NBA Finals guide: When the games are, how to watch, what the odds are
The countdown to the NBA Finals continues: Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers awaits on Thursday night.
The Thunder swept the two head-to-head meetings between the clubs this season.
The Pacers are expected to make the 90-minute flight from Indianapolis to Oklahoma City on Tuesday afternoon, putting them in town for media day on Wednesday and some final preparations before Game 1.
— Dec. 26: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 45 points and the Thunder erase an early double-digit deficit, pulling away in the second half to beat the Pacers 120-114. Andrew Nembhard scores 23 for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton is held to four points.
— March 29: Gilgeous-Alexander scores 33 and the Thunder win 132-111. Haliburton leads the Pacers with 18, and both teams have six players finish in double figures.
— Ashley Kerr wins a lot of titles. She's Mark Daigneault's wife
— Two teams, two paths, one destination
— Haliburton. Gilgeous-Alexander took long roads to stardom
— The Pacers are snakebitten no more
A recap of Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s winning of the NBA MVP award.
The story: Gilgeous-Alexander tops Jokic for MVP award
The reaction: SGA tears up when talking about his wife
Steve Nash speaks: Canada’s 1st MVP thrilled to see SGA follow him
The notebook: Jokic finishes top-2 again, Giannis’ streak ends, LeBron gets votes
All games of the NBA Finals will be aired on ABC.
Thursday — Game 1, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT
Sunday — Game 2, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EDT
June 11 — Game 3, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 13 — Game 4, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 16 — Game 5, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 19 — Game 6, Oklahoma City at Indiana, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 22 — Game 7, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8 p.m. EDT
(And good news: No NBA Finals games conflict with Stanley Cup Final dates!)
June 25 — NBA draft, first round.
June 26 — NBA draft, second round.
— The Thunder are the 19th team in NBA history to finish a regular season with a winning percentage of .800 or better. Of the previous 18, 12 won the NBA Finals.
— The Pacers are a winning franchise again. Earlier in these playoffs, the team's all-time winning percentage — regular season and playoff games in its NBA era — went back over .500. The Pacers (2,115-2,109 all-time entering Game 1) will finish this season over .500 all-time, the first time that's been the case at season's end in five years.
“We’ve seen the tough days, honestly. It was not fun to go out there and losing a game by 20 or whatever. And losing that many games in a row and all that, for me, on my end, it was more like fuel and motivation.” — Thunder forward Luguentz Dort, on the team's turnaround in recent years.
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