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The NBA on CBS

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The NBA on CBS is a former TV show that televised National Basketball Association games on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and was produced by CBS Sports. The NBA on CBS ran from the 1973-1974 NBA season (when CBS succeeded ABC Sports as the official American television broadcaster of the NBA) until the 1989-1990 NBA season (when CBS was succeeded by NBC Sports). From 1986 to its final year in 1990, CBS paid about $47 million per year for their NBA coverage.

Contents

During the 1976-77 season, the NBA's first after merging with the ABA, CBS held a slam dunk contest that ran during halftime of their 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 and eventual winner Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman of the Indiana Pacers, took place during the 1977 NBA Finals. Interestingly, CBS, who was anxious for "star power" gave big names of that era like Julius Erving, George Gervin, and David Thompson the opportunity to be eliminated three times.[Dr. Dunk Rates His Competition][Enjoying 'Mile High' should be a slam dunk]

Tape Delay Period

By 1979-1980, CBS' NBA ratings had bottomed. CBS felt that wasn't worth it to them to pre-empt their Friday night lineup (the smash hit Dallas in particular) during May sweeps to show an NBA Finals game. 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.

From 1975-1979 CBS aired all NBA Finals games live (usually during the afternoon). Starting in 1982, CBS resumed live coverage of all NBA Finals games. 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.

The NBA's Resurgence

Many believe that the peak era of The NBA on CBS happened from 1984-1987. During this particular period CBS' NBA coverage hailed a new era that would forever link two of the game's greatest players, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Many credit the theatrics of Bird and Johnson to boosting the morale and overall popularity of the NBA (especially during the taped delay era of NBA telecasts). Within the three years of Johnson and Bird entering the league, the NBA had a weekly Game of the Week on CBS, and ratings for Finals games were actually almost as high as the World Series in 1984.

Prior to Bird/Magic era going into full swing, CBS used to offer roughly five to seven games (in a regional format) per week in a doubleheader format (1:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET) on Sundays. Unfortunately for CBS, ratings for their regional basketball telecasts suffered in stark contrast to NBC's college basketball coverage and ABC's Superstars program. Eventually, after ratings in 1980 and 1981 bottomed out (coinciding with CBS airing the NBA Finals on tape delay), CBS decided to scrap the regional telecasts. In its place came CBS selling the marquee players and teams (i.e. Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, etc.) for a "Game of the Week"-type broadcast.

During The NBA on CBS era many first round playoff games were not nationally televised (a practice that didn't begin 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 1989 alone, only 13 of the 24 Games 1-3 in Round 1 appeared on TBS or CBS. For example, none of the four games from the Seattle-Houston first round series appeared on national television.

Another interesting fact is that Game 5 of the 1989 playoff series between Chicago and Cleveland (featuring Michael Jordan's now famous game winning, last second shot over Craig Ehlo) wasn't nationally televised. For instance, 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 Los Angeles and San Francisco got a chance to see at least a portion the Chicago-Cleveland game. In the case for Los Angeles, the hometown Lakers finished their game (which was happening at the same time as the Chicago-Cleveland game) just in time for CBS to transfer coverage to the Chicago-Cleveland game just in time for viewers to see Michael Jordan's game winning shot. The Portland Oregonian criticized CBS for its decision to show the Game 1 of the second round Seattle-Lakers series in Portland rather than Chicago-Cleveland fifth game.

During the same day that Michael Jordan would make his now legendary shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers (May 7, 1989), CBS only broadcasted the fifth game of the first round series between Atlanta and Milwaukee nationally. The nationally televised Atlanta-Milwaukee game went on the air at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time while the regionally televised Chicago-Cleveland and Seattle Lakers games went on the air at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Perhaps even more confusing, both Game 5 sites (Chicago at Cleveland and Milwaukee at Atlanta) were in the Eastern Time Zone, so differing local start times were not a factor. Also, CBS aired Game 2 of the Chicago-Cleveland series nationally while relegating Game 2 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series TBS. Ironically, CBS used its number one announcing team, Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown to call the fifth Chicago-Cleveland game.

Television Contracts

Seasons Contracts Amount
1973-74 to 1975-76 $27 million/3 years
1976-77 to 1977-78 $21 million/2 years
1978-79 to 1981-82 $74 million/4 years
1982-83 to 1985-86 $91.9 million/4 years
1986-87 to 1989-90 $173 million/4 years

Games per season

Season Games
1989-90 45
1988-89 36
1987-88 42
1986-87 38
1985-86 33
1984-85 32
1983-84 32
1982-83 26
1981-82 40
1980-81 40
1979-80 36
1978-79 38
1977-78 40
1976-77 40
1975-76 40
1974-75 37
1973-74 40

Notes

Announcers

Additional Notes

List of Announcing Teams Throughout the Years

  1. Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown
  2. Brent Musburger and Bill Raftery
  3. Verne Lundquist and Tom Heinsohn
  4. Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner

Number One Announcing Teams

  • For the 1980-1981 season, the lead announcing team was made up of Gary Bender, Rick Barry, and Bill Russell (Brent Musburger now handled hosting duties, as he hosted the entire proceedings). This was the crew that CBS used in response to NBC's college basketball broadcasting trio of Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire. If did not work out as well as expected and Bender, who was replaced by Dick Stockton on NBA telecasts, moved on to NCAA basketball broadcasts the following year when CBS got the rights from NBC.
    • 



    Number Two Announcing Teams
    




    List of 

    
Year
Network
Play-by-Play Man
Color Commentator(s)

    
[1990]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Hubie Brown

    
[1989]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Hubie Brown

    
[1988]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Billy Cunningham

    
[1987]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Tom Heinsohn

    
[1986]
CBS 
Dick Stockton
Tom Heinsohn

    
[1985]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Tom Heinsohn

    
[1984]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Tom Heinsohn

    
[1983]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Bill Russell and Kevin Loughery

    
[1982]
CBS
Dick Stockton
Bill Russell

    
[1981]
CBS
Gary Bender
Bill Russell and Rick Barry

    
[1980]
CBS
Brent Musburger 
Rod Hundley and Bill Russell  

    
[1979]
CBS
Brent Musburger
Rick Barry and Rod Hundley

    
[1978] 
CBS 
Brent Musburger 
Rick Barry and John Havlicek

    
[1977]
CBS
Brent Musburger 
Rick Barry and Steve Jones

    
[1976]
CBS 
Brent Musburger
Mendy Rudolph and Rick Barry

    
[1975] 
CBS 
Brent Musburger 
Oscar Robertson

    
[1974] 
CBS
Pat Summerall 
Rick Barry and Rod Hundley

    



    
Through the 1974-76 seasons, the theme music for The NBA on CBS actually had lyrics. The visuals were pretty striking for 1975, even though it was simply rotoscoped basketball players in silouette, against a black background and outlined in different colors. The lyrics for the full version (there were also shorter versions of the theme and lyrics presented below) are below: [link] [link] There was actually an ensemble of singers who sang the upbeat jingle.
    


    Give it all you got,
    

    Take your your very best shot
    

    And may the best team win.
    

    The time is now, the name of the game is action.
    

    

    ''They're on the floor,
    

    And they're ready to score,
    

    So let the game begin,
    

    And let's see how the ball's going to bounce today
    

    

    Welcome to N-B-A
    

    ''Come on, and join the rest of the crowd"
    

    Here's another classical bout,
    

    To come your way...
    

    

    You'll see the best in basketball
    

    ''When you watch the N-B-A,
    

    When you watch the N-B-A on C-B-S.
    

    (N-B-A on C-B-S, N-B-A on C-B-S, ... etc. fading out)
    

    
In 1977, there was an alternate opening which just showed a montage of stills of current NBA star athletes with music over it which resembled the music used for CBS' NFL coverage at that time.
    

By 1980, CBS began to utilize a slick rotoscoped animation in silouette, of one player shooting a jumpshot, and the ball in mid air began to roll all the NBA teams as it spun in the air, with disco-pop-moog music behind it.
    

By the 1983 NBA Finals, the opening sequence was set in a primitive, computer-generated montage of basketball action set inside a virtual arena that looked identical to Boston Garden. This opening sequence (which was usually interwined by a dramatic montage of live basketball action complete with narration) was created by Bill Feigenbaum. This considerably "happy and peppy" opening melody (mostly consisting of an uptempo series of four notes and three bars each) from 1983-1988 is generally considered to be the most familiar theme music that The NBA on CBS used.
    

In the 1988-1989 season, CBS completely revamped the opening montage. The computer-generated imagery (once again set in and around a virtual arena) was made to look more realistic (live-action footage was incorporated in the backdrops). Also, the familiar theme music was rearranged to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact.
    


    Additional notes
    


    Memorable Moments
    

    1. In 1983, a year before his tragic and untimely death, Marvin Gaye gave a soulful and emotional rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the NBA All-Star Game telecast. Gaye's performance remains a staple in popular culture to this day. For CBS' final NBA telecast (which coincided with the conclusion of the 1990 NBA Finals), they did a montage at the end to thank everybody over the years.  The montage was done to the national anthem by Marvin Gaye.  They felt that it was the most significant moment from their basketball programming.
    2. In Game 5 of the 1986 NBA Western Conference Finals, Ralph Sampson's last second tip-in at the buzzer beat the Los Angeles Lakers and send the Houston Rockets to only their second NBA Finals in their franchise history.
    3. On May 7, 1989, the Chicago Bulls  got out of the first round for the second time in the Michael Jordan era, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games (with Jordan averaging 45.2 PPG during the series). Jordan established himself as one of the great clutch performers in the NBA with his famous last second dagger over Craig Ehlo in Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs.
    

    

    1. 1976: Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labelled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever". With the series tied 2-2, Boston took a huge lead against the Phoenix Suns at Boston Garden but could not hold it. The game was marred by several controversies but eventually went to Boston in three overtimes, 128-126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.
    2. 1977: The Portland Trail Blazers, now leading the series against the Philadelphia 76ers 3-2, arrived back home for Game 6 in the middle of the night to a crowd of 5,000 fans waiting at the airport. With just 48 minutes separating the Blazers from their first championship, "Blazermania" had gripped the city. Philadelphia kept the game close throughout the first quarter, but were down by 15 at halftime after the Blazers netted 40 points in the 2nd quarter. Julius Erving tried in vain to force a game 7 for his team, scoring 40 points, but Bill Walton's 23 rebounds and 8 blocks kept the game in Portland's hands, as Philadelphia's George McGinnis missed the game-tying shot with seconds left sent for a heart stopping 109-107 Portland win.
    3. 1980: The Lakers took a 3-2 lead, led chiefly by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After he sprained his ankle in Game 5, Magic Johnson (then little known) shifted to center and played out a huge game in Game 6, scoring 42 points and netting 15 rebounds as the Lakers clinched the title 123-107. Also in the 1980 NBA Finals, Julius Erving executed the legendary Baseline Move, an incredible behind-the-board reverse layup and one of the most spectacular basketball moves ever.
    4. 1983: The final piece of the championship puzzle for the Philadelphia 76ers was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. They went on to capture their historic second NBA championship as they won 65 games, and ran the table in the playoffs, first sweeping the New York Knicks, and then beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games and finally finished it off with a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers who had defeated them the season before, completeing one of the most dominating playoff runs in league history with a 12-1 mark after league and NBA Finals MVP Moses promised "Fo', fo', fo" (as in "four, four, four" - four wins to sweep round 1, four wins to sweep round 2, etc.), but it actually wound up as "Fo', fi', fo (four, five, four)."  The 76ers were also led by Hall of Famer Julius Erving and All-Stars Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.
    5. 1984: The long-awaited rematch of the Lakers and Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1980 with the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird pair entering the league. The Lakers almost swept the Celtics but a crucial steal in Game 2 led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3 easily and almost won Game 4, but were again thwarted. Now tied 2-2, the Lakers and Celtics each held serve at their home court to send the series to Boston for Game 7. Game 5 was a classic, with Bird coming up with a huge game in one of the (literally) hottest games ever in non-air conditioned Boston Garden. Game 7 was a close game but eventually went to the Celtics. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings.
    6. The 1985 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics was perhaps the most satisfying for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At age 38 the league's senior center was thought by many observers to be washed up. In Game 1 it looked as though they were right -- Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and 3 rebounds in his matchup with Robert Parish. The Celtics romped to a 148-114 win in what became known as The Memorial Day Massacre. In Game 2, Abdul-Jabbar recorded 30 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 109-102 Lakers win. Los Angeles went on to win the series in six games. In the Lakers' four victories Abdul-Jabbar averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 blocks. In one memorable sequence Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and swished a sky-hook. He even dove for a loose ball. "What you saw," Lakers coach Pat Riley told Sports Illustrated, "was passion." Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP.
    7. 1987: The Lakers and Celtics clashed again. Magic Johnson beat the Celtics on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead and swing the momentum towards the Lakers. Los Angeles won in six.
    8. In Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers, Isiah Thomas put one of his best known and most self-defining performances. Although he badly twisted his ankle in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Isiah was still able to score 26 points in a single quarter of that contest, a NBA Finals record.
    9. On June 19, 1990, Vinnie Johnson landed a 14-footer in the last second, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 92-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and giving the Detroit Pistons their second consecutive the World Championship. This is to date, CBS' final NBA telecast.
    

    Memorable Calls
    








    Ratings
    

    

    Highest rated CBS games

    Game
Year/Event
Rating

    
Game 7
1988 NBA Finals 
21.2

    
Game 7 
1984 NBA Finals 
19.3

    
Game 4 
1987 NBA Finals
18.9

    
Game 5 
1987 NBA Finals
18.9

    


    

    NBA Finals ratings from 1976 through 1990

     Net. 
 Year 
 Series 
 Average
    Rating

    
 CBS 
 1976 
 [Boston Celtics 4, Phoenix Suns 2] 
 11.5

    
 CBS 
 1977 
 [Portland Trailblazers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2] 
 12.7

    
 CBS 
 1978 
 [Washington Bullets 4, Seattle Supersonics 3] 
 9.9

    
 CBS 
 1979 
 [Seattle Supersonics 4, Washington Bullets 1] 
 7.2

    
 CBS 
 1980 
 [Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers] 
 8.0

    
 CBS 
 1981 
 [Boston Celtics 4, Houston Rockets 2] 
 6.7

    
 CBS 
 1982 
 [Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2] 
 13.0

    
 CBS 
 1983 
 [Philadelphia 76ers 4, Los Angeles Lakers 0] 
 12.3

    
 CBS 
 1984 
 [Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3] 
 12.3

    
 CBS 
 1985 
 [Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 2] 
 13.7

    
 CBS 
 1986 
 [Boston Celtics 4, Houston Rockets 2] 
 14.1

    
 CBS 
 1987 
 [Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 2] 
 15.9

    
 CBS 
 1988 
 [Los Angeles Lakers 4, Detroit Pistons 3] 
 15.4

    
 CBS 
 1989 
 [Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 0] 
 15.1

    
 CBS 
 1990 
 [Detroit Pistons 4, Portland Trailblazers 1] 
 12.3

    



    See also
    


    References
    

    


    


    External links
    

    

    


    


    


    


    


    


    


    


    
 National Basketball Association (2006–07)

    
Eastern Conference (NBA)>Eastern Conference

    Atlantic Division (NBA)>Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics | New Jersey Nets | New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors

    Central Division (NBA)>Central Division: Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Milwaukee Bucks

    Southeast Division (NBA)>Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Bobcats | Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | Washington Wizards

    
Western Conference (NBA)>Western Conference

    Northwest Division (NBA)>Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets | Minnesota Timberwolves | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle SuperSonics | Utah Jazz

    Pacific Division (NBA)>Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings

    Southwest Division (NBA)>Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Memphis Grizzlies | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | San Antonio Spurs

    

    NBA Finals > NBA All-Star Game | NBA Draft | Current team rosters | Midwest Division

    


    


    


    


    




     



    

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