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The NBA Finals on tape delay? A look at basketball's progress

06-19-2012 • http://www.phillyburbs.com, By Stuart London

Could you imagine not being able to watch the Heat play the Thunder in the NBA Finals until about three hours after the game?

I could — because I have been there and done that.

When I began watching NBA basketball, I used to root for the West Coast teams to do well in the playoffs.

It had nothing to do with being a fan of the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors or SuperSonics. It had everything to do with a simply wish: I wanted to watch an NBA playoff game without knowing the score.

To the youngins’ it might seem laughable, but there was a time when the NBA playoffs were broadcast only on a tape-delay basis.

CBS was in charge of basketball back then and while it might be known for its huge coverage of the NCAA Tournament, back then it considered the NBA something to broadcast when there was no good golf match. (I'm not kidding. Game 6 of the 1977 NBA finals between the 76ers and Portland started at noon so the network could cover a golf tournament.