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NBA Playoffs 2020: Live Stream, Schedule, Start Time, TV Channel

Last updated July 7, 2021
Written by:
Gabriela Vatu
Gabriela Vatu
Streaming Writer

Watching the NBA regular season is exciting, but it's even more so when things get sorted out a bit, and once the best teams get to play against each other. The NBA playoffs are scheduled for April 2020, and we're here to tell you how to watch these games online.

Sixteen teams, eight from each Conference, will participate in the NBA playoffs. The event gets split into four rounds as the teams are seeded according to their standings. Each matchup is played as best-of-seven, with the first team to win four games advancing.

The third round winners are declared champions of their Conferences and move on to the Finals, but that's a talk for another day. The NBA regular season kicked off in October, and now the Playoffs are closing in.

When Are the NBA Playoffs 2020?

COVID-19 may have put a brake on the NBA season, but it hasn't stopped yet. In fact, with the players returning to the court, we're back on track.

Now that the season resumes, we know the Playoffs are scheduled to begin on August 17th, and they'll last through August 31st when the Conference Semifinals are scheduled.

The Conference Finals are programmed for September 15th, and the NBA Finals will begin on September 30th.

Where to Watch the NBA Playoffs 2020?

The NBA Playoffs broadcast is split between a list of TV networks each year. More specifically, you can watch the NBA Playoffs on ABC, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV. You can use the Playoffs schedule to find which network airs that specific game.

How Can I Watch the NBA Playoffs 2020?

fuboTV is only just adding ESPN and ABC to the list of channels. TNT has been around for a long while. There are multiple plans they have to offer, mixing the main bundle with various channel packs and other extras, but ABC, ESPN, and TNT are going to be available in all versions.

NBA TV can also be found on fuboTV, mainly in the fubo Sports Plus ($10.99/month), or fubo Extra ($5.99/month). There's also the option of getting it by picking one of the NBA Team Passes, which give you NBA TV and your favorite team's network.

You can customize your subscription however you want, so keep that in mind. There are extra channel packs and premium networks, as well as add-ons to expand the cloud DVR storage space or the number of simultaneous streams.

fuboTV was initially built for sports fans, so you'll discover loads of dedicated channels, which means you'll have loads of cool ways to watch your favorite events. It works on loads of devices, including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, and more.

ABC is a channel that broadcasts in select markets only, so if you live in an area with no coverage, you can use a VPN to connect to a server from a different city. Click here to find out what you have to do.

Other Ways to Watch the NBA Playoffs

Hulu - We also have Hulu on our list because it's a great platform, and you can get pretty much all the channels broadcasting NBA games, except for NBA TV. There is a single bundle of channels that you can get here, but you can add a couple of channel packs if you're looking for more content.

Your Hulu subscription will enable you also to enjoy everything available in the Video-on-Demand library that Hulu has been building for years. Start your 7-day free trial on Hulu today!

Sling TV - Sling TV is a cool service that comes with loads of customization options. There are three bundles here - Orange, Blue, and Orange + Blue. ESPN can be found in Orange and Orange + Blue, TNT is present in all of them, while NBA TV is present in the Sports Extra ($10/month) or the NBA Team Pass. Sling TV does not offer ABC, though.

Your choice will dictate the number of simultaneous streams, as Orange subscribers get a single stream, while Blue subscribers get three of them, Orange + Blue subscribers get four concurrent streams and the most channels.

There are a ton of channel packs and premium networks available to help you make the service your own. Watch 3 Days Free on Sling TV Now!

ABC, ESPN, CBS, and NBA TV Websites - These feature live streams that you can easily enjoy. You will need to log in to an account to do this, however. For those channels, you will need to have credentials from your TV provider, which can be a live TV service or cable company. That happens because they need proof that you are paying for their broadcast.

 All the websites belonging to the TV networks are geo-blocked so, if you want to watch when traveling outside of the United States, you're going to need to use a VPN. Read the segment below to learn what you have to do.

How Can I Watch the NBA Playoffs Outside of the United States?

If there's one thing you have to know about watching TV online, that is the fact that all platforms are geo-blocked, so you can't access them when traveling outside of the United States. This aspect can be quite inconvenient, but it's just something that happens because of the licensing deals in place - and unfortunately, they cannot be violated.

The best solution to this problem is simply changing your IP address so that you appear to be back in the United States rather than across the border, and a VPN could easily help you with that. We can direct you towards ExpressVPN because it's one of the best on the market today, as it comes with thousands of servers across the world.

ExpressVPN will route your connection through one of its servers, encrypt it all, and assign a new IP address to your device. In this way, the site will think you're back in the US, rather than anywhere else.

You simply have to set up an account on ExpressVPN (49% OFF), sort out the apps, and find a US-based server to connect to. There is also a 30-days money-back guarantee in place here.

Can I Use a TV Antenna to Watch the NBA Playoffs?

That is something that you can actually do, at least in part. ABC is one of the channels that continues to broadcast over-the-air, so you will be able to use a TV antenna to watch the games broadcast by this particular network.

Antennas are popular with cord-cutters because they enable people to watch TV for free by only paying for their devices. We should mention that the thing about Sling TV is that if you pay for two months in advance, they will give you a free TV antenna.

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