NBA Releases Two Western Conference Finals Schedules for Spurs-Timberwolves

The NBA released two Western Conference Finals schedules, and the Thunder still do not have one fixed start date in front of them. If the Spurs-Timberwolves series ends on Friday in Game 6, Oklahoma City would host Game 1 on Monday, May 18. If the series goes to a Game 7, the opening game shifts to May 20.

Oklahoma City’s Two Paths

Those two schedules give the Thunder and their eventual opponent a clear bracket map through the end of May. In the Game 6 finish, Games 1 and 2 would be played in Oklahoma City on May 18 and May 20, then Games 3 and 4 would move to San Antonio on May 22 and May 24.

If that series needed the full seven games, the winner would face Oklahoma City on May 20 and May 22 at home, then travel for Games 3 and 4 on May 24 and May 26. The rest of that path would stretch to May 28, May 30 and June 1 if Games 5, 6 and 7 were necessary.

Spurs-Timberwolves Series Stakes

The immediate hinge is Sunday, May 17, when a Game 7 would be played if the Spurs and Timberwolves cannot settle the series in six. That single result changes the Thunder’s opening date by two days and shifts the order of home games in the Western Conference Finals.

There is one more layer behind the West schedule. The Eastern Conference is under the same kind of wait-and-see setup depending on whether the Cavaliers or Pistons win Game 6 tomorrow, which means the NBA is managing both sides of the bracket with the same release.

June 3 Finals Clock

The larger deadline is already set. The NBA Finals begin with Game 1 on June 3, followed by Game 2 on June 5, Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10.

If that series goes long, Games 5, 6 and 7 would fall on June 13, June 16 and June 19. For the Thunder, the practical value of the new schedule is simple: once the Spurs-Timberwolves series ends, the West final dates snap into place immediately, and the path to the June 3 Finals start becomes clearer.