The 2021 NBA finals features one of the most unpredictable matchups in league history. Without Reddit NBA Streams, what is the best way to stream the Suns-Bucks finals?
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After years of watching the Cavs and Warriors in the finals time and time again, it’s refreshing to see some new faces on Basketball’s biggest stage.
The Suns impressively, whether opponents had injuries or not, emerged from the tough Western Conference playoffs. Phoenix will be hoping to win their first NBA Championship, as will be Chris Paul.
The team last appeared in the finals in 1993, led by NBA legend Charles Barkley. They came up short then, and have been waiting to hang up a banner since.
Make no mistake about it: just making the finals this season is huge for Phoenix. Before this year, the team was battling through an 11 year playoff draught. If they finish the job, it’ll be one of the great comeback stories in NBA history.
Phoenix are the betting favorites to win, partly because of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury. He came out of game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals with a gruesome-looking hyperextended left knee.
His status is doubtful for game 1, and if things don’t go his way, he could be watching the finals from the sidelines. If that’s the case, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez will have to step up big time.
The Bucks were last in the finals in 1974 and last won in 1971, so this series is huge for Milwaukee fans. The team has been consistently performing the last few years, but haven’t been able to get over the hump.
For now, we’ll just have to hope the Greek Freak is out there, fighting for the Larry O’Brien with his teammates.
How to Stream the 2021 NBA Finals for Free?
The series will be broadcast nationally on ABC and its local channels. However, if you don’t have cable you may be concerned about missing the action.
If you simply can’t be around a TV during the games, then you can stream games using Watch ESPN or the ESPN app. However, you would need to already have a cable subscription for this.
A more viable solution for cord cutters would be to watch the games on a streaming platform that carries ABC or ESPN’s simulcast. These are the options:
- fuboTV
- YouTube TV
- Hulu
- Sling TV
- AT&T Now
If you’re already subscribed to one or more of these platforms, then you’re good to go. However even if you aren’t, the first 3 options offer free trials. Now might be the perfect time to take your free week/month.
Why Was Reddit NBA Streams Banned?
The r/nbastreams subreddit was one of the most valuable resources for basketball fans around the world. Links, which were reliable for the most part, were posted for every single NBA game.
Fans were also spoiled, considering they could watch every single game, the draft, and more in high definition. And the best part about all of this was that the streams were completely free.
No payment, no account, just a link with a couple of pop-ups here and there. However, the free ride came to an end when Reddit banned the page at the start of last season. So, why did Reddit ban one of their most popular pages?
The short answer to this question is that the subreddit was technically illegal. If you watch other sports, you probably weren’t too surprised to see Reddit make this decision. Before the ban, the page for soccer, cricket, and MMA streams were taken down.
Afterwards, the subreddits for NFL and MLB streams were given a similar treatment. The basic problem is that posting free links is a clear case of copyright infringement and leagues were starting to take notice.
Obviously, free streams lead to a loss of revenue for the league and broadcasters so action needed to be taken. Interestingly though, Reddit was never forced to ban the subreddit, but rather chose to do so according to their own repeat infringement policy.
The policy reads:
Our policy is to close the accounts of users, in appropriate circumstances, who have repeatedly been charged with copyright infringement. Sometimes a repeat infringement problem is limited to one user and we close just that user’s account. Other times, the problem pervades a whole subreddit community and we close the subreddit.
Plan for next season: What is the Best Way to Stream NBA Games?
Unfortunately, there are currently no entirely free and legal ways to watch the NBA. The owners of the Reddit NBA Streams page clearly haven’t gone into hiding, returning with a page called r/adamsilverfanpage, a ironic jab at NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
This time, the people running the page have been more careful so to not violate any of Reddit’s rules. Regardless, it is highly recommended that you choose from the following paid options to get your NBA fix.
Across the long NBA season, games are broadcasted on ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBA TV, and RSNs (regional sports networks). Therefore, it is hard to find a single streaming service that can satisfy all your needs given the variety of broadcast rights.
A number of platforms including, but not restricted to YouTube TV, fuboTV, Vidgo, Hulu+Live Sports, AT&T, and Sling TV offer their own unique packages.
The best thing you can do is look into each streaming service to see what they offer and at what price, looking out specifically for your local market games.
Another option to look into is the league’s official streaming service: League Pass. Technically speaking, this is the only way to watch every single game live and on-demand.
But there’s a catch. Only international subscribers will have access to every single game. Due to the blackout rules in the States, fans living in the US can only watch out-of-market games live.
Additionally, you can’t watch nationally televised games live either, which unfortunately includes the playoffs. Therefore, this service is of great use for hardcore fans, but it is especially valuable for fans who don’t live in the market where their favorite team plays.
