ESPN has made an announcement regarding the 2023 NBA finals that should please fans, especially the ones residing on the East Coast.
Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina reported this Wednesday that the network will adjust start times for NBA finals games, with the playoffs heating up as some teams have already progressed to the second round.
“ESPN announced all NBA Finals games airing on ABC will begin at 8:30 ET, with the two Sunday games beginning at 8pm. The games began at 9pm in previous years.”
We’re far from finding out who will be competing in the finals as most of the second-round matchups are yet to be decided. But it appears the league and its broadcasting partners have been hearing the complaints.
East Coast fans have bemoaned the fact that 9 PM games typically run up to midnight, especially as they hardly actually tip off on time. Some of this year’s playoff games have started at 10:30 PM on their end.
Of course, there is a need for balance, especially on weekdays, when fans on the West Coast would hope to make it home in time to catch the games. But the effort on ESPN’s part should be appreciated, though we’ll have to wait and see how pregame routines affect tipoff.
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Where it pertains to the teams that make it to the finals, sportsbooks have the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns as the favorites to win their conferences.
