<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It's no revelation to say the 76ers aren't expected to be very good this year. Want a sure sign? Take a look at the NBA's national television schedule. Even with one of the league's top draws in Allen Iverson, the Sixers are making just eight regular-season national TV appearances this season -- all on ESPN. That puts them slightly below the league average of 10.1 national TV appearances, and ties them for 15th in the 30-team league. Cleveland, with 25 appearances, will be broadcast the most by the league's three national partners -- TNT, ESPN and ABC -- with Miami, Phoenix and the Lakers right behind with 24. Four teams -- Toronto, New York, Atlanta and Portland -- won't make a national TV appearance. The Sixers are one of eight teams that won't play on TNT at all this season. The network formulates its schedule in June and because of the swirling trade rumors surrounding Iverson and the state of the team, TNT took a pass on Philadelphia. "If we would've felt better about A.I. coming back, we would've had them on at least once because he is that big of a draw and that important to TV ratings," said John Vandergrift, TNT's vice president of programming. TNT, which broadcasts doubleheaders on Thursday nights, is putting its stock in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, the Lakers and Cleveland, who all make the maximum allowed nine appearances on the network this season. "It's always a calculated gamble because you're trying to project teams over the long haul, and in six to eight months so much can change," Vandergrift said. Vandergrift pointed out the difference, though, in taking a chance with a team like defending champ Miami rather than the Sixers. "With Miami, if Shaq goes down you still have Dwyane Wade," he said, "but if A.I. goes down, you don't really have that other player who can necessarily bring people to the set." The Sixers will get plenty of air time on TNT if they make the Eastern Conference finals, which TNT will broadcast this season. That's a huge "if." Heck, even making the playoffs is a reach.| "There are some interesting possibilities from 6-7-8 in the Eastern Conference, but I don't think (the Sixers) are a playoff team the way they're constructed and what's gone on in the summer with the other teams," TNT studio analyst Kenny Smith said. "There's going to have to be some type of shakeup to make them a playoff team."</div> Source
I think the NBA needs to adopt a similiar type scheduling to mirror what the NFL has in place this year. Leave the 2nd half of the season open ended for games on TV. This way if a team is better or worse then expected the games can change but to not have the Sixers on TNT at all this season is just terrible.
<div class="quote_poster">joeyb4nike Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think the NBA needs to adopt a similiar type scheduling to mirror what the NFL has in place this year. Leave the 2nd half of the season open ended for games on TV. This way if a team is better or worse then expected the games can change but to not have the Sixers on TNT at all this season is just terrible.</div> I agree 110%. Having the flexbility to reschedule nationally televised games (especially in this day and age) should be a no-brainer for the NBA and networks to collaborate on. In the NFL, the league gives the networks and fans a 3 week window to reschedule games. The NBA should adopt a same policy, because 3 weeks is plenty of time for people to adjust.
Yea the year the Suns broke out, I don't know what the scheduling was like, but most people didn't expect them to have that good a year and be as entertaining.
Even if the sixers arent as good, they still have iverson, igoudala,korver, and carney. they have an exciting and entertaining team...even if they didnt win that much last year. the spurs win alot and i hate watching them. same with the pistons.
<div class="quote_poster">Air Fresh Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">In other words you'll have to watch Kobe and LeBron every single week.</div>
But really, I would rather have a team that nobody talks about or nobody expects to actually compete. Therefore the Sixers don't get pressured from expecations. Last year I think that was the case, people expected Ai and Webber to make this team better in their second season together, and when it didn't happen now look; nobody expects this team to be any kind of threat. Hopefully we can sneak up on them.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Hopefully we can sneak up on them.</div>Thats what I`m really hoping for after reading this article.
I agree that the Sixers can sneek up on people. If Webber stays healthy(thats always a big IF) and some other players step up & perform then theres no reason not to have a successful season. Theres a handful of potental playoff teams in the East that the Sixers are just as talented as.
