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ESPN’s plans for Inside the NBA for the Eastern Conference finals have come into focus.
The network will begin broadcasting the series between the Knicks and Cavaliers on Tuesday night. An ESPN spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports that the plans for the iconic studio show, which it is licensing from TNT, are as follows:
- Every ECF game will have a one-hour pregame show, except for Game 3 on Sat. May 23, which is on ABC.
- Halftime of every game
- Postgame shows will air on ESPN for as long as TNT’s producers decide for them to. ESPN has allotted an hour after each game, but they can go longer at TNT’s discretion.
- For the ABC game, the first half-hour of the postgame will be on ABC, and it can go longer on ESPN if TNT producers wish.
- Draymond Green will have guest appearances on two nights during the ECF.
As Inside the NBA has transitioned to ESPN under its licensing deal with TNT Sports, some critics have been unhappy that it does not run as long in the postgame as it did previously. However, the length of the show has remained under the purview of TNT producers, and an ESPN spokesperson confirmed to FOS that Scott Van Pelt’s SportsCenter programs can be pushed back as long as TNT wants to keep its NBA show going.
The program with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith will originate from its Atlanta studios during the Eastern Conference finals, and will be on-site for every game of the NBA Finals. It will mark the first time that Inside the NBA has served as the primary studio show for the NBA Finals in the program’s 38-year history.
