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The Finals Are Set
6:32 PM on May 30th, 2011 by Jay Soester


The Eastern Conference Finals wrapped up on consecutive days last week. The NBA's version finished Thursday night with the Heat beating the Bulls in game 5. The NHL's version finished Friday night with the Bruins defeating the Lightning in game 7. Both series concluded after their respective Western counterparts to set up each league's Championship series.

With the NBA's conference finals wrapping up before the NHL's, that increased the likelihood for a rare occurance- the NBA Finals concluding before the Stanley Cup is won.

Aside from Game 2, which is two days before, every game of the NBA Finals takes place the day before its equivilent game in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game
NBA Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
1
Tuesday 5/31 - 9 PM ET [ABC]
Wednesday 6/1 - 8 PM ET [NBC]
2
Thursday, 6/2 - 9 PM ET [ABC]
Saturday, 6/4 - 8 PM ET [NBC]
3
Sunday, 6/5 - 8 PM ET [ABC]
Monday, 6/6 - 8 PM ET [VS]
4
Tuesday, 6/7 - 9 PM ET [ABC]
Wednesday, 6/8 - 8 PM ET [VS]
5
Thursday, 6/9 - 9 PM ET [ABC]
Friday, 6/10 - 8 PM ET [NBC]
6
Sunday, 6/12 - 8 PM ET [ABC]
Monday, 6/13 - 8 PM ET [NBC]
7
Tuesday, 6/14 - 9 PM ET [ABC]
Wednesday, 6/15 - 8 PM ET [NBC]


If the Stanley Cup isn't won in fewer games than the NBA Championship, it will be just the third instance of the NBA postseason wrapping up before the NHL postseason since the NBA expanded its postseason to include eight teams from each conference beginning with the 1983-84 season, excluding the 1994-95 NHL season where a strike was involved.

Season
Stanley Cup End Date
NBA Finals End Date
Difference
2009-10
6/9
6/17
+8
2008-09
6/12
6/14
+2
2007-08
6/4
6/17
+13
2006-07
6/6
6/14
+8
2005-06
6/19
6/20
+1
2004-05
No Season
6/23
-
2003-04
6/7
6/15
+8
2002-03
6/9
6/15
+6
2001-02 [2]
6/13
6/12
-1
2000-01
6/9
6/15
+6
1999-2000
6/10
6/19
+9
1998-99
6/19
6/25
+6
1997-98 [1]
6/16
6/14
-2
1996-97
6/7
6/13
+6
1995-96
6/10
6/16
+6
1994-95
6/24 (Strike)
6/14
-
1993-94
6/14
6/22
+8
1992-93
6/9
6/20
+11
1991-92
6/1
6/14
+13
1990-91
5/25
6/12
+18
1989-90
5/24
6/14
+21
1988-89
5/25
6/13
+19
1987-88
5/26
6/21
+26
1986-87
5/31
6/14
+14
1985-86
5/24
6/8
+15
1984-85
5/30
6/9
+10
1983-84
5/19
6/12
+24


The last four NBA postseasons have alternated between ending on June 14th and June 17th. Based on that, the NBA Finals should end on June 14th in game seven. However, if both series were to end in six games, the concluding dates would match those of the 2002 postseason for both leagues- the last time the NBA season was over before the NHL's season. In that year, the Lakers swept the Nets a day before the Red Wings finished off the Hurricanes in five games. The schedule that year had all Stanley Cup Finals games being played at least one day before the corresponding NBA Finals game, the opposite alignment to this season.
In the only other strike-free season where the NHL finished after the NBA, the Red Wings swept the Capitals in four games two days after the Bulls beat the Jazz in six games.
Sections: Main
Tags: NBA_Talk, Basketball_Talk, NHL_Talk, Hockey_Talk, NBA_Finals_Talk, Stanley_Cup_Talk, Playoffs_Talk, Talk
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