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NBA Countdown and SportsCenter on Site throughout the Series
More Than 50 ESPN Commentators Contributing to NBA Finals Coverage

The 2017 NBA Finals – featuring the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James vs. the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant – start Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET and continue through June 18.  All games air on ESPN Caribbean and via live streaming on ESPN Play.  ESPN Play will also offer exclusive live streaming of pregame and postgame action.

With their dominating play through the 2017 NBA Playoffs the Cavaliers and the Warriors made history separately—the Warriors with a record-breaking 12-0 run to the Finals; LeBron James surpassing Michael Jordan’s to become the all-time playoff scoring leader—and together as they now meet for a never-before third consecutive year.  Their first meeting in 2015 saw Golden State end a 40-year drought as NBA Champions, and in 2016, the Cavaliers returned the favor grabbing the franchise’s first NBA Championship.  The titans of the game return in what promises to be an exceptional series.

NBA Countdown and SportsCenter

ESPN will take NBA Countdown – one of its signature NBA show – on the road for on-site programming throughout the series and will be the lead-in to every game of the Finals.  NBA Countdown host Michelle Beadle, working her first NBA Finals, will be joined by veteran analyst Jalen Rose and two former NBA Finals MVPs – Chauncey Billups and guest analyst Paul Pierce – for pregame and halftime shows.  Five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant will also unveil his latest short video presentation in his Canvas series during the pregame show.

SportsCenter will also go on the road for the 2017 NBA Finals. Michael Smith and Jemele Hill will host SC6 live from Game 1. In addition, Sage Steele will anchor the pregame SportsCenter on site throughout the series and various ESPN commentators and reporters will provide updates each day including Michael Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst, Sam Alipour, Dave McMenamin, Stefano Fusaro, Mark Schwarz and more.

SportsCenter will also provide postgame coverage onsite with Stan Verrett and Neil Everett as well as a combination of John Anderson, John Buccigross and Steve Levy. Scott Van Pelt will interview players following the games from ESPN studios in Bristol and will provide postgame analysis.

NBA Finals on ESPN Caribbean and ESPN Play:

*if necessary

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