The NBA Finals are set, as the Indiana Pacers bested the New York Knicks on Saturday, May 31, to win the Eastern Conference and earn the right to face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder -- the league's top team during the regular season (68-14) and the No. 1 seed in the West.
Indianapolis and Oklahoma City are two of the NBA's smallest markets, which doesn't necessarily bode well for ratings projections heading into the June Classic. That said, the matchup of styles -- the Thunder with the league's best defense and the Pacers with arguably its highest-octane offense -- should make for a unique and interesting showdown between two teams led by young stars in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and the rising Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), who earned Third-Team All-NBA honors this season.
The NBA announced the full schedule for the matchup in the minutes following Indiana's Game 6 closeout victory over New York at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Saturday.
The opening tip will happen at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Two days will separate Game 1 from Game 2 on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET. The teams will each have two more days off before Game 3 in Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 11, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
There will only be one day off before the Pacers host Game 4 on Friday, June 13, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The series will travel back to Oklahoma City on Monday, June 16, for Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET, if necessary.
Games 6 and 7 are also on an "if necessary" basis. The NBA scheduled those contests for Thursday, June 19, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Sunday, June 22, at 8 p.m. ET at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
ABC will air every NBA Finals game between the Thunder and the Pacers.