Streaming the NBA Playoffs Has Actually Been Pretty Great
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
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I’m not a cord-cutter, yet — the economics of internet-only packages still don’t make sense — and I, like you (probably), abhor the fragmentation of sports that has exploded through streaming. The extraneous subscriptions required, never quite knowing what game will be on where, and sometimes even getting subpar presentations of games and matches — I’m looking at you here, Netflix — feels like the opposite of having died and gone to sports heaven, which was the original sales pitch for ESPN. That’s ESPN, the linear cable channel, not ESPN+ and not the new ESPN app.
But I must say, my experience streaming these NBA Playoffs has actually been pretty great — especially when you remember the 2025-26 season has been the first on both Amazon’s Prime Video and Peacock.
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Sure, it kind of sucks when you already pay for cable and also have to pay for something like Prime Video to catch a conference semi-finals series. (NBC would be in your linear-TV package in this scenario, so Peacock is a choice here.) But if there is one streaming video service worth paying for, it is Amazon’s — if not for the programming, but for the free, two-day retail shipping that alone is worth the price of admission. Complaints about needing “another streaming service” to watch Prime Video’s NBA package don’t land as strongly as others.
Any real kinks with streaming live, primetime (and big time) sports were mostly ironed out during Prime Video’s earlier Thursday Night Football games. Save for one really bad (because it was overtime) two-minute-long video outage during the first round of the playoffs, the NBA has made a relatively smooth transition to the platform. (The hiccup was a production truck problem, a source with knowledge tells The Hollywood Reporter, and would have happened with any form of delivery.)
Amazon’s 13,000-square-foot, two-story NBA studio — a regulation-sized half court — and its LED floor are best in class; NBA on Prime host Taylor Rooks and analyst Blake Griffin are as well. I personally take much comfort in Ian Eagle, the longtime voice of my New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, calling the game on the floor. (Who knows when the Nets themselves will next be in these playoffs?)
The NBA on Prime wrapped for the season on Sunday; ESPN, ABC and NBC/Peacock will take it from here. Like Prime Video, Peacock’s growing pains (in terms of live streaming, at least) are mostly in the past thanks to its own primetime NFL rights for Sunday Night Football. There was, however, an audio problem with Monday night’s start to the Western Conference Finals; a Peacock spokesperson did not immediately respond to THR‘s request for comment on the issue. NBC Sports’ most important piece of audio, “Roundball Rock,” helps soften the blow a bit. (All due respect to “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.”)
It is also worth pointing out that ESPN/ABC has the only other existing primetime NFL package, Monday Night Football, so they’re generally well-oiled too.
Streaming affords most households far more flexibility than broadcast and cable television. In mine, for example, I have four TVs that can stream games and only one is hooked up to linear. That’s not counting the tablets and cell phones. And sure, I could probably authenticate and (try to) stream my box via the Optimum app, but that would require an Apple TV device and a hell of a lot of frustration tolerance. IYKYK.
The NBA schedule, like Major League Baseball and typically unlike the NFL, travels well from East Coast living rooms to bedrooms. Here, West Coast games begin late and can serve as a great bedtime story and, subsequently, white noise. So whether you like to pass out on the couch while passively listening to Spurs/Thunder or you’re already between the sheets, unless you want to spend multiple apps-worth of money monthly on extra cable boxes, it is apps that will tuck you in. I also find that, for however imperfect digital delivery systems can be (like in a storm, for example), they are no less reliable than your average cable box.
For those who still live that