CHICAGO BULLS BASKETBALL RETURNS TO COMCAST SPORTSNET
Pre-Season Action begins Oct. 9, First Regular Season game on Nov. 2, PlusLive PrePost-Game Shows all season long and comprehensive nightly coverage on SportsNet Central, Highlight 2012-13 Schedule
CSNChicago.com to feature 247 reporting from Bulls Insider Aggrey Sam; website to also feature live video of Post-Game Press Conferences, Daily PlayerCoaches Interviews, Game Highlights,
plus - On-Air Talent Blogs, In-Game Twitter updates from CSN talent, Live Chats, Live interactive Scoreboard and more!
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Chicago, IL (October 3, 2012)Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the two-time defending regular season NBA Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (who also finished tied for the 2011-12 regular season with the NBAs best overall record at 50-16), is once again ready to deliver another thrill-packed season of NBA excitement with 42 live regular season Bulls games (20 home, 22 away), including in-depth pre-game and post-game shows, and the most thorough 247 online Bulls coverage to date on CSNChicago.com!
The 2012-13 Chicago Bulls regular season on Comcast SportsNet gets underway on Friday, November 2 as NBA All-Star Luol Deng, along with Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Richard Rip Hamilton, and the return of fan favorite Kirk Hinrich, visit the Central Division rival Cleveland Cavaliers at 6:30 PM (NOTE: Expanded coverage gets underway on Chicago Tribune Live presented by Captain Morgan at 5:00 PM; McDonalds Bulls Pre-Game Live begins at 6:00 PM). Kia Bulls Post Game Live immediately follows the game featuring Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeaus post-game press conference (to also be streamed on CSNChicago.com), along with live locker room player interviews and complete post-game analysis.
Comcast SportsNets first home game telecast of the 12-13 campaign takes place on Tuesday, November 6 vs. Orlando (with expanded, live coverage from the United Center beginning at 5:00 PM on Chicago Tribune Live; tip-off at 7:00 PM). (IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though it will not be carrying the game, Comcast SportsNet will be airing a special Opening Night edition of Kia Bulls Post Game Live immediately following the 2012-13 Bulls homeseason opener vs. Sacramento on Wed, Oct. 31 at approx. 9:30 PM).
In addition to the 42 regular season games, Comcast SportsNet will also televise six Bulls pre-season games starting on Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 PM, when the Bulls host the Memphis Grizzlies. Additional pre-season match-ups will air on Oct. 12 vs. Cleveland (in Champaign, IL), Oct. 16 vs. Milwaukee (currently scheduled on CSN), Oct. 19 vs. Minnesota, Oct. 23 vs. Oklahoma City (currently scheduled on CSN) and Oct. 26 vs. Indiana (in South Bend, IN).
News
Fans can also look forward to a thorough look ahead to the upcoming BullsNBA season on SportsNet Central: Chicago Bulls Season Preview on Tuesday, October 30 at 10:30 PM. The season preview special will feature interviews with Bulls playerscoaches, along with a review of all the off-season transactions from the around the league and how these moves impact the Bulls this season.
This seasons Bulls regular season schedule on Comcast SportsNet features 27 games against Eastern Conference foes, ten of which are against Central Division opponents. In addition, Comcast SportsNets Bulls schedule features a highly-anticipated home court battle against reigning NBA Champions LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat (Mar 27), plusthree games against the defending Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics (Nov. 11, Dec. 18 & Feb. 13), a road rematch against last seasons NBA Playoffs first round opponent Philadelphia (Dec. 12), a pair of road games against Carmelo Anthony and the rival New York Knicks (Dec. 21 & Jan. 11), home game against Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and rising L.A. Clippers (Dec. 11), the teams first-ever road game against the newly-located Brooklyn Nets (Feb. 1), and both the home and road match-ups against the defending regular season Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs (Feb. 11 & Mar. 6). (See attached sheet for Comcast SportsNets complete 2011-12 pre-season and regular season Bulls schedule).
For the fifth-straight season, veteran Bulls play-by-play announcer Neil Funk will be teamed up with former Bulls standout center Stacey King, who will handle color analysis all season long. SportsNet Centrals Gail Fischer will be the primary courtside reporter for Bulls home game telecasts this season, along with Luke Stuckmeyer and Susannah Collins on a rotating basis.
McDonalds Bulls Pre-Game Live (featuring hosts Mark Schanowski and former NBABullsFighting Illini great Kendall Gill) is a half-hour pre-game show featuring a breakdown of the evenings match-up, interviews with coaches and players and a look at the other games around the NBA. McDonalds Bulls Pre-Game Live will air prior to every Bulls game this season with the exception of 6:00 PM game time starts (pre-game coverage for these games can be seen at 5:00 PM on Chicago Tribune Live presented by Captain Morgan featuring host David Kaplan; CTL will also be the place to hear from numerous BullsNBA experts all season long).
Following every game this season, viewers can look forward to the most comprehensive post-game wrap-up show on Kia Bulls Post Game Live. Kia Bulls Post Game Live (hosted by SchanowskiGill) will also feature live coverage of Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeaus post-game press conference and locker room interviews with Bulls players. Following the majority of evening Kia Bulls Post Game Live airings, viewers can catch GMC SportsNet Central at 10:00 & 10:30 PM and SportsNet Central presented by CLR at 12 Midnight with the most complete recap of the days top local and national sports news.
Five regular season and two pre-season Bulls games are currently scheduled to be telecast on Comcast SportsNet Plus (see attached schedule). Comcast SportsNet Plus (CSN) telecasts are provided to Comcast SportsNet affiliates and distributed to viewers when two live events are scheduled simultaneously. Comcast Cable and RCN subscribers can watch all CSN games on CLTV. Cable and satellite operators who do not carry CLTV will place CSN telecasts on a to-be-determined channel. Viewers can visit CSNChicago.com for the exact channel location of Comcast SportsNet, CSN, Comcast SportsNet HD and CSN HD telecasts in their area.
From an online perspective, Comcast SportsNets website, CSNChicago.com, delivers comprehensive 247 Bulls coverage all season long, including the following highlights:
Live stream of Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeaus postgame press conferences.
Video highlights from EVERY Bulls game that airs on Comcast SportsNet.
Bulls Insider Aggrey Sam returns for his fourth season covering all home and away games. Sam will also file daily storiesvideo reports (including reports from practice and shoot-arounds) and will make regular on-air appearances throughout the season on McDonalds Bulls Pre-Game Live, Chicago Tribune Live, SportsNet Central and in all Comcast SportsNet Bulls games, highlighting BullsTalk on CSNChicago.com.
In addition to his on-air duties, Bulls PrePost Game Live host Mark Schanowski will partner with Sam this season on CSNChicago.com providing multi-platform coverage via on-going blogs, weekly live chats, fan Q&A mailbag segments and much more. Fans can also follow Schanowski (@MarkSchanowski), Sam (@CSNBullsInsider) and Gail Fischer (@gailfisch) via Twitter 247 for the latest teamplayers news, insight and insider access.
Twitter users should follow @BullsTalkCSN for all the latest news and views about the Bulls and can join in the Bulls conversation using the hashtag BullsTalk when tweeting their Bulls-related thoughts and comments.
Interactive Scoreboard featuring real-time, live data combined with timely editorial and compelling elements such as up-to-the-second game stats, detailed box score & play-by-play, photos, out of town scoreboard, Twitter feeds from talent and VIPs, LIVE in-game chat sessions, team headlines and much more.
In addition, CSNChicago.com will work closely with NBCSports.com and its ProBasketballTalk blog, plus CSNChicago.com brings back its Bulls Talk blog, a high-frequency blog covering all Bulls news, rumors, trades, etc., which will include contributions from Sam, Schanowski and Gill as they lend their knowledge and expertise to the latest happenings in the Central Division, as well as league-wide. It will also include special Sam and Sam weekly video segments, featuring CSNChicago.coms Aggrey Sam and Bulls.coms Sam Smith, talking up the Bulls and the NBAs biggest headlines.
Bulls content this season will also be distributed via its digital network of partnerships including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, NBCSports.com, SB Nation and Bleacher Report.
COMCAST SPORTSNET CHICAGO
2012-13 Chicago Bulls Schedule
Preseason:
1. Tue, Oct 9 vs. Memphis 7:00 pm
2. Fri, Oct 12 vs. Cleveland (Champaign, IL) 7:00 pm
3. Tue, Oct 16 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 pm CSN
4. Fri, Oct 19 vs. Minnesota 7:00 pm
5. Tue, Oct 23 vs. Oklahoma City 7:00 pm CSN
6. Fri, Oct 26 vs. Indiana (South Bend) 6:00 pm
Regular Season:
1. Fri, Nov 2 @ Cleveland 6:30 pm
2. Tue, Nov 6 vs. Orlando 7:00 pm
3. Mon, Nov 12 vs. Boston 7:00 pm
4. Wed, Nov 14 @ Phoenix 8:00 pm CSN
5. Wed, Nov 21 @ Houston 7:00 pm
6. Mon, Nov 26 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 pm
7. Wed, Nov 28 vs. Dallas 7:00 pm
8. Wed, Dec 5 @ Cleveland 7:00 pm
9. Fri, Dec 7 @ Detroit 6:30 pm CSN
10. Tue, Dec 11 vs. Los Angeles Clippers 8:30 pm
11. Wed, Dec 12 @ Philadelphia 6:30 pm
12. Mon, Dec 17 @ Memphis 7:00 pm
13. Tue, Dec 18 vs. Boston 7:00 pm CSN
14. Fri, Dec 21 @ New York 6:30 pm
15. Wed, Dec 26 @ Indiana 6:00 pm
16. Wed, Jan 2 @ Orlando 6:00 pm
17. Wed, Jan 9 vs. Milwaukee 7:00 pm
18. Fri, Jan 11 @ New York 7:00 pm
19. Mon, Jan 14 vs. Atlanta 7:00 pm
20. Wed, Jan 16 @ Toronto 6:00 pm
21. Wed, Jan 23 vs. Detroit 7:00 pm
22. Fri, Jan 25 vs. Golden State 7:00 pm
23. Mon, Jan 28 vs. Charlotte 7:00 pm
24. Wed, Jan 30 @ Milwaukee 7:00 pm
25. Fri, Feb 1 @ Brooklyn 6:30 pm
26. Fri, Feb 8 @ Utah 9:30 pm
27. Mon, Feb 11 vs. San Antonio 7:00 pm
28. Wed, Feb 13 @ Boston 6:30 pm
29. Tue, Feb 19 @ New Orleans 7:00 pm CSN
30. Tue, Feb 26 vs. Cleveland 7:00 pm
31. Wed, Mar 6 @ San Antonio 8:00 pm
32. Fri, Mar 8 vs. Utah 7:00 pm
33. Wed, Mar 13 @ Sacramento 9:00 pm
34. Mon, Mar 18 vs. Denver 7:00 pm CSN
35. Thu, Mar 21 vs. Portland 7:00 pm
36. Wed, Mar 27 vs. Miami 7:00 pm
37. Sat, Mar 30 @ Dallas 1:00 pm
38. Tue, April 2 @ Washington 6:00 pm
39. Fri, April 5 vs. Orlando 7:00 pm
40. Sun, April 7 @ Detroit 6:30 pm
41. Tue, April 9 vs. Toronto 7:00 pm
42. Wed, April 17 vs. Washington 7:00 pm
6 pre-season, 42 regular season (20 Home, 22 Road regular season)
Total 48 Games
All Times Central Time Schedule Subject to Change
NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consists of 14 local networks that deliver more than 2,400 sporting events annually along with breaking news and comprehensive analysis to more than 50 million cable and satellite homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, CSS, Comcast Sports Southwest, and Comcast SportsNet Houston (launching October 2012). NBC Sports Regional Networks also manages NECN (New England Cable News), the nations largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, visit CSNChicago.com or ComcastSportNet.com.