The 2014-15 NBA regular season schedule was released promptly at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, giving the basketball world its guide for the next year of action. Television broadcasts were included as part of the announcement, so we now know who’s going to be populating the likes of ESPN, TNT and ABC throughout the upcoming 82-game slate.
NBA schedule 2014: Bulls, Cavaliers, Thunder each lead league with 25 national TV appearances
The 2014-15 national TV schedule for the NBA is full of the usual suspects, plus some intriguing non-traditional matchups. Here’s a breakdown of how many national games each team has this season.
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With an eye toward the numbers, here’s a look at how many national broadcasts, not including NBATV, for each team:
| Team | No. of Games |
| Atlanta Hawks | 2 |
| Boston Celtics | 1 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 4 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 2 |
| Chicago Bulls | 25 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 25 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 11 |
| Denver Nuggets | 5 |
| Detroit Pistons | 2 |
| Golden State Warriors | 19 |
| Houston Rockets | 17 |
| Indiana Pacers | 5 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 23 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 20 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 1 |
| Miami Heat | 16 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 2 |
| New York Knicks | 16 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 25 |
| Orlando Magic | 0 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | 10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 16 |
| Sacramento Kings | 3 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 19 |
| Toronto Raptors | 4 |
| Utah Jazz | 1 |
| Washington Wizards | 10 |
There are a few things to note here, including the Cavaliers, Bulls and Thunder leading the way with 25 appearances apiece. That’s not particularly surprising given the stars featured on those teams, but the list isn’t without some unexpected numbers.
The Warriors and Trail Blazers have been rewarded after strong seasons, each placing among the league’s highest in total appearances, while the Pacers have been effectively dropped from the national rotation. The Knicks, Lakers and Clippers remain mainstays as representations of the nation’s two largest markets, while the Spurs, Rockets and Heat have parlayed their recent success into substantial national outputs.
Two other teams reached double-digit national numbers, with the Wizards being particularly notable. Many fans around D.C. weren't thrilled when last season's team needed to make the playoffs before being seen by national audiences, but they'll have 10 chances in 2014-15, including a home game when Kevin Durant visits in January. That'll be a fun one.
Many of the teams who got shafted on the national broadcasts aren’t surprising, as the Magic, 76ers and Bucks are expected to be pretty bad. However, it’s a bit of a travesty that the very good Raptors and Grizzlies only have a combined five appearances. Maybe Toronto needs more (or less..?) of Drake.
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