This is the first time in a long time that Nuggets fans have reason to be skeptical about their chances of making the NBA Finals. Things are looking as bleak as they have in ages after the Timberwolves took games 1 & 2 in Denver. The Nuggets can rest on cliches like “the heart of a champion” if they want to, but the bottom line is they need to play significantly better starting in game three.
And if that doesn’t happen, the Nuggets season will end in the coming days in disappointment and a long offseason full of soul-searching and questions will commence. But this team and these players have shown us enough to deserve some benefit of the doubt. This isn’t over just yet. So let’s take a look at some key upcoming NBA dates and try to be optimistic and build some good juju for the Nuggets.
When do the NBA Finals start?
The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 6th with game one. The full Finals schedule is as follows:
Thursday, June 6: Game 1
Sunday, June 9: Game 2
Wednesday, June 12: Game 3
Friday, June 14: Game 4
Monday, June 17: Game 5 (if necessary)
Thursday, June 20: Game 6 (if necessary)
Sunday, June 23: Game 7 (if necessary)
How to watch the NBA Finals?
Every NBA Finals game will be broadcast nationally, exclusively on the ABC network. There will be a new team of broadcasters this year, of course, as Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are no longer with the network.
Mike Breen will still handle play by play duties, but he’ll be joined on color by Doris Burke and JJ Redick. This team has been working together this season calling national TV games on ABC and ESPN since Doc Rivers left the network to take over as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Betting favorites to reach and win the NBA Finals
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the live odds have the Boston Celtics as the favorites to come out of the East at -360 and the Timberwolves are now favored to win the West at +100. Those are also the two favorites to win it all with the Celtics at -110 and the Wolves at +320. The Nuggets, facing an 0-2 hole, have seen their odds of winning the West fall to +650 and they are +1400 to win the title.