Naturally, we all hope the Bulls will close out the Pacers on Tuesday night at the United Center and there won't be any need for a Game 6 in Indianapolis, which would take place on Thursday night.
↵↵But if the Pacers do manage to defeat the Bulls in Chicago, the NBA has come up with a helpful list of four different scenarios regarding the game time and TV network (beyond the local coverage on CSN Chicago) for a Thursday game. So pull up a chair; this may take a while.
↵↵If Game 6 is necessary in the Bulls/Pacers, Lakers/Hornets AND Hawks/Magic series, the Bulls and Pacers would play at 6 p.m. Central on Thursday, televised on TNT nationally.
↵↵If Game 6 is necessary in the Bulls/Pacers and Hawks/Magic series but NOT the Lakers/Hornets series, the Bulls and Pacers would play at 8 p.m. Central on Thursday, again on TNT.
↵↵If Game 6 is necessary in the Bulls/Pacers series and Lakers/Hornets series but NOT the Hawks/Magic series, the Bulls and Pacers would play at 7:30 p.m. Central on Thursday; NBA-TV would have the national coverage.
↵↵If Game 6 is necessary in the Bulls/Pacers series but NOT in either of the other two series mentioned above, the Bulls and Pacers would play at 8 p.m. Central on Thursday -- and it again becomes a TNT national game.
↵↵Clear as mud, I know. Oh, and the Bulls remind everyone that all of this is "subject to change".