NBA Finals schedule: Cavaliers visit Warriors on June 4, champion crowned by June 19
It's going to be eight painful days before the NBA playoffs resume.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers having wrapped up the Eastern Conference Finals with a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday and the Golden State Warriors taking care of the Houston Rockets in Game 5 on Wednesday, the NBA Finals schedule is set in stone.
The proceedings won't commence until June 4, giving the Cavaliers nine days off to rest LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and giving Ron Adams, Steve Kerr, and the Warriors eight days to find a way to shut James down. The series won't extend beyond June 19, giving the league at least a one-week reprieve between the presentation of the Larry O'Brien trophy and the 2015 NBA Draft.
The series will begin in Oakland, with the 67-15 Warriors having clinched home court throughout the playoffs. That record speaks to their dominance, which has led them to a swift 12-3 mark in the postseason, slightly more impressive than Cleveland's 12-2 mark considering the gap in conference quality.
| GAME | LOCATION | Day | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State | Thu. June 4 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 2 | Golden State | Sun. June 7 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | Cleveland | Tue. June 9 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | Cleveland | Thu. June 11 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 5* | Golden State | Sun. June 14 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 6* | Cleveland | Tues. June 16 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
| 7* | Golden State | Fri. June 19 | 9 p.m. | ABC |
This will mark James' fifth straight NBA Finals appearance, but his first as a Cavalier since 2007. He is 2-3 all time in the championship round and will be looking to bring the city of Cleveland their first sports championship since 1964. The Warriors, meanwhile, will be taking part in their first NBA Finals since 1975.