NBA Finals: 2025 start date, schedule, how to watch, format & more

The 2024 NBA Finals are complete, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks four games to one to claim their 18th championship in franchise history.

The Celtics' dominance never waned on their route to a long-awaited championship, going 16-3 through the 2024 playoffs, including a 7-1 record on the road.

Continue reading for all you need to know about the NBA Finals, including 2025 dates, schedule, how to watch, odds, history and more.

NBA Finals 2025 start date

There is no official start date for the 2025 NBA Finals, although they are expected to begin in early June.

In 2024, Game 1 of the NBA Finals took place on June 6.

NBA Finals 2025 schedule

There is no official schedule for the 2025 NBA Finals, which is expected to be released some time during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

See below for the complete 2024 NBA Finals schedule, which is likely to be similar to the 2025 edition.

Game	Date
Game 1	Thursday, June 6
Game 2	Sunday, June 9
Game 3	Wednesday, June 12
Game 4	Friday, June 14
Game 5	Monday, June 17
Game 6*	Thursday, June 20
Game 7*	Sunday, June 23

*games 6 and 7 did not take place

How to watch the NBA Finals, TV channel and streaming

The 2025 NBA Finals will be shown exclusively on ABC, with streaming available on any service that carries ABC, such as YouTube TV.

2025 marks the last of a nine-year broadcast rights deal for ESPN and ABC to air the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals series format

The NBA Finals are a best-of-seven game series between the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences. The team with the better regular season record gets home-court advantage.

The series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format. This means the team with home-court advantage gets two games at home to start, then two on the road, then back at home for a potential game 5, then on the road again for game 6, and finally back at home for a deciding game 7 (if necessary).

Who has won the most NBA Finals?

The Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA title in 2024, surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers' 17 championships to become the most successful franchise in league history.

Read a full list of NBA Finals winners on site.

2025 NBA Finals odds

The Boston Celtics are the favorites to repeat as NBA champions in 2024/25.

Click here for the latest outright odds for the 2025 NBA Finals.

NBA Finals MVP award

The NBA Finals MVP award, officially titled, the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most valuable Player award, is given to the most outstanding player in the NBA Finals.

The 2024 recipient was Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.

Read NBA Finals MVP Award: Odds, winners, trophy, when is it awarded? on site.