginia elected to show the first game of a second round series between Seattle and the Lakers
.
Meanwhile, many CBS affiliates on the West Coast
such as Los Angeles
and San Francisco
got a chance to see at least a portion of the Chicago-Cleveland game. In Los Angeles, the hometown Lakers finished their game (started at the same time as the Chicago-Cleveland game) just in time for CBS to switch to Chicago-Cleveland, where, as it happened, Jordan made his game winner. The Portland Oregonian criticized CBS for its decision to show the Game 1 of the second round Seattle-Lakers
series in Portland
rather than that game. Further, CBS only broadcast the fifth game of the first round series between Atlanta and Milwaukee nationally. The nationally televised Atlanta-Milwaukee game went on the air at 1:00 pm Eastern Time while the regionally televised Chicago-Cleveland and Seattle/L.A. Lakers games went on the air at 3:30 pm Eastern Time.
Perhaps even more confusing, both Game 5 sites (Chicago at Cleveland
and Milwaukee at Atlanta
) were in the Eastern Time Zone
, so differing local start times were not a factor. Previously, CBS aired Game 2 of the Chicago-Cleveland series nationally while relegating Game 2 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series to TBS. CBS used its number one announcing team, Dick Stockton
and Hubie Brown
to call the latter game.
to 1987
. During this period, CBS' NBA coverage was the beneficiary of a new era in the league that would forever link two of the game's greatest players, Larry Bird
and Magic Johnson
. Bird and Johnson entered the NBA (coming off of playing against each other in the highest rated
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship of all time), playing for the Boston Celtics
and Los Angeles Lakers
, respectively. The Lakers
and Celtics
, two iconic teams in large television markets, rose to prominence during the period; many credit the theatrics of Bird and Johnson to boosting the overall popularity of the NBA (especially during the tape delay era of NBA telecasts). Within three years of Johnson and Bird entering the league, the NBA had a weekly Game of the Week on CBS, and ratings
for Finals games approached World Series
levels.
Prior to the Bird/Magic era, CBS used to televise approximately five to seven games regionally per week in a doubleheader format (1:45 pm and 4 pm ET) on Sundays. ratings
for regional were far outdrawn by NBC's college basketball coverage
and ABC
's Superstars
program. After ratings bottomed out in 1980
and 1981
, coinciding with CBS airing tape delayed coverage, the network decided to scrap the regional telecasts. In its place CBS sold the marquee players and teams (i.e. Julius Erving
and the Philadelphia 76ers
, Larry Bird
and the Boston Celtics
, Magic Johnson
and the Los Angeles Lakers
, etc.) for a "Game of the Week" broadcast.
.
In 1976
, CBS' regular season ratings earned an abysmal 26 share on Sunday afternoons. In 1978, the deciding game of the NBA Finals
ranked 442nd out of 730 shows from September 1, 1977 to August 31, 1978. The next highest rated playoff
game in prime time only ranked 619th.
CBS' NBA ratings were also extremely low during the early part of the eighties. In 1980
, the 26 share from 1976 had fallen to 18 percent. Ratings fell to a level where, as mentioned before, CBS began airing games in tape delay. The 1981 NBA Finals
set the standard for futility, with a 6.7 average rating. The mark was the lowest in NBA history, until the 2003 NBA Finals
averaged a 6.5 on ABC.
With the rebirth of the Lakers–Celtics rivalry, ratings improved, especially in the three NBA Finals the two teams played in. In-between 1981
–1983
CBS' ratings rose 12 percent. CBS' highest rated NBA game (and the only NBA game that scored a 20 plus rating for the network) was Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals
between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons
. By the end of its coverage, CBS' NBA ratings had been mostly respectable, with the lowest rated Final after 1982
scoring a 12.3 (three times). That mark is higher than any NBA Final since 1998
.
to its final year in 1990
, CBS paid about US$47 million per year for their NBA coverage. The final NBA game that CBS televised to date occurred on June 14, 1990. It was Game 5 of the NBA Finals
between the Detroit Pistons
and Portland Trail Blazers
. The Pistons won the game 92–90 to clinch their second consecutive World Championship. As the soundtrack for their goodbye montage, CBS used "The Last Waltz" by The Band
and Marvin Gaye
's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner
" from the 1983 NBA All-Star Game
. So after 17 years, an era at CBS Sports
as well as the National Basketball Association
had come to an end. While the network broadcast all five NBA Finals involving Larry Bird
, all four NBA Finals involving Julius Erving
, nine of the ten NBA Finals involving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
, and eight of the nine NBA Finals involving Magic Johnson
(with the exception of 1991
, which was Magic Johnson's last and the first to be broadcast by NBC), it never broadcast a Final involving Michael Jordan
.
It remains possible that CBS could land some sort of NBA coverage in the future, even co-existing with ABC as an over-the-air partner (but likely airing games on different days from each other if such happens). Since CBS Sports now co-produces its NCAA March Madness
coverage
with Turner Sports
, which is the other current broadcast partner of the NBA, CBS and Turner might also join together for any future NBA coverage on the former, even using TNT's current NBA theme (March Madness games on CBS and Turner networks also share the longtime CBS college basketball theme).
to 1989
, and was the lead voice for NBA games on CBS for much of that period. From 1975
to 1980
, Musburger worked with a variety of analysts
for regular season games (including Billy Cunningham
, Mendy Rudolph
, Rod Hundley
, Oscar Robertson
, Steve Jones
, Tom Heinsohn, and Rick Barry
). Musburger called Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
, with Rick Barry
and sideline reporters Mendy Rudolph
and Sonny Hill
. In 1989
, he and Bill Raftery
were the number two team on playoff games
, working the Western Conference Final games that were broadcast on CBS. In 2004
, Musburger and Raftery worked NBA playoff games on ESPN.
was the lead voice of the NBA on CBS from 1981
to 1990
. After CBS failed in an attempt to compete with the NBC
college basketball
announcing team of Dick Enberg
, Billy Packer
and Al McGuire
with Gary Bender
(who was subsequently "promoted" to a play-by-play position on CBS' newly acquired college basketball package), Rick Barry
and Bill Russell
, Stockton became the voice of the NBA. Working with Tom Heinsohn (who was criticized by the media and viewers for being too biased to the Boston Celtics
, a team he once played for and later coached) from 1983
to 1987
, Stockton called some of the most memorable NBA Finals in league history. In 1984
, 1985
and 1987
, the Los Angeles Lakers
and Boston Celtics
played each other in the NBA Finals, and Stockton's broadcasts became the then-highest rated
in NBA history. Stockton would call the NBA Finals through the rest of the 1980s and in 1990
as well, working the 1988 NBA Finals
with Billy Cunningham
and the 1989
and 1990 NBA Finals
with Hubie Brown
(after Cunningham left CBS Sports
to accept a management job with the new Miami Heat
).
was an analyst for several years, mainly in the 1970s and early 1980s. Elgin Baylor
was an analyst during CBS' inaugural year in 1973–1974
, and was fired during that year's playoffs due to what CBS considered a lackluster performance. He was replaced by another NBA great, Rick Barry
, who held a fairly consistent role with CBS through the 1970s and early 1980s, including calling several NBA Finals. Steve "Snapper" Jones
, best known from the NBA on NBC, was part of CBS' broadcast teams, partnering with Don Criqui
in 1975–1976
and 1976–1977
.
During Game 5 of the 1981 NBA Finals
, CBS analyst Rick Barry
made this comment when CBS posted an old photo of colleague Bill Russell
's on the 1956 Olympic team
:
Barry's comments were considered to be racially insensitive and CBS did not renew Barry for the subsequent season
. Russell stayed on with new play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton for two seasons before giving way to former Celtics teammate Tom Heinsohn for the 1983–84 season.
CBS often used the same analysts for both the NBA Playoffs
and NCAA Tournament
. Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham
, and Hubie Brown
all worked NCAA Regionals during years when also serving as the lead NBA analyst for CBS. Billy Packer
worked NBA playoff games in 1987
and 1988
while he was the CBS' lead college basketball
analyst.
During the 1984 NBA Finals
, Lesley Visser
(wife of lead NBA on CBS play-by-play man Dick Stockton
) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals. She joined CBS Sports
part-time in 1984 before joining full-time in 1987. When she was part-time with CBS, she still worked for the Boston Globe, as she had many diverse assignments with the Globe. Visser became the first female NBA beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned to cover the Boston Celtics
. Visser resigned from the Globe in late 1988.
While Brent Musburger
did host most of CBS' NBA Finals pregame and halftime programs, Pat O'Brien
hosted a pregame show during the earlier rounds of the playoffs called The Basketball Show. O'Brien, working with analyst Bill Raftery
, also hosted the The Prudential
At The Half. When Musburger left CBS Sports in April 1990, O'Brien took over the NBA Finals
(the last that CBS did) hosting duties full-time. In 1988
and 1989
, Pat O'Brien filled-in for Brent Musburger (who was busy covering the College World Series
for CBS) as the NBA Finals anchor for Game 2.
1983–1984
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game each year from – with the exception of .
–1976
seasons, the theme music
for the NBA on CBS actually had lyrics. "Last Night" by the Mar-Keys
was used roughly around 1975–76
as the play-by-play announcer would give a preview to the game featured.
Starting in 1977
, CBS used an alternate opening showing a montage of still pictures of current NBA star athletes with music (similar to the music used by the network for its CBS' NFL coverage
at that time) accompanying it. In 1980
, CBS used rotoscoped animation in silhouette of one player shooting a jumpshot and the ball in mid air rolling all the NBA teams as it spun in the air, with disco
-pop
-moog
music behind it. During the 1978–79 season, the music for the highlights was "Chase
", the theme by Giorgio Moroder
for the movie Midnight Express
. The opening guitar and horn riff of the Chicago
hit "Alive Again
" were used for the highlights prior to the opening animation during the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.
By the 1983 NBA Finals
, the opening sequence was set in a primitive computer-generated montage of basketball action inside a virtual arena that looked similar to the Boston Garden
. This opening sequence (which was usually intertwined by a montage of live basketball action complete with narration) was created by Bill Feigenbaum, who also created a similar open for The NFL Today
used around the same time. This opening melody (mostly consisting of an uptempo series of four notes and three bars
each) from 1983
–1988
is generally considered to be the most familiar theme music that The NBA on CBS used.
For the 1989 NBA Finals
, CBS completely revamped the opening montage. The computer-generated imagery (once again set in and around a virtual arena) was made to look more realistic (live-action footage was incorporated in the backdrops). Also, the familiar theme music was rearranged to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact, along the lines of the network's later World Series coverage. Between the 1989 NBA Finals and the 1990 NBA Finals
' intros, there is a slight theme tune revision. The 1989 Finals intro had a lot more of a guitar riff to it. Meanwhile, the 1990 Finals intro carried a little more usage of a trumpet sound.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
games on CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
. The NBA on CBS ran from the 1973–1974 NBA season
1973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
(when CBS succeeded ABC Sports as the national broadcaster of the NBA) until the 1989-90 NBA season
1989-90 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons...
(when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports).
Early presentation
During CBS' first few years at covering the NBA, CBS was accused of mishandling their NBA telecasts. Among the criticisms included CBS playing too much loud music, the lack of stability with the announcers, regionalizing telecasts (thus fragmenting the ratings even further), billing games as being between star players instead of teams, and devoting too much attention to the slam dunkSlam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
in instant replays. Regular features included a pregame show that consisted of mini-teams of celebrities and active and former NBA players competing against each other, and a halftime show called Horse.
The NBA eventually took notice of the criticisms and managed to persuade CBS to eliminate its original halftime show. In its place, came human-interest shows about the players (similar to the ones seen on the NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
program on CBS). There also was a possibility that CBS would start televising a single national game on Sunday afternoons.
Other adjustments that CBS made in hopes of improving their coverage included hiring reporter Sonny Hill
Sonny Hill
William Randolph "Sonny" Hill is a former basketball player and announcer. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and current sports radio personality for WIP-AM 610 in Philadelphia. He also serves as an executive advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is known as Mr...
to cover the league on a full-time basis. CBS also put microphones and cameras on team huddles to allow viewers to see and hear coaches at work. Finally, CBS introduced a halftime segment called Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach was an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death...
on Roundball, featuring the Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
coach. The segment intended to not only educate CBS' viewers about the complexities of the pro game, but also to teach young players how to improve their skills. They also subtly introduced audiences to an all-star team
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
based on Auerbach's criteria such as screening and passing.
Slam dunk contest
During the 1976–77 season1976-77 NBA season
The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, the NBA's first after the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
brought the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
into the league, CBS held a slam dunk contest that ran during halftime of the Game of the Week telecasts. Don Criqui
Don Criqui
Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'...
was the host of this particular competition. The final, which pitted Larry McNeill
Larry McNeill
Larry McNeill was a National Basketball Association player. McNeill was drafted in the second round of the 1973 NBA Draft by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and would play with the franchise until 1976. That year, he was traded to the New York Nets for a third-round draft pick. In 1977, he signed as a...
of the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
against eventual winner Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman
Darnell Hillman
Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman is a former professional basketball player.Hillman graduated from Hiram W. Johnson High School.The 6 ft 9 in forward played college basketball at San Jose State University...
of the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, took place during the 1977 NBA Finals
1977 NBA Finals
The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1976-77 NBA season. The Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference played against the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers holding home-court advantage. Their 4 regular season meetings had been...
. CBS, anxious for star power, gave big names of that era (Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
, George Gervin
George Gervin
George "The Iceman" Gervin is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls...
, and David Thompson
David Thompson (basketball)
David O'Neil Thompson is a former American professional basketball star with the Denver Nuggets of both the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association , as well as the Seattle SuperSonics...
) the opportunity to be eliminated three times.
Tape delay and playoff scheduling
From 19751974-75 NBA season
The 1974–75 NBA season was the 29th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
–1979
1978-79 NBA season
The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previous year's Finals, but with the opposite...
CBS aired all NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
games live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
(usually during the afternoon). Starting in 1982
1981-82 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
, CBS resumed live coverage of all NBA Finals games. During this era, CBS aired weeknight playoff games from earlier rounds on tape delay at 11:30 pm Eastern Time (airing games live when the game site was in the Pacific Time Zone). CBS continued this practice until at least the mid-1980s.
CBS didn't want sportscasters to give the final score on the 11 pm/10 p.m. newscasts. They preferred the games to not be over by that time if they were going to be aired on tape later that night. Most CBS games were either 8:30 pm or 9 pm local starts. For instance, CBS aired Games 1–3 of the 1981 Western Conference Finals
1981 NBA Playoffs
The 1981 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament which followed National Basketball Association's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics winning their 14th overall championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets in...
(between the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
and Kansas City Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
). Ironically, CBS featured both Western teams finished the regular season
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
with a record 40–42 instead of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
(both teams finished with a 60–22 record).
1986
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...
was the last year that CBS ever aired an NBA playoff game on tape delay. It was Game 3 (on Friday, May 16) of the playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
. The game aired at 11:30 pm after having a 9:30 pm tip.
Scheduling history overview
| Game | Day | Date | Status |
| 1979 NBA Final | |||
| 1 | Sun. | May 20 | Live |
| 2 | Thu. | May 24 | Tape Delay |
| 3 | Sun. | May 27 | Live |
| 4 | Tue. | May 29 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay to MDT Mountain Time Zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn... /PDT (11:30 pm EDT start) |
| 5 | Fri. | June 1 | Live (9 p.m. EDT start) |
| 1980 Eastern Conference Final | |||
| 1 | Fri. | April 18 | No broadcast |
| 2 | Sun. | April 20 | Live |
| 3 | Wed. | April 23 | No broadcast |
| 4 | Thu. | April 24 | No broadcast |
| 5 | Sun. | April 27 | Live |
| 1980 Western Conference Final | |||
| 1 | Tue. | April 22 | No broadcast |
| 2 | Wed. | April 23 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay elsewhere |
| 3 | Fri. | April 25 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay elsewhere |
| 4 | Sun. | April 27 | Live |
| 5 | Wed. | April 30 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay elsewhere |
| 1980 NBA Final | |||
| 1 | Sun. | May 4 | Live |
| 2 | Wed. | May 7 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay elsewhere |
| 3 | Sat. | May 10 | Live |
| 4 | Sun. | May 11 | Live |
| 5 | Wed. | May 14 | Live to EDT/CDT, Tape Delay elsewhere |
| 6 | Fri. | May 16 | Affiliates had choice to show live or tape delay |
1976
The 1976 NBA Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
had three straight off days between Sunday afternoon opener and Thursday night second game due to CBS' concern with low ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for professional basketball. The 1975–76 network television season (as well as May sweeps) ended after Wednesday, May 26 (with weekend afternoon games not factored into the prime-time ratings). Accordingly, CBS allowed Game 1 to be played on Sunday afternoon, since the ratings would not count, but would not permit Game 2 to be played live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
in prime time unless the NBA waited until Thursday evening.
For Game 3 of the Finals, CBS forced the NBA to start the game in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
at 10:30 am local time (1:30 pm EDT) on a Sunday morning. This was done in order to accommodate a golf telecast that afternoon. Many local clergymen were outraged, as attendance at Sunday church services was drastically reduced that day.
1977
By 1977
1976-77 NBA season
The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, CBS' NBA schedule was composed of six regionalized telecasts on Sundays. Not only that, CBS would run one national game if they felt that match-up itself warranted national coverage. CBS also could stage doubleheaders and switch from a one-sided game to a close one. During this period, CBS stopped doing any pre-NBA Finals prime time games. They, instead started airing several West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
games at 11:30 pm ET.
For most of the early years, the NBA tried to assist CBS by allowing the network to choose any game it wanted to broadcast. But too often, it was small market teams like the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
that were in the playoffs or won the championship.
CBS wanted the NBA to start Game 6 of the Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
at 10:30 local time on Sunday morning to accommodate a golf telecast
PGA Tour on CBS
PGA Tour on CBS is a television program produced by CBS Sports that broadcasts the main professional golf tours in the United States.-Coverage overview:In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2012...
of the Kemper Open (similar to 1976). This time, the NBA refused and CBS agreed to a noon start in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Despite the fact that this was the Finals' clinching game, CBS cut away from their NBA coverage very quickly after the game ended, skipping the trophy presentation in the Portland locker room to instead televise the golf tournament.
1978
By 1978, NBC
College Basketball on NBC
College Basketball on NBC is a former television program created and produced by NBC Sports that broadcast NCAA Division I men's basketball games. The program existed in some shape or form from 1969–1998. From 1969–1981, NBC covered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
aired Saturday afternoon college basketball games, CBS aired NBA doubleheaders on Sunday afternoons, and most independent stations aired local professional and college games. CBS started to fear that their ratings suffered as a result of too much basketball being on television at once. So as an experiment of sorts, CBS aired the first two games of the Conference Finals
1978 NBA Playoffs
The 1978 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1977-1978 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics four games to three in the Finals. Wes...
at 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.
1979
In 1979
1978-79 NBA season
The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previous year's Finals, but with the opposite...
, Games 2 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals were televised live, while Game 7 was broadcast on tape delay. Games 3 and 6 of the Western Conference Finals aired live, while Games 2, 5 and 7 were televised via tape delay. Games 6 and 7 of the 1979 NBA Finals
1979 NBA Finals
The 1979 NBA World Championship Series at the conclusion of the 1978-79 season were won by the Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals which the Washington Bullets had won 4-3...
would have been televised live (at 3:30 pm on a Sunday and then 9:00 pm on the following Tuesday), but were unnecessary.
1980
By 1979–1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
, CBS' NBA ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
had bottomed. In 1980, CBS' regular season rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
was a 6.4. By this time, they had eliminated their regional coverage and only used two play-by-play men (Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and Gary Bender
Gary Bender
Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
) and three color commentators (Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
and Rod Hundley
Rod Hundley
Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years...
, who teamed with Musburger and Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
, who teamed with Bender) CBS felt that wasn't worth it to them to pre-empt their Friday night lineup (the smash hit Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
in particular) during May sweeps to show an NBA Finals game. The consensus was that a basketball game in prime time would have drawn fewer viewers. As a result, CBS used to regularly run NBA games in the 11:30 p.m. time slot (then occupied by The CBS Late Movie
The CBS Late Movie
The CBS Late Movie was a CBS television series from the 1970s and 1980s, that ran in most American television markets from 11:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. or later, on weeknights...
). For the 1980
1980 NBA Finals
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory...
and 1981 NBA Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
, CBS scheduled Games 3 and 4 on back-to-back days (Saturday and Sunday) to avoid an extra tape delay game.
When it came time for CBS to broadcast Game 6 (on Friday, May 16) of the 1980 Finals, they gave their affiliates (in fact, WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV, virtual channel 5.1 is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Television Network and based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
in Atlanta didn't carry the NBA on CBS for numerous years) the option of either airing the game live or on tape delay. If the affiliate choice to air the game later that night, then prime time viewing would consist of reruns of The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, and Dallas. Game 6 (the clincher) of the 1980 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season
The highlight of the Los Angeles Lakers season was Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to the NBA Title. Magic’s season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.-NBA Draft:-Depth chart:-Season schedule:-Playoffs:-Magic Johnson:...
and Philadelphia 76ers
1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season
-NBA Draft:-Season standings:-Depth chart:-Player stats:Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average-NBA finals:Los Angeles 4, Philadelphia 2-References:*...
was most notably, aired live in the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle markets; the latter three could air the game live and still show most of the CBS prime time schedule since the game tipped at 6 pm Pacific Time. Otherwise, most CBS affiliates chose to air Game 6 on tape delay.
The reason for this scheduling dilemma was the fact that the NBA had opted to start the regular season earlier. Starting in the mid-1970s, the NBA had pushed back the start of the regular season, resulting the regular season ending later and later (e.g., April 6 in 1975
1974-75 NBA season
The 1974–75 NBA season was the 29th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, April 11 in 1976
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
). Prior to that, the regular seasons had always ended in late March. For 1979–1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
and 1980–1981
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
, the NBA reverted to the earlier practice, with the season ending on Sunday, March 30, 1980 and Sunday, March 29, 1981, respectively. That meant that the Finals in those years began in the first week of May rather than the end of May, and thus the weeknight games were played during May ratings sweeps. Consequently, West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
weeknight games started at 8:30 pm Pacific Time, which was 11:30 pm in the East. Those games could be shown live. But non-West Coast weeknight games required tape-delay, to be shown at 11:30 pm
1981
The 1980–1981 season
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
was arguably the rock bottom point of the tape delay era for CBS. CBS aired four of the six Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
games on tape delay and six of nine during the Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...
. Just like the previous year, CBS scheduled Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals without an off day to avoid yet another tape delay game. CBS wanted the Pacific teams
Pacific Division (NBA)
The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings...
to advance in the playoffs
1981 NBA Playoffs
The 1981 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament which followed National Basketball Association's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics winning their 14th overall championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets in...
so that they could show live games at 11:30 pm on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
; however, the Los Angeles Lakers
1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season
The Lakers were attempting to become the first team since 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. Despite missing Magic Johnson for 45 games due to a knee injury, the Lakers still managed an impressive 54-28 record during the regular season, and they were the #3 seed heading into the Western Conference...
and Portland Trail Blazers
1980–81 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 1980–81 season was the 11th season of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association . The Blazers won seven more games than the previous season, ending with a record of 45–37 and making the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.The Blazers were eliminated from the 1980...
were upset in Round 1, while the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
were upset in Round 2. This left two teams playing in the Central Time Zone—the Houston Rockets
1980–81 Houston Rockets season
The 1980–81 Houston Rockets season saw the Rockets lose the NBA Finals.-Draft picks:-Depth chart:-Regular season:In the 1980-81 season, after the newly-established Dallas Mavericks became the third NBA team in Texas, the NBA restructured the conferences and sent the Rockets, who had previously...
and Kansas City Kings in the Western Conference Finals.
Later years
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
and 1980–1981
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
with ending the regular season at the end of March, thereby ensuring that the Finals were played in early to mid-May; starting in 1981–1982
1981-82 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
, a late April regular season finale was held, resulting in the finals starting in late May and stretching into June. For example, while the 1980 Finals were slated for May 4–18 if they went seven games, and the 1981 Finals for May 5–17, the 1982 Finals were scheduled for May 27 – June 10.
While CBS would stop using tape delay after the 1981 NBA Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
, many first round playoff games were not nationally televised (a practice that didn't begin until 1995
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...
). During this era, CBS typically provided regional coverage of two games in a late Sunday afternoon time slot during the first three weekends of the playoffs. In 1986
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...
, CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conferences Finals and Western Conference Finals games on May 18. This would be the last time that any NBA Conference Finals game was not nationally televised.
During the 1980s, CBS showed a mixture of NBA and college basketball
College Basketball on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
during the regular season. Each March, CBS would essentially put their NBA coverage on hold during the NCAA Tournament. CBS typically showed a few regular season NBA games in the weeks after the NFL season
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
ended, before March Madness, and several weekends leading into the playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
.
1982–83
In the 1982–83 season
1982-83 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Terry Cummings, San Diego Clippers*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
, CBS greatly reduced the number of regular season broadcasts from 18 to four. The rationale was that cable television (namely, the USA Network
NBA on USA
The NBA on USA is the de facto name is for the USA Network's National Basketball Association television coverage. The program ran from the season through the season.-Manhattan Cable and HBO:...
and ESPN) was carrying a large number of regular season games (at least 40 each). In return, CBS executives believed that the public was being oversaturated with NBA coverage.
1983–84
For the 1983–84 season
1983-84 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
, CBS would televise just ten (out of 170 nationally) regular season games. Meanwhile, CBS televised about 16 playoff
1984 NBA Playoffs
The 1984 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983-84 season. This was the first postseason allowing sixteen teams to qualify, a format that is still in use as of 2011...
games.
In 1984, CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
' Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
(wife of lead NBA on CBS play-by-play man Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals
1984 NBA Finals
The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of...
.
1984–85
On May 12, 1985, during halftime of the Boston Celtics
1984–85 Boston Celtics season
The 1984–85 Boston Celtics season was the 39th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association .-Trivia:A majority of this team moved onto coaching later in their careers...
/Philadelphia 76ers
1984–85 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 1984–85 Philadelphia 76ers season was Charles Barkley's rookie season. Sir Charles joined a veteran team that included Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks, three players who took Philadelphia to the 1983 NBA championship. Under the tutelage of Malone, Barkley was able to manage his...
playoff game
1985 NBA Playoffs
The 1985 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1984-85 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, four games to two, in the NBA Finals...
, CBS televised the first ever NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association in which the teams who had missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous season, participate in a lottery process to...
.
1985–86
1986 was the last time CBS ever aired an NBA playoff
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...
game on tape delay. It was on May 16, 1986, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
. The game aired on 11:30 pm following a 9:30 pm tip. Also in 1986, CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals games on May 18. As previously mentioned, this was the last time that any NBA Conference Finals game was not nationally televised.
1986–87
In 1987
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...
, CBS provided prime time coverage for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This marked CBS' first pre-Finals prime time playoff telecast since 1975
1975 NBA Playoffs
The 1975 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, four games to none in the NBA Finals...
. CBS was able to do this because the NBA decided to push the Finals back from late May until early June. With the Finals starting a week later, the awkward long pauses between Games 1 and 2 were no longer required. Thus instead of Game 2 of the Finals being shown on the first night after sweeps ended, CBS could show Game 6 of the Conference Finals.
1988–89
By the late 1980s, CBS was telecasting 15–16 regular season games a year. In 1989
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...
alone, only 13 of the 24 playoff games (Games 1–3 to be exact) in Round 1 appeared on TBS
NBA on TBS
The NBA on TBS debuted in the 1984-1985 season under a four year contract, where they shared the NBA package along with CBS.-Coverage:...
or CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. For example, none of the four games from the Seattle-Houston first round series appeared on national television.
Another interesting fact is that Game 5 of the 1989 playoff series
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...
between Chicago
1988–89 Chicago Bulls season
The Chicago Bulls qualified for the NBA Playoffs.-NBA Draft:-Regular season:In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field...
and Cleveland
1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season
The 1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 20th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 57-25 record, setting the Cleveland Cavalier franchise high. This was tied for 2nd best in the NBA, finishing 2nd in the Central Division...
(featuring Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's now famous game winning, last second shot
The Shot
The Shot is the name of the series-winning basket made by Michael Jordan in the 5th game of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round against the Cavs, in the Coliseum at Richfield...
over Craig Ehlo
Craig Ehlo
Joel Craig Ehlo, , is a retired American National Basketball Association player.A guard/forward from Odessa Junior College and Washington State University, Ehlo was selected in the third round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, and went with the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals in a...
) wasn't nationally televised. For instance, CBS affiliates in Virginia elected to show the first game of a second round series between Seattle and the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
Meanwhile, many CBS affiliates on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
such as Los Angeles
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
and San Francisco
KPIX-TV
KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with The CW affiliate KBCW-TV ....
got a chance to see at least a portion of the Chicago-Cleveland game. In Los Angeles, the hometown Lakers finished their game (started at the same time as the Chicago-Cleveland game) just in time for CBS to switch to Chicago-Cleveland, where, as it happened, Jordan made his game winner. The Portland Oregonian criticized CBS for its decision to show the Game 1 of the second round Seattle-Lakers
1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 41st in the National Basketball Association and 29th in Los Angeles. In the playoffs, the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals...
series in Portland
KOIN
KOIN is the CBS affiliate television station serving the Portland metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located in Portland, Oregon, United States; it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 40...
rather than that game. Further, CBS only broadcast the fifth game of the first round series between Atlanta and Milwaukee nationally. The nationally televised Atlanta-Milwaukee game went on the air at 1:00 pm Eastern Time while the regionally televised Chicago-Cleveland and Seattle/L.A. Lakers games went on the air at 3:30 pm Eastern Time.
Perhaps even more confusing, both Game 5 sites (Chicago at Cleveland
Coliseum at Richfield
The Coliseum at Richfield was an arena located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron...
and Milwaukee at Atlanta
Omni Coliseum
The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378, for basketball and 15,278, for ice hockey...
) were in the Eastern Time Zone
Coliseum at Richfield
The Coliseum at Richfield was an arena located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron...
, so differing local start times were not a factor. Previously, CBS aired Game 2 of the Chicago-Cleveland series nationally while relegating Game 2 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series to TBS. CBS used its number one announcing team, Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
and Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
to call the latter game.
Resurgence of the NBA
Popular belief holds that the peak era of the NBA on CBS occurred from 19841983-84 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
to 1987
1986-87 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:* Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers* Rookie of the Year: Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers...
. During this period, CBS' NBA coverage was the beneficiary of a new era in the league that would forever link two of the game's greatest players, Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
and Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
. Bird and Johnson entered the NBA (coming off of playing against each other in the highest rated
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship of all time), playing for the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, respectively. The Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, two iconic teams in large television markets, rose to prominence during the period; many credit the theatrics of Bird and Johnson to boosting the overall popularity of the NBA (especially during the tape delay era of NBA telecasts). Within three years of Johnson and Bird entering the league, the NBA had a weekly Game of the Week on CBS, and ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for Finals games approached World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
levels.
Prior to the Bird/Magic era, CBS used to televise approximately five to seven games regionally per week in a doubleheader format (1:45 pm and 4 pm ET) on Sundays. ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for regional were far outdrawn by NBC's college basketball coverage
College Basketball on NBC
College Basketball on NBC is a former television program created and produced by NBC Sports that broadcast NCAA Division I men's basketball games. The program existed in some shape or form from 1969–1998. From 1969–1981, NBC covered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
and ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
's Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
program. After ratings bottomed out in 1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
and 1981
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
, coinciding with CBS airing tape delayed coverage, the network decided to scrap the regional telecasts. In its place CBS sold the marquee players and teams (i.e. Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
and the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
, Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
and the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
and the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, etc.) for a "Game of the Week" broadcast.
Memorable moments
During its tenure as NBA network partner, CBS aired notable Finals series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, as well as both championships won by the "Bad Boy" era Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
.
Ratings
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, CBS' regular season ratings earned an abysmal 26 share on Sunday afternoons. In 1978, the deciding game of the NBA Finals
1978 NBA Finals
-Series summary:Bullets win series 4-3-Game 1:The Bullets, behind Kevin Grevey's 27 and Elvin Hayes's 21 points, held a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at the Seattle Center Coliseum. But, the Sonics staged a comeback in front of the home crowd, led by "instant offense" guard Fred Brown...
ranked 442nd out of 730 shows from September 1, 1977 to August 31, 1978. The next highest rated playoff
1978 NBA Playoffs
The 1978 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1977-1978 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics four games to three in the Finals. Wes...
game in prime time only ranked 619th.
CBS' NBA ratings were also extremely low during the early part of the eighties. In 1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
, the 26 share from 1976 had fallen to 18 percent. Ratings fell to a level where, as mentioned before, CBS began airing games in tape delay. The 1981 NBA Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
set the standard for futility, with a 6.7 average rating. The mark was the lowest in NBA history, until the 2003 NBA Finals
2003 NBA Finals
The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. The Spurs...
averaged a 6.5 on ABC.
With the rebirth of the Lakers–Celtics rivalry, ratings improved, especially in the three NBA Finals the two teams played in. In-between 1981
1981-82 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
–1983
1982-83 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Terry Cummings, San Diego Clippers*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
CBS' ratings rose 12 percent. CBS' highest rated NBA game (and the only NBA game that scored a 20 plus rating for the network) was Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals
1988 NBA Finals
The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles...
between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. By the end of its coverage, CBS' NBA ratings had been mostly respectable, with the lowest rated Final after 1982
1982 NBA Finals
The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981-82 NBA season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers....
scoring a 12.3 (three times). That mark is higher than any NBA Final since 1998
1998 NBA Finals
The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference played against the Utah Jazz of the Western Conference, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City...
.
The end of The NBA on CBS
On November 9, 1989, the NBA and NBC reached an agreement on a four-year, US$600 million contract (beginning in the 1990–1991 season). From 19861986-87 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:* Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers* Rookie of the Year: Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers...
to its final year in 1990
1989-90 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons...
, CBS paid about US$47 million per year for their NBA coverage. The final NBA game that CBS televised to date occurred on June 14, 1990. It was Game 5 of the NBA Finals
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
between the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
. The Pistons won the game 92–90 to clinch their second consecutive World Championship. As the soundtrack for their goodbye montage, CBS used "The Last Waltz" by The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" from the 1983 NBA All-Star Game
1983 NBA All-Star Game
The 33rd National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on February 13, 1983 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 132–123. The Most Valuable Player was Julius Erving. Billy Cunningham coached the Eastern Conference team...
. So after 17 years, an era at CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
as well as the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
had come to an end. While the network broadcast all five NBA Finals involving Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, all four NBA Finals involving Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
, nine of the ten NBA Finals involving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
, and eight of the nine NBA Finals involving Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
(with the exception of 1991
1991 NBA Finals
The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1990–91 NBA season. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS....
, which was Magic Johnson's last and the first to be broadcast by NBC), it never broadcast a Final involving Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
.
Future
In May 2007, the NBA renewed its television contract with ESPN, making ABC the broadcast home of the NBA through 2016.It remains possible that CBS could land some sort of NBA coverage in the future, even co-existing with ABC as an over-the-air partner (but likely airing games on different days from each other if such happens). Since CBS Sports now co-produces its NCAA March Madness
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
coverage
NCAA March Madness (CBS/Turner)
NCAA March Madness is the title of the coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament jointly produced by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, with coverage airing on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, beginning with the 2011 tournament.Initially, CBS will continue to have coverage during most rounds,...
with Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
, which is the other current broadcast partner of the NBA, CBS and Turner might also join together for any future NBA coverage on the former, even using TNT's current NBA theme (March Madness games on CBS and Turner networks also share the longtime CBS college basketball theme).
Brent Musburger
Musburger was involved in every NBA Final (either as a play-by-play man or as a host) from 19751975 NBA Finals
The 1975 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1974-75 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Golden State Warriors of the Western Conference played against the Washington Bullets of the Eastern Conference...
to 1989
1989 NBA Finals
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers....
, and was the lead voice for NBA games on CBS for much of that period. From 1975
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
to 1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
, Musburger worked with a variety of analysts
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for regular season games (including Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
, Mendy Rudolph
Mendy Rudolph
Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games...
, Rod Hundley
Rod Hundley
Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years...
, Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, Steve Jones
Steve Jones (basketball)
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:...
, Tom Heinsohn, and Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
). Musburger called Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
, with Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
and sideline reporters Mendy Rudolph
Mendy Rudolph
Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games...
and Sonny Hill
Sonny Hill
William Randolph "Sonny" Hill is a former basketball player and announcer. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and current sports radio personality for WIP-AM 610 in Philadelphia. He also serves as an executive advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is known as Mr...
. In 1989
1988-89 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz...
, he and Bill Raftery
Bill Raftery
Bill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
were the number two team on playoff games
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...
, working the Western Conference Final games that were broadcast on CBS. In 2004
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
, Musburger and Raftery worked NBA playoff games on ESPN.
Dick Stockton
Dick StocktonDick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
was the lead voice of the NBA on CBS from 1981
1981-82 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
to 1990
1989-90 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons...
. After CBS failed in an attempt to compete with the NBC
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
announcing team of Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
, Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
and Al McGuire
Al McGuire
Al McGuire was the head coach of the Marquette University men's basketball team from 1964 to 1977. He compiled impressive numbers throughout his coaching career, resulting in his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, and was also well known for his colorful personality.-Early life:He...
with Gary Bender
Gary Bender
Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
(who was subsequently "promoted" to a play-by-play position on CBS' newly acquired college basketball package), Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
and Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
, Stockton became the voice of the NBA. Working with Tom Heinsohn (who was criticized by the media and viewers for being too biased to the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, a team he once played for and later coached) from 1983
1983-84 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
to 1987
1986-87 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:* Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers* Rookie of the Year: Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers...
, Stockton called some of the most memorable NBA Finals in league history. In 1984
1984 NBA Finals
The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of...
, 1985
1985 NBA Finals
The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1984–85 NBA season.The Boston Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA Champions for the first time since the . The Celtics had homecourt advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63-19...
and 1987
1987 NBA Finals
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's junior sky hook in Game 4...
, the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
played each other in the NBA Finals, and Stockton's broadcasts became the then-highest rated
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
in NBA history. Stockton would call the NBA Finals through the rest of the 1980s and in 1990
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
as well, working the 1988 NBA Finals
1988 NBA Finals
The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles...
with Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
and the 1989
1989 NBA Finals
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers....
and 1990 NBA Finals
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
with Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
(after Cunningham left CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
to accept a management job with the new Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
).
Other personalities
CBS employed many NBA greats during its seventeen years as the lead network carrier; Bill RussellBill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
was an analyst for several years, mainly in the 1970s and early 1980s. Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers....
was an analyst during CBS' inaugural year in 1973–1974
1973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, and was fired during that year's playoffs due to what CBS considered a lackluster performance. He was replaced by another NBA great, Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
, who held a fairly consistent role with CBS through the 1970s and early 1980s, including calling several NBA Finals. Steve "Snapper" Jones
Steve Jones (basketball)
Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:...
, best known from the NBA on NBC, was part of CBS' broadcast teams, partnering with Don Criqui
Don Criqui
Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'...
in 1975–1976
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
and 1976–1977
1976-77 NBA season
The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
.
During Game 5 of the 1981 NBA Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
, CBS analyst Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
made this comment when CBS posted an old photo of colleague Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
's on the 1956 Olympic team
Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics was the fourth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. Fifteen nations, an unusually low number for the basketball tournament, competed in the event, with 174 participants. A total number of 56 games of basketball were played.The teams were divided...
:
Barry's comments were considered to be racially insensitive and CBS did not renew Barry for the subsequent season
1981-82 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets*Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets*Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
. Russell stayed on with new play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton for two seasons before giving way to former Celtics teammate Tom Heinsohn for the 1983–84 season.
CBS often used the same analysts for both the NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
and NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
, and Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
all worked NCAA Regionals during years when also serving as the lead NBA analyst for CBS. Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
worked NBA playoff games in 1987
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...
and 1988
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...
while he was the CBS' lead college basketball
College Basketball on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
analyst.
During the 1984 NBA Finals
1984 NBA Finals
The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1983-84 NBA season. In 1984, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning Game 7 111-102. Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of...
, Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
(wife of lead NBA on CBS play-by-play man Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals. She joined CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
part-time in 1984 before joining full-time in 1987. When she was part-time with CBS, she still worked for the Boston Globe, as she had many diverse assignments with the Globe. Visser became the first female NBA beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned to cover the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
. Visser resigned from the Globe in late 1988.
While Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
did host most of CBS' NBA Finals pregame and halftime programs, Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (television)
Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster with CBS Sports and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood and The Insider .O'Brien covered five Olympic Games, two for CBS...
hosted a pregame show during the earlier rounds of the playoffs called The Basketball Show. O'Brien, working with analyst Bill Raftery
Bill Raftery
Bill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
, also hosted the The Prudential
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
At The Half. When Musburger left CBS Sports in April 1990, O'Brien took over the NBA Finals
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
(the last that CBS did) hosting duties full-time. In 1988
1988 NBA Finals
The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles...
and 1989
1989 NBA Finals
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers....
, Pat O'Brien filled-in for Brent Musburger (who was busy covering the College World Series
College World Series on CBS
From 1988-2002, CBS Sports televised a portion of the annual College World Series. From 1988-1990, CBS only televised the championship game. From 1991 until the end of their coverage in 2002, CBS televised one game on the first Saturday of the World Series besides the championship game.-Format...
for CBS) as the NBA Finals anchor for Game 2.
List of broadcasters
|
Terry Dischinger Terence Gilbert "Terry" Dischinger is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. He currently practices orthodontics.-High school career:... Eddie Doucette Eddie Doucette is the president of Doucette Promotions Inc. He is a former television and radio announcer. He was the original radio voice of the Milwaukee Bucks where he broadcast games for 16 years. He also broadcast games for Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland... Len Elmore Leonard J. "Len" Elmore is an American sportscaster, lawyer and former National Basketball Association player.... Keith Erickson Keith Raymond Erickson is a former American basketball player.After graduating from El Segundo High School , Erickson played at UCLA, where he was a member of the 1964 and 1965 NCAA Champion teams. Erickson, who attended UCLA on a shared baseball/basketball scholarship, also played on the 1964 US... Frank Glieber Frank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:... Jim Gray (sportscaster) Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC... Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network... John Havlicek John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons.... Sonny Hill William Randolph "Sonny" Hill is a former basketball player and announcer. He is a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and current sports radio personality for WIP-AM 610 in Philadelphia. He also serves as an executive advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is known as Mr... Rod Hundley Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years... Gus Johnson (basketball) Gus Johnson was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets, and a final season split between the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers of the ABA... Steve Jones (basketball) Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:... Andrea Joyce Andrea Joyce is an American sportscaster who works for NBC Sports after working 10 years with CBS Sports.-Education and early career:... |
Sonny Jurgensen Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.... Stu Lantz Stuart Burrell Lantz is a retired American basketball player and the current television commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association on Fox Sports West and KCAL... Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:... Verne Lundquist Merton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota... Pete Maravich Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980... Jon McGlocklin Jon P. McGlocklin is an American former professional basketball player.A sharpshooting 6'5" guard from Indiana University, McGlockin was selected by the Cincinnati Royals in the third round of the 1965 NBA Draft, but he is best known for his 8-season tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he... Dick Motta John Richard "Dick" Motta is a former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association spanned 25 years, and he continues to rank among the NBA's all-time top 10 in coaching victories.... Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... Jim Nantz James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:... Pat O'Brien (television) Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster with CBS Sports and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood and The Insider .O'Brien covered five Olympic Games, two for CBS... Billy Packer Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania... Bill Raftery Bill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:... |
Cal Ramsey Calvin Ramsey is a retired American basketball player whose NBA career consisted of thirteen games over the 1959-1960 and 1960-1961 seasons for the St. Louis Hawks, New York Knicks, and Syracuse Nationals... Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks... Mendy Rudolph Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games... Tim Ryan (sportscaster) Tim Ryan is an American sportscaster, currently a resident of Ketchum, Idaho.-Early life and career:Raised in Canada, Ryan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1960, and took a job the newly-formed CFTO as an assistant sports director... Lynn Shackelford Lynn Shackelford is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'5" forward, Shackelford played college basketball at the UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden.... Larry Steele Larry Nelson Steele is a former professional basketball player, best known for being on the Portland Trail Blazers team that won the 1977 NBA Finals.... Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... Pat Summerall George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:... Lesley Visser Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the... Jerry West Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr... Jack Whitaker (sportscaster) Jack Whitaker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American sportscaster who worked for both CBS and ABC.-Early life and career:... Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA... |
1983–19841983-84 NBA season-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
- Dick StocktonDick StocktonDick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
and Tom Heinsohn - Brent MusburgerBrent MusburgerBrent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and Kevin LougheryKevin LougheryKevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:... - Gary BenderGary BenderGary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
and Doug CollinsDoug CollinsPaul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:... - Frank GlieberFrank GlieberFrank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:...
and James Brown
|width=20%|
1984–1985
- Dick StocktonDick StocktonDick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
and Tom Heinsohn - Brent MusburgerBrent MusburgerBrent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and Hubie BrownHubie BrownHubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years... - Gary BenderGary BenderGary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
and Doug CollinsDoug CollinsPaul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:... - Frank GlieberFrank GlieberFrank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:...
and James Brown
|}
1985–1986
|
1986–1987
|
1987–1988
|
1988–1989
|
1989–1990
|
| Year | Play-by-Play | Color |
| 1990 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Hubie Brown Hubie Brown Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years... |
| 1989 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Hubie Brown Hubie Brown Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years... |
| 1988 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Billy Cunningham Billy Cunningham William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :... |
| 1987 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1986 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1985 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1984 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1983 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Bill Russell and Kevin Loughery Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:... |
| 1982 | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Bill Russell |
| 1981 | Gary Bender Gary Bender Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:... |
Bill Russell and Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... |
| 1980 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Rod Hundley Rod Hundley Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years... and Bill Russell |
| 1979 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... and Rod Hundley Rod Hundley Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years... |
| 1978 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... and John Havlicek John Havlicek John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons.... |
| 1977 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... and Steve Jones Steve Jones (basketball) Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:... |
| 1976 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Mendy Rudolph Mendy Rudolph Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games... and Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... |
| 1975 | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Oscar Robertson Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks... |
| 1974 | Pat Summerall Pat Summerall George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:... |
Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... and Rod Hundley Rod Hundley Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years... |
Christmas Day broadcasters
CBS broadcast a Christmas DayNBA on Christmas Day
The National Basketball Association's Christmas Games is a series of games played on Christmas Day. It has been an annual occurrence since the league's inception in 1946, like their National Football League's November holiday counterparts, the Thanksgiving Classic games...
game each year from – with the exception of .
| Year | Teams | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) Color commentator A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the... |
| 1975 | Kansas City @ Phoenix 1975–76 Phoenix Suns season The 1975–76 Phoenix Suns season was the eighth season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The season included an improbable run to the NBA Finals by a team that had never won a playoff series and made the playoffs only one other season in the franchise's existence... |
Don Criqui Don Criqui Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'... |
Mendy Rudolph Mendy Rudolph Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games... |
| 1976 | Chicago @ Kansas City | Don Criqui Don Criqui Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'... |
Billy Cunningham Billy Cunningham William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :... |
| 1977 | Washington @ Philadelphia | Don Criqui Don Criqui Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'... |
Steve Jones Steve Jones (basketball) Stephen Howard "Snapper" Jones is one of the most esteemed and watched National Basketball Association television analysts.-Basketball career:... |
| 1978 | Philadelphia @ New York | Brent Musburger Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a... |
Keith Erickson Keith Erickson Keith Raymond Erickson is a former American basketball player.After graduating from El Segundo High School , Erickson played at UCLA, where he was a member of the 1964 and 1965 NCAA Champion teams. Erickson, who attended UCLA on a shared baseball/basketball scholarship, also played on the 1964 US... |
| 1979 | Philadelphia 1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season -NBA Draft:-Season standings:-Depth chart:-Player stats:Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average-NBA finals:Los Angeles 4, Philadelphia 2-References:*... @ Washington |
Gary Bender Gary Bender Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:... |
Rod Hundley Rod Hundley Rodney Clark "Rod" Hundley is a former professional basketball player and television broadcaster. Hundley's life has revolved around the game of basketball. His love and talent for the game led him to achieve honors in high school and most notably during his college years... |
| 1980 | Boston 1980–81 Boston Celtics season In 1980-81 the Boston Celtics went 62-20 under coach Bill Fitch. Despite losing center Dave Cowens to retirement late in training camp, the Celtics went on to capture the 1981 NBA Championship over the Houston Rockets. The highlight was that this championship was achieved just two years after Bird... @ New York 1980–81 New York Knicks season The 1980–81 New York Knicks season was the 35th season for the team in the National Basketball Association . In the regular season, the Knicks finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 50–32 win–loss record, qualifying for the 1981 NBA Playoffs... |
Gary Bender Gary Bender Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:... |
Bill Russell Bill Russell William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association... and Rick Barry Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,... |
| 1981 | Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix 1981–82 Phoenix Suns season The 1981–82 Phoenix Suns season was the 14th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The Suns were in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, extending a then-franchise record. In the first round, Denver was taken down by the Suns, two games to one... |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Bill Russell Bill Russell William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association... |
| 1983 | New Jersey @ New York 1983–84 New York Knicks season The 1983–84 New York Knicks season was the 38th season for the team in the National Basketball Association . In the regular season, the Knicks had a 47–35 record, and qualified for the NBA Playoffs as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. New York was led by small forward Bernard King, who... |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1984 | Philadelphia @ Detroit | Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1985 | Boston 1984–85 Boston Celtics season The 1984–85 Boston Celtics season was the 39th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association .-Trivia:A majority of this team moved onto coaching later in their careers... @ New York |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1986 | Chicago 1986–87 Chicago Bulls season The 1986–87 Chicago Bulls season was the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association .-NBA Draft:Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players drafted by the franchise that played at least one NBA game.-Roster:*20 Gene... @ New York |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Tom Heinsohn |
| 1987 | Detroit 1987–88 Detroit Pistons season -NBA Draft:-Depth chart:-Player stats:Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average-Game 1:... @ New York |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Billy Cunningham Billy Cunningham William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :... |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers 1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season The 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 41st in the National Basketball Association and 29th in Los Angeles. In the playoffs, the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals... @ Utah 1988–89 Utah Jazz season The 1988-89 Utah Jazz season was the team's 15th in the NBA. They began the season hoping to improve upon their 47-35 output from the previous season. They bested it by four wins, finishing 51-31 and qualified for the playoffs for the sixth straight season.... |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Hubie Brown Hubie Brown Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years... |
| 1989 | Cleveland 1989–90 Cleveland Cavaliers season The 1989-90 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 21st season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 42-40 record, finishing 2nd in the Central Division... @ Atlanta |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:... |
Hubie Brown Hubie Brown Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years... |
Theme music
Through the 19731973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
–1976
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
seasons, the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the NBA on CBS actually had lyrics. "Last Night" by the Mar-Keys
Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:...
was used roughly around 1975–76
1975-76 NBA season
The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
as the play-by-play announcer would give a preview to the game featured.
Starting in 1977
1977-78 NBA season
The 1977–78 NBA season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Washington Bullets winning the NBA Championship, beating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, CBS used an alternate opening showing a montage of still pictures of current NBA star athletes with music (similar to the music used by the network for its CBS' NFL coverage
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
at that time) accompanying it. In 1980
1979-80 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Coach of the Year: Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics*All-NBA First Team:**Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns...
, CBS used rotoscoped animation in silhouette of one player shooting a jumpshot and the ball in mid air rolling all the NBA teams as it spun in the air, with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
-moog
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
music behind it. During the 1978–79 season, the music for the highlights was "Chase
Chase (song)
Chase is an electronic instrumental by Giorgio Moroder from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and album Midnight Express , then extended and released as maxi single and made the Hot 100 singles charts in January of 1979, charting as high as #33....
", the theme by Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
for the movie Midnight Express
Midnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
. The opening guitar and horn riff of the Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
hit "Alive Again
Alive Again (Chicago song)
"Alive Again" is a song written by James Pankow for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Hot Streets , with Peter Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart....
" were used for the highlights prior to the opening animation during the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.
By the 1983 NBA Finals
1983 NBA Finals
The 1983 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1982–83 NBA season.-Overview:The final piece of the Philadelphia 76ers' championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets...
, the opening sequence was set in a primitive computer-generated montage of basketball action inside a virtual arena that looked similar to the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
. This opening sequence (which was usually intertwined by a montage of live basketball action complete with narration) was created by Bill Feigenbaum, who also created a similar open for The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
used around the same time. This opening melody (mostly consisting of an uptempo series of four notes and three bars
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
each) from 1983
1982-83 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Terry Cummings, San Diego Clippers*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
–1988
1987-88 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls*Rookie of the Year: Mark Jackson, New York Knicks*Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls...
is generally considered to be the most familiar theme music that The NBA on CBS used.
For the 1989 NBA Finals
1989 NBA Finals
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 NBA season. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers....
, CBS completely revamped the opening montage. The computer-generated imagery (once again set in and around a virtual arena) was made to look more realistic (live-action footage was incorporated in the backdrops). Also, the familiar theme music was rearranged to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact, along the lines of the network's later World Series coverage. Between the 1989 NBA Finals and the 1990 NBA Finals
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
' intros, there is a slight theme tune revision. The 1989 Finals intro had a lot more of a guitar riff to it. Meanwhile, the 1990 Finals intro carried a little more usage of a trumpet sound.