View source for NBA on CBS

{{more citations needed|date=February 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Nbaoncbslogobig.jpg
| caption              = [[1983 NBA Finals|1983]]&ndash;[[1989 NBA Playoffs|1989]] [[title card]]
| alt_name             =
| genre                = [[National Basketball Association|NBA game telecasts]]
| creator              = 
| director             = [[Sandy Grossman]]<br>Mike Arnold<br>Larry Cavolina<br>Robert A. Fishman
| presenter            = [[#List of broadcasters|See the ''broadcasters'' section below]]
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 17
| num_episodes         = 
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = Ted Shaker
| producer             = Michael Burks<br>Bob Dekas<br>Bob Mansbach<br>Robert D. Stenner
| cinematography       = Carmen Abhold<br>Scott Carlson<br>Al Cialino<br>Terry Clark<br>Keith Dabney<br>Dan Flaherty<br>Mike Glenn<br>George Graffeo<br>Mike Harvey<br>Tim Maher<br>Michael Marks<br>Tom McCarthy<br>Jeffrey Pollack<br>George Rothweiler<br>Paul T. Sherwood<br>Fred Shimizu
| location             = [[List of National Basketball Association arenas|Various NBA arenas]] {{small|(game telecasts)}}
| camera               = [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 150 minutes or until end of game
| company              = [[CBS Sports]]
| network              = [[CBS]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1973|10|20}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1990|6|14}}
| related              = {{Plainlist|
*  ''[[NBA on NBC]]''
*  ''[[NBA on TBS]]'' 
*  ''[[NBA on TNT]]'' 
}} 
}}

'''''NBA on CBS''''' is an [[Television in the United States|American television]] sports presentation show broadcast by [[CBS]]. It aired from October 20, 1973 to June 14, 1990. The branding is used for the presentation of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Page 1 THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS |last1=Sarmento |first1=Mario R. |date=1998 |df=mdy |citeseerx = 10.1.1.26.1281}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=March 9, 1973|title=C.B.S., N.B.A. Agree|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/09/archives/cbs-nba-agree-abc-doesnt.html|work=The New York Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2010/12/nba-in-1970s-roones-revenge.html|title=The NBA in the 1970s: Roone's Revenge|last1=Friedman|first1=David|date=December 22, 2010|website=20 Second Timeout }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fraser|first=C. Gerald|date=July 31, 1973|title=A.B.C. Loses Its Suit on TV Basketball|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/31/archives/a-b-c-loses-its-suit-on-tv-basketball.html|work=The New York Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=November 12, 1989|title=NBC "COVETS" NBA, WRESTS PRO HOOPS TV RIGHTS FROM CBS|url=https://www.deseret.com/1989/11/12/18832368/nbc-covets-nba-wrests-pro-hoops-tv-rights-from-cbs|work=Deseret News|location= |access-date=}}</ref>

==History==

===Early presentation===
In the early 1970s, the [[CBS]] television network aired [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA) games, specifically league's annual [[ABA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Bodenhamer, Barrows|first= David J., Robert G.|date= November 22, 1994|title=The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bg13QcMSsq8C&q=American+Basketball+Association+cbs+all+star+game&pg=PA310|publisher= Indiana University Press|page=310|isbn= 0253112494}}</ref>/selected playoff games.<ref>{{YouTube|title=1973 ABA Playoffs Utah Stars at Indiana Pacers (part 1)|id=HadX9BhmEL8}}</ref> [[Pat Summerall]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classictvsports.com/2013/10/firsts-and-lasts-from-nfl-tv-career-of.html|title=Athlete/analyst from one sport who worked as a TV analyst in a different sport|last=Haggar|first=Jeff|date=May 6, 2015|website=Classic TV Sports}}</ref> served as the CBS analyst on some ABA games alongside [[Don Criqui]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classictvsports.com/2015/05/athleteanalyst-from-one-sport-who.html|title=Firsts and lasts from the NFL TV career of Pat Summerall|last=Haggar|first=Jeff|date=October 21, 2013|website=Classic TV Sports}}</ref> on play-by-play. Game 5 of the [[1970 ABA Playoffs|1970 ABA Finals]] ([[1969–70 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]] vs. [[1969–70 Los Angeles Stars season|Los Angeles]]) was nationally televised by CBS<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/hidden-gems-pacers-playoff-history-pacers-fall-los-angeles-game-5-aba-finals|title=Hidden Gems of the Pacers' Playoff History: #2 - 1970 ABA Finals, Game 5|last=Montieth|first=Mark|date=April 15, 2014|website=NBA.com}}</ref> on Saturday, May 23 at 3 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]]. The broadcast was, however, [[Blackout (broadcasting)|blacked out]] in Indiana. After that league's [[1972–73 ABA season|1972–73 season]], CBS lost its television airing rights as they started airing NBA games in its [[1973–74 NBA season|1973–74]] season onward.

During CBS' first few years of covering the NBA, CBS was accused of mishandling their NBA telecasts.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Slam-Dunked By the Ratings |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/10/16/slam-dunked-by-the-ratings|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |publisher=[[Time Inc.]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=There's An Ill Wind Blowing for the NBA |url=http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|quote=John Papanek also criticized CBS' coverage of the NBA in a Sports Illustrated article called, "There's An Ill Wind Blowing for the NBA." Papanek indicted CBS for "treating its telecasts as little more than a bridge between a refrigerator race and a golf tournament |magazine=Sports Illustrated |publisher=Time Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817193600/http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|archive-date=August 17, 2013}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/5-low-points-in-the-history-of-the-nba-on-tv.html|title=5 LOW POINTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA ON TV|last1=Zemek|first1=Matt|date=August 24, 2015|website=Awful Announcing}}</ref> Among the criticisms included CBS playing too much loud music, the lack of stability with the announcers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817193600/http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|archive-date=August 17, 2013|quote=Even NBA players such as Bob Lanier agreed that there should have been a continuity of announcers, so fans could relate to them. }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> regionalizing telecasts (thus fragmenting the ratings even further), billing games as being between star players<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817193600/http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|archive-date=August 17, 2013|quote=He also wrote that CBS had erred by billing games as players against players rather than teams, such as "Dr. J vs. Rick Barry", and "David Thompson vs. Pistol Pete." }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> instead of teams, and devoting too much attention to the [[slam dunk]] in [[instant replay]]s. Regular features included a [[pre-game show]] that consisted of mini-teams of celebrities, and active and former NBA players competing against each other, and a halftime show called ''[[Variations of basketball|Horse]]''.

The NBA eventually took notice of the criticisms and managed to persuade CBS to eliminate its original halftime show. In its place, came human-interest shows about the players (similar to the ones seen on the network's [[National Football League|NFL]] pre-game ''[[The NFL Today]]''). There also was a possibility that CBS would start televising a single national game on Sunday afternoons.

Other adjustments that CBS made in hopes of improving its coverage included hiring reporter [[Sonny Hill]] to cover the league on a full-time basis. CBS also put microphones and cameras on team huddles to allow viewers to see and hear coaches at work. Finally, CBS introduced a halftime segment called ''[[Red Auerbach]] on Roundball'', featuring the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] [[Boston Celtics]] coach. The segment intended to not only educate CBS' viewers about the complexities of the pro game but also to teach young players how to improve their skills. They also subtly introduced audiences to an [[National Basketball Association All-Star Game|all-star team]] based on Auerbach's criteria such as screening and passing. In a ''Red on Roundball'' halftime segment that appeared on CBS' NBA telecasts in the [[1973–74 NBA season|1973–74 season]], Auerbach and referee [[Mendy Rudolph]] discussed and demonstrated the practice of [[Flop (basketball)|flopping]] with obvious disapproval.

[[Sandy Grossman]] was the chief director of broadcasting NBA games on CBS during the early 1970s.<ref name=Nyt>{{cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|title=Sandy Grossman, Maestro of NFL on TV, Dies at 78|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/sports/sandy-grossman-maestro-of-nfl-on-tv-dies-at-78.html?_r=0|accessdate=April 7, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 3, 2014}}</ref> Grossmann innovated using music at the break of basketball games, and after he played "[[The Hustle (song)|The Hustle]]" by [[Van McCoy]], McCoy sent him a gold record in thanks of his promotion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=Rachel|title=Obituary: Sandy Grossman / Award-winning TV sports director|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2014/04/04/Award-winning-TV-sports-director/stories/201404040100#ixzz2yX4bdo6J|accessdate=April 11, 2014|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=April 3, 2014}}</ref>

ABC meanwhile, filled the void left by losing the NBA by [[Counterprogramming (television)|counterprogramming]] ''[[Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports]]'' on Sundays<ref>{{cite news |last=Fang|first=Ken|date=January 18, 2018|title=An appreciation of Keith Jackson|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/ncaa/appreciation-keith-jackson.html|work=Awful Announcing|location= |access-date=}}</ref> against CBS' NBA coverage.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Leggett|first=William|date=September 2, 1974|title=A FRESH EYE AT CBS|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1974/09/02/a-fresh-eye-at-cbs|magazine=Sports Illustrated|location= |access-date=}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|October 20, 1973
|[[1973–74 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]] @ [[1973–74 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|2:30
|-
|October 27, 1973
|[[1973–74 Buffalo Braves season|Buffalo]] @ [[1973–74 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]
|2:00
|-
|November 3, 1973
|[[1973–74 Capital Bullets season|Capital]] @ [[1973–74 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
|2:30
|- 
|November 10, 1973
|[[1973–74 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|Kansas City-Omaha]] @ [[1973–74 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
|2:30
|- 
|November 17, 1973
|[[1973–74 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]] @ [[1973–74 Houston Rockets season|Houston]]
|2:30
|- 
|December 1, 1973
|[[1973–74 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] @ Atlanta
|2:00
|- 
|January 6, 1974
|Phoenix @ [[1973–74 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|2:30
|-
|January 13, 1974
|[[1973–74 Boston Celtics season|Boston]] @ Atlanta
|12:30
|- 
|January 20, 1974
|[[1973–74 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles]] @ Milwaukee
|2:30
|-
|January 27, 1974
|[[1973–74 New York Knicks season|New York]] @ Atlanta
|2:30
|-
|February 3, 1974
|[[1973–74 Capital Bullets season|Capital]] @ Boston
|2:30
|-
|February 10, 1974
|Los Angeles @ Chicago
|2:30
|- 
|February 17, 1974
|[[1973–74 New York Knicks season|New York]] @ Milwaukee
|2:30
|-
|February 24, 1974
|Milwaukee @ [[1973–74 Kansas City–Omaha Kings season|K.C.-Omaha]]
|2:30
|- 
|March 3, 1974
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|New York @ Boston]]
|2:30
|-
|March 10, 1974
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Los Angeles @ Boston]]
|2:30
|-
|March 17, 1974
|Milwaukee @ Chicago
|2:30
|-
|March 24, 1974
|Atlanta @ Capital
|3:00
|-
|March 31, 1974
|New York @ Capital
|2:30
|}

Pat Summerall worked the [[1974 Masters Tournament|Masters]] for [[PGA Tour on CBS|CBS]] during the April 13–14 weekend in [[1974 NBA playoffs|1974]].

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
| rowspan="2" |November 23, 1975 (regional telecasts) 
|[[1975–76 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] @ [[1975–76 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]] 
| rowspan="2" |4 p.m.
|-
|[[1975–76 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] @ [[1975–76 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
|-
|December 7, 1975
|[[1975–76 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]] @ Seattle
|4:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|December 21, 1975
|[[1975–76 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles]] @ [[1975–76 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]
|4 p.m.
|-
| rowspan="2" |January 11, 1976 (regional telecast)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston @ Philadelphia]]
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[1975–76 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]] @ [[1975–76 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]]
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|- 
| rowspan="2" |January 25, 1976
|[[1975–76 Buffalo Braves season|Buffalo]] @ [[1975–76 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[1975–76 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] @ [[1975–76 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]]
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|- 
|February 1, 1976
|[[1975–76 Washington Bullets season|Washington]] @ Golden State
|3 p.m.
|-
|February 3, 1976
|[[1976 NBA All-Star Game|ALL-STAR GAME]] (in Philadelphia)
|9 p.m.
|-
|February 8, 1976
|Buffalo @ Philadelphia
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|- 
|February 15, 1976
|Los Angeles @ Washington
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| rowspan="2" |February 22, 1976 - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|Los Angeles @ Seattle
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|Philadelphia @ Golden State
|4 p.m.
|-
|February 29, 1976
|Golden State @ Boston
|3 p.m.
|-
|March 5, 1976
|Golden State @ Los Angeles
|11:45&nbsp;p.m. tape delay
|-
| rowspan="2" |March 7, 1976 (regional telecasts)
|Milwaukee @ Kansas City
| rowspan="2" |3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|New York @ Washington
|-
|March 14, 1976
|Washington @ Boston
|3:30
|-
|March 21, 1976
|[[1975–76 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] @ Seattle
|3:30
|-
|March 28, 1976
|Buffalo @ Washington
|2 p.m.
|- 
| rowspan="2" |April 4, 1976 - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|Buffalo @ Boston
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|Philadelphia @ [[1975–76 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
|4 p.m.
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 11, 1976 - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|Boston @ Washington
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|Kansas City @ Buffalo
|4 p.m.
|}

In the [[1975–76 NBA season|1975–76 season]], CBS had asked the NBA to schedule both games on January 25, so they could choose which one to televise.

====Slam dunk contest====
During the [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77 season]], the NBA's first after the [[ABA–NBA merger]] brought four [[American Basketball Association]] teams into the league, CBS held a [[Slam Dunk Contest|slam dunk contest]] that ran during halftime of the ''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]] against eventual winner [[Darnell Hillman|Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman]] of the [[Indiana Pacers]], took place during Game 6 of the [[1977 NBA Finals]]. At the time of the final, Hillman's rights had been traded to the [[Brooklyn Nets|New York Nets]], but he had not yet signed a contract. Since he was not officially a member of any NBA team, instead of wearing a jersey, he competed in a plain white tank top. Then for the post-competition interview, Hillman donned a shirt with the words "Bottle Shoppe" – the name of an [[Indianapolis]] liquor store, which is still in existence, and was the sponsor of a city parks softball league team for which Hillman played left field (and the only team he was a member of at the time).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19770612&id=4UdgAAAAIBAJ&pg=5416,2412756|work=Google News|title=The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search}}</ref> Other players to compete in the slam dunk tournament included [[Julius Erving]], [[George Gervin]], [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] and [[Moses Malone]]. CBS, anxious for star power, also gave [[David Thompson (basketball)|David Thompson]] the opportunity to be eliminated three times.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Dunk Rates His Competition|website=[[NBA.com]] |url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/hillman_dunkers_050920.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Enjoying 'Mile High' should be a slam dunk|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/18/SPGAVBD9P51.DTL&type=tvradio|author=Steve Kroner|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=February 18, 2005|access-date=November 29, 2011}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|December 25, 1976
|[[1976–77 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] @ [[1976–77 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]]
|12:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 9, 1977
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles @ Detroit]]
| noon.
|- 
| rowspan="2" |January 16, 1977
|[[1976–77 New York Knicks season|New York]] @ [[1976–77 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]] 
| rowspan="2" |4:00 (regional coverage)
|-
|[[1976–77 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]] @ [[1976–77 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
|- 
|January 23, 1977
|Seattle @ [[1976–77 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|4:45&nbsp;p.m.
|- 
|January 30, 1977
|[[1976–77 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]] @ Seattle
|4:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| rowspan="2" |February 6, 1977
|[[1976–77 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles]] @ [[1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|1:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|Denver @ Phoenix
|4 p.m.
|- 
| rowspan="2" |February 20, 1977
|Los Angeles @ [[1976–77 Washington Bullets season|Washington]] 
|1:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[1976–77 Boston Celtics season|Boston]] @ Golden State
|4 p.m.
|- 
|February 27, 1977
|Philadelphia @ Seattle
|4:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 6, 1977
|Chicago @ Golden State
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 13, 1977
|Washington @ Golden State
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 20, 1977
|[[1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]] @ Phoenix
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 27, 1977
|Golden State @ Denver
|4:45&nbsp;p.m.
|}

====H-O-R-S-E Competition====
During the [[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78 season]], CBS held a H-O-R-S-E competition at halftime of the ''Game of the Week'' telecasts. Again, Don Criqui hosted with Mendy Rudolph officiating. 32 players, including [[Rick Barry]], [[Pete Maravich]], George Gervin, [[Jo Jo White]], [[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]], [[Paul Westphal]] and [[Bob McAdoo]], competed in a round-robin single-elimination tournament each week. Barry was eliminated in the first round by [[Earl Tatum]] of the [[Los Angeles Lakers]].  Maravich and Westphal made it to the final, which was scheduled to take place at halftime of Game 2 of the [[1978 NBA Finals]]. However, Maravich was injured and unavailable, so CBS instead had Westphal shoot a free-throw against "Bag-Man" (who was Rick Barry, who was on the announcing team, wearing a paper sack over his head). Westphal, with a bag over his head as well, made the free throw while Barry missed, and CBS awarded him the trophy.

*Among the games aired this season included
**October 28, 1977 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Portland Trail Blazers 11:30&nbsp;p.m.
**December 25, 1977 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Braves 12:40&nbsp;p.m.
**January 8, 1978 (regional telecast) New Orleans Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers 6:45&nbsp;p.m. 
**January 8, 1978 (regional telecast) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana Pacers 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**January 8, 1978 (regional telecast) Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**January 8, 1978 (regional telecast) Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**January 15, 1978 (regional telecast) Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics 1 p.m.
**January 15, 1978 (regional telecast) Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons 1 p.m.
**January 22, 1978 (regional telecast) New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets
**January 22, 1978 (regional telecast) Detroit Pistons vs. New Orleans Jazz
**January 29, 1978 (regional telecast) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**January 29, 1978 (regional telecast) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Washington Bullets 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**January 29, 1978 (regional telecast) Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**February 5, 1978 The NBA All-Star Game 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**February 12, 1978 (regional telecast) New York Knicks vs. New Jersey Nets 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**February 19, 1978 (regional telecast) New Orleans Jazz vs. Washington Bullets 
**February 26, 1978 (regional telecast) Milwaukee Bucks vs. New Orleans Jazz
**February 26, 1978 (regional telecast) Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls
**March 5, 1978 (regional telecast) New Orleans Jazz vs. Detroit Pistons
**March 5, 1978 (regional telecast) New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
**March 12, 1978 (regional telecast) Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics 
**March 19, 1978 (regional telecast) New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**March 26, 1978 (regional telecast) Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers
**April 2, 1978 (regional telecast) New York Knicks vs Washington Bullets 1:45&nbsp;p.m.
**April 8, 1978 New York Knicks vs Buffalo Braves
**April 9, 1978 (regional telecast) Buffalo Braves vs Boston Celtics

===Tape delay and playoff scheduling===
From [[1974–75 NBA season|1975]] to [[1978–79 NBA season|1979]], CBS aired all [[NBA Finals]] games [[Live television|live]] (usually during the afternoon); live NBA Finals game coverage on the network resumed in [[1981–82 NBA season|1982]]. During this era, CBS aired weeknight playoff games from earlier rounds on [[Broadcast delay|tape delay]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The NBA on CBS late night and tape delay playoff era|url=http://classicsportsmedia.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-nba-on-cbs-late-night-and-tape.html|website=Classic Sports TV and Media|date=May 14, 2013|access-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gatehouse|first=Jonathon|author-link= |date= October 2012|title=The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the NHL and Changed the Game Forever|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ryb0O7riZnQC&q=CBS|location= |publisher=Triumph Books|page=20|isbn=9781623686567}}</ref> at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|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.

CBS did not want sportscasters to give the final score on the late-evening newscasts aired by its local affiliates. The network preferred the games to not be over by that time if they were going to be aired on tape later that night. Most CBS games were either 8:30 or 9 p.m. local starts. For instance, CBS aired Games 1–3 of the [[1981 NBA playoffs|1981 Western Conference finals]], between the [[Houston Rockets]] and [[Sacramento Kings|Kansas City Kings]]. Ironically, both Western Conference teams finished the [[1980–81 NBA season|regular season]] with a record 40–42, instead of the Eastern Conference finals between the [[Boston Celtics]] and [[Philadelphia 76ers]] (both teams finished with a 62–20 record).

[[1986 NBA playoffs|1986]] was the last year that CBS aired an NBA playoff game on tape delay. The network's final delayed playoff broadcast was Game 3 (on May 16) of the Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and [[Houston Rockets]]. The game aired at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time after having a 9:30&nbsp;p.m. tip.

===Preemptions===
Due to the NBA's lack of widespread popularity nationwide in the 1970s and early 1980s, the network tinkered with the league's schedule. However, individual CBS affiliates did as much tinkering, with many outright refusing to air NBA programming during much of CBS' partnership with the league.

[[WCPO-TV|WCPO]] in [[Cincinnati]], a CBS affiliate during the ''NBA on CBS'' era, did not carry many regular season games in the 1970s, deciding to run movies and other programming instead. The city had lost the [[Sacramento Kings|Cincinnati Royals]] when they moved to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] in 1972; Cincinnati has not had an NBA team since. As an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate post-1996, WCPO has carried that network's regular season (and playoffs) since [[NBA on ABC|ABC]] and [[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]] gained broadcast rights to the NBA in [[2002–03 NBA season|2002]]. Other markets that hardly aired NBA games during the early half of the CBS era included [[WMAR-TV|Baltimore]] and, infamously, [[WAGA-TV|Atlanta]] (which had, and still has, [[Atlanta Hawks|a team]]).

All through the 1980s when CBS broadcast NBA basketball games on Sunday afternoons, those games were pretty much a no-show in [[Carolinas|the Carolinas]]. [[WBTV]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[WFMY-TV|WFMY]] in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]], [[WTVD]] (now an ABC owned-and-operated station) in [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], and [[WBTW]] in [[Florence, South Carolina|Florence]] refused to show any of the games. They instead opted for old movies, and off-net repeats mostly. [[WLTX]] in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] did air a full schedule of NBA games, and low-powered indie Ch. 62 in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]] did take the games instead of [[WTVD]] (other indies in the state didn't bother with them though). Ironically, toward the end of the NBA's partnership with CBS, the [[Charlotte Hornets]] would make their debut, citing the sport's popularity in the Carolinas as a reason for expansion.

The ABC-[[ABC Owned Television Stations|owned]] or [[List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|affiliated]] stations ([[WMAR-TV|WMAR]], [[WCPO-TV|WCPO]], and [[WTVD]]) now cleared all sports programming, including the NBA, in their partnership with the network.

====Scheduling history overview====
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
|+'''CBS scheduling tote boards'''<ref>{{cite web|title=1979–'80 – 1982–1983|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4628537&postcount=4|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1979–'80|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4628782&postcount=14|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1980–'81|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4628890&postcount=15|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1981–'82|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4628970&postcount=16|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1982–'83|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629044&postcount=17|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1983–'84|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629222&postcount=18|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1984–'85|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629224&postcount=19|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1985–'86|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629225&postcount=20|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1986–'87|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629264&postcount=24|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1987–'88|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629358&postcount=30|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1988–'89|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629369&postcount=31|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1989–'90 (The Final Season)|url=http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=4629382&postcount=35|work=DBSForums.com}}</ref>
| style="width:35px;"| '''Game'''
| style="width:35px;"|'''Day'''
| style="width:50px;"|'''Date'''
| style="width:120px;"|'''Status'''
|-
|style="background:#efefef;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:center;line-height:110%" colspan="4"| '''1979 NBA Final'''
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 1
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 20
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 2
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Thursday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 24
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Tape delay
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 3
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 27
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 4
|style="background:#efefef;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Tuesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 29
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/[[Central Time Zone|Central zones]], tape delay to [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]]/Pacific zones (11:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time start)
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 5
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Friday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |June 1
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live (9 p.m. Eastern Time start)
|-
|style="background:#efefef;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:center;line-height:110%" colspan="4"| '''1980 Eastern Conference Final'''
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 1
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Friday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 18
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |No broadcast
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 2
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 20
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 3
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Wednesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 23
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |No broadcast
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 4
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Thursday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 24
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |No broadcast
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 5
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 27
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-
|style="background:#efefef;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:center;line-height:110%" colspan="4"| '''1980 Western Conference Final'''
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 1
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Tuesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 22
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |No broadcast
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 2
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Wednesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 23
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/Central zones, tape delay elsewhere
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 3
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Friday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 25
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/Central zones, tape delay elsewhere
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 4
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 27
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 5
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Wednesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |April 30
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/Central zones, tape delay elsewhere
|-
|style="background:#efefef;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:center;line-height:110%" colspan="4"| '''1980 NBA Final'''
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" |1
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 4
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 2
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Wednesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 7
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/Central zones, tape delay elsewhere
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 3
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Saturday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 10
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 4
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Sunday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 11
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 5
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Wednesday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 14
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Live to Eastern/Central zones, tape delay elsewhere
|-  style="font-size:11px; font-weight:normal;"
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:center;line-height:110%" | 6
|style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Friday
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |May 16
|style="background:#F9F9F9;text-align:left;line-height:110%" |Affiliates had choice to show live or tape delay
|}

=====1976=====
The [[1976 NBA Finals]] had three straight off days between the Sunday afternoon opener and Game 2 the following Thursday night due to CBS' concern with low [[Nielsen Media Research|ratings]] for professional basketball. The 1975–76 network television season (as well as May sweeps) ended after Wednesday, May 26 (with weekend afternoon games not factored into the prime-time ratings). Accordingly, CBS allowed Game 1 to be played on Sunday afternoon since the ratings would not count, but would not permit Game 2 to be played [[Live television|live]] in prime time unless the NBA waited until Thursday evening.

For Game 3 of the Finals, CBS forced the NBA to start the game in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] at 10:30&nbsp;a.m. local time (1:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time) on a Sunday morning. This was done to accommodate a golf telecast that afternoon. Many local clergymen were outraged, as attendance at Sunday church services was drastically reduced that day.

=====1977=====
By [[1976–77 NBA season|1977]], CBS' NBA schedule was composed of six regionalized telecasts on Sundays. Not only that, the network would air one national game if they felt that the match-up itself warranted national coverage. CBS also could stage doubleheaders and switch from a one-sided game to a close one. During this period, the network stopped airing any games during prime time before the NBA Finals. Instead, CBS started airing several [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] games at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time.

For most of the early years, the NBA tried to assist CBS by allowing the network to choose any game it wanted to broadcast. But too often, these involved smaller-market teams (such as the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]) that were in the playoffs or had won the championship.

CBS wanted the NBA to start Game 6 of the [[1977 NBA Finals|Finals]] at 10:30 local time on Sunday morning to accommodate a [[PGA Tour on CBS|golf telecast]] of the [[Kemper Open]] (similar to 1976). This time, the NBA refused and CBS agreed to a noon start in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]. Even though this was the Finals' clinching game, CBS cut away from its NBA coverage very quickly after the game ended, skipping the trophy presentation in the Trail Blazers' locker room to instead televise the golf tournament.

=====1978=====
By 1978, [[College Basketball on NBC Sports|NBC]] aired Saturday afternoon college basketball games, while CBS aired NBA doubleheaders on Sunday afternoons, and most [[Independent station (North America)|independent stations]] aired local professional and college games. CBS started to fear that their ratings suffered as a result of too many basketball games being aired on television at once. As an experiment of sorts, the network decided to air the first two games of the [[1978 NBA playoffs|Conference finals]] at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

=====1979=====
{{See also|1979 NBA Playoffs}}
In [[1978–79 NBA season|1979]], Games 2 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals were televised live, while Game 7 was broadcast on tape delay. Games 3 and 6 of the Western Conference finals aired live, while Games 2, 5, and 7 were televised via tape delay. Games 6 and 7 of the [[1979 NBA Finals]] would have been televised live (at 3:30&nbsp;p.m. on a Sunday and then 9 p.m. on the following Tuesday), but were unnecessary. However, Game 2 of the Finals was aired on tape delay while [[List of CBS television affiliates (by U.S. state)|CBS affiliates]] in the [[Washington metropolitan area|DC area]] and the [[Pacific Northwest]] telecast the game live.

=====1980=====
By the [[1979–80 NBA season|1979–1980 season]], the network's NBA ratings had bottomed, with a regular season rating for the broadcasts at 6.4. By this time, the network had eliminated its regional coverage and only used two play-by-play announcers ([[Brent Musburger]] and [[Gary Bender]]) and three color commentators ([[Bill Russell]] and [[Hot Rod Hundley|Rod Hundley]], who teamed with Musburger and Rick Barry, who teamed with Bender); CBS felt that showing an NBA Finals game was not worth pre-empting their Friday night lineup (the smash hit ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' in particular) during May [[Nielsen Media Research|sweeps]] (although the [[Who shot J.R.?|iconic episode]] in which [[J.R. Ewing]] was shot aired on March 21, 1980, and ''Dallas'' was already in summer reruns). 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&nbsp;p.m. time slot (then occupied by ''[[The CBS Late Movie]]''). For the [[1980 NBA Finals|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.

When it came time for CBS to broadcast Game 6 of the 1980 Finals (on Friday, May 16), the network gave its affiliates the option of either airing the game live or on tape delay (in fact, [[WAGA-TV]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/amd0039|title=The NBA on Network Television: Historical Analysis|quote=Leggett also cited as an example of NBA problems the fact that the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, WAGA-TV, did not carry any NBA games and hadn't for the previous five years. This occurred despite the fact the city had an NBA franchise in the Atlanta Hawks.}} {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> in [[Atlanta]] [home of the [[Atlanta Hawks|Hawks]], and now a Fox owned-and-operated station] did not carry the ''NBA on CBS'' for numerous year and this game was no exception; ironically, thanks to an independent station picking it up, Atlanta was the only market outside of Philadelphia in the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones to air it live). If the affiliate chose to air the game later that night, then the prime schedule would consist of reruns of ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' and ''Dallas'' (CBS, [[NBC]] and ABC ended the 1979–80 seasons in late March and early April in anticipation of a [[strike action|strike]] by the [[Screen Actors Guild]], which came to fruition in July 1980). The clinching Game 6 of the 1980 Finals between the [[1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] and [[1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia 76ers]] was, most notably, aired live in the [[Philadelphia]], Los Angeles, Portland, [[Seattle]] and [[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco]] markets; CBS stations in the latter three markets were able to air the game live and still show most of the CBS prime schedule since the game tipped at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Otherwise, most CBS affiliates chose to air Game 6 on tape delay.

The reason for this scheduling dilemma was the fact that the NBA had opted to start the regular season earlier. Starting in the mid-1970s, the NBA had pushed back the start of the regular season, resulting in it ending increasingly later (for example, April 6 in [[1974–75 NBA season|1975]], April 11 in [[1975–76 NBA season|1976]]). Before that, the regular season had always ended in late March. For the 1979–1980 and 1980–1981 seasons, the NBA reverted to the earlier practice, with the season ending respectively on March 30, 1980, and March 29, 1981 (both falling on a Sunday). That meant that the Finals in those years began in the first week of May rather than the end of May, and as a result, the weeknight games were played during May ratings sweeps.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=June 25, 1990|title=THE CLEANUP HITTERS|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1990/06/25/the-cleanup-hitters-by-sweeping-up-the-tv-sports-market-neal-pilson-left-and-his-boss-laurence-tisch-could-make-cbs-a-very-big-winner-or-a-very-big-loser|magazine=Sports Illustrated|location= |access-date=}}</ref> Consequently, weeknight games held on the West Coast started at 8:30&nbsp;p.m. Pacific Time, which was 11:30&nbsp;p.m. in the Eastern Time Zone; those games could be shown live. However, non-West Coast weeknight games required tape-delay, to be shown at 11:30&nbsp;p.m.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]])
|-
|October 12, 1979 (Friday)
|[[Lakers–Clippers rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Diego Clippers]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1979: Los Angeles Lakers @ San Diego Clippers|id=FEexi0iSm2U}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|title=#FirstGame - Magic Johnson - LA Lakers vs San Diego Clippers (12/10/1979)|id=MBbc9MnbD90}}</ref> 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|- 
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1979 (Tuesday)]]
|[[1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] vs. [[1979–80 Washington Bullets season|Washington]] 
|12:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 20, 1980 (Sunday)
|[[1979–80 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] vs. [[1979–80 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Boston Celtics vs Seattle Supersonics (20/01/1980)|id=DzdYXhOybe0}}</ref> 
|Noon
|- 
| rowspan="2" |January 27, 1980 (Sunday) - regional action
|[[1979–80 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]] vs. [[1979–80 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]] 
| rowspan="2" |1 p.m. 
|-
|[[1979–80 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego Clippers]] vs. Boston<ref>{{YouTube|id=YsRdfU6dxs0|title=1980-01-27 San Diego Clippers vs Boston Celtics(Rookie Bird with a big game)}}</ref>
|- 
|February 3, 1980 (Sunday)
|[[1980 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Landover, MD (West vs East)
|1 p.m.
|- 
|February 10, 1980 (Sunday)
|[[1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m. 
|-
|February 17, 1980 (Sunday)
|Boston vs. Seattle<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1980.02.17 Seattle Supersonics vs. Boston Celtics 1/2|id=zrgHEeJl2Bg}}</ref>
| 3:45 pm 
|-
| rowspan="2" |February 24, 1980 (Sunday) - regional action 
|[[1979–80 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] vs. [[1979–80 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]]
| rowspan="2" |1 p.m.
|-
|San Diego Clippers vs. [[1979–80 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |March 2, 1980 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1979–80 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|Milwaukee vs. San Diego Clippers
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 9, 1980 (Sunday)
|Philadelphia vs. San Antonio<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1980.03.09 San Antonio Spurs vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Iceman vs. Dr. J) 1/2|id=oz4D1ma33as}}</ref>
|1 p.m.
|- 
|rowspan="3"|March 16, 1980 (Sunday) - regional action
|[[1979–80 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]] vs. Washington<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1980.03.16 Washington Bullets vs. New York Knicks 1/2|id=aEMTdOhmjcw}}</ref>
|rowspan="3"|2 p.m. 
|-
|Phoenix vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|-
|Kansas City vs. Milwaukee
|-
|March 21, 1980 (Friday)
|Phoenix vs. [[1979–80 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]] 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
|March 23, 1980 (Sunday)
|[[1979–80 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]] vs. [[1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|1 p.m. 
|-
|March 28, 1980 (Friday)
|[[Lakers–Clippers rivalry|San Diego vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1980.03.28 Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Diego Clippers|id=dR27QqTMulM}}</ref> 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
|March 30, 1980 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]] 
|1 p.m.
|}

=====1981=====
The 1980–1981 season was arguably the rock bottom point of the tape delay era for CBS. CBS aired four of the six [[1981 NBA Finals|Finals]] games on tape delay and six of nine during the [[NBA conference finals|Conference finals]]. Just like the previous year, CBS scheduled Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals without an off-day to avoid yet another tape-delayed game. CBS wanted the [[Pacific Division (NBA)|Pacific teams]] to advance in the [[1981 NBA playoffs|playoffs]] so that they could show live games at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. on the [[Eastern United States|Eastern U.S.]]; however, the [[1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] and [[1980–81 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland Trail Blazers]] were upset in Round 1, while the [[Phoenix Suns]] were upset in Round 2. This left two teams located in the Central Time Zone, the [[1980–81 Houston Rockets season|Houston Rockets]] and [[1980–81 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City Kings]] (both with 40–42 regular season records), to play in the Western Conference finals.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]])
|-
|October 10, 1980 (Friday)
|[[1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1980–81 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|- 
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1980 (Thursday)]]
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|Boston vs. New York Knicks]]
|12:30&nbsp;p.m. 
|-
|January 18, 1981 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 25, 1981 (Sunday) - regional action
|[[1980–81 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]] vs. [[1980–81 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|rowspan="2"|12 p.m. 
|-
|Seattle vs. [[1980–81 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|-
|February 1, 1981 (Sunday)
|[[1981 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Cleveland (West vs East)
|1 p.m. 
|-
|February 8, 1981 (Sunday)
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia
|1 p.m. 
|-
| rowspan="2" |February 22, 1981 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1980–81 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|Philadelphia vs. Phoenix
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|rowspan="2" |March 1, 1981 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|Phoenix vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 8, 1981 (Sunday) - regional action 
|[[1980–81 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] vs. [[1980–81 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
|rowspan="2"|1 p.m.
|-
|[[1980–81 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] vs. Philadelphia
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 15, 1981 (Sunday) - regional action
|Philadelphia vs. New York Knicks
|rowspan="2"|1 p.m. 
|-
|Chicago vs. [[1980–81 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City Kings]]
|-
|March 22, 1981 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|March 27, 1981 (Friday)
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Seattle
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
|March 29, 1981 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]] 
|1 p.m. 
|}

=====Later years=====
The NBA responded to CBS' actions by returning to a schedule that started later – usually the last weekend in October – and ended in mid-to-late-April, resulting in the NBA Finals ending after sweeps. In the 1979–1980 and 1980–1981 seasons, the NBA had experimented with ending the regular season at the end of March, thereby ensuring that the Finals were played in early to mid May; starting with the [[1981–82 NBA season|1981–1982 season]], a late April regular-season finale was held, resulting in the finals starting in late May and stretching into June (for example, while the 1980 Finals were slated for May 4 to 18 if they went seven games, and the 1981 Finals for May 5–17, the 1982 Finals were scheduled for May 27 to June 10).

While CBS would stop tape delaying its game broadcasts after the [[1981 NBA Finals]], many first-round playoff games were not nationally televised (and would not become so until [[1995 NBA playoffs|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 [[1986 NBA playoffs|1986]], CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference finals games on May 18. This would be the last time that any NBA Conference finals game was not nationally televised.

During the 1980s, CBS showed a mixture of NBA and [[College Basketball on CBS Sports|college basketball]] games during the regular season. Each March, CBS would essentially suspend its NBA coverage during the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA men's basketball tournament]]. CBS typically showed a few regular season NBA games in the weeks after the [[NFL on CBS|NFL season]] ended, before March Madness and several weekends leading into the [[NBA playoffs|playoffs]].

======1981–82======
CBS would reserve a [[1982 NBA playoffs|playoff]] game with an early start (such as Game 6 of the [[NBA conference finals|Eastern Conference finals]]) for tape delay, preventing [[NBA on USA|USA Network]] from televising it live.

The [[1982 NBA Finals|1982 Finals]] marked the first time since 1978 that all of the games aired live in their entirety; As a compromise between CBS and the NBA, the season returned to late October after starting it in early October the previous two seasons, meaning that the championship series started after the conclusion of May sweeps. Also, [[Brent Musburger]] served as anchor for Game 1 in Philadelphia, but had to anchor Games 2 and 5 from New York, because he hosted ''[[CBS Sports Spectacular|CBS Sports Sunday]]''. So anchoring the coverage in Musburger's absence were [[Frank Glieber]] (Games 2–4) and [[Pat O'Brien (radio and television personality)|Pat O'Brien]] (Game 5).

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|October 30, 1981 (Friday)
|[[1981–82 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] vs. [[1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1981.10.30 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets 2/2|id=e-ab_0-pF_w}}</ref>
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1981]]
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1981–82 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|- 
|January 17, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1981–82 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] vs. [[1981–82 New Jersey Nets season|New Jersey]] 
|1 p.m.
|- 
|January 22, 1982 (Friday)
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Detroit vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|- 
|January 24, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1981–82 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]] vs. [[1981–82 Boston Celtics season|Boston]] 
| noon.
|- 
|January 31, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1982 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ East Rutherford, NJ (West vs East)
|3 p.m.
|-
|February 7, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston]]
|noon
|- 
|February 14, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 21, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1981–82 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]] vs. Philadelphia
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 28, 1982 (Sunday) 
|[[1981–82 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] vs. Boston
|noon
|-
|March 7, 1982 (Sunday)
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia
|1 p.m.
|- 
|March 14, 1982 (Sunday)
|Phoenix vs. Boston 
|12 p.m.
|- 
|March 28, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]
|2 p.m. 
|-
|April 2, 1982 (Friday)
|[[1981–82 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]] vs. [[1981–82 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 4, 1982 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]] 
|[[Rockets–Spurs rivalry|Houston vs. San Antonio]]
|1 p.m. 
|-
|Portland vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|April 11, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m.
|- 
|April 16, 1982 (Friday)
|[[1981–82 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]] vs. Los Angeles Lakers<ref>{{YouTube|title=1982-04-16 Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers|id=eg5lGYAy66nY}}</ref>
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 18, 1982 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]] 
|Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia 
|1 p.m. 
|-
|Portland vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|}

======1982–83======
In the [[1982–83 NBA season|1982–83 season]], CBS significantly reduced the number of regular season broadcasts from 18 to four.<ref>{{cite news |last=Buckler|first=Matt|date=January 2, 2020|title=Stern remembered for rebuilding NBA on TV|url=https://www.journalinquirer.com/opinion/bucklers_airtime/stern-remembered-for-rebuilding-nba-on-tv/article_3f40b0c0-2d96-11ea-9746-4730bb304cfe.html|work=Journal Inquirer}}</ref> The rationale was that [[cable television]] networks (namely, the [[NBA on USA|USA Network]] and [[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]) were carrying a large number of regular season games (at least 40 each). In return, CBS executives believed that the public was being oversaturated with NBA coverage.

CBS added two broadcasts in November near the end of the [[1982 NFL season|1982]] [[National Football League]] players' strike. The 57-day walkout ended on November 16, and games resumed five days later.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|November 7, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1982–83 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] vs. [[1982–83 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] 
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|November 14, 1982 (Sunday)
|[[1982–83 Washington Bullets season|Washington]] vs. [[1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 30, 1983 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 13, 1983 (Sunday)
|[[1983 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ LA (East vs West)
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 6, 1983 (Sunday)
|Philadelphia vs. [[1982–83 New Jersey Nets season|New Jersey]] 
|noon
|-
|April 15, 1983 (Friday)
|Seattle vs. [[1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] 
|11:30&nbsp;p.m. ([[Broadcast delay|tape delayed]])
|- 
|April 17, 1983 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|}

======1983–84======
For the [[1983–84 NBA season|1983–84 season]], CBS would televise just ten (out of 170 nationally) regular season games. Meanwhile, CBS televised about 16 [[1984 NBA playoffs|playoff]] games. 1984 featured an increase to 47 nationally televised playoff time slots (43 national games plus 8 regional games in four windows).

Also, in 1984, [[CBS Sports]]' [[Lesley Visser]] (the then wife of lead ''NBA on CBS'' play-by-play announcer [[Dick Stockton]]) became the first woman to cover an [[1984 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]].

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|October 29, 1983 (Saturday)
|[[Rockets–Spurs rivalry|San Antonio vs. Houston]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1983.10.29 Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs 1/2|id=wN5gCHvC7n0}}</ref> 
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1983 (Sunday)]]
|[[Knicks–Nets rivalry|New Jersey Nets vs. New York Knicks]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=New York Knicks vs New Jersey Nets (25/12/1983)|id=BrbB5q4Wyrg}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 15, 1984 (Sunday)
|[[1983–84 Boston Celtics season|Boston]] vs. [[1983–84 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|January 29, 1984 (Sunday)
|[[1984 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Denver (East vs West)
|2 p.m.
|-
|February 12, 1984 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m. 
|-
|February 26, 1984 (Sunday)
|[[1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1983–84 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|noon
|-
|March 4, 1984 (Sunday)
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA Pistons @ Lakers 1984 03 04 [Full game]|id=RQrtiVuzNOs}}</ref> 
|noon
|- 
| rowspan="2" |April 8, 1984 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]] 
|Philadelphia vs. [[1983–84 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]] 
|1 p.m.
|-
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1983–84 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|}

======1984–85======
On May 12, 1985, during halftime of the [[1984–85 Boston Celtics season|Boston Celtics]]–[[1984–85 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia 76ers]] [[1985 NBA playoffs|playoff game]], CBS televised the first [[NBA draft lottery]].

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|October 27, 1984 (Saturday)
|[[1984–85 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] vs. [[1984–85 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA 1984.10.27 Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets|id=MQqdfPcxWXk}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1984 (Tuesday)]]
|[[1984–85 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]] vs. [[1984–85 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] 
|3:30&nbsp;p.m. 
|-
|January 13, 1985 (Sunday)
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1985 Los Angeles Lakers @ Detroit Pistons 1-13-1985 Isaiah Thomas=Big Game|id=L_F_THp2xKg}}</ref> 
|noon
|-
|January 20, 1985 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 10, 1985 (Sunday)
|[[1985 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Indianapolis (West vs East)
|1:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 17, 1985 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers (17/02/1985)|id=DfVHwp2laK8}}</ref>
|3:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 24, 1985 (Sunday)
|[[1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1984–85 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]]
|noon
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 7, 1985 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]] 
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|New York Knicks vs. Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|[[1984–85 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland]] vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|}

======1985–86======
1986 was the last time CBS aired an [[1986 NBA playoffs|NBA playoff]] game on tape delay, Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and [[Houston Rockets]], which was held on May 16 of that year. The game aired at 11:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time following a 9:30&nbsp;p.m. tip. Also in 1986, CBS provided regional coverage of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals games on May 18. As previously mentioned, this was the last time that any NBA Conference finals game was not nationally televised.

As was the case in [[1985 NBA Finals|1985]], Game 1 of the [[1986 NBA Finals]] was on [[Memorial Day]] afternoon. Game 3 of the NBA Finals in [[Lakewood Church Central Campus|Houston]] was played during the midst of an electrical storm that knocked the picture out for approximately the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. Although the video was already on the fritz towards the end of the third, CBS announcer [[Dick Stockton]] waited for nearly three minutes before adjusting to a radio play-by-play.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|October 26, 1985 (Saturday)
|[[1985–86 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] vs. [[1985–86 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1985 (Wednesday)]]
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|Boston vs. New York Knicks]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1985-12-25 Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks|id=uOsPhOVd3kI}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m. 
|-
|January 19, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Pistons x Lakers 19/01/86|id=6CUCvH5DJck}}</ref>
|noon
|- 
|January 26, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1986 Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics 1/26/86 Barkley+ Bird= Big games!|id=IqNMBWQoqJw}}</ref>
|noon
|-
|February 9, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[1986 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Dallas (East vs West)
|1:45&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 16, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 23, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1985–86 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Philadelphia 76ers - Los Angeles Lakers (23.02.1986)|id=bR6-v3kXOZk}}</ref>
|noon
|-
|March 2, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Pistons rivalry|Detroit vs. Boston]]
|2 p.m.
|-
|March 9, 1986 (Sunday)
|[[1985–86 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]] vs. Philadelphia
|1 p.m.
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 6, 1986 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1985–86 Houston Rockets season|Houston]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|}

======1986–87======
In [[1987 NBA playoffs|1987]], CBS provided prime-time coverage for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, marking the network's first pre-Finals prime-time playoff telecast since [[1975 NBA playoffs|1975]]. CBS was able to do this because the NBA decided to push the Finals back from late May until early June. With the Finals starting a week later, the awkward long pauses between Games 1 and 2 were no longer required. Because of this, instead of Game 2 of the Finals being shown on the first night after the sweeps ended, CBS could show Game 6 of the conference finals.

Also in 1987, the [[1987 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] hit a then-record rating of 15.9. [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]] was the sideline reporter for Games 3 and 4 (the latter being the [[Magic Johnson|Magic]] junior skyhook game) of the Finals because [[Pat O'Brien (radio and television personality)|Pat O'Brien]] attended the birth of his son, Sean Patrick. O'Brien called Games 1, 2, 5, and 6.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|November 1, 1986 (Saturday)
|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1986–87 Houston Rockets season|Houston]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1986 (Thursday)]]
|[[Bulls–Knicks rivalry|Chicago vs. New York Knicks]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBA on CBS - Chicago Bulls @ NY Knicks, December 25, 1986|id=4DAWRe6zE4Y}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|title=New York Knicks vs Chicago Bulls (25/12/1986)|id=GECQQfTVK7Q}}</ref>
|noon
|-
|January 18, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[1986–87 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] vs. [[1986–87 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets (18/01/1987)|id=1EHRXon33nQ}}</ref>
|noon
|-
|January 24, 1987 (Saturday)
|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1986–87 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Dallas Mavericks - L.A.Lakers (24.01.1987)|id=FOguMj2gVmE}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 25, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Philadelphia vs. Boston]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 1, 1987 (Sunday)
|Houston vs. [[1986–87 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1987 Houston Rockets @ Atlanta Hawks 2/1/87 Twin Towers Dominique Wilkins|id=HMBfe44yhAM}}</ref>
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 8, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[1987 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All Star Game]] @ Seattle (East vs. West)
|3 p.m.
|- 
|February 15, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1987 Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers 2/15/87 Larry Bird Magic Johnson Kareem NBA|id=SolDjsW_Yd0}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 1, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[1986–87 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] vs. Houston<ref>{{YouTube|title=Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets, March 1, 1987|id=JRPD_DUy7pE}}</ref>
|2 p.m.
|- 
|March 8, 1987 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Pistons rivalry|Boston vs. Detroit]]
|noon
|- 
| rowspan="2" |April 5, 1987 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]] 
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers, April 5, 1987|id=vqjtbQyxg54}}</ref>
|1 p.m. 
|-
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. [[1986–87 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]<ref>{{YouTube|id=w0v89SMYxqA|title=NBA 1987.04.05 Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|April 19, 1987 (Sunday)
|Atlanta vs. Boston
|1 p.m.
|}

======1988–89======
By the late 1980s, CBS was telecasting 15 or 16 regular season games<ref>{{cite news |last=Sarni|first=Jim|date=July 22, 1988|title=L.A., BOSTON GET THE AIR; HEAT WILL BE SHOWN ONCE|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1988-07-22-8802120741-story.html|work=Sun-Sentinel|location= |access-date=}}</ref> per year. In [[1989 NBA playoffs|1989]] alone, only 13 of the 24 playoff games (Games 1–3, specifically) in Round 1 aired on [[NBA on TBS|TBS]] or CBS (for example, none of the four games from the [[1988–89 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]–[[1988–89 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] first-round series appeared on national television). Notably, Game 5 of the [[1989 NBA playoffs|1989 playoff series]] between the [[1988–89 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago Bulls]] and [[1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland Cavaliers]] (featuring [[Michael Jordan]]'s now famous game-winning, last-second [[The Shot|shot]] over [[Craig Ehlo]]) was not nationally televised. The CBS-affiliated stations in [[Virginia]] ([[WTKR]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[WTVR-TV]] in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] and [[WDBJ]] in [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]) elected to show the first game of a second round series between Seattle and the [[Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers]].

Meanwhile, many CBS affiliates on the West Coast (such as [[KCBS-TV]] in Los Angeles and [[KPIX-TV]] in San Francisco) were able to broadcast at least a portion of the Chicago-Cleveland game. In Los Angeles, the hometown Lakers finished their game (started at the same time as the Chicago-Cleveland game) just in time for CBS to switch to the Chicago-Cleveland game, where, as it happened, Jordan made his game-winner. The ''[[The Oregonian|Portland Oregonian]]'' criticized CBS for its decision to show Game 1 of the second round Seattle-[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] series in Portland on [[KOIN]] rather than that game. Furthermore, CBS only broadcast the fifth game of the first-round series between [[1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]] and [[1988–89 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]] nationally. The nationally televised Atlanta-Milwaukee game aired at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, while the regionally televised Chicago-Cleveland and Seattle/L.A. Lakers games aired at 3:30&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time.

Perhaps even more confusing, both Game 5 sites ([[Richfield Coliseum|Coliseum at Richfield]] in [[Cleveland]] and [[Omni Coliseum]] in [[Atlanta]]) were in the Eastern Time Zone, so differing local start times were not a factor. Previously, CBS aired Game 2 of the Chicago-Cleveland series nationally, while relegating Game 2 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series to TBS. CBS used its primary announcing team, [[Dick Stockton]] and [[Hubie Brown]] to call the latter game.

{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]])
|-
|November 26, 1988 (Saturday)
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit]]
|8:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1988 (Sunday)]]
|[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1988–89 Utah Jazz season|Utah]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Jazz vs. Lakers Christmas Day 1988|id=89ITb6RgHdw}}</ref>
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 15, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[1988–89 Boston Celtics season|Boston]] vs. [[1988–89 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] 
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 22, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Pistons rivalry|Detroit vs. Boston]]
|noon
|-
|January 29, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1988–89 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 5, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[Bulls–Pistons rivalry|Chicago vs. Detroit]] 
|2 p.m.
|-
|February 12, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[1989 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] @ Houston (East vs. West)
|3:15&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 19, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 20, 1989 (Monday)
|[[1988–89 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] vs. [[1988–89 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]] 
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 26, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|Boston vs. New York Knicks]]
|2 p.m.
|-
|March 5, 1989 (Sunday)
|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|March 12, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[1988–89 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]] vs. Boston
|noon
|-
|April 2, 1989 (Sunday)
|Boston vs. Cleveland
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|April 9, 1989 (Sunday)
|Chicago vs. [[1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=1989 04 09 NBA RS Chicago Bulls@ Atlanta Hawks|id=wpmdgHAKSyI}}</ref>
|12:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|April 16, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry|Chicago vs. Cleveland]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|April 23, 1989 (Sunday)
|[[1988–89 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]] vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|}

===Resurgence of the NBA===
Popular belief holds that the peak era of the ''NBA on CBS'' occurred from [[1983–84 NBA season|1984]] to [[1986–87 NBA season|1987]]. During this period, CBS' NBA coverage was the beneficiary of a new era in the league that would forever link two of the game's greatest players, [[Larry Bird]] and [[Magic Johnson]]. Bird and Johnson entered the NBA (coming off playing against each other in the highest-rated [[1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament#Final Four|NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship]] of all time), respectively playing for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers and Celtics, two iconic teams in large television markets, rose to prominence during the period; many credit the theatrics of Bird and Johnson with boosting the overall popularity of the NBA (especially during the tape delay era of NBA telecasts). Within three years of Johnson and Bird entering the league, the NBA had a ''Game of the Week'' on CBS, and ratings for Finals games approached levels rivaling those of the [[World Series]].

Before the Bird/Magic era, CBS used to televise approximately five to seven games regionally per week in a doubleheader format (1:45 and 4 p.m. Eastern Time) on Sundays. [[Nielsen ratings|Ratings]] for regional were far outdrawn by [[College Basketball on NBC|NBC's college basketball coverage]] and [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]'s ''[[Superstars (American TV program)|Superstars]]'' program. After ratings bottomed out in 1980 and 1981, coinciding with CBS airing tape-delayed coverage, the network decided to scrap the regional telecasts. In its place, CBS sold the marquee players and teams (for example, "Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers", "Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics" or "Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers") for a "''Game of the Week''" broadcast.

===Memorable moments===
During its tenure as the NBA's broadcast network partner, CBS aired notable Finals series between the [[Lakers–Celtics rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics]], as well as both championships won by the "Bad Boy"-era [[Detroit Pistons]].

===Ratings===
{{Main|National Basketball Association on television|NBA Finals television ratings}}

In [[1975–76 NBA season|1976]], CBS' regular season ratings earned an abysmal (by the standards of the time) 26 share on Sunday afternoons. In 1978, the deciding game of the [[1978 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] ranked 442nd out of 730 shows from September 1, 1977, to August 31, 1978. The next highest-rated [[1978 NBA Playoffs|playoff]] game in prime time only ranked 619th.

CBS' NBA ratings were also extremely low during the early part of the 1980s. In 1980, the 26 share from 1976 had fallen to 18%. Ratings fell to a level where, as mentioned before, CBS began airing games on tape delay. The [[1981 NBA Finals]] set the standard for futility, with an average rating of 6.7, the lowest in NBA history until the [[2003 NBA Finals]] averaged a 6.5 on [[NBA on ABC|ABC]].

With the rebirth of the [[Lakers–Celtics rivalry]], ratings improved, especially in the three NBA Finals that the two teams played in. Between [[1981–82 NBA season|1981]] and [[1982–83 NBA season|1983]], ratings for CBS' NBA telecasts rose by 12%. CBS' highest-rated NBA game (and the only NBA game that scored more than 20 rating points for the network) was Game 7 of the [[1988 NBA Finals]] between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons. By the end of its coverage, CBS' NBA ratings had been mostly respectable, with the lowest-rated Final after [[1982 NBA Finals|1982]] scoring 12.3 (three times), a mark higher than any NBA Final since [[1998 NBA Finals|1998]].

===The end of ''The NBA on CBS''===
On November 9, 1989, the NBA and [[NBA on NBC|NBC]] reached an agreement on a four-year, US$600 million contract (beginning in the [[1990–91 NBA season|1990–91 season]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=November 9, 1989: The NBA signs a lucrative 4-year television deal with NBC|url=http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2009/11/this-day-in-history.html|publisher=Sports Media Watch|date=November 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=9 November 1989|title=NBA Flips Channel, Decides to Play Ball With NBC in 1990|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-09-sp-1713-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcsports.com/our-history#decade_6|title=NBC acquires NBA broadcast rights|website=NBC Sports History Page}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Ball's In A New Court: NBC took the NBA away from CBS for a cool $600 million|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/11/20/the-balls-in-a-new-court|author=John Steinbreder|magazine=Sports Illustrated|publisher=Time Inc.|date=November 20, 1989|access-date=November 29, 2011}}</ref>

The NBA's popularity was skyrocketing by the late 1980s and [[Commissioner of the NBA|Commissioner]] [[David Stern]] wanted more exposure. This meant that he wanted more than 15 games a year shown on network television. However, CBS didn't have the room to broadcast double and triple headers every Sunday like NBC could because of their [[NFL on CBS|NFL]] and [[College Basketball on CBS|college basketball]] coverage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly|first=Keith J.|date=July 12, 2001|title=WILL VIACOM PLAY FOR NBA?|url=http://www.nypost.com/business/34671.htm|work=New York Post|location= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010714123930/http://www.nypost.com/business/34671.htm |access-date=June 20, 2022|archive-date=July 14, 2001 }}</ref> Additionally, CBS had recently signed deals with [[Major League Baseball on CBS|Major League Baseball]] and the [[CBS Olympic broadcasts|Winter Olympics]], making it even more difficult to accommodate the NBA's request for more over the air telecasts. All in all, CBS was pretty much destined to cut ties with the NBA by 1990.

From 1986 to its final year in 1990, CBS paid about US$47 million per year for the NBA broadcast contract. The final NBA game that CBS televised to date was Game 5 of the [[1990 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] between the [[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit Pistons]] and [[1989–90 Portland Trail Blazers season|Portland Trail Blazers]] on June 14, 1990. The Pistons won 92–90 to clinch their second consecutive [[Larry O'Brien Trophy|NBA Championship]].

As the soundtrack for their goodbye montage, CBS used "[[The Last Waltz (1978 album)|The Last Waltz]]" by [[The Band]] and [[Marvin Gaye]]'s rendition of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" from the [[1983 NBA All-Star Game]], ending [[CBS Sports]]' relationship with the NBA after 17 years.

CBS broadcast all five NBA Finals involving Larry Bird, all four NBA Finals involving Julius Erving, nine of the ten involving [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] (the [[1971 NBA Finals]] were on ABC), and eight of the nine NBA Finals involving Magic Johnson (the [[1991 NBA Finals|following year's Finals]] were Johnson's last, Michael Jordan's first, and the first to be broadcast by NBC).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://readjack.substack.com/p/the-1991-nba-finals-were-david-sterns|title=The 1991 NBA Finals Were David Stern's Godsend|last=Silverstein|first=Jack M.|date=June 11, 2021|website=A Shot On Ehlo|publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

Before the closing montage, CBS's final NBA game broadcast ended with this sign-off by [[Dick Stockton]]:

{{cquote|Well, I guess now the time has come. This is our last game as many of you may know. And it's really the end of a 17-year love affair between CBS and the NBA. For every member of our broadcast team and I mean technicians, and cameramen, production people, the terrifically talented folks in the truck, where it all happens, and of course...the commentators, this has been an extraordinary experience. We've witnessed the careers of Julius Erving, and Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. We've seen Michael Jordan take flight. All the players actually...fired the imagination not only for an entire generation of NBA fans but for all of us at CBS. We know we leave the NBA in good hands. But to [[Isiah Thomas|Isiah]] and [[Hakeem Olajuwon|Hakeem]] and [[Patrick Ewing|Patrick]] and [[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]], to all the players, coaches...and you the viewers, we're going to miss all of you. So long!}}1989-90 regular season
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Teams
! Time ([[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]])
|-
|November 25, 1989 (Saturday)
|[[1989–90 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] vs. [[1989–90 Golden State Warriors season|Golden State]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[NBA Christmas games|December 25, 1989 (Monday)]]
|[[1989–90 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]] vs. [[1989–90 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 21, 1990 (Sunday) - [[Doubleheader (television)|Double Header]]
|[[Lakers–Pistons rivalry|Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Armour|first=Terry|date=January 19, 1990|title=HOCKEY RETURNS TO NETWORK TV WITH ALL-STAR GAME|url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19900119-1990-01-19-9001180311-story.html|work=Daily Press|location= |access-date=}}</ref> 
|noon
|-
|[[Bulls–Knicks rivalry|New York Knicks vs. Chicago]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Armour|first=Terry|date=January 19, 1990|title=HOCKEY RETURNS TO NETWORK TV WITH ALL-STAR GAME|url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19900119-1990-01-19-9001180311-story.html|work=Daily Press|location= |access-date=}}</ref> 
|2:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|January 28, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]] vs. [[1989–90 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|12:30&nbsp;p.m. 
|-
|February 4, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Utah Jazz season|Utah]] vs. [[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
|1 p.m.
|-
|February 11, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1990 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] at Miami (West vs East)
|3 p.m.
|-
|February 18, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Lakers rivalry|Boston vs. Los Angeles Lakers]]
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|[[Presidents' Day|February 19, 1990 (Monday)]]
|[[1989–90 Houston Rockets season|Houston]] vs. [[1989–90 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|1:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|February 25, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]] vs. [[1989–90 New York Knicks season|New York Knicks]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=CBS Intro: February 25, 1990; Pistons/Knicks|id=358MMcODdIZs&t}}</ref>
|noon
|-
|March 4, 1990 (Sunday)
|Chicago vs. [[1989–90 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|2 p.m.
|-
|March 11, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] vs. [[1989–90 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]] 
|noon
|-
|April 1, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Utah Jazz season|Utah]] vs. Los Angeles Lakers
|3:30&nbsp;p.m.
|-
|April 8, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]] vs. [[1989–90 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]
|noon
|-
|April 15, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|New York Knicks vs. Boston]]<ref>{{YouTube|title=Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks (15/04/1990)|id=3IlroflAnf0}}</ref>
|1 p.m.
|-
|April 22, 1990 (Sunday)
|[[76ers–Celtics rivalry|Boston vs. Philadelphia]]
|1 p.m.
|}

====Future====
In May 2007, the NBA renewed its television contract with [[ESPN]], making ABC the broadcast television home of the NBA through 2016. On October 6, 2014, ESPN and the NBA renewed their agreement through 2025.<ref>{{cite press release|title=NBA extends partnership with Turner Broadcasting, Disney|url=http://www.nba.com/2014/news/10/06/nba-media-deal-disney-turner-sports/|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=October 6, 2014|access-date=August 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NBA extends television deals|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/11652297/nba-extends-television-deals-espn-tnt|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=October 7, 2014|access-date=August 9, 2015}}</ref> CBS has implied that it is unlikely to bid on further sports rights beyond those it already holds, including the NBA, because of the extensive investment it has made into its existing sports portfolio (especially [[college basketball]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/02/an-early-look-at-nba-tv-rights-will-anybody-challenge-espn/|title=An Early Look at NBA TV Rights: Will Anybody Challenge ESPN?|last1=Paulsen|date=February 17, 2013|website=Sports Media Watch}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=How the next NHL rights deal could shake out|url=http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/67098|author=Tripp Mickle|work=Sports Business Journal|date=October 4, 2010|access-date=October 4, 2010}}</ref>

On August 30, 2012, the [[CBS Sports Network]] signed a deal with the [[NBA G League|NBA Development League]] to televise 12 regular games, as well as the 2013 NBA D-League Playoffs and Finals.<ref>{{cite web|title=CBS Sports Network to Showcase Live NBA Development League Games for 2012-13 Season|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/08/30/cbs-sports-network-to-showcase-live-nba-development-league-games-for-2012-13-season-734312/20120830cbs02/|website=The Futon Critic|date=August 30, 2012}}</ref> On April 22, 2019, CBS Sports Network signed a deal with the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) to televise 40 regular season games.<ref>{{cite news|title=WNBA and CBS Sports Agree To Multi-Year Television Partnership|url=https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-and-cbs-sports-agree-to-multi-year-television-partnership|work=Women's National Basketball Association|date=April 22, 2019|access-date=July 9, 2023}}</ref>

==Announcers==

===Brent Musburger===
Musburger was involved in every NBA Finals (either as a play-by-play announcer or as a host) from [[1975 NBA Finals|1975]] to [[1989 NBA Finals|1989]] (with 1981 being the lone exception), and was the lead voice for NBA games on CBS for much of that period. From [[1975–76 NBA season|1975]] to [[1979–80 NBA season|1980]], Musburger worked with a variety of [[Color commentator|analysts]] for regular season games (including [[Billy Cunningham]], Mendy Rudolph, [[Hot Rod Hundley]], [[Oscar Robertson]], [[Steve "Snapper" Jones|Steve Jones]], [[Tom Heinsohn]] and Rick Barry). Musburger called Game 5 of the [[1976 NBA Finals]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Remembering the classic 1976 NBA Finals game 5|url=http://classicsportsmedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/remembering-classic-1976-nba-finals.html|work=Classic Sports TV and Media|date=June 3, 2012|access-date=March 29, 2013}}</ref> with Rick Barry and sideline reporters Mendy Rudolph and Sonny Hill. After 1980, Musburger became the lead studio host and secondary play-by-play announcer. With the latter role, Musburger worked alongside [[Kevin Loughery]] (1983–1984), Hubie Brown (1985), Billy Cunningham (1986–1987), Tom Heinsohn (1988) and [[Bill Raftery]] (1989), and called the other conference final not assigned to [[Dick Stockton]]'s team on CBS from 1983 to 1989. Musburger was fired from CBS following the [[1990 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game]], a few months before its contract with the NBA ended. However, he later resumed calling NBA games on [[NBA on ESPN Radio|ESPN Radio]] and later with [[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]] through 2006.

===Dick Stockton===
Dick Stockton<ref>{{cite web|url=http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/amd0039|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|quote=Stockton was often criticized for being too noncommittal in his analysis. It was suggested by more than one journalist that he reported innocuous statistics rather than take the time to levy important criticism or discuss game strategy. }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> was the lead voice of ''The NBA on CBS'' from [[1981–82 NBA season|1981]] to [[1989–90 NBA season|1990]]. After CBS failed in an attempt to compete with [[NBC Sports|NBC]]'s [[college basketball]] announcing team of [[Dick Enberg]], [[Billy Packer]] and [[Al McGuire]] with Gary Bender (who was subsequently "promoted" to a play-by-play position on [[College Basketball on CBS|CBS' newly acquired college basketball package]]), Rick Barry and [[Bill Russell]], Stockton became the voice of the NBA. Working with Tom Heinsohn (who was criticized<ref>{{cite web|url=https://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820182244/https://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-08-20|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|quote=Heinsohn was criticized by many because, as a former Celtic player, he was seen as a Celtic booster. On the other hand, Celtic fans believed Heinsohn was going out of his way on telecasts to criticize the Celtics and prove that he was not biased. Heinsohn also was criticized for his distinctive New Jersey accent and what some felt was his curious use of the English language. }}</ref> by the media and viewers for being too biased to the Boston Celtics, a team he once played for and later coached) from [[1983–84 NBA season|1983]] to [[1986–87 NBA season|1987]], Stockton called some of the most memorable NBA Finals in league history. In [[1984 NBA Finals|1984]], [[1985 NBA Finals|1985]] and [[1987 NBA Finals|1987]], the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics played each other in the NBA Finals, and Stockton's broadcasts became the highest rated in NBA history at that time.

Stockton would call the NBA Finals through the rest of the 1980s and in [[1990 NBA Finals|1990]] as well, working the [[1988 NBA Finals]] with Billy Cunningham and the [[1989 NBA Finals|1989]] and 1990 NBA Finals with Hubie Brown (after Cunningham left CBS Sports to accept a management job with the new [[Miami Heat]]). After CBS' run with the NBA ended, Brown moved to [[TNT Sports (United States)|Turner Sports]] to fill the same role. Stockton would not call another NBA game until {{nbay|1995|start}}, when he also joined Turner. Stockton and Brown would occasionally be paired together on [[NBA on TBS|TBS]] and [[NBA on TNT|TNT]] until {{nbay|2002|start}}, when Brown was hired to coach the [[Memphis Grizzlies]]. Stockton continued to call NBA games with Turner until 2012.

===Other personalities===
CBS employed many NBA greats during its 17 years as the lead network carrier; Bill Russell was an analyst for several years, mainly in the 1970s and early 1980s. [[Elgin Baylor]] was an analyst during CBS' inaugural year in [[1973–74 NBA season|1973–1974]], and was fired during that year's playoffs due to what CBS considered a lackluster performance. He was replaced by another NBA great, [[Rick Barry]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/amd0039|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|quote=In examining coverage of the NBA during the 1970s, the researcher found that the play-by-play announcer dominated the discussion during the games, with the color analyst speaking occasionally to comment on a replay or an important situation he had picked up. For example, during the 1976 Greatest Games telecast of the Celtics-Suns NBA Finals, color analyst Rick Barry noted that when a player had the ball and was running upcourt, he always had to be careful with an opposing player pursuing him. Barry made this point when Boston guard Jo Jo White knocked the ball away from a Phoenix player from behind as the player ran upcourt. Barry was another in the long line of player-analysts, though his career was not quite finished in 1976 when he joined CBS play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger for the Finals telecast. Barry, one of the greatest players in NBA history, was also one of the most disliked players in the league—by his own teammates as well. His reputation as a perfectionist and his sharp tongue were perfectly suited for analyzing NBA action. When a player made a mistake, Barry usually had a remark about it. For instance, during the same Celtics-Suns game, Barry remarked on a foul by Celtic Don Nelson on a jump-shooting Phoenix guard: "Why small forwards wanna be shot blockers is beyond me." Barry continued the tradition started by Russell for his straight-forward analysis. }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> who held a fairly consistent role with CBS through the 1970s and early 1980s, including calling several NBA Finals. [[Steve "Snapper" Jones]], best known from the ''[[NBA on NBC]]'', was part of CBS' broadcast teams, partnering with Don Criqui in [[1975–76 NBA season|1975–1976]] and [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–1977]].

During Game 5 of the [[1981 NBA Finals]], CBS posted an old photo of [[Bill Russell]], who was on the announcing team with Gary Bender and Rick Barry, on the [[Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Olympic team]]. Bender asked Barry, "Who do you think that is in the picture?" Barry answered:
{{cquote|''I don't know, it looks like some fool with that big watermelon grin back there!''<ref>{{cite web|title=Looking back on the Rick Barry "watermelon grin" comment|url=http://classicsportsmedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/looking-back-on-rick-barry-watermelon.html|work=Classic Sports TV and Media|date=May 12, 2012|access-date=March 29, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kick Out the Sports!|url=http://www.flakmag.com/sports/cook040614.html|publisher=Flakmag.com |access-date=November 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sportscasters Gone Wild |url=http://www.barstoolsports.com/article/sportscasters_gone_wild/434/ |work=Barstool Sports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509173956/http://www.barstoolsports.com/article/sportscasters_gone_wild/434/ |archive-date=May 9, 2006 }}</ref>}}
Some considered Barry's comments to be racially insensitive. Barry was adamant that they were taken out of context, but CBS did not renew his contract for the [[1981–82 NBA season|subsequent season]]. Russell stayed on with new play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton for two seasons before giving way to former Celtics teammate Tom Heinsohn<ref>{{cite web|title=History of #1 analyst demotions|url=http://classicsportsmedia.blogspot.com/2013/02/history-of-1-analyst-demotions.html|work=Classic Sports TV and Media|date=February 18, 2013|access-date=March 29, 2013}}</ref> for the 1983–84 season.

CBS often used the same analysts for both the [[NBA playoffs]] and [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship]]. Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billy Cunningham has made NBA telecasts smoother|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067265/index.htm|author=William Taaffe|magazine=Sports Illustrated|publisher=Time Inc.|date=April 25, 1988|access-date=November 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512201441/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067265/index.htm|archive-date=May 12, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Hubie Brown all worked NCAA Regional rounds during years when they also served as the lead NBA analyst for CBS. Billy Packer worked NBA playoff games in [[1987 NBA Playoffs|1987]] and [[1988 NBA Playoffs|1988]], while he was CBS' lead college basketball analyst.

As previously mentioned, during the [[1984 NBA Finals]], Lesley Visser (then wife of lead ''NBA on CBS'' play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton) became the first woman to cover an NBA Finals. She joined CBS Sports part-time in 1984 before joining full-time in 1987. When she was part-time with CBS, she still worked for the ''[[Boston Globe]]'', as she had many diverse assignments with the newspaper. Visser became the first female NBA beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned to cover the Boston Celtics. Visser resigned from the ''Globe'' in late 1988.

While Brent Musburger did host most of CBS' NBA Finals pregame and halftime programs, [[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Nidetz|first=Steve|date=February 9, 1990|title=Cbs' O'brien Turns His 'Sideline' Into A Big Deal|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/02/09/cbs-obrien-turns-his-sideline-into-a-big-deal/|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> hosted a pregame show during the earlier rounds of the playoffs called ''The Basketball Show''.<ref>{{YouTube|title=1990 NBA Eastern Finals (Game 4): Pistons vs. Bulls (CBS Sports wraparounds)|id=1eG4WdVkiKQ}}</ref> O'Brien, working with analyst Bill Raftery, also hosted the ''[[Prudential Financial|Prudential]] At The Half''. When Musburger left CBS Sports in April 1990, O'Brien took over the [[1990 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] (the last that CBS did) hosting duties full-time. In [[1988 NBA Finals|1988]] and [[1989 NBA Finals|1989]], Pat O'Brien filled-in for Brent Musburger (who was busy covering the [[College World Series on CBS|College World Series]] for CBS) as the NBA Finals anchor for Game 2.

===List of broadcasters===
{{see also|List of NBA Finals broadcasters|List of NBA All-Star Game broadcasters}}

{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Hubie Brown]]
* [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]]
* [[Quinn Buckner]]
* [[Charlsie Cantey]]
* [[Jane Chastain]]
* [[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]]
* [[Bob Costas]]
* [[Don Criqui]]
* [[Irv Cross]]
* [[Billy Cunningham]]
* [[Terry Dischinger]]
* [[Eddie Doucette]]
* [[Len Elmore]]
* [[Keith Erickson]]
* [[Frank Glieber]]
* [[Jim Gray (sportscaster)|Jim Gray]]
* [[Jerry Gross]]
* [[Greg Gumbel]]
* [[John Havlicek]]
* [[Tom Heinsohn]]
* [[Sonny Hill]]
* [[Rod Hundley]]
* [[Steve "Snapper" Jones]]
* [[Andrea Joyce]]
* [[Sonny Jurgensen]]
* [[Jim Karvellas]]
* [[Jim Kelly (sportscaster)|Jim Kelly]]
* [[Stu Lantz]]
* [[Kevin Loughery]]
* [[Verne Lundquist]]
* [[Pete Maravich]]
* [[Jon McGlocklin]]
* [[Dick Motta]]
* [[Jeff Mullins (basketball)|Jeff Mullins]]
* [[Brent Musburger]]
* [[Andy Musser]]
* [[Jim Nantz]]
* [[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]]
* [[Billy Packer]]
* [[Mike Patrick]]
* [[Bill Raftery]]
* [[Cal Ramsey]]
* [[Oscar Robertson]]
* [[Mendy Rudolph]]
* [[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]]
* [[Cazzie Russell]]
* [[Tim Ryan (sportscaster)|Tim Ryan]]
* [[Lynn Shackelford]]
* [[Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]
* [[Larry Steele]]
* [[Dick Stockton]]
* [[Pat Summerall]]
* [[Lesley Visser]]
* [[Jerry West]]
* [[Jack Whitaker (sportscaster)|Jack Whitaker]]
* [[Lenny Wilkens]]
{{div col end}}

===Announcing teams===
====[[1980–81 NBA season|1980–1981]]====
# Gary Bender, Bill Russell and Rick Barry
# Dick Stockton and Kevin Loughery
# Frank Glieber and Dick Motta <ref> Glieber and Motta called Game 1 of the [[Milwaukee Bucks|Milwaukee]]&ndash;[[Philadelphia 76ers|Philadelphia]] Eastern Conference Semi-Final Series. </ref>
# Rick Barry and Rod Hundley<ref> Barry and Hundley called Game 3 of the [[Kansas City Kings|Kings]]&ndash;[[Portland Trail Blazers|Trail Blazers]] Western Conference Miniseries. </ref>

====[[1981–82 NBA season|1981–1982]]====
# Dick Stockton and [[Bill Russell]]
# Frank Glieber and Hubie Brown
# [[Jim Kelly (sportscaster)|Jim Kelly]] and [[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]]
# [[Eddie Doucette]] and Kevin Loughery<ref>Doucette, on loan from the [[NBA on USA|USA Network]], called Game 4 of the [[Seattle SuperSonics|Seattle]]&ndash;[[San Antonio Spurs|San Antonio]] Western Conference Semi-Final Series with Kevin Loughery.</ref>

====[[1982–83 NBA season|1982–1983]]====
# Dick Stockton and Bill Russell
# Brent Musburger and Kevin Loughery
# Frank Glieber and Doug Collins
# Jim Kelly and [[Bill Raftery]]

====[[1983–84 NBA season|1983–1984]]====
#[[Dick Stockton]] and [[Tom Heinsohn]]
#[[Brent Musburger]] and [[Kevin Loughery]]
#[[Gary Bender]] and [[Doug Collins (basketball)|Doug Collins]]
#[[Frank Glieber]] and [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]]

====[[1984–85 NBA season|1984–1985]]====
#Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn
#Brent Musburger and [[Hubie Brown]]
#Gary Bender and Doug Collins
#Frank Glieber and James Brown<ref>Frank Glieber died of a heart attack after the second weekend of the playoffs and was replaced by [[Verne Lundquist]].</ref>

====[[1985–86 NBA season|1985–1986]]====
# Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn
# Brent Musburger and Billy Cunningham
# Gary Bender and Hubie Brown
# [[Jim Nantz]]/[[Mike Patrick]] and Doug Collins

Jim Nantz called three games for CBS, all regional telecasts.

====[[1986–87 NBA season|1986–1987]]====
# Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn
#Brent Musburger and Billy Cunningham
#[[Verne Lundquist]] and Hubie Brown
#[[Tim Brant]] and [[Billy Packer]]

====[[1987–88 NBA season|1987–1988]]====
#Dick Stockton and Billy Cunningham
#Brent Musburger and Tom Heinsohn
#Verne Lundquist and Hubie Brown
#Tim Brant and Billy Packer

====[[1988–89 NBA season|1988–1989]]====
#Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown
#Brent Musburger and [[Bill Raftery]]
#Verne Lundquist and Tom Heinsohn
#[[Greg Gumbel]] and [[Quinn Buckner]]

====[[1989–90 NBA season|1989–1990]]====
#Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown
#Verne Lundquist and [[Len Elmore]]<ref>Verne Lundquist and Len Elmore worked Games 6 and 7 of the [[Chicago Bulls]]&ndash;[[Detroit Pistons]] [[NBA Conference finals|Eastern Conference Final]].</ref>
#James Brown and Tom Heinsohn
#Greg Gumbel and Quinn Buckner

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+'''CBS NBA Final announcers'''
|'''Year'''
|'''Play-by-Play'''
|'''Color'''
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222183055/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19891990.html 1990]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|Hubie Brown
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222151438/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19881989.html 1989]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Hubie Brown]]
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222173733/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19871988.html 1988]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Billy Cunningham]]
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20110622091755/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19861987.html 1987]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Tom Heinsohn]]
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120629214853/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19851986.html 1986]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|Tom Heinsohn
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222182931/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19841985.html 1985]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|Tom Heinsohn
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222154823/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19831984.html 1984]
|style="line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="line-height:110%"|Tom Heinsohn
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222163548/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19821983.html 1983]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]]
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222185017/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19811982.html 1982]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|Dick Stockton
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|Bill Russell
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222181104/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19801981.html 1981]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|Gary Bender
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|Bill Russell and [[Rick Barry]]
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222145633/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19791980.html 1980]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[[Brent Musburger]]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[[Hot Rod Hundley|Rod Hundley]] and Bill Russell
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120619190040/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19781979.html 1979]
|style="line-height:110%"|Brent Musburger
|style="line-height:110%"|Rick Barry and Rod Hundley
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222184752/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19771978.html 1978]
|style="line-height:110%"|Brent Musburger
|style="line-height:110%"|Rick Barry and [[John Havlicek]]
|-
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120223215047/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19761977.html 1977]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[[Brent Musburger]]
|style="background:#F9F9F9;font-size:11px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;line-height:110%"|[[Rick Barry]] and [[Steve Jones (basketball)|Steve Jones]]
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222183120/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19751976.html 1976]
|style="line-height:110%"|Brent Musburger
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Mendy Rudolph]] and Rick Barry
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222163648/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19741975.html 1975]
|style="line-height:110%"|Brent Musburger
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Oscar Robertson]]
|-  style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; font-size:11px; background:#f9f9f9;"
|style="line-height:110%"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20120406075749/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19731974.html 1974]
|style="line-height:110%"|[[Pat Summerall]]
|style="line-height:110%"|Rick Barry and Rod Hundley
|}

===Christmas Day broadcasters===
CBS broadcast a [[NBA Christmas games|Christmas Day]] game each year from {{nbay|1975|start}} to {{nbay|1989|start}} with the exception of {{nbay|1982|start}}.

{| border="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
|'''Year'''
|'''Teams'''
|'''[[Sports commentator|Play-by-play]]'''
|'''[[Color commentator|Color commentator(s)]]'''
|-
|[[1975–76 NBA season|1975]]
|[[1975–76 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]] at [[1975–76 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|[[Don Criqui]]
|[[Mendy Rudolph]]
|-
|[[1976–77 NBA season|1976]]
|[[1976–77 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]] at [[1976–77 Kansas City Kings season|Kansas City]]
|Don Criqui
|[[Billy Cunningham]]
|-
|[[1977–78 NBA season|1977]]
|[[1977–78 Washington Bullets season|Washington]] at [[1977–78 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]]
|Don Criqui
|[[Steve Jones (basketball)|Steve Jones]]
|-
|[[1978–79 NBA season|1978]]
|[[1978–79 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] at [[1978–79 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|[[Brent Musburger]]
|[[Keith Erickson]]
|-
|[[1979–80 NBA season|1979]]
|[[1979–80 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] at [[1979–80 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
|[[Gary Bender]]
|[[Rod Hundley]]
|-
|[[1980–81 NBA season|1980]]
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|Boston vs. New York]]
|Gary Bender
|[[Bill Russell]] and [[Rick Barry]]
|-
|[[1981–82 NBA season|1981]]
|[[1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] at [[1981–82 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]
|[[Dick Stockton]]
|[[Bill Russell (basketball)|Bill Russell]]
|-
|[[1983–84 NBA season|1983]]
|[[Knicks–Nets rivalry|New Jersey vs. New York]]
|Dick Stockton
|[[Tom Heinsohn]]
|-
|[[1983–84 NBA season|1984]]
|[[1983–84 Philadelphia 76ers season|Philadelphia]] at [[1983–84 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
|Dick Stockton
|Tom Heinsohn
|-
|[[1984–85 NBA season|1985]]
|[[Celtics–Knicks rivalry|Boston vs. New York]]
|Dick Stockton
|Tom Heinsohn
|-
|[[1986–87 NBA season|1986]]
|[[Bulls–Knicks rivalry|Chicago vs. New York]]
|Dick Stockton
|Tom Heinsohn
|-
|[[1987–88 NBA season|1987]]
|[[1987–88 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]] at [[1986–87 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|Dick Stockton
|Billy Cunningham
|-
|[[1988–89 NBA season|1988]]
|[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] at [[1988–89 Utah Jazz season|Utah]]
|Dick Stockton
|[[Hubie Brown]]
|-
|[[1989–90 NBA season|1989]]
|[[1989–90 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]] at [[1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season|Atlanta]]
|Dick Stockton
|Hubie Brown
|}

==Theme music==
Through the 1973–74 to 1975–76 seasons, as well as for most of the 1978–79 season, the [[theme music]] for ''The NBA on CBS'' incorporated lyrics; "[[Last Night (Mar-Keys composition)|Last Night]]" by [[The Mar-Keys]] was used roughly around 1975–76 as the play-by-play announcer would give a preview to the featured game.<ref>{{YouTube|_s9yZhBTiFI|NBA on CBS 1970s FULL Theme Song}}</ref>

Starting in 1977, CBS used an alternate opening showing a montage of still pictures of current NBA star athletes with music (similar to the music used by the network for its [[NFL on CBS|NFL coverage]] at that time) accompanying it. In 1980, CBS used rotoscoped animation in silhouette of one player shooting a jumpshot and the ball in mid-air rolling all the NBA teams as it spun in the air, set to [[disco]]&ndash;[[popular music|pop]]&ndash;[[Moog Music|moog]] music. During the 1978–79 season, the music for the highlights was "[[Chase (instrumental)|Chase]]", composed by [[Giorgio Moroder]] as the theme for the movie ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]''. The opening guitar and horn riff of the [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] hit "[[Alive Again (Chicago song)|Alive Again]]" were used for the highlights prior to the opening animation during the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.

By the [[1983 NBA Finals]], the opening sequence was set in a primitive computer-generated montage of basketball action inside a virtual arena that was similar in resemblance to the [[Boston Garden]]. This opening sequence (which was usually intertwined by a montage of live basketball action complete with narration) was created by Bill Feigenbaum, who also created a similar open for ''The NFL Today'' used around the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to TV ARK The Television Museum |url=http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/ |date=January 1, 2006 |access-date=November 29, 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009151555/http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/ |archive-date=October 9, 2011 }}</ref> This opening melody (mostly consisting of an uptempo series of four notes and three [[Bar (music)|bars]] each) from [[1982–83 NBA season|1983]] to [[1987–88 NBA season|1988]] was composed by Allyson Bellink<ref>{{YouTube|title=Allyson Bellink - NBA on CBS Theme (Music From NBA Films)|id=uOEwkea1JGA}}</ref> and is generally considered to be the most familiar theme music that ''The NBA on CBS'' used.

For the [[1989 NBA Finals]],<ref>{{YouTube|title=Introduction to Game 4 of the 1989 NBA Finals|id=XAKuPes_uRY}}</ref> 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<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bloguin.com/crossoverchronicles/2015-articles/nba-finals-music-division-nbc-is-great-but-cbs-is-better.html|title=NBA Finals, Music Division: NBC is great, but CBS is better|last1=Zemek|first1=Matt|date=June 1, 2015|website=Crossover Chronicles}}</ref> to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact, along the lines of the network's later [[Major League Baseball on CBS|World Series]] coverage. Between the 1989 NBA Finals and the [[1990 NBA Finals]]' intros, the theme music was slightly revised; the 1989 Finals intro incorporated more of a guitar riff, while the 1990 Finals intro featured a little more usage of trumpets.

==On-screen graphics==
During the late 1980s, the time and score graphic<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|title=THE NBA ON NETWORK TELEVISION: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS|last=Sarmento|first=Mario R.|date= |website= |publisher= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820182244/http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0039/thesis.pdf|access-date= |archive-date=August 20, 2013|quote=}}</ref> appeared at the bottom of the screen after each score for only a few seconds, and when the shot clock was running down CBS provided a small blue graphic in the left portion of the screen that showed the clock running out. Also, when the game clock ran inside of two minutes, CBS would display the clock in the lower right-hand portion of the screen.

==Miscellaneous coverage==

===CBS Radio's coverage===
From roughly the [[1963–64 NBA season|1963–64]] through the [[1965–66 NBA season|1965–66]] seasons, the [[CBS News Radio|CBS Radio Network]]<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=January 11, 1966|title=East Rated 12 Point Favorite Over West In NBA All–Star Game Tonight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7gzAAAAIBAJ&dq=1966+NBA+All-Star+Game+televise&pg=PA5&article_id=5006,676109|work=Lodi News-Sentinel|location= |access-date=}}</ref> broadcast NBA games with commentators Jerry Gross and [[Jack Buck]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Dyer|first=Mike|date=January 12, 2016|title=Fifty years ago, Cincinnati hosted the NBA All-Star Game |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2016/01/12/fifty-years-ago-adrian-smith-stood-atop-the-basketball-world/78316380/|work=Cincinnati Enquirer|location= |access-date=May 11, 2024}}</ref>

===''WNBA on CBS''===
{{main|WNBA on CBS}}

On April 22, 2019, CBS Sports Network and the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] struck a deal<ref>{{cite news |last=Steinberg |first=Brian|date=April 22, 2019|title=CBS Sports, WNBA Strike TV Deal|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/cbs-sports-wnba-tv-rights-deal-1203194367/|work=Variety }}</ref> to televise 40 games in primetime and on weekends during the [[2019 WNBA season|2019 season]]. The games broadcast on CBS from local broadcasts already airing on the WNBA's streaming site, [[NBA League Pass#WNBA Season Pass|WNBA League Pass]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Dominguez|first=Mariana|date=April 24, 2019|title=Column: CBS Sports and the WNBA teaming up is great for women's sports|url=https://dailycampus.com/stories/2019/4/24/column-cbs-sports-and-the-wnba-teaming-up-is-great-for-womens-sports|work=The Daily Campus}}</ref>

On June 19, 2021, CBS broadcast<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=2021 WNBA TV schedule|url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/wnba-tv-schedule-2021-espn-abc-cbs/|work=Sports Media Watch|location= |access-date=}}</ref> a WNBA game between the [[2021 Connecticut Sun season|Connecticut Sun]] and [[2021 Chicago Sky season|Chicago Sky]]<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=May 10, 2021|title=Chicago Sky Announce TV Schedule for 2021 Season|url=https://sky.wnba.com/news/chicago-sky-announce-tv-schedule-for-2021-season/|work=WNBA|location= |access-date=}}</ref> with [[Lisa Byington]] providing the play-by-play and [[Lisa Leslie]] providing analysis. On June 26, 2021, CBS broadcast a game between the [[2021 Washington Mystics season|Washington Mystics]] and [[2021 Dallas Wings season|Dallas Wings]]. The two games on CBS on June 19 and 26 averaged about 427,000 and 567,000 viewers<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/CBSSportsGang/status/1409961546990694405|title=CBS Sports' WNBA Viewership Continues to Rise, Delivering the Most-Watched WNBA Game on CBS|last= |first= |date=June 29, 2021|website=Twitter|publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref> respectively.

Initially, most games were broadcast via clean feeds provided by the league and the home team's regional broadcaster. Beginning in the 2024 season, the games carried on the CBS network are now produced in-house by CBS Sports, with the clean feed productions now used solely for games on CBS Sports Network.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hernández |first=Kristian |date=2024-05-24 |title=WNBA Tip-Off 2024: CBS Sports Commits to Women's Pro Basketball With Full Onsite Productions |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/05/24/wnba-tip-off-2024-cbs-sports-commits-to-womens-pro-basketball-with-full-onsite-productions/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Sports Video Group |language=en}}</ref>

==Statistics==
{{NBAonCBS}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{official website|https://www.cbssports.com/nba/}}
*{{IMDb title|2104667|The NBA on CBS}}
*{{official website|https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/|''WNBA on CBS'' at CBSSports.com}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box|before=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]|title=NBA network broadcast partner|years=[[1973–74 NBA season|1973]]–[[1989–90 NBA season|1990]]|after=[[NBA on NBC|NBC]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{NBA on CBS}}
{{CBS Sports}}
{{National Basketball Association on television}}
{{NBA on the radio}}
{{Women's National Basketball Association on television}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nba On Cbs, The}}
[[Category:1973 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1970s American sports television series]]
[[Category:1980s American sports television series]]
[[Category:CBS original programming]]
[[Category:CBS Sports]]
[[Category:NBA on television|CBS]]
[[Category:1990 American television series endings]]
[[Category:CBS Radio Sports]]
[[Category:NBA on the radio|CBS]]
[[Category:1960s American radio programs]]
[[Category:American sports radio programs]]
[[Category:CBS Radio programs]]