The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are set to clash at the 2022 NBA Finals. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is slated for Thursday, June 2 at 9 PM (EST) at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
All games will be televised nationally on ABC (and simulcast on ESPN 3) in the United States. Cable TV cord-cutting basketball fans can use online streaming platforms like SlingTV to watch in the US. NBA diehards living or traveling abroad will find that US-based streaming platforms are geo-blocked. Here’s how you can access them with a VPN.
- Choose a VPN for streaming live sports. We recommend Surfshark.
- Sign up for an account.
- Download and install the VPN app on your favorite streaming device.
- Log into the VPN software with the information you created at registration.
- Connect to a server in the United States.
- Navigate to SlingTV. Now that you’ve got an American IP address, you can access the site.
- Enjoy the NBA Finals!
Did you know that you can watch the NBA Finals via NBA League Pass as well? While it’s blacked out in the United States, you can use a VPN to stream from countries like India, Mexico, and Vietnam for a huge discount. We’ll show you how in the full guide below.
The 2022 NBA Finals are set following the Boston Celtics‘ Game 7 road win over the Miami Heat last Sunday night. The Eastern Conference champs will face the best of the West, the Golden State Warriors. Though both teams are chock-full of talent, all eyes will be on the battle of the conference MVP winners — the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Stephen Curry of the Warriors.
The NBA Finals are a best-of-seven matchup, with the Game 1 tip-off on Thursday, June 2 at 9 PM (EST) at the Chase Center in San Francisco. In the US, all games are televised nationally on ABC (and simulcast on ESPN 3). Basketball fans who have cut ties with traditional cable TV providers can use online streaming platforms like SlingTV to watch in the US.
But basketball fans in other countries can live stream the Finals through NBA League Pass, something you can’t do stateside. Whether you’re trying to access SlingTV outside the US — or NBA League Pass from within — you’re going to run into geo-blocking, market blackouts, and streaming restrictions.
We’ll show you how to bypass any online issues you may come across by using a VPN. Just keep reading our full guide on live streaming the 2022 NBA Finals below.
How to Watch the 2022 NBA Finals Celtics vs. Warriors with League Pass
As one of the most-watched global sports, the NBA has worked out different licensing agreements in over 200 countries. In the United States, the ABC network has exclusive rights to the 2022 NBA Finals. While the NBA’s own live streaming site, League Pass, blacks out the Playoffs and Finals in the US, they don’t do so in other nations. India, Ukraine, and Mexico are just a few countries where League Pass members can live stream the NBA Finals.
Not only that, but customers in those markets pay a fraction of what Americans and most Europeans do. In the US, subscribers pay $14.99 USD a month, while Indian customers pay ₹199 Indian rupees per month — the equivalent of $2.63 USD. Another bonus is League Pass’s 7-day free trial, so you can cancel before you even get charged.
But in order to set up that fat discount and unblock the NBA championship on League Pass, you’ll need to access the website from a server in India. That’s where the VPN comes in. A good VPN masks your true IP address and redirects your internet connection through one of its servers. With your connection running through a new anonymous IP address based in India, League Pass will offer up that discounted price and unblock the NBA Finals stream.
We’ll break it down for you step-by-step:
Step-by-step guide: Watch the 2022 NBA Finals with League Pass
- Get a good VPN for sports streaming. Our pick is Surfshark, one of the fastest, most secure and affordable VPNs out there right now.
- Register for an account. Just create your login credentials and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Download and install the VPN app on your favorite streaming device. Installing and setting up a VPN is pretty simple, whether it’s your PC, tablet, or smartphone. Surfshark has a setup wizard that takes care of everything for you.
- Log into the VPN software. You’ll need to use the credentials you created at registration.
- Choose which server you want to connect to. Since we’ll be going for the League Pass discount, connect to a server in India. Wait a few seconds and then open a new browser window or tab.
- Navigate to NBA League Pass. You can pay in rupees or USD via PayPal or credit card. Enjoy the free trial, the discount, and the Celtics vs. Warriors!
Once you’ve set up an account, it seems that the League Pass notes your location and will only let you access it from the country you signed up from. So you’ll need to connect to servers in India in the future to watch. This goes the other way, too. If you already have a US-based NBA League Pass account, you can’t simply access the Indian, Mexican or Vietnamese versions. You’d need to set up another account.
Where to Watch the 2022 NBA Finals Celtics vs. Warriors Online
If you’re looking for other ways to watch the Celtics vs. Warriors online, a handful of licensed streaming platforms also have coverage. Since many readers are interested in free live streams, you can take advantage of these services’ free trials to catch games at no cost.
If you’re outside the country where the stream is based, you can unblock access to these sites by matching your VPN server to the country in question. Here’s a rundown of some ways you can live stream the 2022 NBA Finals online.
| Country | Online Streaming Provider |
|---|---|
| United States | SlingTV (Recommended) FuboTV YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV DirecTV Stream |
| Australia | Kayo Sports |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports |
| India Mexico Ukraine Vietnam |
NBA League Pass |
Of course, feel free to check out our list of the best free sports streaming sites if you’re looking to take that route. The above sites offer licensed HD streams. You never know what you might find on free unofficial streaming sites, so proceed with caution.
Can I Use a Free VPN to Watch the 2022 NBA Finals?
We’ve reviewed a ton of providers, and we can tell you there are some solid free VPNs out there. While they can be useful for protecting yourself from hackers on insecure public Wi-Fi, or unblocking certain websites, they’re not well-suited for live sports streaming.
Many free VPNs market their services as being on par with premium providers, but you’ll find yourself running into these problems with streaming live video.
- Limited server networks: Surfshark has more than 3,200 servers in 65 countries. Some free providers have been known to have as few as five server locations. While you might be able to connect to the United States, you could have a tough time getting reliable Indian, Mexican or Vietnamese servers for League Pass.
- Data limits and caps: This is another big one. Free VPNs often have “freemium” business models, meaning they don’t charge anything for the most basic services. They do, however, limit data usage each day or month — sometimes as little as 500MB. You won’t even be able to finish Game 1 on that, and if you want more data, you’ll end up having to pay extra anyways.
- Slow speeds: Whether it’s throttling bandwidth, overloaded servers, or just poor tech, free services are generally slower than their premium counterparts. Even if you bought extra data, you’ll find it’s going to take much longer to stream even low-quality video. So live HD sports streams will certainly have plenty of lag, buffering, and pixelation.
Rather than fool around with free VPNs, we recommend trying out Surfshark at no cost. Since they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee you could watch the entire NBA Finals, even if it goes all the way to Game 7. Just cancel it within 30 days and get your money back if you don’t think you’ll need it afterward.
What to Expect: Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors NBA Finals
With one of the most dominating defenses in recent memory and offensive superstar Jayson Tatum leading the pack, the Boston Celtics are looking to bring their first NBA championship home in 14 years.
While they’ve gone to the Eastern Conference finals four times in the past six seasons, they haven’t made the NBA Finals since 2010, when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7. Getting here was no easy feat either, as the Celtics had to knock out Jimmy Butler’s Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, and Kevin Durant’s Nets to claim the final slot on the championship bracket.
On the other end of the court, Stephen Curry has led the Golden State Warriors to six NBA Finals in the past eight years. As a team no longer plagued by injuries, the Warriors continued their dominance over the Western Conference. They routed the Dallas Mavericks in five games to lock in home advantage in the championship.
Though offense struggled during the regular season, the postseason Warriors have an eye-popping offensive rating of 116.1 going into Game 1.
As for the odds, the Warriors are a slight -155 favorite to the Celtics’ +135 in Caesar’s Sportsbook. But most analysts have pointed out that the two teams make perfect foes, which will make for one explosive NBA Finals series.
2022 NBA Finals Schedule: Celtics vs. Warriors
| Game | Date | Time (EST) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Thursday, June 2 | 9 PM | San Francisco |
| Game 2 | Sunday, June 5 | 8 PM | San Francisco |
| Game 3 | Wednesday, June 8 | 9 PM | Boston |
| Game 4 | Friday, June 10 | 9 PM | Boston |
| Game 5 (if necessary) | Monday, June 13 | 9 PM | San Francisco |
| Game 6 (if necessary) | Thursday, June 16 | 9 PM | Boston |
| Game 7 (if necessary) | Sunday, June 19 | 8 PM | San Francisco |
