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The Eastern Conference Finals begin tonight between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, renewing a rivalry that peaked in the 1990s when these two teams met six times in the playoffs between 1993 and 2000. Instead of Reggie Miller battling John Starks and Patrick Ewing going up against Rik Smits, the stars of this newest edition are Jalen Brunson of the Knicks and Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers on the perimeter with centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Myles Turner matched up in the paint.
The Knicks won the season series against the Pacers this year, two games to one. The Knicks also finished with the better regular season record and have home court advantage as the No. 3 seed in the East against the No. 4 Pacers.
Game 1 of the Pacers-Knicks series tips off tonight at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT and Max. Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NBA playoffs.
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs.
What is the NBA playoffs schedule for today?
Here’s the schedule for today and the next few days (all times ET):
Wednesday, May 21
- Game 1: Pacers at Knicks, 8 p.m. (TNT and Max)
Thursday, May 22
- Game 2: Timberwolves at Thunder, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, May 23
- Game 2: Pacers at Knicks, 8 p.m. (TNT and Max)
Saturday, May 24
- Game 3: Thunder at Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)
Sunday, May 25
- Game 3: Knicks at Pacers, 8 p.m. (TNT and Max)
What does the NBA playoff bracket look like?
We’ve reached the conference finals stage of the playoffs, and four teams remain in the hunt for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Here are the matchups and current standings:
Eastern Conference
- No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Thunder lead series 1-0)
How to watch the NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs will be shown across ABC, ESPN and TNT. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service.
Three of the five major services offer all four channels. Fubo lacks TNT, which shows a big portion of the NBA playoffs, making Fubo a poor choice for hoops fans. You can also watch the TNT broadcasts of playoff games with Max.
YouTube TV costs $83 per month and includes all three channels needed to watch every game of the NBA playoffs. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
Hulu with Live TV costs $83 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Sling TV’s Orange-and-Blue plan for $61 a month includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. For games on ABC, however, you’ll need to live in one of the few markets where Sling offers ABC. And the NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC, so you won’t want to be left without it when June rolls around.
Read our Sling TV review.
You need the $17-a-month Standard plan to watch live sports on Max. (Either that or the $21-a-month Premium plan that adds 4K streaming.) Max will show the TNT broadcasts for the NBA playoffs. With just Max, however, you’ll miss games on ABC and ESPN.
Read our Max review.
All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
