NBA Finals 2016: Known Dates, Format for Championship Schedule

We don't know which teams will be competing in the NBA Finals, but if it is anything like the conference finals, fans will be in for a real treat.

Both series are heading to Game 6 with the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the Toronto Raptors 3-2 and the Oklahoma City Thunder holding a 3-2 lead over the Golden State Warriors. While plenty of fans are hoping their squads can close out the series as soon as possible, you can be certain plenty of impartial observers are rooting to see a Game 7 in both instances.

To make things even better, any of the combinations of the four teams advancing would create a fun battle for the 2016 NBA championship. Although some information is still to be decided, here is what we know heading into Friday's action.

Game	Date	Location	TV
1	Thursday, June 2	Team A	ABC
2	Sunday, June 5	Team A	ABC
3	Wednesday, June 8	Team B	ABC
4	Friday, June 10	Team B	ABC
5*	Monday, June 13	Team A	ABC
6*	Thursday, June 16	Team B	ABC
7*	Sunday, June 19	Team A	ABC

The Thunder had a chance to close out the series in five games, but winning a second game on the road proved too tough of a challenge this time around.

Although Game 5 was close throughout, Golden State simply made the plays when it mattered with key players stepping up in the clutch. Stephen Curry played like an MVP with 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. Klay Thompson added 27 points while both Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut had double-doubles.

Head coach Steve Kerr noticed a different attitude in the latest win, per Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:

"

We had great energy and played with great desperation. That's how you have to play in the playoffs. We were out of sorts the last two games, and we looked a lot more like ourselves. That's really who we are. ...I knew how we would play. This is a championship team. They've been through a lot the last couple of years, always responded well from adversity, and this is exactly what I expected.

"

It's clear the defending champions and a team that won 73 games aren't going to go away that easily, and the Thunder will have to work hard to advance to the NBA Finals.

On the other hand, Oklahoma City still left Game 5 with plenty to be excited about, including 71 combined points between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder also made things interesting down the stretch after they could have just given up and moved on to the next game. This is a good sign for a return home to Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Thunder are still the favorites to win the series with a home game that could seal the Western Conference title, but you can be certain they want to get the series over with in Game 6. If the Warriors are able to even the series at 3-3, the odds of winning a Game 7 on the road have to be slim.

Home court has been an even bigger factor in the Eastern Conference Finals, per NBA.com:

The easiest difference between the two locations has been the play of Toronto's stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan has scored 32 points in each of the two wins at home but is averaging just 18 a game on the road this series. Lowry's swings have been even greater, averaging 27.5 at home but just 10.3 points per game on the road.

Lowry is shooting 63.6 percent from the field in Toronto but just 32.5 percent in Cleveland. Maybe he's just not getting a good sleep in the hotel.

The poor performances from the team's best players have led to blowouts on the road with the Cavaliers winning three games by a combined 88 points. The most recent game was a 38-point embarrassment at the hands of the No. 1 seed.

Even if the Raptors are able to bounce back and win Game 6 at home, they have shown nothing to indicate they can even be competitive at Quicken Loans Arena.

Still, anything can happen over the next few days as the four remaining teams try to do whatever they can to survive and advance to the next round.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.