Media notes: Heat playoff schedule comes into focus. And many Marlins, MLB TV changes
Some media notes on a Thursday:
▪ If the Heat can wrap up the number one seed - and Miami’s magic number is one - then a long rest awaits.
The NBA confirmed on Thursday that the top seeds in each conference won’t begin postseason until Sunday, April 17.
If the Heat snags the top seed, Miami’s potential first-round opponents would be Brooklyn, Cleveland, Atlanta or Charlotte. The Heat would open any of those best-of-seven series at FTX Arena.
Game 1 of a Heat-Brooklyn matchup has a good chance to land in a mid-afternoon window on ABC on that Easter Sunday.
If the Heat plays the Cavaliers, Hawks or Hornets, then the game has a better chance of airing on TNT in late afternoon or early evening.
ABC could opt for the No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns’ first game instead of a Heat game not involving Brooklyn.
A potential Suns-Clippers game could hold appeal to ABC, if Minnesota beats Los Angeles in the 7-8 play-in game. A Suns-Timberwolves games - when measured in national appeal against a Heat game against Cleveland or Atlanta - would seem a tougher call for ABC and the NBA.
Golden State-Denver is another likely first round series that could warrant ABC consideration for a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon window.
Last season, the NBA scheduled Eastern Conference play-in games on one night and Western Conference play-in games another.
The NBA is taking a different approach this year. Both play-in games involving the seventh and eighth seeds will be played Tuesday on TNT, with the winner of those games playing the second seed in the first round.
Both of the play-in games involving the ninth and 10th seeds will be played Wednesday on ESPN, with the winner of those games playing the loser of the 7-8 games on Friday night for the right to play the No. 1 seed in each conference in series beginning Sunday, April 17.
Half of the NBA’s 16 playoff teams will begin their first-round series on Saturday, April 16.
The Heat closes the regular season at 7 p.m. Sunday at Orlando on Bally Sports Sun.
▪ There are a lot of MLB TV changes, beyond the Marlins’ announcing changes (and their new five-analyst TV plan) that we detailed here.
Among the other changes: TBS adds a new Tuesday night package; ESPN dropped weeknight games but retains Sunday Night Baseball; and two streaming services (Apple TV and Peacock) get exclusive regular games.
Peacock - which is NBC’s streaming service - will carry games generally at noon on Sundays, including Marlins appearances June 26 against the Mets and Aug. 28 against the Dodgers. Those games cannot air on Bally Sports Florida or anywhere else.
Apple TV Plus will carry Friday night double-headers, to be available in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. They’ll be free, at least initially, on any device that can play Apple TV content, but a subscription eventually will be needed.
Apple has announced its Friday night lineup through June 24, and no Marlins games are scheduled.
▪ Good to see TBS split play by play on the Tuesday night MLB package between Bob Costas and Brian Anderson.
Costas will do several games early, when Anderson is busy with the NBA playoffs.
Costas - the former MLB play by player for NBC and one of the premier sportscasters of his generation - hasn’t regularly called baseball on a network other than MLB Network in many years.
▪ Fox is promoting Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Joe Davis to replace ESPN-bound Joe Buck as its lead baseball voice, which includes the World Series.
Davis - who called that wild Dolphins-Raiders Saturday night game on NFL Network two years ago - is fundamentally sound and has a pleasant voice but lacks much charisma or personality.
A Davis-John Smoltz pairing could use an animated, energetic third voice.
On ESPN, Karl Ravech, David Cone and Eduardo Perez replace Matt Vasgersian and Alex Rodriguez as ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team, beginning with the Braves-Reds opener on ESPN2 on Thursday night.
Rodriguez moves to a “KayRod Cast,” ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball alternate presentation featuring Rodriguez and Yankees announcer Michael Kay.
▪ Bally Sports will carry 160 Marlins games - every one available to them. Most will be on Bally Sports Florida this season. Six in April will air on Bally Sports Sun because of conflicts with other programming.
JP Arencibia will be the analyst (alongside play-by-play man Paul Severino) for the first five games, series at the Giants and Angels. Tommy Hutton returns to the booth during the second half of the Marlins’ opening homestand.
▪ Jorge Sedano, Dusty Dvoracek and Sam Acho will call UM’s spring game at noon April 16 on ACC Network, from Fort Lauderdale.
Here’s my Thursday 6-pack with lots of Miami Hurricanes news.
Here’s my Thursday 6-pack with lots of Miami Dolphins news.
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 5:30 PM.
