Some of basketball’s top players are set to tip off in the next game in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The Denver Nuggets are looking to widen their series lead after beating the Miami Heat in Game 1, in a series that is shaping up to be a David-versus-Goliath matchup.Here is everything you need to know about this year’s NBA Finals:
When does game one start?
The NBA plays a best-of-seven series as its playoff format, and Game 2 begins on Sunday in Denver at 8 p.m. ET.
What is the NBA Finals schedule?
The series’s schedule and locations can be found below.
Game 1: Thursday at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: Sunday at Denver, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: Wednesday, June 7 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 4: Friday, June 9 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 5: Monday, June 12 at Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Thursday, June 15 at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 7: Sunday, June 18 at Denver, 8 p.m. ET
Because of the best-of-seven format, games 5, 6 and 7 are only played if necessary.
How to stream or watch the NBA Finals?
Luckily for fans, each game is on the same channel: ABC.
The Disney
DIS,
+2.46%
-owned ABC channel is included in most standard cable packages. For cord-cutters, ABC is included in streaming services including FuboTV
FUBO,
+5.00%,
Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTubeTV.
See also: NBA All-Star Chris Paul on what he looks for in an investment, competing with LeBron James, and his favorite possession
How many times have the Heat and Nuggets made the Finals?
This year’s Finals appearance for Denver shouldn’t be too surprising as the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, but it is the first appearance in franchise’s history — two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic will look to add a championship trophy to his long list of accomplishments.
Meanwhile, the No. 8-seeded Heat have three Finals wins in the franchise’s six appearances, with the last win coming a decade ago, when LeBron James famously teamed up with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
Who is favored to win the NBA Finals?
At the start of the series, the Nuggets were strong favorites to beat the Heat. According to odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
DKNG,
+2.01%,
Denver was a -425 favorite and the Heat were +320 underdogs. Those betting odds carried an implied win probability of over 80% for Denver.
In addition to sportsbooks, other statistical basketball models saw the series similarly prior to the series beginning. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave Denver an 89% of winning, while FiveThirtyEight gave Denver a 74% chance of winning.
Miami and its star player Jimmy Butler have overcome being underdogs in the 2023 playoffs, as they have not been favored in any of the team’s three series wins so far.
Which team owner has a higher net worth?
The owners of the Nuggets and Heat are fairly high-profile billionaires. Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke has a net worth of $12.9 billion, per Forbes, and made his money by creating a real estate empire. Kroenke owns several other sports franchises including the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the MLS’s Colorado Rapids, and England’s Arsenal F.C. — Kroenke is also married to Walmart
WMT,
+0.96%
heiress Ann Walton.
The Heat are owned by Carnival Corp.
CCL,
+2.78%
chairman Micky Arison, who has a net worth of $6.3 billion according to Forbes estimates. Arison’s net worth has almost halved since 2018 as his company’s stock is down over 80% in the last five years.
Why is Chipotle trending with the NBA Finals?
You may have seen that Chipotle Mexican Grill
CMG,
-0.97%
is running lots of promotions and commercials in association with the Finals.
Chipotle announced it will be running a promo during games. Each time a player hits a three-point shot, Chipotle will tweet a unique message from @ChipotleTweets, and the first 300 people to text that message to 888222 will receive a free entrée code.
“This year, when it rains threes, it rains free burritos,” said Chris Brandt, Chief Brand Officer at Chipotle.
Read on: LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan: who is the GOAT when it comes to net worth?
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