At one time or another, just about every bettor has taken some action on a game simply because it was on TV.
If that is the case with you, expect to be betting on a lot of games involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers next NBA season.
All three teams will make 25 appearances on national TV, whether it be ABC, ESPN or TNT. The eight games where one of those teams plays another all are nationally televised, including the Cavaliers hosting the Celtics on TNT on opening night of Oct. 27 and visiting the Lakers in a Christmas contest on ABC. The scheduling makes sense seeing how oddsmakers have the trio at the top of the NBA future odds board.
At the other end of the spectrum are the Houston Rockets, who lost Ron Artest to free agency and will be without star center Yao Ming for the entire season and Tracy McGrady until at least January due to injury. The Rockets are among five teams not appearing on national TV.
These totals were taken from the NBA schedule released Tuesday and do not include games on NBA TV, which is on a pay tier on most cable and satellite systems, or TSN of Canada, which regularly televises Toronto Raptors games on Sunday afternoons.
Next are the Orlando Magic with 24 games, the Denver Nuggets with 22 and the San Antonio Spurs with 20.
The Phoenix Suns are on 18 times, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers with 17, the Miami Heat with 15 and the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz with 13.
The New Orleans Hornets will make nine national TV appearances, followed by the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards with eight. The Atlanta Hawks will be on the air seven times.
The New York Knicks have five national TV games, the Detroit Pistons have four and the Philadelphia 76ers two. The Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto have one apiece.
The Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings join the Rockets with no national TV games.
Christmas Day, an NBA staple event, will feature a quintupleheader with the Knicks and Heat kicking things off on ESPN. Celtics-Magic and Cavs-Lakers follows on ABC with the Clippers and Suns wrapping the holiday hoop action up back on ESPN.