Now, we’re left with a best-of-seven that has many fans wide-eyed. The two teams left standing and set to square off in Game 1 Tuesday — the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks — are in serious title slumps. For the Suns, it’s their third Finals appearance in 53 seasons as a franchise. They last played for the title in 1993, and have never won a championship ring. As for the Bucks, they haven’t claimed an NBA title since 1971. With Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting for two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks after hyperextending his left knee, it’s unknown how many games he’ll be able to play against the Suns, if any. It seems sportsbooks have factored in this injury as well. DraftKings has installed the Suns as a -185 favorite, with the Bucks marked as +150 underdogs. Game 1 is slated for Tuesday at 9:00 pm EST (01:00 UCT) in Phoenix, Arizona.
How to Watch the 2021 NBA Finals from Anywhere
In the United States, the NBA is one of the top three most-watched sports. There are lots of licensing deals with different television channels and providers throughout the season, and plenty of opportunities to catch an NBA game at bars, restaurants or around the house. But licensing and broadcasting rights are specific to each country that wants to carry the NBA. Most television service providers include the NBA in their premium packages on special sports channels like Sport 5 in Israel, beINSports in France and MEGOGO in Russia. If you’re visiting a country abroad, your home subscription service might not work due to your physical location. So how do you make sure your basketball is unblocked in time for tip-off? Fortunately, this problem can be solved pretty quickly. You’re going to need to take two steps: If you’ve already got a VPN and want to get started right away, take a look at the main providers below that are broadcasting the NBA Finals in English. If you need some more guidance on VPNs, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to download the best one for streaming later in the article.
American broadcast: NBA Finals on ABC and ESPN Watch
For the 2021 NBA Finals, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) has exclusive American licensing rights. Since the Walt Disney Company now owns both ABC and ESPN, you can catch live streams from both through your cable service provider. This is the same for basketball fans outside the US with access to ESPN — Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand, for example — they can watch the NBA Finals through ESPN accounts. With the cord-cutting movement, many consumers are also moving away from traditional cable companies and opting for streaming subscription services for their sports and entertainment content. Even if you sign up for ESPN+ or Disney+, however, you still won’t stream the NBA Finals. You’ve got to stream through ESPN or ABC apps and services directly, which still requires a cable service provider. Fortunately, there’s a way around this. And with the right timing, you can even stream the NBA Finals for free with a seven-day trial. There are two great US-based online subscription services, namely YouTube TV and FuboTV, that provide access to ABC, ESPN, and a host of other channels. These providers aren’t cheap (they cost around $65 a month) but they offer free trials you can cancel anytime. To register for the trial, you’ll just need to set your VPN to an American IP address and use a valid method of payment. YouTube TV has recently started accepting PayPal as payment as well. FuboTV will only take a valid credit card.
British broadcast: NBA Finals on Sky Sports
Another English-language broadcast option is Sky Sports, the UK’s official channel for live sports. To access the service, you’ll need a UK IP address, or a VPN with a UK server. If you’re a non-Sky subscriber, you can follow the NBA Finals action with the contract-free NOW TV pass option. The NOW TV pass costs £33.99 per month (about $47), or you can sign up for a day pass (24-hour access to all Sky Sports Channels) at £9.99 per day (about $14). If you don’t mind a long-term contract, you can even get a full Sky Sports subscription. With a full subscription, you’ll have access to the NBA and any other sports they carry, including racing, international soccer, and boxing.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Watch the NBA Finals with a VPN
If you’re new to VPNs, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to download one that’s good for sports streaming. Once you’ve downloaded the VPN and chosen one of the above providers, you’ll be watching the NBA Finals action in no time, no matter where you are in the world. Just follow these steps: Though YouTube TV now accepts Paypal, you may need a country-specific payment method when signing up for free trials and subscription services. Also, if you sign up through your Google account, you may give away your location. These kinds of providers often require valid zip codes to register.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns NBA Finals Schedule
Depending on where you are in the world, the first Bucks vs Suns game will be either on Tuesday or Wednesday. You can find the schedule of the full finals, adjusted to different timezones, below.
