NBA on CBS

NBA on CBS is the branding that is used for weekly broadcasts of National Basketball Association (NBA) games produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. CBS aired NBA games from the 1973–1974 NBA season (when it succeeded ABC Sports as the national broadcaster of the NBA) until the 1989–90 NBA season (when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports).

History[]

Early presentation[]

In early-1970s, the CBS television network aired American Basketball Association (ABA) games, specifically league's annual All-Star Game/selected playoff games. Pat Summerall served as the CBS analyst on some ABA games alongside Don Criqui on play-by-play. Game 5 of the 1970 ABA Finals (Indiana vs. Los Angeles) was nationally televised by CBS on Saturday, May 23 at 3 p.m. The broadcast was however, blacked out in Indiana. After that league's 1972-73 season, CBS lost its TV airing rights as they started airing NBA games in its 1973-74 season onward.

During CBS' first few years of 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 dunk in instant replays. Regular features included a pre-game 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 network's NFL pre-game The NFL Today). 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 its 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. In a Red on Roundball halftime segment which appeared on CBS' NBA telecasts in the 1973–74 season, Auerbach and referee Mendy Rudolph discussed and demonstrated the practice of flopping with obvious disapproval.

1973–74 NBA TV schedules:

Atlanta @ Phoenix
Buffalo @ Cleveland
Capital @ Philadelphia
Kansas City-Omaha @ Milwaukee
Portland @ Houston
Seattle @ Atlanta
Phoenix @ Chicago
Boston @ Atlanta
Los Angeles @ Milwaukee
New York @ Atlanta
Capital @ Boston
Los Angeles @ Chicago
New York @ Milwaukee
Milwaukee @ Kansas City-Omaha
New York @ Boston
Los Angeles @ Boston
Milwaukee @ Chicago
Atlanta @ Capital
New York @ Capital

Pat Summerall worked the Masters during April 13-14, 1974.

1975–76 NBA TV schedules:

11/23/75 - Philadelphia @ Atlanta and Milwaukee @ Portland (regional telecasts)
12/07/75 - Golden State @ Seattle
12/21/75 - Los Angeles @ Cleveland
1/11/76 - Philadelphia @ Boston
1/25/76 - Buffalo @ Boston and Chicago @ Kansas City
2/01/76 - Washington @ Golden State
2/3/76 - 26th NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia
2/08/76 - Buffalo @ Philadelphia
2/15/76 - Los Angeles @ Washington
2/22/76 - Los Angeles @ Seattle and Philadelphia @ Golden State (double header)
2/29/76 - Golden State @ Boston
3/05/76 - Golden State @ Los Angeles
3/07/76 - Milwaukee @ Kansas City
3/14/76 - Washington @ Boston
3/21/76 - Houston @ Seattle
3/28/76 - Buffalo @ Washington
4/04/76 - Buffalo @ Boston and Philadelphia @ Detroit (double header)
4/11/76 - Boston @ Washington and Kansas City @ Buffalo (double header)

In the 1975–76 season, CBS had asked the NBA to schedule both games on January 25, so they could choose which one to televise.

Slam dunk contest[]

Michael Jordan is the goat During the 1976–77 season, 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 Game 6 of the 1977 NBA Finals. At the time of the final, Hillman's rights had been traded to the New York Nets, but he had not yet signed a contract. Since he was not officially a member of any NBA team, instead of wearing a jersey, he competed in a plain white tank top. Then for the post-competition interview, Hillman donned a shirt with the words "Bottle Shoppe" – the name of an Indianapolis liquor store, which is still in existence, and was the sponsor of a city parks softball league team for which Hillman played left field (and the only team he was a member of at the time). Other players to compete in the slam dunk tournament included Julius Erving, George Gervin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. CBS, anxious for star power, also gave David Thompson the opportunity to be eliminated three times.

1976–77 NBA TV schedules:

Chicago @ Kansas City (Christmas Day game)
Los Angeles @ Detroit
New York @ Golden State
Denver @ Seattle
Seattle @ Phoenix
San Antonio @ Seattle
Los Angeles @ Philadelphia
Denver @ Phoenix
Los Angeles @ Washington
Boston @ Golden State
Philadelphia @ Seattle
Chicago @ Golden State
Washington @ Golden State
Portland @ Phoenix
Golden State @ Denver

H.O.R.S.E. competition[]

During the 1977–78 season, CBS held a H-O-R-S-E competition at halftime of the Game of the Week telecasts. Again, Don Criqui hosted with Mendy Rudolph officiating. 32 players, including Rick Barry, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, JoJo White, Doug Collins, Paul Westphal and Bob McAdoo, competed in a round-robin single-elimination tournament each week. Barry was eliminated in the first round by journeyman Earl Tatum of the Los Angeles Lakers. Maravich and Westphal made it all the way to the final, which was scheduled to take place at halftime of Game 2 of the 1978 NBA Finals. However, Maravich was injured and unavailable, so CBS instead had Westphal shoot a free-throw against "Bag-Man" (who was actually Rick Barry, who was on the announcing team, wearing a paper sack over his head). Westphal, with a bag over his head as well, made the free throw while Barry missed, and CBS awarded him the trophy.

Tape delay and playoff scheduling[]

From 1975 to 1979, CBS aired all NBA Finals games live (usually during the afternoon); live NBA Finals game coverage on the network resumed in 1982. During this era, CBS aired weeknight playoff games from earlier rounds on tape delay at 11:30 p.m. 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 did not want sportscasters to give the final score on the late-evening newscasts aired by its local affiliates. The network 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 or 9:00 p.m. local starts. For instance, CBS aired Games 1–3 of the 1981 Western Conference Finals, between the Houston Rockets and Kansas City Kings. Ironically, both Western Conference 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 62–20 record).

1986 was the last year that CBS ever aired an NBA playoff game on tape delay. The network's final delayed playoff broadcast was Game 3 (on May 16) of the playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. The game aired at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time after having a 9:30 p.m. tip.

Preemptions[]

WCPO in Cincinnati, a CBS affiliate during the NBA on CBS era, did not carry many regular season games in the 1970s, deciding to run movies and other programming instead. The city had lost the Cincinnati Royals when they moved to Kansas City and Omaha in 1972; Cincinnati has not had an NBA team since. As an ABC affiliate post-1996, WCPO has carried that network's regular season (and playoffs) since ABC and ESPN gained broadcast rights to the NBA in 2002.

All through the 1980s when CBS broadcast NBA basketball games on Sunday afternoons, those games were pretty much a no-show in the Carolinas. WBTV in Charlotte, WFMY in Greensboro, WTVD in Raleigh, and WBTW in Florence refused to show any of the games. They instead opted for old movies, and off-net repeats mostly. WLTX in Columbia did air a full schedule of NBA games and low-powered indie Ch. 62 in Fayetteville did take the games in lieu of WTVD (other indies in the state didn't bother with them though).

Scheduling history overview[]

1976

The 1976 NBA Finals had three straight off days between the Sunday afternoon opener and Game 2 the following Thursday night 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 a.m. local time (1:30 p.m. Eastern Time) 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, CBS' NBA schedule was composed of six regionalized telecasts on Sundays. Not only that, the network would air 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, the network stopped airing any games during prime time prior to the NBA Finals. Instead, CBS started airing several West Coast games at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

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, these involved smaller-market teams (such as the Portland Trail Blazers) that were in the playoffs or had 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 its NBA coverage very quickly after the game ended, skipping the trophy presentation in the Trail Blazers' locker room to instead televise the golf tournament.

1978

By 1978, NBC aired Saturday afternoon college basketball games, while 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 many basketball games being aired on television at once. As an experiment of sorts, the network decided to air the first two games of the Conference Finals at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

1979

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 p.m. on a Sunday and then 9:00 p.m. on the following Tuesday), but were unnecessary. However, Game 2 of the Finals was aired on tape delay while CBS affiliates in the DC area and the Pacific Northwest telecast the game live.

1980

By the 1979–1980 season, the network's NBA ratings had bottomed, with a regular season rating for the broadcasts at 6.4. By this time, the network had eliminated its regional coverage and only used two play-by-play announcers (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 showing an NBA Finals game was not worth pre-empting their Friday night lineup (the smash hit Dallas in particular) during May sweeps (although the iconic episode in which J.R. Ewing was shot aired on March 21, 1980, and Dallas was already in summer reruns). 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 of the 1980 Finals (on Friday, May 16), the network gave its affiliates the option of either airing the game live or on tape delay (in fact, WAGA-TV in Atlanta did not carry the NBA on CBS for numerous years). If the affiliate chose to air the game later that night, then the prime time schedule would consist of reruns of The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas (CBS, NBC and ABC ended the 1979–80 seasons in late March and early April in anticipation of a strike by the Screen Actors Guild, which came to fruition in July 1980). The clinching Game 6 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; CBS stations in the latter three markets were able to air the game live and still show most of the CBS prime time schedule since the game tipped at 6:00 p.m. 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 in it ending increasingly later (for example, April 6 in 1975, April 11 in 1976). Prior to that, the regular season had always ended in late March. For the 1979–1980 and 1980–1981 seasons, the NBA reverted to the earlier practice, with the season ending respectively on March 30, 1980 and March 29, 1981 (both falling on a Sunday). That meant that the Finals in those years began in the first week of May rather than the end of May, and as a result, the weeknight games were played during May ratings sweeps. Consequently, weeknight games held on the West Coast started at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time, which was 11:30 p.m. in the Eastern Time Zone; those games could be shown live. However, non-West Coast weeknight games required tape-delay, to be shown at 11:30 p.m.

1979–80 NBA TV schedules:

10/12/79 - Los Angeles @ San Diego (11:30 pm, tape delay)
12/25/79 - Philadelphia @ Washington (12:30 pm)
1/20/80 - Seattle @ Boston (12:00 pm)
1/27/80 - Atlanta @ San Antonio and San Diego @ Boston (1:00 pm, regional telecasts)
2/03/80 - 30th NBA All-Star Game in Landover (1:00 pm)
2/10/80 - Los Angeles @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
2/17/80 - Boston @ Seattle (3:45 pm)
2/24/80 - Milwaukee @ Kansas City and San Diego @ Chicago (1:00 pm, regional telecasts)
3/02/80 - Los Angeles @ Phoenix (1:00 pm) and Milwaukee @ San Diego (3:45 pm)
3/09/80 - Philadelphia @ San Antonio (1:00 pm)
3/16/80 - New York @ Washington, Phoenix @ Los Angeles and Kansas City @ Milwaukee (2:00 pm regional telecasts)
3/21/80 - Phoenix @ Portland (11:30 pm, tape delay)
3/23/80 - New York @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
3/28/80 - San Diego @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
3/30/80 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)

1981

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 delayed game. CBS wanted the Pacific teams to advance in the playoffs so that they could show live games at 11:30 p.m. on the Eastern U.S.; 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 located in the Central Time Zone, the Houston Rockets and Kansas City Kings, to play in the Western Conference Finals.

1980–81 NBA TV schedules:

10/10/80 - Los Angeles @ Seattle (11:30 pm, tape delay)
12/25/80 - Boston @ New York (12:30 pm)
1/18/81 - Los Angeles @ Boston (1:00 pm)
1/25/81 - Phoenix @ Philadelphia and Seattle @ Boston (12:00 pm, regional telecasts)
2/1/81 - 31st NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland (1:00 pm)
2/8/81 - Los Angeles @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
2/22/81 - Los Angeles @ New York (1:00 pm) and Philadelphia @ Phoenix (3:30 pm)
3/1/81 - Philadelphia @ Boston (1:00 pm) and Phoenix @ Los Angeles (3:30 pm)
3/8/81 - Chicago @ Washington and Milwaukee @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm, regional telecasts)
3/15/81 - Philadelphia @ New York and Chicago @ Kansas City (1:00 pm, regional telecasts)
3/22/81 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
3/27/81 - Seattle @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
3/29/81 - Philadelphia @ Boston (1:00 pm)

Later Years

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. In the 1979–1980 and 1980–1981 seasons, the NBA had experimented with ending the regular season at the end of March, thereby ensuring that the Finals were played in early-to-mid-May; starting with the 1981–1982 season, 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 to 18 if they went seven games, and the 1981 Finals for May 5–17, the 1982 Finals were scheduled for May 27 to June 10).

While CBS would stop tape delaying its game broadcasts after the 1981 NBA Finals, many first-round playoff games were not nationally televised (and would not become so 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 games during the regular season. Each March, CBS would essentially suspend its NBA coverage during the NCAA Men's Basketball 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.

1981–82

CBS would reserve a playoff game with an early start (such as Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals) for tape delay, preventing USA Network from televising it live.

The '82 Finals marked the first time since 1978 that all of the games aired live in its entirely; As a compromise between CBS and the NBA, the season returned to late October after starting it in early October the previous two seasons, meaning that the championship series started after the conclusion of May sweeps. Also, Brent Musburger served as anchor for Game 1 in Philadelphia, but had to anchor Games 2 and 3 from New York, because he hosted CBS Sports Sunday. So anchoring the coverage in Musburger's absence were Frank Glieber (Games 2-4) and Pat O'Brien (Game 5).

1981–82 NBA TV schedules:

10/30/81 - Houston @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
12/25/81 - New Jersey @ New York (1:00 pm) and Los Angeles @ Phoenix (3:30 pm)
1/17/82 - Philadelphia @ New Jersey (1:00 pm)
1/22/82 - Detroit @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
1/24/82 - Portland @ Boston (12:00 pm)
1/31/82 - 32nd NBA All-Star Game in East Rutherford, NJ (either 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm)
2/7/82 - Los Angeles @ Boston (12:00 pm)
2/14/82 - Boston @ Los Angeles (3:45 pm)
2/21/82 - Phoenix @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
2/28/82 - Milwaukee @ Boston (12:00 pm)
3/7/82 - Los Angeles @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
3/14/82 - Phoenix @ Boston (12:00 pm)
3/28/82 - Philadelphia @ Boston (2:00 pm)
4/2/82 - San Antonio @ Seattle (11:30 pm, tape delay)
4/4/82 - Houston @ San Antonio (1:00 pm) and Portland @ Los Angeles (3:30 pm)
4/11/82 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
4/16/82 - Golden State @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
4/18/82 - Milwaukee @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm) and Portland @ Los Angeles (3:30 pm)

1982–83

Michael Jordan is the goat. [;'/

In the 1982–83 season, CBS significantly reduced the number of regular season broadcasts from 18 to four. The rationale was that cable television networks (namely, the USA Network and ESPN) were 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.

1982–83 NBA TV schedules:

11/7/82 - Seattle @ Milwaukee (3:30 pm)
11/14/82 - Washington @ Philadelphia (3:30 pm)
1/30/83 - Los Angeles @ Boston (1:00 pm)
2/13/83 - 33rd NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles (3:30 pm)
3/6/83 - Philadelphia @ New Jersey (12:00 pm)
4/15/83 - Seattle @ Los Angeles (11:30 pm, tape delay)
4/17/83 - Philadelphia @ Boston (1:00 pm)

1983–84

For the 1983–84 season, CBS would televise just ten (out of 170 nationally) regular season games. Meanwhile, CBS televised about 16 playoff games. 1984 featured an increase to 47 nationally televised playoff time slots (43 national games plus 8 regional games in four windows).

Also 1984, CBS Sports' Lesley Visser (the then wife of lead NBA on CBS play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals.

1983–84 NBA TV schedules:

10/29/83 - San Antonio @ Houston (3:45 pm)
12/25/83 - New Jersey @ New York (3:30 pm)
1/15/84 - Boston @ Milwaukee (1:00 pm)
1/29/84 - 34th NBA All-Star Game in Denver (2:00 pm)
2/12/84 - Philadelphia @ Boston (3:30 pm)
2/26/84 - Los Angeles @ Philadelphia (12:00 pm)
3/4/84 - Los Angeles @ Detroit (12:00 pm)
4/8/84 - Philadelphia @ New York (1:00 pm) and Los Angeles @ Portland (3:30 pm)

1984–85

On May 12, 1985, during halftime of the Boston Celtics–Philadelphia 76ers playoff game, CBS televised the first ever NBA Draft Lottery.

1984–85 NBA TV schedules:

10/27/84 - Houston @ Dallas (3:30 pm)
12/25/84 - Detroit @ Philadelphia (3:30 pm)
1/13/85 - L.A. Lakers @ Detroit (12:00 pm)
1/20/85 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
2/10/85 - 35th NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis (1:45 pm)
2/17/85 - Boston @ L.A. Lakers (3:45 pm)
2/24/85 - L.A. Lakers @ New York (12:00 pm)
4/7/85 - New York @ Boston (1:00 pm) and Portland @ L.A. Lakers (3:45 pm)

1985–86

1986 was the last time CBS ever aired an NBA playoff game on tape delay, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, which was held on May 16 of that year. The game aired at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time following a 9:30 p.m. 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.

As was the case in 1985, Game 1 of the 1986 NBA Finals was on Memorial Day afternoon. Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Houston was played during the midst of an electrical storm that knocked the picture out for approximately the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. Although the video was already on the fritz towards the end of the third, CBS announcer Dick Stockton waited for nearly three minutes before adjusting to a radio play-by-play.

1985–86 NBA TV schedules:

10/26/85 - Philadelphia @ New York (1:00 pm)
12/25/85 - Boston @ New York (3:30 pm)
1/19/86 - L.A. Lakers @ Detroit (12:00 pm)
1/26/86 - Philadelphia @ Boston (12:00 pm)
2/9/86 - 36th NBA All-Star Game in Dallas (1:45 pm)
2/16/86 - Boston @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)
2/23/86 - L.A. Lakers @ Philadelphia (12:00 pm)
3/2/86 - Detroit @ Boston (2:00 pm)
3/9/86 - Indiana @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)
4/16/86 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm) and L.A. Lakers @ Houston (3:30 pm)

1987

In 1987, CBS provided prime time coverage for Game 6 of the Easter egg hunt while eating weed Finals, marking the network's 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. Because of this, 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.

Also in 1987, the NBA Finals hit a then-record rating of 15.9. James Brown was the sideline reporter for Games 3 and 4 (the latter being the Magic junior skyhook game) of the Finals because Pat O'Brien attended the birth of his son Sean Patrick. O'Brien called Games 1, 2, 5 and 6.

1986–87 NBA TV schedules:

11/1/86 - L.A. Lakers @ Houston (3:30 pm)
12/25/86 - Chicago @ New York (12:00 pm)
1/18/87 - Houston @ Boston (12:00 pm)
1/24/87 - L.A. Lakers @ Dallas (3:30 pm)
1/25/87 - Philadelphia @ Boston (1:00 pm)
2/1/87 - Houston @ Atlanta (1:00 pm)
2/8/87 - 37th NBA All-Star Game in Seattle (3:00 pm)
2/15/87 - Boston @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)
3/1/87 - Philadelphia @ Houston (2:00 pm)
3/8/87 - Boston @ Detroit (12:00 pm)
4/5/87 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm) and L.A. Lakers @ Denver (3:30 pm)
4/19/87 - Atlanta @ Boston (1:00 pm)

1988–89

By the late 1980s, CBS was telecasting 15 or 16 regular season games per year. In 1989 alone, only 13 of the 24 playoff games (Games 1–3, specifically) in Round 1 aired on TBS or CBS (for example, none of the four games from the Seattle–Houston first round series appeared on national television). Notably, Game 5 of the 1989 playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers (featuring Michael Jordan's now famous game winning, last second shot over Craig Ehlo) was not nationally televised. 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 KCBS-TV in Los Angeles and KPIX-TV in San Francisco) were able to broadcast 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 the Chicago-Cleveland game, 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 on KOIN rather than that game. Furthermore, CBS only broadcast the fifth game of the first-round series between Atlanta and Milwaukee nationally. The nationally televised Atlanta-Milwaukee game aired at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, while the regionally televised Chicago-Cleveland and Seattle/L.A. Lakers games aired at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Perhaps even more confusing, both Game 5 sites (Coliseum at Richfield in Cleveland and Omni Coliseum in 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 primary announcing team, Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown to call the latter game.

1988–89 NBA TV schedules:

11/26/88 - L.A. Lakers @ Detroit (8:30 pm)
12/25/88 - L.A. Lakers @ Utah (3:30 pm)
1/15/89 - Boston @ Chicago (3:30 pm)
1/22/89 - Detroit @ Boston (12:00 pm)
1/29/89 - L.A. Lakers @ Dallas (1:00 pm)
2/5/89 - Chicago @ Detroit (2:00 pm)
2/12/89 - 39th NBA All-Star Game in Houston (3:15 pm)
2/19/89 - Boston @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)
2/20/89 - Houston @ Cleveland (1:30 pm)
2/26/89 - Boston @ New York (2:00 pm)
3/5/89 - L.A. Lakers @ Houston (3:30 pm)
3/12/89 - Denver @ Boston (12:00 pm)
4/2/89 - Boston @ Cleveland (1:30 pm)
4/9/89 - Chicago @ Atlanta (12:30 pm)
4/16/89 - Chicago @ Cleveland (1:00 pm)
4/23/89 - Seattle @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)

Resurgence of the NBA[]

Popular belief holds that the peak era of the NBA on CBS occurred from 1984 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 playing against each other in the highest-rated NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship of all time), respectively playing for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. 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 Game of the Week on CBS, and ratings for Finals games approached levels rivaling those of the World Series.

Prior to the Bird/Magic era, CBS used to televise approximately five to seven games regionally per week in a doubleheader format (1:45 and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) 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 (for example, "Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers", "Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics" or "Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers") for a "Game of the Week" broadcast.

Memorable moments[]

During its tenure as the NBA's broadcast 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 Pistons.

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).

The NBA’s popularity was skyrocketing by the late '80s and Commissioner David Stern wanted more exposure. This meant that he wanted more than 15 games a year shown on network television. However, CBS didn’t have the room to broadcast double and triple headers every Sunday like NBC could because of their NFL and college basketball coverage. Plus around this time, CBS had signed deals with Major League Baseball and the Winter Olympics, making it even more difficult to accommodate the NBA’s request for more over the air telecasts. All in all, CBS was by 1990 pretty much destined to cut ties with the NBA.

From 1986 to its final year in 1990, CBS paid about US$47 million per year for the NBA broadcast contract. 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, ending CBS Sports' relationship with the NBA after 17 years. 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.

Prior to the closing montage, the network's final NBA game broadcast on June 14, 1990 ended with this sign-off by Dick Stockton:

“ Well, I guess now the time has come. This is our last game as many of you may know. And it's really the end of a 17-year love affair between CBS and the NBA. For every member of our broadcast team and I mean technicians, and cameramen, production people, the terrifically talented folks in the truck, where it all happens, and of course...the commentators, this has been an extraordinary experience. We've witnessed the careers of Julius Erving and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. We've seen Michael Jordan take flight. All the players actually...fired the imagination not only for an entire generation of NBA fans but for all of us at CBS. We know we leave the NBA in good hands. But to Isiah and Akeem and Patrick and David Robinson, to all the players, coaches...and you the viewers, we're going to miss all of you. So long! “

1989–90 NBA TV schedules:

11/25/89 - Chicago @ Golden State (3:30 pm)
12/25/89 - Cleveland @ Atlanta (3:30 pm)
1/21/90 - L.A. Lakers @ Detroit (12:00 pm) and New York @ Chicago (2:30 pm)
1/28/90 - Phoenix @ Boston (12:30 pm)
2/4/90 - Utah @ Detroit (1:00 pm)
2/11/90 - 40th NBA All-Star Game in Miami (3:00 pm)
2/18/90 - Boston @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)
2/19/90 - Houston @ Chicago (1:30 pm)
2/25/90 - Detroit @ New York (12:00 pm)
3/4/90 - Chicago @ Boston (2:00 pm)
3/11/90 - L.A. Lakers @ Atlanta (12:00 pm)
4/1/90 - Utah @ L.A. Lakers (3:30 pm)
4/8/90 - Detroit @ Cleveland (12:00 pm)
4/15/90 - New York @ Boston (1:00 pm)
4/22/90 - Boston @ Philadelphia (1:00 pm)

List of broadcasters[]

Brent Musburger (lead play-by-play 1974–1980, studio host 1982–1989, play-by-play 1983–1989)
Don Criqui (play-by-play 1974–1979)
Pat Summerall (lead play-by-play 1973–1974)
Gary Bender (play-by-play 1977–1980, 1982–1986, lead play-by-play 1980–1981)
Dick Stockton (play-by-play 1981 Playoffs, lead play-by-play 1981–1990)
Frank Glieber (play-by-play 1975, 1978–1979, 1981–1985)
Tim Brant (play-by-play 1987–1989, sideline reporter 1989–1990)
Jim Nantz (play-by-play 1986)
Verne Lundquist (play-by-play 1987–1990)
Greg Gumbel (play-by-play 1989–1990)
James Brown (sideline reporter 1987–1990, play-by-play 1990)
Hot Rod Hundley (analyst 1973–1974, 1978–1980)
Oscar Robertson (analyst 1974–1975)
Jerry West (analyst 1974–1976)
Rick Barry (analyst 1974, 1976–1981)
Mendy Rudolph (analyst 1975–1977)
Bill Russell (analyst 1980–1983)
Kevin Loughery (analyst 1981–1984)
Tom Heinsohn (analyst 1983–1990)
Hubie Brown (analyst 1982, 1985–1990)
Doug Collins (analyst 1983–1986)
Billy Packer (analyst 1987–1988)
Bill Raftery (analyst 1989, studio host 1989–1990)
Len Elmore (analyst 1990)
Quinn Buckner (analyst 1989–1990)
Sonny Hill (CBS NBA editor 1973–1977, sideline reporter 1976)
Lesley Visser (sideline reporter 1988–1990)
Pat O'Brien (sideline reporter 1983–1988, studio host 1983–1990)