NBA Playoff Schedule 2017: TV Coverage and Live Stream for Finals

We all knew the Boston Celtics wouldn't lie down for the Cleveland Cavaliers after losing their leading scorer, Isaiah Thomas, for the remainder of the 2017 playoffs, but did anyone expect the Eastern Conference Final to head back to TD Garden?

Thomas went down and his team stepped up in his absence. In Game 3, Marcus Smart found his stroke and knocked down seven three-pointers to put the first blemish on the Cavaliers' 2017 postseason record.

The defending champions continued to struggle in Game 4 on Tuesday. The Celtics led 57-47 at halftime. LeBron James racked up four fouls and sat for half the second quarter.

Then, Kyrie Irving notched a playoff career-high 42 points to shake off the scrappy Celtics at home:

The Cavaliers started the series with a swagger. Now, they're just looking to wrap up the matchup to meet the Golden State Warriors, who swept the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Final on Monday.

Despite one series still being in progress, the NBA Finals schedule has already been set for June. Whether it's a trilogy between the Cavaliers and Warriors or a miraculous Celtics upset, the dates and times for the final round are as follows:

Game 1: Boston/Cleveland at Golden State, Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 2: Boston/Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 3: Golden State at Boston/Cleveland, Wednesday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC

Game 4: Golden State at Boston/Cleveland, Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. on ET ABC

*Game 5: Boston/Cleveland at Golden State, Monday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game 6: Golden State at Boston/Cleveland, Thursday, June 15 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game 7: Boston/Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC

*Game will be played if necessary. All games available on WatchESPN app for streaming purposes.

Warriors Await Eastern Conference Champions 

It's the third consecutive NBA Finals for the Warriors. This time, Kevin Durant will be along for the ride:

Golden State hasn't faced a single iota of resistance along the way. The team with the league's best record (67-15) hopes to avenge last year's NBA Finals loss after squandering a 3-1 series advantage.

On Wednesday, Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead made a bold prediction on Fox Sports' The Herd with Colin Cowherd:

The Cavaliers look vulnerable against a Celtics team without their best player, but head coach Tyronn Lue feels this starless squad poses more problems than a fully-loaded Warriors team, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

"Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff, but these guys are running all kinds of s--t. I'll be like, 'F--k.' They're running all kinds of s--t, man. And Brad's [Stevens] got them moving and cutting and playing with pace, and everybody is a threat. It's tough, you know, it's tough."

Clearly, Lue feels just as frustrated as his players trying to stop a team full of versatile scorers. Despite the loss, four Celtics starters reached double figures in points. Three others added eight or nine points. Head coach Brad Stevens may be putting together the best coaching performance that won't yield a series victory during the 2017 postseason.

The Cavaliers have a strong track record when it comes to closing out playoff series:

Is it possible the Celtics go 0-3 at home during the Eastern Conference Finals? The Cavaliers will step into the arena smelling blood; they can't afford to drag the series out another game and shorten their rest before the NBA Finals.

Though it's a long shot for the Celtics, the Warriors would benefit from the Cavaliers going through a six-game set with their opponent. If Boston extends the series to another contest, Cleveland would attempt to close out on Saturday, which chops a week's rest down to four days.

Thursday isn't a make-or-break game for the champions, but it's time for their stars to put an exclamation point on this series before taking the next step toward a repeat.