NBA Finals 2018: Complete TV Schedule for Championship Series

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 25: LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after a basket in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 25, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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LeBron James kept the Cleveland Cavaliers' season alive Friday, as he posted 46 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in a 109-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The series-deciding Game 7 will take place in Boston on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, with ESPN televising the contest.

In the West, the Houston Rockets will be without point guard Chris Paul for their Game 6 conference final matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Paul suffered a hamstring strain late in Game 5 and did not return. His status for a potential Game 7 is unknown. The Rockets lead the series three games to two.

Below you will find some notable storylines for the rest of the conference finals, in addition to the NBA Finals television schedule.

NBA Finals Schedule

The winner of the Western Conference Finals will have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, as the Rockets and Warriors have the best two regular-season records of the remaining teams.

East winner at West winner (Game 1): Thursday, May 31 at 9 p.m. on ABC

East winner at West winner (Game 2): Sunday, June 3 at 8 p.m. on ABC

West winner at East winner (Game 3): Wednesday, June 6 at 9 p.m. on ABC

West winner at East winner (Game 4): Friday, June 8 at 9 p.m. on ABC

East winner at West winner (Game 5, if necessary): Monday, June 11 at 9 p.m. on ABC

West winner at East winner (Game 6, if necessary): Thursday, June 14 at 9 p.m. on ABC

East winner at West winner (Game 7, if necessary): Sunday, June 17 at 8 p.m. on ABC

All Times ET.

LeBron James' Dominance

These are James' 2018 postseason statistics through 17 games: 33.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.5 steals. While those numbers are remarkable, the fact James is in his 15th NBA season and has played 1,377 regular-season and playoff games combined makes it even more astounding.

James' excellence isn't limited to this year, as Tommy Beer of NBC Sports and Rotoworld noted:

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Per @bball_ref, Most playoff games with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists over the last 50 years: LeBron James: 13 Micheal Jordan: 4 Shaq O’Neal: 4 Larry Bird:3 Tim Duncan: 3 Wilt Chamberlain: 3

Beer also dropped this stat regarding James' recent efforts when facing playoff elimination:

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Lebron's last 8 games facing elimination: * 46 points, 11 rebs, 9 assists * 45 pts, 8 rebs, 7 assists * 41 pts, 13 rebs, 8 assists * 31 pts, 10 rebs, 11 assists * 27 pts, 11 rebs, 11 assists * 41 pts, 8 rebs, 11 assists * 41 pts, 16 rebs, 7 assists * 32 pts, 18 rebs, 9 assists

It's not impossible for James to simply will the Cavaliers to an NBA title. Although his supporting cast has been hit-and-miss all playoffs (largely fine at home but facing significant struggles on the road), James is on another planet than the rest of the league. It will be fascinating to see what he does in Game 7 in a tough road environment.

Chris Paul's Injury

Without Paul, the Rockets are big underdogs against the Warriors on Saturday. Per OddsShark, Golden State is a 12-point favorite, with the over-under total listed at 212.5 points.

Houston has played 97 games this season and has a 76-21 win-loss record overall. When Paul is on the floor, the Rockets are 61-12 (an 83.6 winning percentage). Without Paul on the floor, the team is 15-9 (a 62.5 winning percentage).

For the year, Paul averaged 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds. The team may be able to make up the scoring difference through added contributions from Eric Gordon and Gerald Green (provided both are knocking down their three-pointers), but it will be difficult for the team to replicate Paul's excellent defense and playmaking abilities, giving the Warriors the edge for as long as Paul is out in this series.

Kevin Love's Status

Cavaliers big man Kevin Love had to leave Game 6 in the first quarter following a collision with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Per Tom Withers of the Associated Press, Love was evaluated for a concussion.

Jason Lloyd of The Athletic caught up with Love after the game and reported the following:

Jason Lloyd @JasonLloydNBA
Saw Kevin Love on his way out of the arena. Sounds like we'll have more answers tomorrow. He has more tests to pass before he can be cleared to play. As for his status for Sunday: "Toss-up," he said.

Cleveland's bench stepped up in Love's absence, with Jeff Green scoring 14 points. Larry Nance Jr. added 10 more plus seven rebounds. Starting guard George Hill also assumed more of the scoring burden, as he dropped 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Although the Cavs were able to win without Love available for the majority of the game, the team is still better with him on the floor acting as the team's second scoring option. If Love can't go for Game 7, then the edge clearly goes to the Celtics despite LeBron James' unbelievable play of late.

Andre Iguodala's Status

Warriors guard/forward Andre Iguodala missed Games 4 and 5 of the conference finals with a left lateral leg contusion, and the team's public relations department called him "questionable" for Saturday's game.

The Warriors have missed Iguodala over their past two games, which resulted in two close, low-scoring losses. He is a key member of the starting lineup when the Warriors go small, averaging 7.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the playoffs. But what the team may miss the most are his defensive efforts, as evidenced by his 1.4 steals per night.

Without Chris Paul in the lineup for Game 6, the Warriors should have a big edge even if Iguodala can't go. But the Warriors could use Iguodala for a series-deciding Game 7, especially if Paul is ready to play.

The Boston Celtics' Home-Court Dominance

The Boston Celtics are a perfect 10-0 at home in the playoffs this year, making them the only postseason team remaining to have an undefeated record in their building. Not only that, but the Celtics more often than not run away with their wins, as six of those 10 victories were by double digits.

Boston has beaten Cleveland three times in home playoff games, with the average margin of victory being 17.0 points per game. The home crowd has clearly gotten the C's going in their victories, but the spread for the game is just 1.5 points in favor of Boston, per OddsShark.

It's possible we finally see a close game down the stretch for Game 7, but this year's C's are turning TD Garden into the old Boston Garden, where Celtics championship teams of old won games there nearly every time.

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