HEAT to offer comprehensive television & radio coverage of 2013 preseason

The Miami HEAT released the following information regarding the 2013 preseason schedule. Below is a detailed look at what to expect in the coming weeks:

On October 7th, the HEAT kicks off their 2013 preseason campaign with a home contest versus the Atlanta Hawks. The game will be broadcast live on Sun Sports beginning at 7:30 p.m. and is the first of five matchups that the team's exclusive regional cable partner will cover in the 2013 preseason. Other highlights of the Sun Sports preseason schedule include coverage of the NBA Finals rematch versus the San Antonio Spurs on October 19^th and the preseason finale vs. the new-look Brooklyn Nets on October 25^th. Now in their 21^st consecutive year as the home of HEAT Basketball, Sun Sports will also broadcast the games on October 15^th (@ Washington) and October 23^rd (@ New Orleans). The game on October 17^th in Brooklyn will be carried as part of a national doubleheader on TNT.

Complete radio coverage of the team in the preseason can be found on the team's flagship stations in English, the New FM 104.3 & AM 790 the Ticket. Mike Inglis returns for a 16^th season to handle the call and will be joined on all home games by former HEAT point guard and current radio and television analyst, John Crotty.

The man who has broadcast more games than any announcer in HEAT history, "La Voz" José Pañeda, begins his 25^th season of calling the action in Spanish as HEAT Basketball returns to Radio Mambí 710 AM with the preseason opener versus Atlanta. José and broadcast partner Joe Pujala will cover each of the team's three home preseason games on October 7^th, 19^th and 25^th.

The Miami HEAT officially kick off broadcast coverage of their 26^th season on Saturday, October 5^th with the first edition of HEAT Weekly, a two-hour program hosted by HEAT Radio Network host, Tommy Tighe. The show, which returns in its normal 10:00 a.m. time slot on The Ticket each Saturday, features interviews with HEAT broadcasters, players, coaches and basketball front office personalities and can once again be heard throughout the weekend on the member stations of the Miami HEAT Radio Network.

Other notable programming initiatives in October include the launch of the 10^th season of the award-winning program Inside the HEAT. The series debuts on Sun Sports following the conclusion of the HEAT and Hawks game on Monday, October 7^th with the team's third original documentary presentation titled "Together We Rise." Sun Sports will also revive the "HEAT Classics" series with multiple airings of the four NBA Finals games the HEAT won en route to securing their third NBA Championship. The series begins on Tuesday, October 22^nd at 8:00 p.m. and will end with Miami's unforgettable Game 7 title-clinching win over the Spurs, immediately following the conclusion of the preseason finale versus the Brooklyn Nets on October 25^th.

The complete preseason broadcast schedule is listed below.