After three decades hosting basketball programming, Ernie Johnson has witnessed countless memorable moments during his time with ‘Inside the NBA.’
Yet few experiences could match broadcasting the post-game coverage Wednesday evening from the center of Madison Square Garden’s court, following the New York Knicks’ historic rally to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 – marking the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
‘That’s the best. None of the fans are leaving. They just want to soak this whole thing in. It was like a college atmosphere. And then to do the show right there with that energy going on, that’s why you do it,’ Johnson said.
While the series continues to unfold, the broadcasting team of Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith is relishing their debut opportunity to lead NBA Finals programming across pregame, halftime and post-game segments.
This season marked ‘Inside the NBA’s’ transition to ESPN and ABC through a licensing deal with TNT Sports, after Warner Bros. Discovery lost NBA broadcasting rights.
The program’s arrival has enhanced ESPN and ABC’s basketball programming similar to how Joe Buck and Troy Aikman improved ‘Monday Night Football’ when they joined in 2022.
Game 5 takes place Saturday evening in San Antonio, with the Knicks needing one victory for their first championship since 1973. Johnson will award the Lawrence O’Brien trophy when the finals conclude. Should the Spurs force elimination, a potential Game 6 trophy presentation to the Knicks at home Tuesday could exceed Wednesday’s excitement.
‘The transition has been seamless, and it’s been a wonderful year together. Having Ernie, Chuck, Shaq and Kenny anchor our NBA Finals coverage, in tandem with our outstanding game broadcast team, has elevated our entire presentation,’ said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content.
The show features a 90-minute pregame broadcast, starting on ESPN before moving to ABC. Post-game programming begins on ESPN immediately after ABC concludes and runs for at least an hour.
Broadcaster Mike Breen, calling his record-setting 21st finals, appreciates having ‘Inside the NBA’ introduce the game coverage.
‘They’re must-see TV even after all these years. They have so much fun, and because of their status in the league, what they say really matters,’ Breen said. ‘And then you have somebody like Ernie Johnson who runs the whole thing. I don’t know if there’s another person in our industry I respect more.’
Since TNT previously lacked NBA Finals rights, ‘Inside the NBA’ traditionally concluded after conference finals. Johnson described feeling different when arriving at the San Antonio arena before Game 1 on June 3.
‘I haven’t felt like that on a game day in a long time. I was excited to be there and heading to the arena. I left earlier than planned because I didn’t want to sit around anymore,’ he said. ‘Doing that in San Antonio and then going to New York to be in the middle of that scene was so cool. I think we are trying to make our show match the energy in the building. And I think we did that.’
‘Everybody’s swinging by and shaking hands and patting us on the back. It’s surreal. We’re honored to be part of this. And it’s just been an amazing series.’
The experience holds additional significance as most production crew members are also experiencing their first NBA Finals, despite many working with ‘Inside the NBA’ since its beginning.
Although ‘Inside the NBA’ broadcasts on ESPN and ABC, TNT Sports continues producing from Atlanta. The show maintains its bold commentary style, demonstrated by Barkley’s harsh assessment of the Spurs following Game 4, calling them ‘the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization.’
Barkley added, ‘When you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help you. The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the stupid-ass stuff I’ve seen on a basketball court.’
Concerns about potential changes under ESPN have proven unfounded throughout the season. ESPN has embraced the show’s personality, even creating an advertisement featuring Johnson performing a DMX song.
‘There was never a ‘Hey, you guys can’t do that anymore.’ It was just ‘No, do your thing.’ And we’ve had the freedom to do that,’ Johnson said. ‘The great thing is we have access to all these ESPN resources with pregame pieces and reporters. It’s been a great deal for everybody involved.’
Wednesday’s comeback game drew 20.9 million viewers on average and reached 23.2 million at its peak. Nielsen data shows this was the highest-rated Game 4 since ABC began finals coverage in 2003.
The current series averages 19.6 million viewers, representing a 116% increase from last year’s Oklahoma City Thunder versus Indiana Pacers matchup. Viewership trends suggest this could become the most-watched series since 1998, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in six games.
Game 3’s pregame show attracted 9.9 million viewers, setting a new record.
