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Live coverage of the 2018 NBA Finals begins with Game 1 on Thursday, May 31 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, featuring the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers for an historic fourth consecutive year. This year also marks NBA superstar LeBron James’ eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance.
TV Tuesday Audio Segment with Douglas Pucci
joining Scott Nolte on
Y100.1 FM (Northwest Iowa)
TV Tuesday Audio Segment with Douglas Pucci
joining Scott Nolte on
Y100.1 FM (Northwest Iowa)
Mike Breen will provide play-by-play in his 13th straight year at the NBA Finals. He’ll be alongside analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, reporter Doris Burke and officiating expert Steve Javie. The Breen-Van Gundy-Jackson trio is the longest-tenured NBA Finals broadcasting team in television history.
The 2018 NBA Finals on ABC is also available on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 and WatchABC.
The NBA Finals will use a 2-2-1-1-1 format. There’ll be an extra off day for travel at each period, stretching a possible seven games to be played in 19 days.
“NBA Countdown,” ABC’s NBA pre-game and halftime show – will be on site for 30-minute pre-game shows throughout the NBA Finals. Countdown will air at 8:30 p.m. ET preceding weeknight broadcasts and at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sundays. Michelle Beadle hosts “NBA Countdown” with analysts Jalen Rose, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce.
During every NBA Finals game, ESPN will present “Full Court Press” – a second-screen experience featuring a variety of top ESPN NBA commentators and special guests, and an array of on-screen stats, data and on-screen graphics. “Full Court Press” will be available via ESPN3 on the ESPN App. Host and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth will join several NBA personalities, including Alvin Gentry, Richard Jefferson and Caron Butler for Game 1 and Tom Thibodeau, Jefferson and Butler for Game 2. Dan Le Batard will lead Game 3’s “Full Court Press” coverage from Miami, Fla.
The five-game 2017 NBA Finals averaged 20.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen. It ranked as the most-watched Finals since Chicago-Utah (Michael Jordan’s last Finals) in 1998. It also averaged an additional 434,000 digital streaming viewers, according to ESPN, which produces ABC’s NBA telecasts.
Following is the television schedule for the 2018 NBA Finals, all times Eastern and subject to change.
NBA FINALS on ABC and ESPN Radio
Announcers:
ABC: Mike Breen (play-by-play), Jeff Van Gundy (analyst), Mark Jackson (analyst), Doris Burke (reporter)
ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher (play-by-play), Hubie Brown (analyst), Ramona Shelburne (reporter)
Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1: Sunday, May 31 9 p.m. at Golden State
Game 2: Sunday, June 3 8 p.m. at Golden State
Game 3: Wednesday, June 6 9 p.m. at Cleveland
Game 4: Friday, June 8 9 p.m. at Cleveland
Game 5: Monday, June 11 9 p.m. at Golden State (if necessary)
Game 6: Thursday, June 15 9 p.m. at Cleveland (if necessary)
Game 7: Sunday, June 17 8 p.m. at Golden State (if necessary)
