(the Celtics lead the Pistons at halftime tonight, neither side daunted by a billion fewer eyeballs following their movements)
From Reuters :
NBA playoff games have been taken off air by China’s state television network because they are considered too entertaining for a nation still recovering from the Sichuan earthquake.
All entertainment in China was stopped last week for three days of national mourning for the victims of the 7.9 magnitude quake that struck the western province on May 12.
State TV sports channel CCTV 5, like most other stations, returned to normal programming last Thursday and showed the Western Conference finals game between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs on May 22.
But subsequent encounters in that series and the Eastern Conference playoff finals between Detroit and Boston were not shown.
“These games are not in accordance with the atmosphere of the nation after the devastation of the earthquake. They are too entertaining” Jiang Heping, director of the state TV sports channel, told Reuters.
In light of the horrific events in his country, I will resist the urge to suggest Jiang has not actually seen Tim Duncan play.