NBA Finals 2017: Known Dates, Format for Championship Schedule
Once Kevin Durant joined the defending Western Conference champions, most envisioned a third meeting in the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers' Game 5 victory over the Boston Celtics sent LeBron James to his seventh consecutive NBA Finals; he's 3-3 in his previous six appearances.
Despite playing in separate conferences, the Cavaliers and Warriors have formed a rivalry in pursuit of NBA dominance. The superteam from the Western Conference squares off against the defending champions led by the face of the league starting June 1.
The schedule below lists dates, times and the home-away roadmap for the NBA Finals:
Game 1: Cleveland at Golden State, Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 2: Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 3: Golden State at Cleveland, Wednesday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 4: Golden State at Cleveland, Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. on ET ABC
*Game 5: Cleveland at Golden State, Monday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
*Game 6: Golden State at Cleveland, Thursday, June 15 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
*Game 7: Cleveland at Golden State, Sunday, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC
*Game will be played if necessary.
The Cavaliers' Pathway to the 2017 NBA Finals
Despite one stumble along the way, the No. 2-seeded Cavaliers looked far more impressive than the top-seeded Celtics before their matchup.
Cleveland went 8-0 en route to the Eastern Conference Final. Boston dropped its first two contests at home to the No. 8-seeded Chicago Bulls. Then, went through a grueling seven-game series with the Washington Wizards.
Ultimately, the Celtics delayed the inevitable with a victory, but head coach Brad Stevens deserves ample praise for keeping his group engaged in the series. Boston pushed Cleveland to its maximum limit during stretches after Isaiah Thomas suffered a season-ending hip injury in Game 2.
Head coach Tyronn Lue briefly compared last year's postseason run to this year's journey after Thursday's victory:
Beyond the cliche coach speak, Cleveland went into cruise control during the regular season, which resulted in a fall to the No. 2 seed. Nonetheless, Lue's team responded when it mattered most. With a repeat for an NBA title on the line, expect the Cavaliers to push their play to another level.
The Warriors' Pathway to the 2017 NBA Finals
The Warriors swept through all the competition during the 2017 NBA playoffs. It's possible Golden State tuned into the Eastern Conference matchups hoping to see the Cavaliers again.
In an interview with NBA.com reporter David Aldridge, Draymond Green made his intentions to decisively beat the defending champions clear:
"There are so many good teams. So that’s got to be our only focus, to win the Western Conference. And then, if Cleveland comes out of the east, I want to destroy Cleveland. No ifs, ands and buts about it. But I also know that there’s steps to get to that point. And if and when we get to that point, I want to annihilate them."
Green will have an opportunity to act out his words. Many believe his dustup with James, which resulted in a Game 5 suspension last year, changed the series. It'll be interesting to see how well the versatile forward handles his emotions this time around. Will he continue to push the envelope?
Underneath all the trilogy talk between the Cavaliers and Warriors, it's important to note a superstar's second appearance in the championship round. James won a ring at Durant's expense, his NBA Finals' debut, during the 2012 postseason.
Many criticized Durant for signing with the team that eliminated him in the previous playoff, but he can exact revenge on James in a matchup between two juggernauts.
As arguably the second-best player in the league, Durant didn't receive the scrutiny about failing to win championships until his move to Golden State. Now, with all the talent around him, critics will expect him to deliver in his second appearance on the big stage.
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