The Pat McAfee Show will call NBA Finals Game 3 live from Madison Square Garden on Monday evening, as ESPN presents an alternate broadcast of the pivotal matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The broadcast, titled “All Access with The Pat McAfee Show,” will air on ESPN alongside the network’s main ABC coverage. McAfee will host the altcast with analyst Quentin Richardson, according to ESPN’s official announcement. The Knicks lead the series 2-0 and are two wins away from clinching their first NBA championship since 1970.
This marks the first time the NBA Finals have been held at Madison Square Garden since 1999, a 27-year gap that has made the event particularly significant for New York fans. The decision to stage Games 3 and 4 at MSG reflects the Knicks’ dominant performance in the early rounds of the playoffs.
ESPN has increasingly leaned on alternate broadcast formats in recent years. The network previously featured an animated “Dunk the Halls” altcast during a Christmas Day NBA game, which used Disney characters to provide a family-friendly presentation. In 2022, ESPN offered a “Celebrating 75” alternate broadcast for the NBA Finals that showcased visuals from different decades of basketball history. These experimental formats have become part of ESPN’s strategy to reach different audience segments and provide variety in how major sporting events are presented.
McAfee, who signed a five-year contract with ESPN worth approximately $85 million in 2023, has become a central figure in the network’s sports coverage. He addressed the announcement on his show, saying the crew understood “how incredible of an opportunity this is” and that they would “try and be an asset to society tonight.” McAfee emphasized the altcast would function as a “watch-along like others have done in the past,” positioning it as supplementary rather than a replacement for the main broadcast. “We’re not trying to say that we are going to be a main broadcast, but you’re certainly gonna be able to watch the game with us,” he explained, according to reporting from Awful Announcing.
Sources
- ESPN Press Room — official announcement of Pat McAfee altcast for Game 3 with Quentin Richardson
- Awful Announcing — McAfee’s on-air defense of the altcast format and quote about being “an asset to society”
- Yahoo Sports — Game 3 date, time, and Knicks’ 2-0 series lead
- talkSPORT — Pat McAfee’s five-year ESPN contract details worth approximately $85 million
- ABC News — confirmation that Game 3 is first NBA Finals at MSG since 1999
- Sports Video Group — ESPN’s history with alternate broadcast formats including “Dunk the Halls” and prior NBA Finals altcasts
