NBA Finals start June 3 on ABC

The NBA has set the 2026 Finals to begin on Wednesday, June 3, with ABC as the exclusive television broadcaster, according to the league’s official schedule. ESPN’s playoff schedule page also lists June 3 as the start date and says ESPN platforms will stream the series. With the conference finals underway, four teams remain alive: the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. The Finals are scheduled in the usual best-of-seven format, with Game 7, if necessary, set for June 19. ### Which teams are still playing for the two Finals spots? The NBA’s playoff bracket lists New York and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals and Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the Western Conference finals. ESPN’s playoff coverage identified those same four teams as the last teams remaining in the postseason field. New York took a 2-0 lead over Cleveland in the East, according to The Athletic’s live coverage cited in the source briefing. In the West, Oklahoma City and San Antonio are the other conference finalists, with that matchup also still unresolved. ### What exactly has the league scheduled for June 3? NBA.com says Game 1 of the 2026 Finals will tip off on Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on ABC. The league’s Finals schedule page lists Game 2 for June 5, Game 3 for June 8 and Game 4 for June 10. The schedule also includes Game 5 on June 13, Game 6 on June 16 and Game 7 on June 19, all marked if necessary. NBA.com says all Finals games are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. ### Where will viewers be able to watch the series? ABC is the exclusive broadcaster for the 2026 NBA Finals, according to NBA.com. ESPN’s playoff page says ESPN platforms will stream the series beginning with Game 1 on June 3. ESPN has carried the Finals through ABC for years under the league’s U.S. media arrangement. For viewers, that means the television home and the streaming distribution are already set even though the matchup is not. ### Why is the matchup still unknown so close to the start date? May 22 is still part of the conference finals round, and the bracket has not yet produced an Eastern or Western champion. The remaining teams are split evenly across the two conferences, leaving two rounds of series results to determine the Finals pairing. ESPN’s playoff page frames June 3 as the next fixed league date while the conference finals continue. The league’s bracket page similarly shows the Finals slot as open pending the outcome of Knicks-Cavaliers and Thunder-Spurs. ### How does the Finals calendar line up from here? June 3 is the next firm milestone on the NBA postseason calendar because it is the scheduled opening night of the Finals. Before that, the conference finals will decide which East team and which West team advance. NBA.com says the full Finals rotation is already posted, with games every two to three days through June 19 if the series goes the distance. ABC will carry each game, and ESPN platforms will stream them starting with Game 1 on June 3.