Celtics vs Warriors live stream: How to watch game 1 of NBA Finals online tonight (2023)

The NBA Finals are about to begin with the Celtics vs Warriors live stream — which has a clear favorite with good reason. Each respective team's paths through the NBA playoffs live streams and their regular season matchups give a bit of a clue, it seems, to how tonight will go down.

Golden State brings a very strong lineup to the court, as Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson can all be the big X-factor on any given evening. Meanwhile, Boston leans on both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown a little harder, as the rest of their team hasn't proven as consistent.

And speaking of Curry, he's the main reason why Boston will own the series when it comes to Guards. Sure, Boston will have the 2022 NBA Defensing Player of the Year Marcus Smart putting some of the best defense in the league on Curry, but most are likely thinking that even Smart won't be enough.

Maybe, just maybe, Jaylen Brown can out-do Klay Thompson, but nobody's going to feel too confident betting on thathappening.

The Celtics' primary advantage comes at the Forward position. Jayson Tatum is the best player at this position in the series, but one wonders if he can be as consistent as Curry has been. If, and only if, Tatum is at his best all series, does Boston have a strong chance.

The Celtics and Warriors have an even 1-1 record from the current NBA season. Golden State is a 3.5-point favorite in Game 1 against Boston. The over/under is 212.5.Here's everything you need to know to watch the Celtics vs Warriors live stream:

How to watch Celtics vs Warriors live streams from anywhere on Earth

Having trouble actually getting ESPN or ABC? Even if you can't watch the Celtics vs Warriors live streams on cable, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for.

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN (opens in new tab). It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well. Here's our top pick.

Celtics vs Warriors live streams in the U.S.

The game 1 Celtics vs Warriors live stream is on ABC and ESPN3 at 9 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, June 2).

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package? With the right pick from our best cable TV alternatives, you'll be able to watch all of these games. But for as much as we like FuboTV, we haven't been recommending it so far — as it's without TNT and would miss earlier games. That said, it will have all the NBA Finals live streams.

You could also get Sling TV, one of the best streaming services. ESPN3 and TNT are both included in the Sling Orange package, which costs $35 (and $25 for the first month), which is pretty low for live TV services (and the lowest rate for one with ESPN). Sling is a perfect place to watch all of the NBA playoffs, as ABC games will simulcast on ESPN3. Sling Orange gets you TNT, ESPN, ESPN3, and its Sports Extra pack gets you NBA TV.

You could also pull down ABC with one of the best TV antennas.

Celtics vs Warriors live streams schedule

All times below are in ET.

* = If necessary

• Game 1: Thursday (June 2): Boston @ Golden State at 9 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• Game 2: Sunday (June 5): Boston @ Golden State, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• Game 3: Wednesday (June 8): Golden State @ Boston, 9 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• Game 4: Friday (June 10): Golden State @Boston, 9 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• *Game 5: Monday (June 13): Boston vs. Golden State, 9 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• *Game 6: Thursday (June 16): Golden State vs. Boston, 9 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3
• *Game 7: Sunday (June 19): Boston vs. Golden State, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN3

Celtics vs Warriors live streams in the UK

NBA fans in the U.K. need look no further than Sky Sports (opens in new tab) for all their Playoff needs. Sky will be showing all games on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena, though the timings aren't great for U.K. fans, with games typically starting at 1.30 a.m. BST.

If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £22/month to add those channels. You'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.

You could also consider the Sky NBA League Pass (opens in new tab), which offers every NBA game for just £14.99/month, plus loads of extra features including archived games on demand — helpful if you want to watch the next day — condensed replays and more.

If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky sub, you could also consider its Now (opens in new tab) Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £9.99 or month-long access for £33.99 but Sky is currently offering a great deal here: you can sign up for six months of access for just £25/month right now (opens in new tab). Now Sports is available on virtually every streaming device out there and is a great option if you don't already have Sky.

Not in the U.K. right now? You may need a little help from a service such as ExpressVPN (opens in new tab).

Celtics vs Warriors live streams in Canada

Canadian basketball fans looking for the NBA finals will find it spread across TSN and SportsNet. Game 1's Celtics vs Warriors live stream is on TSN1.

If you're having trouble finding all the games, ExpressVPN (opens in new tab) may be your ticket.

• Game 1: Thursday (June 2): Boston @ Golden State at 9 p.m. on TSN1
• Game 2: Sunday (June 5): Boston @ Golden State, 8 p.m. on SN/SN1
• Game 3: Wednesday (June 8): Golden State @ Boston, 9 p.m. on TSN1
• Game 4: Friday (June 10): Golden State @Boston, 9 p.m. on TSN4
• *Game 5: Monday (June 13): Boston vs. Golden State, 9 p.m. on TBA channel
• *Game 6: Thursday (June 16): Golden State vs. Boston, 9 p.m. on TBA channel
• *Game 7: Sunday (June 19): Boston vs. Golden State, 8 p.m. on TBA channel

Celtics vs Warriors live streams in Australia

Aussies can watch the Celtics vs Warriors live stream on Kayo Sports (opens in new tab), which has every one of the NBA finals games this year. But beware the time difference: you'll need to go by the above lists and add 14 hours to convert ET to AEST — which would mean this game is at 11 a.m. AEST.

Kayo offers a 14-day free trial for both its Basic and Premium plans, more than enough time to watch the playoffs. The Basic package costs $25 per month thereafter.

The $35 per month Premium Kayo plan gives you all the same things as the normal plan, but it offers three simultaneous streams. The Basic plan gives you two streams at the same time.

Not in Australia but usually a Kayo subscriber? You may need a little help from a service such as ExpressVPN (opens in new tab).