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2024 NBA Finals Schedule: Games, Dates, And Times

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Dan Girolamo
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Dan Girolamo Sports Editor

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Updated06 Jun 2024

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Derrick White contests a shot by Kyrie Irving.

The 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks begin Thursday, June 6. Scroll below for an NBA Finals preview and a schedule with the lists of dates and times for each game.

2024 NBA Finals Preview

It will be a battle of two star-studded tandems as Boston's Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown face Dallas's Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Boston has been the most dominant team in basketball over the last eight months. Boston (76-20) is the 10th team to enter the NBA Finals with at least 75 wins and 20 or fewer losses. The first nine teams are 8-1 in the NBA Finals, with the 2016 Warriors owning the sole loss.

Tatum and Brown deserve the majority of the credit, combining for averages of 51.0 points, 14.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.2 steals. However, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis have elevated Boston to a title favorite. Boston finished first in offensive rating — 122.2 points per 100 possessions — and second in defensive efficiency — 110.6 points per 100 possessions.

Speaking of Porzingis, the Celtics center is expected to play in Game 1. Porzingis has been sidelined for over a month with a calf injury.

The Celtics have the better teams, but the Mavericks possess the best player, Doncic.

The 25-year-old is one of the best playoff performers in NBA playoff history. This postseason, Doncic leads the Mavericks in points (28.8), rebounds (9.6), assists (8.8), and steals (1.6).

Besides Doncic, Dallas is in the finals thanks to the spectacular play of Irving. The one-time NBA champion is averaging 22.8 points in the playoffs and serving as the perfect “Robin” to Luka's “Batman.”

Dallas is a completely different team after acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline. The Mavs finished the regular season on a 21-8 run with those two players in the lineup and parlayed that success into an NBA Finals appearance. 

2024 NBA Finals Schedule: Games, Dates, And Times

The 2024 NBA Finals begin on Thursday, June 6, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Celtics will host the first two games before the series moves to Dallas for the third and fourth games.

If necessary, Boston will host Games 5 and 7, while Dallas will host Game 6.

View the entire schedule below.

Date Game Time (ET) Network
6/6/2024 Game 1: Mavericks vs. Celtics 8:30 p.m. ABC
6/9/2024 Game 2: Mavericks vs. Celtics 8 p.m. ABC
6/12/2024 Game 3: Celtics vs. Mavericks 8:30 p.m. ABC
6/14/2024 Game 4: Celtics vs. Mavericks 8:30 p.m. ABC
6/17/2024 Game 5*: Mavericks vs. Celtics 8:30 p.m. ABC
6/20/2024 Game 6*: Celtics vs. Mavericks 8:30 p.m. ABC
6/23/2024 Game 7*: Mavericks vs. Celtics 8 p.m. ABC

*If necessary.