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NBA Finals 2018: Start time, how to watch and more

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors meet again in a much-anticipated matchup. Here's how to watch both on TV or online.

Matt Elliott Senior Editor
Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.
Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms
Matt Elliott
2 min read
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Will tonight be the last time we see LeBron James in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform? A free agent this summer, James will have many suiters. Lose to the Golden State Warriors again and he may seek a third team with which to tilt at the championship.

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew Game 1 when JR Smith lost track of the score and got blown out in Game 2 when Steph Curry went crazy from three-point land. Kevin Durant went viral in Game 3, scoring 43 points and leading the Warriors to a win in Cleveland. The Warriors will go for the sweep Friday night, again in Ohio. Let's review your options for watching the NBA Finals

NBA Finals 2018 schedule

  • Game 4: Friday, June 8 at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
  • Game 5*: Monday, June 11 at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET
  • Game 6*: Thursday, June 14 at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
  • Game 7*: Sunday, June 17 at Golden State, 8 p.m. ET

*If necessary.

Broadcast TV

ABC is broadcasting the NBA Finals, which you can access with a cable or satellite subscription, or for free with an over-the-air digital antenna. We have a few, cheap suggestions for the best indoor antennas.

Watch this: How to Cut the Cord for $10: Installing an Indoor Antenna

Online or streaming

WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app have live streams of the games. To stream the game with WatchESPN, you need to log in with a pay TV account. If you don't have a pay TV subscription, you can livestream the games with one of the big five live-TV streaming services if you live in the right market.

DirectTV Now

DirectTV Now's cheapest, $35-a-month Live a Little package includes ABC. Click here to check availability of live local channels in your area.

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV costs $40 a month and includes ABC. Check to see which live channels Hulu offers in your area.

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue's $40-a-month Access plan includes ABC. Channel lineups vary by region, so check out which live, local networks you get on the PlayStation Vue Plans page.

Sling TV

You'll need to pay $5 extra a month for the Broadcast Extra package on top of Sling TV's $20-a-month Orange package to get ABC. Click here to see if you can get a live feed of ABC in your area.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is currently available in dozens of major metro markets. It costs $40 a month and includes ABC. YouTube TV is also the first presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals.

DirecTV Now gives 100 channels for $35 (pictures)

See all photos

Originally published on May 23, 2018.
Update, June 8: Added new information.

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