The NBA Conference Finals are ready to tip off, and for the first time ever, two Play-In teams will be competing for a trip to the NBA Finals. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat are just the second 8-seed ever to advance to the Conference Finals, where they’ll face the Boston Celtics for the third time in four years. In the West, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are riding high after knocking out the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. Now they’ll face the Denver Nuggets, the only No. 1 seed remaining in the playoffs.
Oddly, these are the same four teams that made the Conference Finals three years ago in the bubble. Will the NBA Finals be a repeat of Lakers-Heat? Can the Nuggets advance to the Finals for the first time in franchise history? Or will we get yet another Finals between the Lakers and Celtics, teams that have already squared off a record 12 times for the championship?
We’ll start to answer these questions on Tuesday, May 16, when the Nuggets-Lakers series gets underway from Denver (8:30pm ET, ESPN). After that, the series will alternate nights, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference on Wednesday, May 17. That means NBA fans have a game to watch every night for at least the next week – and potentially the next two weeks – before the NBA Finals tip off on Thursday, June 1.
Below, check out the full NBA Conference Finals schedules and use this link to find the DISH package that’s right for you. Remember, if you’re caught traveling during the NBA Playoffs, there is no penalty; simply download the DISH Anywhere app and watch on your mobile device.
Conference Finals Schedule
Western Conference
Denver Nuggets (1) vs. L.A. Lakers (7)
• Game 1: Lakers at Nuggets | Tue., May 16 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
• Game 2: Lakers at Nuggets | Thu., May 18 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
• Game 3: Nuggets at Lakers | Sat., May 20 | 8:30 ET, ABC
• Game 4: Nuggets at Lakers | Mon., May 22 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
• *Game 5: Lakers at Nuggets | Wed., May 24 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
• *Game 6: Nuggets at Lakers | Fri., May 26 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
• *Game 7: Lakers at Nuggets | Sun., May 28 | 8:30 ET, ESPN
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics (2) vs. Miami Heat (8)
• Game 1: Heat at Celtics | Wed., May 17 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• Game 2: Heat at Celtics | Fri., May 19 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• Game 3: Celtics at Heat | Sun., May 21 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• Game 4: Celtics at Heat | Tue., May 23 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• *Game 5: Heat at Celtics | Thu., May 25 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• *Game 6: Celtics at Heat | Sat., May 27 | 8:30 ET, TNT
• *Game 7: Heat at Celtics | Mon., May 29 | 8:30 ET, TNT
* if necessary
