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The 2020-21 NBA regular season has come to an end. The play-in tournament that will decide the remaining berths for the 2021 NBA playoffs began on Tuesday, 18th May. The Boston Celtics have booked their place in the playoffs after a commanding win over the Washington Wizards. The Wizards will now be up against the Indiana Pacers to play for the 8th seed in the East.
Meanwhile, defending NBA champions LA Lakers are gearing up to take on Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors. The loser will take on the winners of the Spurs-Grizzlies matchup to take the 8th seed from the West.
Live stream and broadcasting details for 2021 NBA playoffs
The first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 21st May. This time around, playoff matches will be televised on three national networks, i.e. ESPN, ABC and TNT. Viewers who do not have access to cable TV can also buy the NBA League Pass to watch live streams of the playoffs and the finals.
Additionally, a variety of streaming services can also be used to gain access to live matches from the 2021 NBA playoffs. For $65 a month, YouTube TV offers access to ABC, ESPN, NBA TV and TNT networks.
Sling TV Orange carries ESPN and TNT and will be broadcasting all ABC games through ESPN3. ESPN3 can be acquired for an extra $11 on top of the $35 monthly fee.
Hulu Plus Live TV offers ESPN, ABC and TNT for $65 a month but does not offer access to NBA TV. Finally, on both FuboTV ($65 per month) and AT&T TV ($70 per month), viewers can gain access to ABC, TNT and ESPN but will have to pay extra for NBA TV, $15 and $8, respectively.
As mentioned above, the 7th seed from the Eastern Conference has been decided, with the Boston Celtics taking on 2nd seed Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. However, the three other teams that will make it through the play-in tournament will be decided in the coming days.
Match-wise 2021 NBA playoffs schedule with TV channels
Eastern Conference
Philadelphia 76ers (1) vs TBD (8)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Time, TNT or ABC
Brooklyn Nets (2) vs Boston Celtics (7)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 8 ET, ABC
Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs Miami Heat (6)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 2 ET, ESPN
New York Knicks (4) vs Atlanta Hawks (6)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Time, TNT or ABC
Western Conference
Utah Jazz (1) vs TBD (8)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Time, TNT or ABC
Phoenix Suns (2) vs TBD (7)
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Time, TNT or ABC
Denver Nuggets (3) vs Portland Trail Blazers (6)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 10:30 ET, ESPN
LA Clippers (4) vs Dallas Mavericks (6)
Game 1: Saturday, May 22 | 4:30 ET, ESPN
So far, the NBA has only released the timings and broadcast channels for the first match of the first round of the playoffs. However, fans can stream all NBA playoff matches by gaining access to the three cable TV channels, or the live-streaming services mentioned above. Viewers can also watch the 2021 NBA playoffs live by subscribing to the NBA League pass.
