The culmination of the basketball postseason is the NBA Finals, where the top team from the Eastern Conference battles the top team from the Western Conference for the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The 2021 NBA Finals will start in mid-July upon the conclusion of the Eastern and Western Conference championship series and could go as long as July 22 if the final series stretches the full seven games.
Time and place
- Date: Mid-July
- Teams: TBD
- Defending champ: Los Angeles Lakers
2021 NBA Finals matchup breakdown
Once the teams are set, Covers will dive into the matchup between the Eastern and Western Conference Champions to give you the intel you need to make smarter NBA Finals bets.
NBA Finals odds
The NBA Finals odds see the season-long futures market whittled down to just two teams. After the conclusion of the conference title games in the East and West, sportsbooks will release the series odds for the 2021 NBA Finals as well as the point spread, Over/Under totals, and props for Game 1 of the finals.
Picks and predictions
You can find NBA Finals picks and predictions for every game on Covers, including in-depth predictive analysis around the spread, total, and derivative odds.
Prop bets
With an event as big as the NBA Finals, sportsbooks will pull out all the stops and present a long list of NBA Finals prop bets. We’ll be breaking down our favorite player and team props and giving our prop bet picks for the 2021 finals.
Finals MVP Odds
The NBA Finals MVP goes to the most valuable player in the championship series. Sportsbooks have NBA Finals MVP odds on the board at the start of the NBA Playoffs and shrink that list to the remaining teams as the postseason plays out.
The NBA Finals MVP has been awarded every year since 1969 when Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers earned finals MVP despite losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games that season. West is the only player to win MVP from the losing team.
The Finals MVP Award was officially named in honor of Celtics Hall of Fame center Bill Russell in 2005. Michael Jordan has won the most NBA Finals MVP Awards with six, followed by LeBron James with four MVPs.
Where to watch
The NBA Finals will air once again on ABC. A full broadcast schedule will be released once the teams are set.
How to bet on the NBA Finals
The NBA Playoffs bring out plenty of new bettors looking to wager on basketball for the first time. If you fit this category, let us teach you how to bet on basketball with some betting basics and tips for tackling the basketball world’s biggest competition.
Where to bet on the NBA Finals
Basketball betting is booming and the NBA has embraced it with open arms. Basketball’s popularity spawns fun and unique ways to wager on the action almost all year round. Where you bet on basketball is just as important as what you bet, and we review the best basketball betting sites available in your regions.
NBA Finals FAQs
What channel is the NBA Finals on?
The NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC.
Who won the NBA Finals in 2020?
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
When are the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals will start in mid-July and go as far as July 22 if the series lasts seven games.
How many games are in the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals is a best-of-seven series and will go until one of the contenders wins four games.
