2026 NBA Finals schedule released as the league alters the start of the championship series
The revised schedule could create a longer break between the NBA Finals and the NBA Draft
hoopshype.games.cbssports.comHere are the latest confirmed dates for the 2026 NBA Finals.
- Start of Finals: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
- Potential Game 7: Friday, June 19, 2026
- Typical game times: 8:30 PM ET for each game on ABC
- Rounds: Best-of-seven series, with possible games 1–7 scheduled as needed
Notes:
- This schedule marks a shift to a Wednesday-Friday-Monday-Wednesday pattern for the first four games, and no Games on Sundays in 2026.
- If the series goes seven games, Game 7 would be on Friday, June 19, 2026.
If you’d like, I can add a concise summary table of Games 1–7 with dates and times, or track any changes as official announcements are released. Citation: multiple outlets reported the June 3 start and June 19 potential end, along with the Sunday-free schedule for 2026 [web sources cited in search results].