NBA Finals guide: When the games are, how to watch, what the odds are
The NBA Finals are set: It's the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers clinched their trip with a win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Thunder swept the two head-to-head meetings between the clubs this season. Game 1 of the finals is Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Recapping the OKC-Indiana series
— Dec. 26: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 45 points and the Thunder erase an early double-digit deficit, pulling away in the second half to beat the Pacers 120-114. Andrew Nembhard scores 23 for Indiana, while Tyrese Haliburton is held to four points.
— March 29: Gilgeous-Alexander scores 33 and the Thunder win 132-111. Haliburton leads the Pacers with 18, and both teams have six players finish in double figures.
SGA is the MVP
A recap of Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's winning of the NBA MVP award.
The story: Gilgeous-Alexander tops Jokic for MVP award
The reaction: SGA tears up when talking about his wife
Steve Nash speaks: Canada's 1st MVP thrilled to see SGA follow him
The notebook: Jokic finishes top-2 again, Giannis' streak ends, LeBron gets votes
Betting odds
Oklahoma City (-700) is a big favorite to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Indiana's odds are set at +500.
The Thunder are an early 9.5-point favorite over Indiana for Game 1.
NBA Finals schedule
All games of the NBA Finals will be aired on ABC.
June 5 — Game 1, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 8 — Game 2, Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EDT
June 11 — Game 3, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 13 — Game 4, Oklahoma City at Indiana, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 16 — Game 5, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 19 — Game 6, Oklahoma City at Indiana, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT
June 22 — Game 7, Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8 p.m. EDT
(And good news: No NBA Finals games conflict with Stanley Cup Final dates!)
Key upcoming events
June 25 — NBA draft, first round.
June 26 — NBA draft, second round.
Stats of the day
— Indiana is the only team yet to face elimination in these playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
— This is the second time a No. 1 seed (Oklahoma City) has met a No. 4 seed (Indiana) in the NBA Finals. Both previous times were Lakers-Celtics matchups, one in 2010 and the other in 1969. Both went seven games, both saw the Lakers as the No. 1 seed out of the Western Conference (or division, as they were called in 1969), the Celtics won in 1969 (Bill Russell's final game as a player and 11th championship) and the Lakers won in 2010 (Kobe Bryant's fifth and final title).
Quote of the day
'We've got our work cut out for us.' — Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Windhorst said: 'There are some teams that sniff the ability to make a move and I think Toronto is one of those teams. And so naturally, any team that wants to make a move this summer, especially a team in the Eastern Conference, you're going to have Giannis on the board. 'But Toronto, from their initial conversations, teams in the league are getting the impression that Toronto is going to try and do something. I had an executive tell me yesterday that he thinks this could be an explosive summer.' Let's break it all down: WHY GIANNIS? Let's keep this short. He just finished third in MVP voting (the third time that has happened and he also has been fourth twice in addition to his two wins), is at worst the fourth-best player in the league and is the most dominant athletic force since prime Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He also is under contract for two more seasons with a player option on a third. He'd be the best player in franchise history, with apologies to Kawhi Leonard, and has shown no signs of slippage in his play. With Jayson Tatum probably out all next season and Boston looking to cut its payroll, the East is pretty wide open. Cleveland should be excellent again, finalist Indiana can bring its squad back and New York should be able to as well, but with Antetokounmpo, Toronto would be in the mix to win multiple playoff rounds. That's a lot better than missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons as Toronto has done. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 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