How to watch the NBA Finals
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.
You can watch the NBA Finals through a number of streaming TV services.
LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant. Steph Curry vs. Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love vs. Draymond Green. This one's going to be fun to watch. Let's hope it goes a full seven games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors are meeting in the NBA Finals for the third straight year. The Warriors won the title two years ago. The Cavs won last year, so the Warriors went out and added Kevin Durant, who it should be noted is good at basketball. With Durant in tow, the Warriors have yet to lose in the playoffs this year, becoming the first team to start a playoff campaign 12-0. Meanwhile, the Cavs have lost only one game in the playoffs thus far.
Learn how to tune into the third installment of this incredible basketball trilogy.
What?
The 2017 NBA Finals.
When?
- Game 1: Thursday, June 1 at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Sunday, June 4 at Golden State, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Wednesday, June 7 at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
- Game 4: Friday, June 9 at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
- Game 5*: Monday, June 12 at Golden State, 9 p.m. ET
- Game 6*: Thursday, June 15 at Cleveland, 9 p.m. ET
- Game 7*: Sunday, June 18 at Golden State, 8 p.m. ET
*If necessary.
Where?
Oakland, California and Cleveland, Ohio
Why?
It's a star-studded rubber match between the past two NBA champions. Can James, Irving and Love lead the Cavs to a repeat title? Or will Curry, Durant and Green bring home the trophy to Dub Nation?
How:
TV: ABC will broadcast 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.
Online: WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app will have live streams of the games. To stream the game on WatchESPN, you will need to log in with a cable or satellite TV account.
If you don't have a cable or satellite subscription, you can live stream the games with DirectTV Now, Hulu , Sling TV, PlayStation Vue , or YouTube TV.
For DirectTV Now, the $35-a-month plan includes ABC, and there's a seven-day free trial. In order to watch the live, local broadcast of ABC, however, you need to live in one of these eight markets: Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco.
For Hulu, you will need to sign up for the Hulu with Live TV service. It costs $39.99 a month, and there's a seven-day free trial. Same rule applies for the live, local stream of ABC -- you need to live in one of the eight markets mentioned above.
For Sling TV, you'll need to add the $5-a-month Broadcast Extra package to the $20-a-month Sling Orange subscription in order to get the right channel. Broadcast Extra includes the live, local broadcast of ABC. And, yes, you need to live in one of those eight markets.
PlayStation Vue subscribers can watch a live, local stream of ABC in the same handful of markets. The cheapest $39.99-a-month Access package includes ABC. If you don't live where you can get a live stream of ABC, then you can watch live using the WatchESPN app with your PlayStation Vue credentials.
YouTube TV costs $35 a month and includes a live stream of ABC. But you need to live in one of the five markets where YouTube TV is currently available: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Update, June 7: Added more live streaming options.
Best TVs right now: The past year's best sets, all in one place.