NBA Tip-Off 2024: NBA on TNT Plans a Bash in Beantown for Opening Night

NBA Tip-Off 2024: NBA on TNT Plans a Bash in Beantown for Opening Night Doubleheader offers Knicks-Celtics at 7:30, Timberwolves-Lakers at 10 By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 10:23 am

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The 2024-25 NBA regular season begins tonight with two mouthwatering matchups: defending champion Boston Celtics will host a new-look New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET, and a nightcap will feature Western Conference Finalist Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. In Boston, the mood will be festive, with the team raising a league-record 18th championship banner and NBA on TNT American Express Road Show onsite at TD Garden and around the city.

[Hosting Opening Night] has become a staple that starts our NBA season, says Chris Brown, VP, technology and operations, Warner Bros. Discovery. With two great games and two live concerts, we're super-excited to be able to continue that tradition.

Fan Fun: American Express Road Show Onsite With Inside the NBA, The Deep 3 Podcast Boston will be the center of the professional-basketball world, and TNT Sports will celebrate its 29th consecutive NBA Opening NIght with a party full of activations. The broadcaster will be at City Hall Plaza for a 90-minute onsite edition of the Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA for pre/postgame and halftime coverage, as well as for other programming, including House of Highlights' The Deep 3 podcast during the day. Geographically, City Hall Plaza is an ideal location for TNT NBA Tip-Off since it is less than a mile from the Celtics' home venue and near popular destinations like Boston Common, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and the Old State House.

Starting at 4:30 p.m., the network's 41st straight year covering the NBA will offer opportunities for fans to get ready for the season-opening doubleheader: photos ops in The Studio J Experience (with a replica of the Inside the NBA desk), a pregame performance by Shaboozey, and a postgame performance by Benson Boone. Various LED walls will show the games. Studio programming, along with the live concerts, from City Hall Plaza will be produced from NEP Supershooter 33.

NBA on TNT's first week will conclude on Thursday, Oct. 24 with two more tantalizing fixtures. The NBA's young phenom, Victor Wembanyama, and the San Antonio Spurs will square off against 2023-24 NBA runner-up Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. A Northwest Division contest between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets will go down at Ball Arena at 10 p.m.

Heavy on the Tech: Camera Arsenal Includes RF Steadicam for Ring Ceremony TNT Sports will meet the special occasion in Boston with its top-of-the-line camera complement and mobile units. On the equipment side, fans will see angles from a total of 17 cameras: 10 hards, five handhelds, and an above-the-rim robo over each basket. To capture the highly anticipated ring ceremony during pregame, an RF Steadicam will be on the floor for close-up views of the players and their new bling.

The broadcaster is committing to remote workflows. For example, its Techwood facility in Atlanta is adding multiple REMI-style control rooms, the MLB Postseason leveraged numerous workflows from back home, NHL on TNT is being remotely produced via Multi-Feed Productions, and a majority of NBA on TNT games will incorporate remote graphics. The goal is to keep production quality high and the viewing audience entertained.

We want to stay true to both the product and our fans, says Brown. Whether it's NBA, NHL, or MLB, we're going to deliver our best if it has the TNT brand.

The primetime NBA tipoff will be produced from NEP Supershooter 1. The later game in Los Angeles will deploy the same equipment, excluding the RF Steadicam, and will be produced from NEP Supershooter 5.

Familiar Faces: Vince Carter Joins NBA TNT Tuesday, Broadcast Vet Tim Kiely Returns Inside the NBA is entering its 35th season on the air, and the legendary team of host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny Smith is reuniting for their 13th year together. The show is strengthening the crew both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Newly inducted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter began a new and expanded role on NBA on TNT Tuesday, a version of the studio show, on Oct. 17. He's accompanied by host Adam Lefkoe, analyst Candace Parker, and O'Neal - an on-air trio that continues the legacy of TNT Sports' NBA studio programming anchored by expert analysis and fun personality.

This legacy will be further solidified by the return of TNT Sports VP/Executive Producer, NBA Studio Production, Tim Kiely. The longtime producer of Inside the NBA was a critical part of the program's growth and success from 1995 to 2023. During this span, the network received 21 Sports Emmys and, in 2020, was the first-ever recipient of the Curt Gowdy Transformative Media Award. After a brief retirement that lasted the duration of the 2023-24 NBA season, the broadcast vet is rejoining his former colleagues in the control room.

In the arena, NBA on TNT's regular-season debut on Tuesday is rounded out by two commentary teams with recognizable voices. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, analyst Reggie Miller, and reporter Allie LaForce will be behind the mic in Boston; play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle, analysts Stan Van Gundy, and Parker, and reporter Taylor Rooks will call the action in Hollywood. Two nights later, Harlan, Miller and LaForce will head to Dallas as Eagle, Parker, Van Gundy, and reporter Jared Greenberg set out to Denver.

The 65-game NBA on TNT schedule features must-see dates on the calendar: notably, eight games in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup; two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20; and the 2025 NBA All-S

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