ABC SPORTS PRESENTS NBA FINALS ON ABC GAME 7 DETROIT PISTONS VS. SAN ANTONIO SPURS THURSDAY, JUNE 23 LIVE 8:30 P.M., ET

CHEVROLET NBA GAME TIME 8:30-9:00 P.M., ET

GAME 7 DETROIT PISTONS VS. SAN ANTONIO SPURS 9:00 P.M., ET

ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

THE NBA FINALS ON ABC ARE AVAILABLE IN HDTV

For the first time since 1994 -- and just the third time in 20 years -- there will be a Game 7 of the NBA Finals. ABC Sports will present live, exclusive coverage of Game 7 between the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs on THURSDAY, JUNE 23 from the SBC Center in San Antonio, Texas, with coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m., ET with Chevrolet NBA Game Time.

A Finals that began as a rout has turned into one of the most dramatic in the history of the NBA. The Pistons, who lost the first two games of the Finals against the Spurs, look to repeat as champions. If the Pistons can win a second consecutive game in San Antonio -- after losing 10 straight there -- they would become only the third team to rebound from a 0-2 deficit to win the title. It happened in 1969 when the Celtics bested the Lakers, and in 1977 when the Trail Blazers defeated the Sixers. The Pistons would also become the first team to win Game 6 and 7 of the Finals on the road, and the first team to win two Game 7s on the road in the same postseason, as they advanced to the Finals with a Game 7 win at Miami.

The last time the NBA Finals went to a Game 7 was in 1994, with the Houston Rockets defeating the New York Knicks.

ANNOUNCERS:
Emmy Award-winning announcer Al Michaels is calling the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season. His partner is former NBA head coach Hubie Brown, who was recently selected to the Basketball Hall-of-Fame. Michele Tafoya, in her third season with the NBA on ABC, is the courtside reporter covering the Spurs while Stuart Scott covers the Pistons.

CHEVROLET NBA GAME TIME:
Mike Tirico is the host of Chevrolet NBA Game Time, which will be live from the site of the NBA Finals. He is joined by veteran analyst Bill Walton, one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, and Greg Anthony who played in a Game 7 in 1994 with the Knicks. Ahamd Rashad will provide pre-game interviews.

THOUGHTS ON GAME 7:
HUBIE BROWN: "Game 7 is a definite toss up... unbearable pressure for coaches and players alike. Execution is a primary requirement. If not, worldwide second-guessing will be at a premium. Its one game with the NBA Championship ring as the ultimate prize... your chance for lasting memories etched in stone. Great drama."

BILL WALTON: "NBA Basketball is properly designed to determine the best over time. Game 7 of the NBA Finals provides a totally different scenario, where everything plays out in one day and legends are truly born overnight. In the most improbable and unpredictable of series, who's to say how this will all play out? Logic and rational thought have been thrown out the window here. This is not about strategy, plays of film sessions; this is about people, people who can play ball. The fate of the known world is in the balance... miss this at your own peril."

NBA FINALS IN HDTV:
For the third consecutive year, the NBA Finals are being offered in HDTV. ABC has broadcast a number of high-profile events in HDTV, including last year's NBA Finals, Super Bowl XXXVII, the Academy Awards and "Monday Night Football." All of ABC's programs will use 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format.

NBA FINALS IN SAP:
The NBA Finals sponsored by ESPN Deportes will be available in Spanish language through Secondary Audio Programming (SAP). Viewers can choose this secondary audio signal through their television, a stereo or VCR equipped to receive SAP signals.

Alvaro Martin (play-by-play) and Carlos Morales (analyst) will call the games in their own words in Spanish. Martin does play-by-play for NBA, NFL, MLB and hosts NFL Semanal, and Morales is an analyst on ESPN Deportes.

THE FINALS ON ABC (Game 7 preceded by Chevrolet NBA Game Time)
SERIES TIED 3-3
Thurs., June 23 8:30 p.m. NBA Finals - Game 7 @ San Antonio