HAS NBA'S CANADIAN TV STRATEGY "BACKFIRED?"

          As the playoffs get underway, "hoops fans in what
     supposedly is the league's new frontier are left feeling
     like ignored foreigners," according to Rob Longley in the
     TORONTO SUN.  Longley: "Quite bluntly, the NBA's strategy to
     help build the sport in Canada via television has
     backfired."  Opening round games can be seen on TBS, which
     has "limited distribution" throughout Canada, and weekend
     telecasts on NBC, but due to "sagging ratings" this year,
     "CTV doesn't jump into the playoff picture wholeheartedly
     until the conference finals."  Longley notes that the lack
     of coverage for the NBA playoffs "doesn't help the marketing
     efforts" of the Raptors or Grizzlies "at crucial points in
     their history."  Raptor Dir of Broadcasting Chris McCracken:
     "We believe interest is building in the NBA in this country
     and it would be nice to see more of it on television at this
     time of year ... Sure we'd like more exposure, but we don't
     have any control" (TORONTO SUN, 4/25).