Where Will the NBA Finals Be Played?
As the regular season comes to a close, all eyes turn to the NBA Finals. But where will the games be played? We take a look at the potential venues.
The NBA Finals
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of the sport’s postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion declined to compete.
What is the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.
The NBA Finals has been played at various locations since its inception in 1947, including three arenas that no longer exist. Boston Garden was the site of 11 finals between 1947 and 1958; those were also the first 11 finals played between teams from east of the Mississippi River. Eleven more finals were played in Inglewood, California, at The Forum between 1967 and 1984; it then became home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. In 1985, it was decided that the FINALS would be held at a rotating venue on a yearly basis. Since then, well over half of all Finals have taken place in four arenas: Staples Center in Los Angeles (1999–present), Madison Square Garden in New York City (1998, 1999), American Airlines Arena in Miami (2000–present), and Oracle Arena in Oakland (1964, 1975–1976).
When is the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals are the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.
The Finals were initially structured in 1947 as a best-of-five playoff. Until 1966, teams played until one franchise had won four games in a row, regardless of whether or not it had gone undefeated in the regular season. From 1967 through 1973, the league used a slightly modified format: a best-of-seven series with no restrictions on which teams could advance to it. In 1974 and 1975, when there were fewer than 16 teams in the league, only four teams made it to the Finals each year; that number increased to six when 1976 brought 10 more franchises into existence through NBA expansion. Finally, in 1976 and 1977, eight teams played for the championship; that number increased to nine after another expansion added Charlotte and Miami in 1988–89.
Where is the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The Location
The Finals will be played in the city that houses the team with the best regular season record. If the Finals were played today, that would be the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a home record of 60-22. However, the Finals won’t be played until June, and a lot can change between now and then.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio, will be the host city for the 2020 NBA Finals. The city was announced as the host on May 28, 2020. The Finals will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena, which is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This will be the first time that Cleveland has hosted the NBA Finals since 2007, when the Cavs defeated the San Antonio Spurs in four games to win their first and only championship. LeBron James, who was named MVP of that series, is still a member of the Cavaliers.
Cleveland last hosted theAll-Star Game in 1997. The 2020 NBA Finals will mark the city’s third time hosting the league’s biggest event; it also did so in 1954 and 1981.
Oakland, California
The Oakland, California area is home to the NBA Finals. The series will be played at the Oracle Arena, which is the home of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are the defending champions, and they are expected to be the favorites to win again this year.
Houston, Texas
The NBA Finals will be played in Houston, Texas. The city is home to the Houston Rockets, who are the defending champions. The city has a long history with basketball, and it is one of the most popular sports in the area. The city is also home to many other professional teams, including the Houston Texans (NFL) and the Houston Astros (MLB).
The Venue
The 2020 NBA Finals will be the championship series of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Scheduled to begin on June 4, 2020, the series will conclude no later than June 17, 2020. But where will the 2020 NBA Finals be played?
Quicken Loans Arena
The Quicken Loans Arena, commonly known as “The Q”, is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The building serves as the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, and the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League. It also hosts a variety of live entertainment including musical acts and professional wrestling.
The arena is named for Quicken Loans, a mortgage lending company located in nearby Detroit, Michigan. Former Cavaliers majority owner and Microsoft co-founder Gordon Gund purchased the Cavaliers in 1983. Around that time he looked into building a new arena for either the Cavaliers or a possible future NBA or NHL team in Cleveland. Insisting on controlling any potential venue in his own city to prevent competition from another team owner in his home base of Detroit, Gund began finding locations for such an arena in 1986 with developer Richard Egan.
In June 1986, Gund approached then-Cleveland mayor George Voinovich with a proposal to build an 18,500-seat arena at Euclid Avenue and Ontario Street on free land that was part of The Flats. Shortly after Voinovich took office as governor of Ohio one month later, The Gateway Economic Development Corporation was created by Gund as a tool to secure public funding for the project.
Oracle Arena
As the home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, Oracle Arena has been a familiar venue for basketball fans since its opening in 1966. Located in Oakland, California, the arena has a capacity of 19,596 and is the oldest arena in the NBA.
During the regular season, the Warriors averaged 17,503 fans per game, which was 96.5% of capacity. The team set a record for single-season attendance with 930,720 fans during the 2015-16 season. The arena is also used for concerts and other events, such as WWE wrestling and ice shows.
Toyota Center
The Toyota Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The venue opened in October 2003 to replace The Summit, which was home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 to 2002. It is the first NBA facility to be leased by a corporation, and one of the most expensive arenas ever built.
The Toyota Center is home to the Houston Rockets of the NBA, and has previously been home to the now-defunct Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). It also hosted all WWE Raw and Smackdown events from November 3, 2003 until July 5, 2005 when WWE moved all its programming to NBC Universal’s United Center in Chicago due to declining attendance at live events. The arena has also hosted several professional wrestling events as well as other sporting events and concerts.
The Matchup
The 2019 NBA Finals will be the championship series of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) 2018–19 season and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the Eastern Conference champion Toronto Raptors will play against the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors, with the Warriors holding home-court advantage as they did in the 2015, 2017, and 2018 NBA Finals.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series of the NBA and the conclusion of the sport’s postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and originally under a 2–2–1–1–1 home-court advantage arrangement (during 1947 to 1957), where the first two and last two games are held at the home court of the team with the better regular season record; since 1985, the arrangement has been in a 2–3–2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the home court of the team with the better regular season record. The series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format during 1949, 1953–1955, 1957, 1959, 1961–1965, 1967–1969, 1971, 1973, 1975—1977, 1979—1982 while following a 1—2—2—1—1 format during 1986 , 1988 , 1990 — 1994 , 1996 , 1998 — 2000 , 2002 — 2005 , 2007 .
The Golden State Warriors are back in The Finals for a record fifth consecutive year. They’re looking to become only second team in NBA history to win four championships in five seasons – joining Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics who did it from 1959 to 1966. The Warriors swept their way throught he Western Conference playoffs with 4-0 victories over both Portland and Houston. They will have homecourt advantage in The Finals for a third consecutive year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are making their fourth consecutive appearance in The Finals – all against Golden State. They’re looking to repeat as champions after coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors in 2016. LeBron James is aiming to become just the third player in NBA history to win four Finals MVPs – joining Michael Jordan (6) and Shaquille O’Neal (4). The Cavaliers swept both Indiana and Toronto in the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs before taking down Boston in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
The Houston Rockets took Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 104-101. The Rockets were paced by James Harden, who had 28 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Eric Gordon also added 24 points off the bench for Houston. The Warriors were led by Kevin Durant, who had 31 points and eight rebounds, while Stephen Curry added 21 points.
Game 2 is on Sunday in Houston.
The Outcome
This year’s NBA Finals will be held in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This is the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the favorites to win the championship. The other team in the finals is the Miami Heat. They are the underdogs, but they have proved time and time again that they can’t be counted out.
Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2017 NBA Finals Champions!
The Cavs became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.
LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the third time in his career.
Golden State Warriors win the NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors win the NBA Finals. They will be playing the Houston Rockets in the finals.
Houston Rockets win the NBA Finals
The Houston Rockets have defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. This is the first time in franchise history that the Rockets have won the NBA Finals. The series was played in a best of seven format, and the Rockets won the series 4-2.
