Lakers Will Get Their Full Share of Prime Exposure

The NBA schedule was announced Thursday, and, as one might expect, the Lakers are scheduled for more TV games than any other team.

The defending champion Lakers will make 11 appearances on NBC and 15 combined on TNT and TBS, the most allowed under the television contract.

The Orlando Magic is not far behind the Lakers. The Magic will play 10 games on NBC and 11 on the two Turner cable networks.

Making the Magic a big television attraction are Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady, both expected to join the team Tuesday, when free agents are allowed to sign.

Both TBS and NBC will open with doubleheaders featuring the Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers. On opening night, Oct. 31, TBS will show the Philadelphia 76ers against the Knicks at New York, followed by the Lakers and Trail Blazers at Portland. The Laker game will also be shown on Channel 9 in Los Angeles.

NBC again begins its coverage with a Christmas Day doubleheader. The opener has Indiana hosting the Magic at noon, followed by the Lakers and Trail Blazers from Staples Center at 2:30.

Games will be shown Tuesdays on TBS, Wednesdays and Thursdays on TNT, which has 52 telecasts, eight of them doubleheaders. TBS has 28 games, three of those doubleheaders.

One change in the NBC schedule is fewer Saturday telecasts. NBC will carry 33 regular-season games, six doubleheaders and five tripleheaders, but only five games on Saturdays, and all within a month.

The idea is to boost ratings.

NBC’s regular-season ratings for the 1999-2000 season were down 21% from the previous season.

Both the league and network seem to think ratings can improve by cutting Saturday telecasts from 10 to five.

NBC calculated its Saturday ratings--excluding Dec. 25--tended to be about one point lower than its overall NBA average of 3.4.

“We had those Saturdays last year because of an increased number of games in the contract,” NBC spokesman Kevin Sullivan said. “We still have to do some Saturdays, so we’ve put them in a block, where they can get promoted together.”

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The NHL TV schedule was also announced Thursday, and ABC is taking the opposite tack. ABC is moving all of its regular-season hockey telecasts to Saturday.

ABC is also trying to boost regular-season ratings, which averaged 1.3, down from Fox’s 1.4 the previous season.

ABC and ESPN are starting the second year of a five-year, $600-million deal with the NHL.

ABC will show the All-Star game from Denver on Feb. 4, and then begin five consecutive Saturdays of regional telecasts March 10. Five Saturdays are one more than last season. Most games will begin at noon.

ABC will televise San Jose at the Kings on March 17, then the next Saturday will show the Mighty Ducks and Kings at 3 p.m.

NHL coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 will get underway much earlier.

ESPN will televise the season opener between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars on Oct. 4, part of its 27-game schedule of telecasts on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

ESPN2 will show 97 games, including Montreal at New Jersey on Oct. 6, when the Devils will raise their Stanley Cup banner.

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2000-01 CLIPPER SCHEDULE

All Times Pacific

OCTOBER

31 at Utah 6 p.m.

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NOVEMBER

2 Vancouver 7:30 p.m.

4 Houston 7:30 p.m.

5 at Lakers 6:30 p.m.

8 Utah 7:30 p.m.

10 Atlanta 7:30 p.m.

12 at Denver 6 p.m.

13 Dallas 7:30 p.m.

15 New York 7:30 p.m.

16 at Vancouver 7 p.m.

18 Seattle 7:30 p.m.

20 New Jersey 7:30 p.m.

24 at Seattle 7 p.m.

25 Phoenix 7:30 p.m.

27 Lakers 7:30 p.m.

29 Golden State 7:30 p.m.

*

DECEMBER

1 at Toronto 4 p.m.

3 at Boston 9:30 a.m.

4 at New York 4:30 p.m.

6 at Washington 4 p.m.

8 at Charlotte 4:30 p.m.

9 at Minnesota 5 p.m.

11 Orlando 7:30 p.m.

13 Miami 7:30 p.m.

15 at Phoenix 6 p.m.

17 Washington 6 p.m.

20 Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

23 Vancouver 7:30 p.m.

26 at Denver 6 p.m.

28 at Dallas 5 p.m.

30 Lakers 7:30 p.m.

*

JANUARY

2 Toronto 7:30 p.m.

3 at Phoenix 6 p.m.

5 Charlotte 7:30 p.m.

7 at Lakers 6:30 p.m.

8 Indiana 7:30 p.m.

10 Denver 7:30 p.m.

12 at Minnesota 5 p.m.

13 at Atlanta 5 p.m.

15 at Indiana 4 p.m.

16 at Milwaukee 5 p.m.

18 Boston 7:30 p.m.

24 Seattle 7:30 p.m.

27 Sacramento 7:30 p.m.

29 San Antonio 7:30 p.m.

31 at San Antonio 5:30 p.m.

*

FEBRUARY

1 at Houston 5:30 p.m.

3 Portland 7:30 p.m.

5 Chicago 7:30 p.m.

7 at Golden State 7:30 p.m.

13 at Miami 4:30 p.m.

14 at Orlando 4:30 p.m.

16 at Philadelphia 4 p.m.

18 at New Jersey 10 a.m.

19 at Detroit 4:30 p.m.

21 at Cleveland 4:30 p.m.

22 at Chicago 5:30 p.m.

24 Portland 7:30 p.m.

26 Dallas 7:30 p.m.

27 at Sacramento 7:30 p.m.

*

MARCH

1 at Portland 7 p.m.

2 Sacramento 7:30 p.m.

5 Denver 7:30 p.m.

8 at Houston 5:30 p.m.

11 at Dallas 5 p.m.

12 at San Antonio 5:30 p.m.

16 Golden State 7:30 p.m.

18 Utah 6 p.m.

20 Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.

22 Houston 7:30 p.m.

26 at Portland 7 p.m.

27 Detroit 7:30 p.m.

30 at Seattle 7 p.m.

31 Cleveland 7:30 p.m.

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APRIL

4 at Vancouver 7 p.m.

6 Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.

7 San Antonio 7:30 p.m.

10 at Sacramento 7:30 p.m.

13 Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

14 at Golden State 7:30 p.m.

16 Phoenix 7:30 p.m.

17 at Utah 6 p.m.

2000-01 LAKER SCHEDULE

All Times Pacific

OCTOBER

31 at Portland 7:30 p.m.

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NOVEMBER

1 Utah 7:30 p.m.

4 at Vancouver 12:30 p.m.

5 Clippers 6:30 p.m.

7 at Houston 5:30 p.m.

8 at San Antonio 5 p.m.

12 Houston 6:30 p.m.

14 Denver 7:30 p.m.

16 at Sacramento 5 p.m.

18 at Denver 6 p.m.

19 Chicago 6:30 p.m.

22 Golden State 7:30 p.m.

24 Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

27 at Clippers 7:30 p.m.

28 Indiana 7:30 p.m.

30 at Seattle 7 p.m.

*

DECEMBER

1 San Antonio 7:30 p.m.

3 Dallas 6:30 p.m.

5 Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.

6 at Golden State 7:30 p.m.

8 Seattle 7:30 p.m.

10 Detroit 6:30 p.m.

12 Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.

13 at Portland 7:30 p.m.

15 Vancouver 7:30 p.m.

17 at Toronto 10 a.m.

19 at Miami 5 p.m.

21 at Houston 5:30 p.m.

22 at Dallas 5 p.m.

25 Portland 2:30 p.m.

28 at Phoenix 6 p.m.

30 at Clippers 7:30 p.m.

*

JANUARY

3 Utah 7:30 p.m.

7 Clippers 6:30 p.m.

12 Cleveland 7:30 p.m.

13 at Utah 6 p.m.

15 Vancouver 5 p.m.

19 Houston 7:30 p.m.

21 Miami 2 p.m.

23 at Seattle 5 p.m.

26 New Jersey 7:30 p.m.

28 at New York 11:30 a.m.

30 at Cleveland 4:30 p.m.

31 at Minnesota 5 p.m.

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FEBRUARY

2 Charlotte 7:30 p.m.

4 Sacramento 12:30 p.m.

7 Phoenix 7:30 p.m.

13 at New Jersey 4:30 p.m.

14 at Philadelphia 5 p.m.

16 at Charlotte 4:30 p.m.

18 at Indiana 2:30 p.m.

20 at Dallas 5 p.m.

21 at San Antonio 5 p.m.

23 Atlanta 7:30 p.m.

25 Orlando 2:30 p.m.

28 at Denver 6 p.m.

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MARCH

3 at Vancouver 12:30 p.m.

4 Golden State 6:30 p.m.

6 at Golden State 7:30 p.m.

7 Toronto 7:30 p.m.

9 San Antonio 7:30 p.m.

11 Seattle 6:30 p.m.

13 Boston 7:30 p.m.

15 at Detroit 4:30 p.m.

16 at Washington 4 p.m.

18 at Orlando 9 a.m.

19 at Atlanta 4:30 p.m.

21 at Milwaukee 5 p.m.

23 Washington 7:30 p.m.

25 at Sacramento 3:30 p.m.

26 at Phoenix 6 p.m.

28 Sacramento 7:30 p.m.

30 Dallas 7:30 p.m.

*

APRIL

1 New York 2:30 p.m.

3 at Utah 5 p.m.

5 at Chicago 5:30 p.m.

6 at Boston 4:30 p.m.

8 at Minnesota 2:30 p.m.

10 Phoenix 7:30 p.m.

12 Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

15 Portland 2:30 p.m.

17 Denver 7:30 p.m.