Steph Curry - NBA Finals

NBA finally moving up start times for Finals games

The NBA Finals are a beloved championship stage in professional sports…except for one reason. The tipoff times for the games are just too dadgum late considering their usual 9 p.m. EST tips.

However, the league has seemingly made a minor, yet more than welcome, change to the schedule. Per a release from ESPN that announced the game times for the potential seven-game series in the NBA Finals, the weekday tip times were listed as 8:30 p.m. EST. A half-hour isn’t much but, considering all things, it should do the trick.

NBA Finals Dates, Tipoff Times

  • Game 1: Thursday, June 1st, 8:30 PM ET
  • Game 2: Sunday, June 4th, 8 PM ET
  • Game 3: Wednesday, June 7th, 8:30 PM ET
  • Game 4: Friday, June 9th, 8:30 PM ET
  • Game 5: Monday, June 12th, 8:30 PM ET
  • Game 6: Thursday, June 15th, 8:30 PM ET
  • Game 7: Sunday, June 18th, 8 PM ET

Again, the five games dated during the week have been moved back the half hour from 9 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. The two Sunday dates remained the same with their usual tipoffs of 8 p.m.. A half-hour broadcast of NBA Countdown will also be included in ABC’s broadcasts of the NBA Finals before the matchups.

Five of the first eight first-round series of the NBA Playoffs have already been decided. The Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat have all punched their tickets to their conference semifinal rounds. Meanwhile, Sacramento/Golden State and Memphis/Los Angeles are still duking it out in the West while Boston/Atlanta is the lone series still going on out East.

Regardless of who makes it, though, this is a very positive change for NBA fans across the board. 30 minutes won’t do too much but, during the week, it could make all the difference when it comes to improved viewership for the entire broadcast.

Anthony Edwards charged with three-degree assault for allegedly striking two women with chair

Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards was reportedly involved in an incident following his team’s 112-109 defeat to the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night that required assistance from Denver Police.

Per 104.3 The Fan in Denver, Edwards was cited for two cases of third-degree assault following the game. The incident occurred after Edwards missed the final shot which would have sent the game to overtime. Edwards quickly sprinted off the court through his team’s tunnel, and according to the report, picked up a chair and swung it. The chair allegedly struck a security guard and another worker in the back. Both employees were injured and asked to file charges.

Denver Police Department’s Jay Casillas confirmed Wednesday that the chair struck two women who were working at the time. Police said that neither received serious injuries.

The NBA TV broadcast appeared to pick up the tail-end of the alleged incident. In the clip posted to Twitter, Edwards is seen running through the tunnel, and at the 21-second mark, the chair throw is briefly seen.

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