NBA Playoffs 2026: How to watch Knicks vs. Cavs, Spurs vs. Thunder in the Conference Finals

NBA fans have a great weekend of basketball ahead of them. After making a great, fourth-quarter performance behind Jalen Brunson’s heroics to take Game 1 into overtime, the Knicks are back in front of their home fans tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers. The series then shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday.

The Western Conference finals between the Thunder and the Spurs are tied at one game apiece. After the split in Oklahoma City, the Spurs played their next two games in San Antonio. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday and Game 4 will follow on Sunday.

The Knicks-Cavs series is shown on ESPN and ABC, while the Thunder-Spurs series is on NBC and Peacock. Read on to see the conference finals TV schedule and the best ways to watch or stream all the games.

How to watch the NBA playoffs

Now that we’ve reached the conference finals, you don’t have to worry about streaming NBA games on Prime Video. All remaining finals will be televised on ESPN/ABC or NBC.

The Knicks-Cavs series will air on ESPN, except for Game 3 this Saturday, which will air on ABC. The Thunder-Spurs series will be televised on NBC. You can get these channels through a live TV streaming service. You can also stream the rest of the NBA playoffs with ESPN Unlimited and Peacock.

Here is the TV schedule for the conference finals. All times ET.

Easter Conference Finals

• Game 1: Knicks 115, Cavs 104 (OT)
• Game 2: Thursday, May 21, 8 pm on ESPN
• Game 3: Saturday, May 23, 8 pm on ABC
• Game 4: Monday, May 25, 8 pm on ESPN
• Game 5*: Wednesday, May 27, 8 pm on ESPN
• Game 6*: Friday, May 29, 8 pm on ESPN
• Game 7*: Sunday, May 31, 8 pm on ESPN

Western Conference Finals

• Game 1: Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2x OT)
• Game 2: Thunder 122, Spurs 113
• Game 3: Friday, May 22, 8:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
• Game 4: Sunday, May 24, 8 pm on NBC/Peacock
• Game 5*: Tuesday, May 26, 8:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
• Game 6*: Thursday, May 28, 8:30 pm on NBC/Peacock
• Game 7*: Saturday, May 30, 8 pm on NBC/Peacock

*If necessary

The Peacock will broadcast the Western Conference finals. The shows on Peacock will also air on NBC, so you don’t really need Peacock to watch them.

You can stream all NBA playoff broadcasts with Peacock’s Premium plan for $11 per month. Read our Peacock review.

With ESPN Unlimited, you can watch every NBA playoff game on ESPN or ABC. It will broadcast the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.

The ESPN Unlimited plan costs $30 per month (or $300 per year) and allows you to stream all of ESPN’s linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network and ACC Network. You also get access to programming on ESPN on ABC, ESPN Plus, ESPN3, SECN Plus and ACCNX. Read our ESPN Unlimited review.

(There’s also the $13-month ESPN Select plan, which is a rebranding of ESPN Plus. With it, you’ll have access to thousands of live sports — think minor college conferences, whose games you can’t watch anywhere else — but not the NBA.)

The best NBA Playoffs live TV streaming service

The two biggest streaming TV services — DirecTV and YouTube TV — offer skinny sports-focused bundles with ESPN, ABC and NBC that cost less per month than their full package. These plans make them comparable to the monthly cost of Sling. Not every service carries every local network in every location, however, so be sure to check the links below to see what channels are available where you live.

YouTube TV sports plans cost $55 per month for the first year (before going up to $65 per month) and include ABC, ESPN and NBC. Plug in your ZIP code to the YouTube TV welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.

Read our YouTube TV review.

Live TV streaming services allow you to cancel anytime and require a strong internet connection. Want more information? Check out our guide to live TV streaming services and our picks for the best sports streaming services.