Fan voting has been around forever, but it has only just now started to matter during certain Sports. We saw it become relevant during last year's NBA Playoffs when Turner Sports decided to let fans vote on who they wanted a camera to follow during certain games. Our Ronny Turiaf movement failed, but I think we got our point across.Well today, Turner Sports released the schedule for NBA TV, but that's not what ultimately caught my eye. Every Tuesday during the 2008-2009 NBA Season is being dubbed Fan Night and votes on NBA.com will decided which game goes in the Tuesday night slot. Obviously games in your local market will be blocked out but if you're a diehard fan, you can vote for teams and players you haven't seen all year. Even more, if you're a serious Fantasy Basketball freak you can opt for picking the teams that feature players in your lineup.
Seems like a great idea to me, but I'm hoping that they at least limit some of the options, so we don't get the Celtics or Lakers every single Tuesday. During the Playoffs, every star player (i.e.- Kobe Bryant) won the camera vote for each team and by the third game the idea was stale. I need me some variety! Other than that....I say that that's a great move to spice up NBA TV coverage.
Their season tips off with the Wizards and Pistons on Saturday, November 1st, and here's the first two months of the schedule if you want to mark down a few dates....
NOVEMBER:
November 1st- Washington at Detroit (7:30pm) and Portland at Phoenix (10pm), November 2nd- Milwaukee at New York (6pm), November 3rd- Cleveland at Dallas (8:30pm), November 4th- Fan Night, November 8th- Miami at New Orleans (8pm), November 9th- Boston at Detroit (6pm), November 10th- Portland at Orlando (7pm), November 11th- Fan Night, November 15th- New Orleans at Houston (8:30pm), November 16th- Detroit at Phoenix (8pm), November 17th- San Antonio at LA Clippers (10:30pm), November 18th- Fan Night, November 22nd- Houston at Orlando (7pm), November 23rd- Chicago @ Denver (9pm), November 24th- Philadelphia at Charlotte (7pm), November 25th- Fan Night, November 29th- Denver at Minnesota (8pm), November 30th- Chicago at Philadelphia (5pm)
DECEMBER:
December 1st- Orlando at Boston (7:30pm), December 2nd- Fan Night, December 3rd- Phoenix at New Orleans (8pm), December 6th- Washington at Chicago (8:30pm), December 7th- Portland at Toronto (1pm), December 8th- Golden State at Oklahoma City (8pm), December 9th- Fan Night, December 13th- New York at Sacramento (10pm), December 14th- Miami at Memphis (4pm), December 15th- New York at Phoenix (9pm), December 16th- Fan Night, December 20th- Utah at Chicago (8:30pm), December 21st- Dallas at Washington (6pm), December 22nd- Houston at New Jersey (7:30pm), December 23rd- Fan Night, December 26th- Boston at Golden State (10:30pm), December 27th- Utah at Houston (8:30pm), December 28th- New Orleans at Indiana (7pm), December 29th- Orlando at Detroit (7:30pm) and Toronto at Golden State (10:30pm), December 30th- Fan Night
Original Story:
http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2...
