NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley took exception with the staff who decides what games air on the various networks for the NBA playoffs Wednesday night. At the conclusion of TNT’s coverage last night, the three-game slate was released for Thursday night’s action, with TNT scheduled to broadcast game three of both the New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons series and the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies series.
Meanwhile, the third game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, set for a 10:00 p.m. tip-off, was slotted on NBA TV. This placement led to Barkley’s disappointment, which he openly shared on the TNT program.
“Are y’all serious right now? Ya’ll got the best series going on NBA TV instead of here?” said Barkley. “Come on man, who made that decision?”
Notably, the slate determining which network broadcasts each of the first-round matchups had been released several days ago. NBA TV was assigned game three of the Nuggets and Clippers, along with several other games from different series in the postseason. However, that did little to calm Barkley’s ire, particularly considering the competitive nature of the series.
“They’ve had the two best games by far,” said Barkley of the Nuggets and Clippers series. “Think about it, we’re going to show the games where the teams lost by 75 points in two games instead of overtime and a barn burner.”
Furthermore, Barkley continued by encouraging viewers—albeit jokingly—to check out the “other network” and even questioned whether the Inside the NBA crew would be able to watch the game on NBA TV themselves.
“Come on man. Whoever made that decision is stupid,” said Barkley. “Seriously, you’re scheduling these games like ‘nah those other two games have been great basketball like the Joker (Jokic) said. Let’s go show the game where the team got beat by 75.’”
Although Inside the NBA will continue next season under a sublicensing agreement with The Walt Disney Company, this year marks the last in which the program will air on TNT in its current form. Going forward, Warner Bros. Discovery will not have live game broadcast rights for the NBA, as the league has opted to sign new 11-year media rights contracts with The Walt Disney Company, Comcast Corporation, and Amazon—reportedly worth a combined $76 billion.
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