CSN Begins Full Preseason Slate; Premiers Championship Recap Special; Posts Uncut, Full Length Media Interviews of All Celtics Player on ComcastSportsNet.com

BURLINGTON, MA – Banner 17 may not be raised to the rafters until the end of October, but for Comcast SportsNet the Celtics are now in season and the 28-year home to the Green get Celtics fans ramped up for the 2008-09 season starting this week.

Comcast SportsNet’s exclusive coverage of the preseason begins this week in high definition as Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Greg Dickerson call match-ups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets. Coverage begins with Celtics Pre-Game Live, featuring Gary Tanguay and Donny Marshall, a half hour before the game and closes with Celtics Post Game Live immediately after the game.

The week also includes the premier of Drive for 17: Championship Season, a half-hour special that chronicles the greatest turnaround season in NBA history – from Danny Ainge’s off season changes to training camp in Europe to the league’s best regular season to the exhilarating playoff run. Included in the special is a lengthy look at the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons and the greatest single game comeback in Finals history – Game 4 versus the Lakers.

As a primer on the 2008-09 team, Comcast SportsNet is also posting full length, uncut interviews of all the players from Celtics media day. Currently posted are interviews with Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe, and Gabe Pruitt. Comcast SportsNet will post additional interviews, conducted by Mike Gorman and Greg Dickerson, all week. Interviews can be found at: http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/celtics/celtics-video/.
Please credit Comcast SportsNet with any use.

Celtics Programming for the week:

Tuesday, October 7
Drive for 17: Championship Season premier
7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 8
Celtics @ Sixers
Mike Gorman (play-by-play), Tommy Heinsohn (color) and Greg Dickerson (courtside)
7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 10
Cavaliers vs. Celtics
Mike Gorman (play-by-play), Tommy Heinsohn (color) and Greg Dickerson (courtside)
7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 11
Rockets vs. Celtics
Mike Gorman (play-by-play), Tommy Heinsohn (color) and Greg Dickerson (courtside)
7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 14
Celtics @ Cavaliers
Mike Gorman (play-by-play), Tommy Heinsohn (color) and Greg Dickerson (courtside)
7:30 p.m.

Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 4 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNet’s programming includes the Boston Celtics, Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight, Celtics Now, New England Tailgate, and Net Impact. Comcast SportsNet’s partnership with the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics is the longest team-regional sports network relationship in New England and the fourth longest in professional sports. Comcast SportsNet New England is owned and managed by Comcast Sports Group. Visit www.comcastsportsnet.com for more information.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes.  Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS.  These networks provide live game coverage 18 professional teams, as well as college, minor league and other sports.  For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

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