MAIN Sports Basketball NBA Playoffs & Finals

As the basketball season winds down, the excitement heats up as another NBA Playoff season kicks off in the battle to win the national championship.

This year, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 marked the end of the regular NBA season followed by the start of the 2019 NBA playoff games --scheduled to begin on Saturday, Aprl 13, 2019.

The NBA Playoffs feature the top eight teams in each NBA conference all doing battle on the court in a best of seven series.

Just up ahead, check out the complete NBA playoffs schedule including dates, times and TV channels as they become available:

2019 NBA Playoffs TV schedule

NBA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The Toronto Raptors win the 2019 NBA Championship for the first time in the franchise - and for Canada

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) Milwaukee vs. (2) Raptors or (3) Sixers 

Toronto Raptors win series 4-2

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Portland Trail Blazers

Golden State Warriors sweep series 4-0

ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV are the traditonal TV stations to watch in primetime on weeknights, while ABC takes on select games during the weekend. Online, games will also be livestreamed via WatchESPN and WatchTNT.

Beginning in June, watch for the Eastern Conference finals to air on cable channel TNT with full coverage of the Western Conference finals on ESPN and ABC .... as fans cheer "Let the games begin!"

The NBA Final Championship games, which will air on ABC, are scheduled to begin in late May -- in the ultimate showdown between the two top teams from each conference. And don't forget to grab the popcorn for the big finale Championship Game 7 set to air on ABC in mid-June.

Meanwhile, keep it here for more on the complete NBA playoff schedule including team match-ups, dates, and TV times as we fill in the blanks on this year's exciting NBA playoff season..

also see -> NBA playoff party ideas

DID YOU KNOW? NBA playoffs trivia & fun facts

1969: the Lakers, deflated.

• In 1969, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke though it was fate. He was so confident of the Lakers' win over the Celtics that he had the LA Forum rafters filled with thousands of balloons with "World Champion Lakers" printed on them to celebrate when they won. They didn't.

• Michael Jordan’s jump shot against Utah’s Byron Russell in Game 6 at the 1998 finals gave Chicago a razor thin 87-86 victory, and the championship. It was Jordan's last NBA finals of his career

• The Golden State Warriors were heavily favored to repeat as NBA champs in 2016, but they ultimately lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James. It was the first NBA title for the Cavs, and the first for LeBron James.

• The Unlucky 13 teams which still haven't won a championship? They include the Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the New Orleans Pelicans.

NBA playoffs & finals around the Web:

Around the Web, get complete reports on stats, scores, and who was in and who was out of the running leading up to the finals championship. And don't forget to keep your TV remotes at the ready for the much-anticipated 2019 NBA draft in June....

NBA Playoffs - SB Nation - Check out the complete TV schedule, the latest scores, stats, breaking news and photos.

Slam! Sports - Basketball - Want to know the latest scores? Also check out daily stats on assists, blocks, points, steals, blocks and rebounds.