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All eyes on the
play: Lakers vs. Cavs


Consider this game a warmup for the finals

Jan 21, 2010
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It was the matchup everyone wanted to see in last year's NBA finals, the Los Angeles Lakers and superstar Kobe Bryant against the Cleveland Cavaliers and superstar LeBron James. But the Orlando Magic shocked the Cavs in the Eastern finals and the Lakers walked to a championship with relative ease.

This year once again pundits are predicting that the Cavs and Lakers will meet in the finals, with the two squads leading their respective conferences. The two meet in a regular-season tilt tonight at 8 p.m. on TNT.

The game should draw strong numbers.

TNT is already pacing ahead of last year for its NBA coverage, and last year was its best NBA season ever. Last week the most-watched contest on the network, between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, averaged 1.67 million total viewers. Expect much more for tonight's game despite airing against highly rated original lineups on ABC and CBS.

The Lakers-Cavaliers matchup is compelling on many levels. First there's obviously the basketball. Both teams are very good. LA is 32-9 this year and five games ahead of the second-place team in the Western Conference, while Cleveland is 32-11 with a three-game lead in the Eastern Conference.

But the teams also boast the two biggest stars in the NBA, former MVP Kobe Bryant and reigning MVP LeBron James. Debating who is the better player has been a favorite topic on sports radio in recent years, but Bryant for now has at least one advantage over his younger counterpart. Bryant has multiple NBA titles.

Finally, the Cavs and Lakers are the most popular teams in the league, if merchandise sales are any indication. Bryant has the league's top-selling jersey, with James second, according to the NBA. And the Lakers sell the most team merchandise, with the Cavs now ranking third, up from fourth last year.

A look at this week’s top TV draws

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

Time

Network

Program

Description

8 p.m.

CW

“The Vampire Diaries” (D)

Stefan tries to get Bonnie to accept her powers.

8 p.m.

Fox

“Bones” (D)

Brennan and the team begin work on a super-secret case.

8 p.m.

TNT

“NBA Basketball” (S)

A finals preview? The Lakers take on the Cavs in Cleveland.

9 p.m.

ABC

“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)

Izzie hopes to resolve her issues with Alex.

9 p.m.

NBC

“The Office” (C)

Michael, Dwight, Andy and Pam try to get on the good side of a potential Dunder Mifflin buyer.

9 p.m.

CBS

“CSI” (D)

A golf pro is murdered during a big tournament.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

Time

Network

Program

Description

8 p.m.

CBS

“Ghost Whisperer” (D)

A hospital patient is haunted by a ghost.

8 p.m.

NBC

“Law & Order” (D)

An entire family is found murdered in their home.

8 p.m.

Disney Channel

“The Wizards of Waverly Place” (C)

A special hour-long episode should bring in a slew of young viewers.

9 p.m.

CBS

“Medium” (D)

Allison dreams about a schizophrenic girl, and then she appears in real life.

9 p.m.

Syfy

“Caprica” (D)

Series premiere. Esai Morales and Eric Stoltz star in a series set 50 years before the “Battlestar Galactica” series.

10 p.m.

CBS

“Numb3rs” (D)

A killer targets guys who pay for prostitutes.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

Time

Network

Program

Description

Noon

CBS

“College Basketball” (S)

Should be a good Big Ten game between Michigan State and Minnesota.

3 p.m.

NBC

“Figure Skating” (S)

Prepare for the Olympics with the U.S. Championships.

4 p.m.

CBS

“College Basketball” (S)

Another good game, this one a nonconference battle between Texas and UConn.

8 p.m.

Fox

“Cops” (R)

Cops in California respond to a minor accident, which actually turns out to be a multicar pileup.

9:45 p.m.

HBO

“Boxing” (S)

Steven Luevano tries to defend his featherweight title against undefeated Juan Manuel Lopez.

10 p.m.

Comedy Central

“Artie Lange: Jack and Coke” (C)

Despite Lange's suicide attempt a few weeks ago, Comedy Central is going ahead with this special.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24

Time

Network

Program

Description

3 p.m.

CBS

“NFL Football” (S)

The AFC championship game.

6:30 p.m.

Fox

“NFL Football” (S)

The NFC championship game.

9 p.m.

NBC

“Figure Skating” (S)

More coverage of the U.S. Championships.

9 p.m.

HBO

“Big Love” (D)

Bill, Nicki and Cara Lynn travel to Washington, D.C.

10 p.m.

E!

“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (R)

Bruce signs the family up to volunteer at a boxing event.

9 p.m.

Food Network

“Iron Chef America” (R)

A Minneapolis chef takes on Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.


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Louisa Ada Seltzer is a staff writer for Media Life.




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