NBA Releases 2007-08 Schedule

The National Basketball Association released its complete game schedule and broadcast schedules for the 2007-08 season.

NBA TV will carry 96 regular-season games, while ESPN will run 72, TNT will carry 52 and ABC will air 18.

The season will kick off with a doubleheader on TNT Oct. 30, when Tim Duncan and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs host No. 1 pick Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. (EST). That game will be followed with even more star-power as Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers host Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets at 10:30 p.m.

ESPN kicks off its season on Halloween night when the Dallas Mavericks take on the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. That game will also be the first of a doubleheader that night, as the game will be followed with the Denver Nuggets taking on the Seattle Supersonics, marking college star Kevin Durant’s NBA debut, at 10:30 p.m.

ABC will begin its NBA coverage on Christmas Day as part of a doubleheader. ABC will air a 2:30 p.m. match between the Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, followed by a 5 p.m. game between Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns and the Lakers. Later on Christmas Day, ESPN will air an 8 p.m. game between the top two picks in the NBA draft as the Trail Blazers will host the Sonics.