The NBA on TNT
The NBA on TNT, known since October 2002 as
TNT NBA Thursday, is a
TV show which broadcasts
National Basketball Association games on
TNT. TNT began airing NBA games in
1988, and aired games on multiple nights of the week (usually twice a week with sister network
TBS airing another game on another night) until
2002.
Studio team
The host of
The NBA on TNT since its inception is
Ernie Johnson Jr. Currently, Johnson is joined by
Kenny "The Jet" Smith and
Charles Barkley. The NBA postgame show which features the three,
Inside the NBA, has gained popularity in recent years for the chemistry and banter they have. Occasionally, Johnson, Smith and Barkley are joined by either
Magic Johnson or
Reggie Miller. Barkley has been known for his controversial comments and outrageous bets. In late
2002, Barkley told Kenny Smith that he would
"kiss [his] ass" if
Houston Rockets then-rookie
Yao Ming scored twenty points in a game, which was followed by Yao doing exactly that later that week. As a result, on
Listen Up! With Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson that Thursday, Barkley kissed the rear end of a
donkey that Smith brought into the studio. Barkley has also been weighed on air several times, and once said "
bullshit" live on air. In
2002, a controversial
Sports Illustrated cover, in which Barkley was portrayed in chains (to a
slave), led to a sometimes heated debate on the TNT studio show.
Playoff coverage
TNT's playoff coverage, nicknamed
40 Games in 40 Nights, is in its 22nd year. In previous years, TNT and TBS aired doubleheaders opposite each other each night of the first round of the playoffs, with one network airing a doubleheader at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and the other network airing a doubleheader at 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. (all times
Eastern). Starting in
2000, the NBA spread out playoff series so that only two series would play per day (so as to avoid TNT and TBS competing for ratings). TNT would air doubleheaders on most weekdays, while TBS would air one doubleheader per week (in 2002, TBS aired doubleheaders every Tuesday night of the playoffs until the Conference Finals). With the advent of the new NBA television deal in
2003 (which shut TBS completely out of NBA coverage), TNT has aired playoff games alone, including (in 2003 only) some weekday tripleheaders. The tripleheaders, which were criticized by both fans and many in the media, consisted of one game at 6:00 p.m., another at 8:30 p.m., and a final game at 11:00 p.m. After 2003, the NBA and TNT discontinued the tripleheaders, instead settling for a doubleheader on TNT and a single game on
NBA TV simultaneously.
On isolated occasions since the new TV deal, TBS has aired NBA games. In 2003, TBS aired a doubleheader of first round Game 6 matchups (Indiana vs. Boston, followed by San Antonio vs. Phoenix). On
May 22,
2006, due to the
San Antonio Spurs-
Dallas Mavericks Game 7 going
overtime, TBS aired part of the
Los Angeles Clippers-
Phoenix Suns Game 7. On
May 14,
2004, the same situation arose, as Game 5 of the
New Jersey Nets-
Detroit Pistons playoff series went three overtimes. However, due to scheduling conflicts with TBS, TNT had to air part of the
Sacramento Kings-
Minnesota Timberwolves game that was supposed to follow on NBA TV.
Catchphrases and quotes
"Win or go home" - The main tagline TNT uses for its playoff coverage. While the phrase may not resonate in the early games of a playoff series, it becomes especially useful towards the end of series. For all of TNT's Game 7s (
Dallas-
Sacramento in
2003,
Miami-
New Orleans and
Sacramento-
Minnesota in
2004,
Indiana-
Boston,
Dallas-
Houston and
Detroit-
Miami in
2005 and
Lakers-
Phoenix Suns,
San Antonio-
Dallas and
Clippers-
Phoenix in
2006), the phrase has been used in the pregame montage and in the graphics during the game.
"Gone fishin'" - The most notable of TNT's catchphrases. It is used whenever a team is knocked out of the playoffs, and is usually accompianied by doctored photos of players on the team on fishing boats with anaylst
Kenny Smith. Occasionally, Barkley or Smith will wear fishing hats when they anticipate a team's elimination from the playoffs. In addition to players, notable figures from the city of the eliminated team often show up (i.e., Condoleezza Rice, who was doctored into a Gone Fishin photo after the
Washington Wizards were eliminated from the 2005 playoffs. The catchphrase has gotten popular enough to warrant its own page on
NBA.com and has also become a metaphor for being eliminated from the playoffs.
"My big fat obnoxious boss" - What Barkley refers to
Inside the NBA director
Tim Kiely as. The term is a take off on the short-lived
FOX television show with the
same name.
Currently, the lead announcing team for
The NBA on TNT is
Marv Albert and
Steve Kerr, with
Doug Collins joining them for important regular season games, the
NBA All-Star Game and the
Conference Finals. Past lead broadcasting teams for TNT include
Dick Stockton and
Hubie Brown, who worked as a team dating back to
The NBA on CBS and continued doing games together until 2002, when Brown left the broadcast booth to coach in the NBA.
Bob Neal and
Reggie Theus also worked as a lead team for TNT for several years.
List of TNT broadcast teams
(since the 2001-2002 season)2001-2002 season
*
Marv Albert and
Mike Fratello*
Kevin Harlan,
Danny Ainge, and
John Thompson*
Dick Stockton,
Hubie Brown=Playoffs
=
*
Marv Albert,
Mike Fratello and
Jeff Van Gundy (
Mike Breen filled in for
Marv Albert during the first round of the playoffs due to injuries suffered by Albert in a car accident.)
*
Kevin Harlan,
Danny Ainge and
John Thompson*
Dick Stockton,
Hubie Brown*
Mike Breen,
P. J. Carlesimo2002-2003 season
*
Marv Albert,
Mike Fratello, and
Jeff Van Gundy*
Kevin Harlan,
Danny Ainge, and
John Thompson=Playoffs
=
*
Marv Albert,
Mike Fratello*
Kevin Harlan,
John Thompson and
Danny Ainge (Ainge left during the Conference Semifinals to become Head of Basketball Operations for the
Boston Celtics.)
*
Dick Stockton,
Jeff Van Gundy*
Matt Devlin and guest analysts
2003-2004 season
*
Marv Albert,
Mike Fratello, and
Steve Kerr*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins=Playoffs
=
*
Marv Albert and
Mike Fratello*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins (
Steve Kerr and
Mike Dunleavy filled in for
Doug Collins for a select number of games due to him catching
laryngitis.)
*
Dick Stockton and
Steve Kerr*
Gary Bender,
Rex Chapman, and
John Thompson*
Marv Albert,
Mike Fratello, and
Doug Collins (Conference Finals)
2004-2005 season
*
Marv Albert and
Steve Kerr*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins=Playoffs
=
*
Marv Albert and
Steve Kerr*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins*
Dick Stockton and
Mike Dunleavy*
Matt Devlin,
Rex Chapman, and
John Thompson*
Marv Albert,
Steve Kerr, and
Doug Collins (Conference Finals)
2005-2006 season
*
Marv Albert and
Steve Kerr*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins=Playoffs
=
*
Marv Albert and
Steve Kerr*
Kevin Harlan and
Doug Collins*
Dick Stockton and
Reggie Miller*
Matt Devlin and/or
Jeff Van Gundy,
Doc Rivers and
Mike Fratello*
Marv Albert,
Steve Kerr, and
Doug Collins (Conference Finals)
The NBA on TNT Broadcasters
*
Danny Ainge (game analyst until
2003)
*
Marv Albert (play-by-play since
1999)
*
David Aldridge (sideline reporter since
2004)
*
Charles Barkley (studio analyst since
2001)
*
Gary Bender (alternate play-by-play)
*
Mike Breen (substitute play-by-play from
2002-2003)
*
Hubie Brown (game analyst until
2002)
*
P. J. Carlesimo (alternate game analyst)
*
Rex Chapman (alternate game analyst)
*
Doug Collins (game analyst from
1989-
1994,
2003-present)
*
Mike Fratello (game analyst)
*
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play since
1998)
*
Jim Huber (feature reporter)
*
Ernie Johnson Jr. (studio host since
1988)
*
Steve Kerr (game analyst since
2003)
*
Dei Lynam (sideline reporter)
*
Cheryl Miller (sideline reporter)
*
Bob Neal (play-by-play until
2002)
*
Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)
*
Craig Sager (sideline reporter)
*
Kenny Smith (studio analyst)
*
Dick Stockton (play-by-play since
1995)
*
Reggie Theus (former game analyst)
*
John Thompson (game analyst, feature reporter)
*
Jeff Van Gundy (game analyst from
2002-2003)
Since becoming the main cable participant in the NBA's television deal (a deal that includes an entire Conference Final each season) TNT's NBA ratings have improved dramatically in the postseason from prior years. While regular season ratings for
TNT NBA Thursday are the same or slightly higher than years before, postseason ratings have delivered TNT several of the highest rated NBA games on cable in history. The
NBA All-Star Game delivered TNT's highest ever NBA rating in
2003, while the Conference Finals in
2004 and
2005 set playoff cable ratings records in back-to-back years.
See also
*
National Basketball Association Nielsen ratings*
Barkley pays up, but Smith avoids being butt of joke*
Gallery *
Inside Hoops - NBA TV Contracts
