The NBA has spared the national audience from the last Nets-Knicks battle, removing the borough battle from April 1st’s NBA TV schedule in lieu of a battle between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, two teams in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The game was the final nationally televised game for either New York team, and was already scheduled to run on YES Network and MSG. More Nets games may fall from YES Network as the NBA inches closer to the end of the season, and New York Yankees spring training takes priority.
It hasn’t been the best season for New York’s national stage. At 14-57, the Knicks, who are without Carmelo Anthony, have had more than half of their national games cut from the schedule, going from 23 to 11. Most of the cuts came after the first two months, as the Knicks’ season spiraled out of control. The Nets, who are 1.5 games out of the eighth playoff spot with 14 remaining, began the year with 10 nationally televised games, adding two along the way and losing four (including two Nets-Knicks games) to finish the year with eight.
