A promotional image for the NBA Playoffs on Sling

A promotional image for the NBA Playoffs on Sling

NBA Finals: Schedule, Preview and How To Watch With Sling

The NBA Finals feature a showdown between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. Here's the schedule, a preview, and how to watch with Sling.

With a record 17 World Championships, the Boston Celtics are synonymous with greatness. With one championship and a lineage of excellent European players, the Dallas Mavericks are, well, basketball mavericks. Now, after an impressive run through the NBA playoffs, the two teams will face off on the biggest stage possible, the NBA Finals.

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Game 1 of the Finals is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 on ABC/ESPN3. To get you ready for the NBA Finals, here’s a preview of both teams, plus the full schedule, and complete information on how to watch with Sling.

How To Watch the NBA Finals With Sling

The NBA Finals will air on ABC, with a simulcast of the live stream on ESPN3. That means you can watch the NBA Finals with a subscription to Sling Orange, which includes ESPN3, ESPN, and ESPN2. In the markets below, you can watch the NBA Finals live on ABC with a subscription to Sling Blue.

Markets with ABC on Sling Blue

What is the NBA Finals Schedule?

The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 6. Here is the full 7-game schedule:

*If necessary

Boston Celtics Preview

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Much has been made about the Celtics’ unusually easy path to the NBA Finals. In three rounds, the Celtics have lost a total of two games, both on their home court: In round 1 to the Miami Heat and in the Conference semifinals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But in spite of their Eastern Conference Finals sweep over the Indiana Pacers, Boston won three of those games by a total of 11 points. In other words, Boston has been dominant, without really looking dominant.

That’s due in part to their own injury issues. Specifically, starting Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, who has been out of the lineup for a month while dealing with a calf issue. Although no official announcement has been made, Porzingis suggested on X that he’ll be back for the Finals.

Porzingis’ return would be huge for Boston, but he might not be the most important acquisition the Celtic’s made last offseason. That would be Jrue Holiday, who was shipped to Boston as part of the trade that sent Damian Lillard from Portland to Milwaukee. Holiday – who was named to the All-Defensive team for the sixth time and made several key stops in Boston’s Game 3 win over the Pacers – was rewarded with a four-year, $135 million extension in April.

With respect to Celtic’s All-Star Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown has been the other big playoff performer for Boston. Following their sweep of the Pacers, Brown won the Larry Bird Trophy for Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game. All season, Boston has clearly been the best team in the East, and if their role players continue to step up, the Celtics have the chance to pull ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers to become the most-decorated NBA team in history.

Dallas Mavericks Preview

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Out west, the Dallas Mavericks emerged from an incredibly competitive Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves all looked like the best teams at one point or another, but the Mavs are the ones playing in the Finals.

That’s due in large part to their backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. When the Mavericks traded for Irving in Feb. 2023, he initially looked like an uncomfortable fit within the Mavericks, especially after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three years. But as this season progressed, Irving seemed to rediscover his game, playing in more games than he has since his 2018-19 season with, ironically, the Boston Celtics.

A lot of that has to do with the moves Dallas made at the trade deadline. By acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, Dallas added length and scoring, two huge factors in their playoff success. A lot of credit goes to head coach Jason Kidd as well, as the former Mavericks point guard has helped to foster greatness from his players individually and collectively.

In the end, Dallas’ success rests primarily on Dončić. The 25-year-old Slovenian was already considered one of the most dynamic players in the NBA, and that was before winning the Kobe Bryant award for Western Conference Finals MVP and reaching his first NBA Finals. Luka, like MVP Nikola Jokic, has an impressive array of skills, and his competitive temperament is often on display. The Mavericks are currently +175 underdogs in the series; if they can pull it off, the Mavs will be one of the most surprising Champions since, well, the 2011 Mavericks.

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