NBA Finals 2017: Game 1 Start Time, TV Channel, Live Stream Info For Cavaliers vs. Warriors

The wait is finally over and the 2017 NBA Finals are here. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will battle for the championship for a third straight year, and it’s all set to begin with Game 1 Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

Game 1 is scheduled for a 9 p.m. EDT start, and ABC will have the TV coverage. Fans can watch a free live stream online with WatchESPN.

READ: NBA Finals 2017 Series Prediction, Betting Odds

Aside from the NBA championship, plenty is at stake for players on both teams. LeBron James is looking to further cement his legacy as one of the best players in NBA history, and another title will even further the “greatest of all time” debate between himself and Michael Jordan. Kevin Durant is looking to win his first ring, and he’ll certainly face a lot of criticism if he can’t get the job done after joining a team that won 73 games a year ago.

Stephen Curry is looking to bounce back from a disappointing finals performance. He looked nothing like the player that was named the unanimous NBA MVP in 2016, allow the Cavs to make a historic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.

Unlike in each of the last two years when the Warriors and Cavs faced off, the All-Stars on both sides seem to be completely healthy. That isn’t the case for head coach Steve Kerr, who hasn’t been on Golden State’s bench since Game 2 of the team’s first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the hours leading up to the game, it’s still unknown when and if Kerr will feel up to coaching in the series.

“He's talked about possibly coaching Game 1 ... and I even tried to tell him, ‘Steve, you should do it ... and if you don't feel like you're OK, halfway through the game, just go back in the back,’”Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown told ESPN’s Michael Wilbon.

Brown has filled in for Kerr, and the Warriors haven’t missed a beat. Golden State has gone 10-0 with Brown on the bench. Kerr indicated Monday that he was not yet feeling well enough to coach.

“We have a veteran team. I don't think it will jolt our guys at all. I know it wouldn't jolt me,” Brown said. “You know, I understand that that's my job. But Steve is so conscientious about the players -- and you know the storyline and all these other things -- that he wants to make sure that he feels good enough to come back and do it on a full-time basis and not rock the boat with anyone or not cause a distraction from our team. And I respect that. I'm OK with it however it happens.”

The Warriors are the only team in NBA history to go 12-0 before the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers went 11-0 to start the 2001 NBA Playoffs when the first-round was only a best-of-five series. L.A. dropped the first game of the finals, but they went on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in five games.

Cleveland enters the finals at 12-1 in the postseason. Reaching his seventh consecutive finals, James is looking to win his fourth ring.