How to Watch NBA Playoffs Online
There is nothing more American than tuning into one of the biggest sports in the country, basketball. Well, it’s either that, football, or baseball. This April will see the NBA come alive as the playoffs are due to start.
If you are abroad and slightly devastated that you will not be tuning in, there’s no need to stress. Basketball fans all over the world will be able to tune in to some of the most exciting games of the season. How? With a VPN.
If you want to watch a game live it might be somewhat annoying because all local games are blacked out unless you are located in the US, meaning you won’t be able to watch until the game is finished. A VPN is your best bet for watching all NBA games from abroad as it gives you the freedom to watch all the games as though you are watching from home. It does so by routing your IP address to a server in the country of your choosing, in this case, the US. Keep reading to find out how.
Where to Watch NBA Playoffs Online
1. NBA.com
This is one of the easiest options out there, particularly if you already have a subscription. You can watch the games as they are happening or whenever you feel like it during the season. You should note that you can only watch those particular games that you have subscribed to. There are a number of subscriptions on offer to choose from.
League Pass – this subscription will let you tune in to every game of the season and will set you back $75 a year.
Team Choice – if you are only interested to see how your favorite team will fare during the season, this is the package for you. Watch only those games featuring your team for $45.
Game Choice – this package is available for $35 and will let you watch any eight games of your choice.
These subscriptions are available for people to watch all over the world, however, some regional blackouts do occur. Also, NBA.com basketball viewing packages do not work in the following countries:
- Liberia
- Central African Republic
- Congo
- Cote D’Ivoire
- North Korea
- Iraq
- Zimbabwe
- Somalia
- Syria
- Sudan
Do not despair if you are visiting any of these countries during the playoffs, you can still watch all of the games with a VPN. Keep reading to find out how.
2. FuboTV
These guys have some great plans for sports fans. Within its base plan, you will find FuboTV offers NBA TV. It has 45 different channels and you can also use it with two different devices, which is quite handy, especially if you are traveling. If you suspect you might miss a game there are also 30 hours of DVR storage which will allow you to catch up on any lost games. If you are unsure but want to test out the waters with FuboTV, they offer a seven-day free trial.
3. Sling TV
Sling has your basketball needs covered in that they cover ESPN, NBA TV, TNT, and ABC. There are three bundles that you can choose from with the Orange bundle covering ESPN and TNT which is probably more than enough for any basketball fan. If you aren’t sure which bundle will be right for you, can always use their seven-day free trial to get accustomed to their service and find out.
4. PlayStation Vue
With channels like ESPN, TNT and ABC there will be no shortage of basketball action when you sign up with PlayStation Vue. It will set you back a little more than the other options and some channels’ availability is subject to where you live, but with a VPN this should be no problem. You also have the option of hooking up as many as five devices at once. Create your own viewing profiles and enjoy personalized DVR and viewing recommendations as well as Cloud DVR storing unlimited episodes for 28 days. A seven-day free trial is also available.
5. DirecTV Now
You will have access to ABC, ESPN, NBA TV as well as TNT if you sign up with DirecTV Now. Streaming on as many as three devices, you have the option of recording and watching the games later as well. This will be more costly than other options available, but you will have packages offering over 40 or over 50 channels to view at your pleasure. Again, a seven-day free trial is also available.
How to Watch NBA Playoffs Online Free
For those of you who do not already have a subscription to the above-mentioned streaming sites and want to watch NBA games online free, there are some alternatives for you as well.
There are many streaming sites out there offering you the best NBA streaming available, but let’s face the facts, that is a lottery within itself. Many of these streaming sites are riddled with traps laid by hackers just waiting to throw some malware your way.
In saying that, however, there are a few good ones that do the trick such as VIPBox and nba-stream.com.
You can always watch the NBA with Kodi as well, which also gives you the opportunity to have sport add-ons, both official and unofficial. We’re talking add-ons like BT Sport Video, Fox Sports Go, SportsDevil, Project D, and Bennu.
You will have to install these add-ons, so if you want to install SportsDevil (one of the favorites) you need to take the following steps.
- Download the SportsDevil zip file.
- Go to the System tab from your Kodi home screen.
- Click on Add-ons.
- Now, click Install from zip file.
- After doing that, head over to where the zip file has been downloaded.
- Install the zip file through the Kodi menu.
- SportsDevil Kodi add-on installation is now complete.
How to Live Stream NBA from Abroad
If you are tuning in from the UK you can watch NBA live on either BT Sport, Now TV, or Sky Sports. Canadians can get their NBA fix on NBA TV Canada, TSN or Sportsnet.
If you are catching the games from Australia, you can see the games on ESPN and if in New Zealand you can watch live on TVNZ Duke.
For all those people living abroad that want to watch NBA live, they will be well aware of the frustration that comes with getting locked out of their favorite content when traveling. For example, if you have a SlingTV subscription, you can kiss it goodbye if you are abroad as it only works for those people located within the US. The same goes for your NBA Pass.
The solution? Getting your hands on a reliable VPN service provider will optimize each of the above NBA streaming options for any business travelers, exchange students, expats or vacationers wanting to watch the game. Your trusty VPN will redirect your internet traffic right to the country you want to view the content from, making it look like you belong to that location.
So, what will a great VPN do for you? Some of the best VPNs around will be able to provide:
- Unlock gaming and TV show streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime
- Strong encryption
- Bypass ISP throttling
- Avoid ISP monitoring and tracking
- Easy setup
- Trusted military-grade protection
- Circumvent any campus or office firewall
- Malware protection
- Protect your data from hackers
- Large amount of servers
- No logs
- Fantastic customer service
How to Watch NBA Playoffs Live Stream With a VPN
- Subscribe to a VPN service.
- Install the VPN on your chosen device.
- Launch your VPN app and connect to a VPN server in the US.
- Open your browser and pick your streaming site.
- Log in and stream the NBA games live from anywhere in the world.
Top VPNs To Stream NBA Playoffs Live
Now that we have covered the streaming channels available to stream NBA playoffs and how to install your VPN, you should find which VPN service will be perfect for streaming those dramatic basketball games. Our favorites are as follows.
#1 ExpressVPN
Coming in at number one is ExpressVPN. There are countless reasons as to why it is your best bet for streaming NBA seamlessly, starting with the number of servers. They have 2,000 servers in almost 100 countries and 30 of those can be found in the US, which means you can connect to any of the above-mentioned streaming services without worrying about the connection.
They do not have issues with connecting to streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu, and other services, which cannot be said for many other VPNs. You can install their app easily and you can connect up to three devices with a single subscription. This does not mean you cannot install the app on as many devices as you wish, but you can only watch simultaneously on three devices, which should be more than enough for any user.
Often there are complaints of devices slowing down or experiencing lagging, due to your data being encrypted to a faraway location. This will not be an issue for anyone with an ExpressVPN as the speed is fast and consistent and the connection excellent. Should you need technical help, customer service is always on hand, with knowledgeable agents available 24/7.
Here are some of the top reasons to choose ExpressVPN for streaming NBA:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Ultra-fast streaming speeds
- Compatible with Android TV (Box) and Fire TV
- Apps available for every device
- Hides your streaming activity
- No connection logs
- No activity logs
- P2P possibility
- Ping times that are minimally affected
- ExpressVPN works extremely well in high censorship countries
- Military-grade encryption
- Large international server network
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Outstanding customer service
- 99% uptime guarantee
Starting from as low as $6.67
ExpressVPN also offers a special deal, get 3 months free and 49% savings with their annual subscription plan!
Want to find out more? Check out the full review here
#2 Surfshark
This is another great VPN option for streaming NBA online. They may not have as many servers on offer as ExpressVPN, with 500 servers in 50 countries, but Surfshark have been voted the best VPN newcomer and it’s easy to see why.
With ultra-fast speeds which rival the best in the business and unlimited simultaneous connections, Surfshark is slowly starting to circle the competition.
Here are some more reasons that got them to the top of our list:
- Good download speeds
- Zero logging
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited platform protection
- Unlimited Server Switching
- Some servers work with Netflix
- Strong encryption
- Torrenting allowed
Starting from as low as $1.99
Want to find out more? Check out the full review here
#3 CyberGhost
If you want a large server base for streaming NBA games, CyberGhost has more than enough with over 3,000 in 58 countries. You can pinpoint the very best location to stream the playoffs with 701 servers just in the US. No bandwidth or data regulations paired with a 45-day money-back guarantee means you can stream to your heart’s content.
Here are some more reasons why we recommend CyberGhost for streaming NBA online:
- Strict No Logs Policy
- High speeds
- Automatic Kill Switch
- Simultaneous connections on up to 7 devices
- Easy to use
- 256-bit AES Encryption
- Unlimited bandwidth and traffic
- OpenVPN, L2TP-IPsec and PPTP protocols
- Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Routers
Starting from as low as $2.75
Want to find out more? Check out the full review here
#4 NordVPN
This company has been around since 2012 and suffice to say they know what makes a great VPN. With their base in Panama, you can bet that they will not retain any of your browsing or online data as this country is outside of the Five and Fourteen Eyes alliance. Many VPNs claim to have no logs of your activities, but actually do log some data which is not the case with NordVPN. If anonymity is what you’re after, this is the VPN for you.
Watch NBA playoffs online with ease with NordVPN, but in saying that, there are a few drawbacks with NordVPN. They do not allow payment via PayPal and you will not be granted access to French Netflix, so if that is a problem, you can always go with our top choice ExpressVPN.
Here are some cool features NordVPN have on offer:
- Over 5000 servers in 62 countries
- IP Leak protection
- Double VPN
- CyberSec
- Onion Over VPN
- Simultaneous connections on up to 6 devices
- Automatic Kill Switch
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Set-up and installation takes just minutes
- 24-hour customer support
Starting from as low as $2.99
Want to find out more? Check out the full review here.
The Bottom Line
Basketball is certainly one of the sports that is associated with the US, so naturally, it is understandable that any expats, exchange students, business travelers or vacationers may want to catch up and see how their favorite team is doing. With the playoffs just around the corner, whether you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan, Boston Celtics fanatic or a lover of the Golden State Warriors, you will want to tune in on April 13th.
With geo-blocking restrictions barring people outside of the US from watching all the best of the NBA action, a reliable VPN service provider will get you unrestricted access to any and all of your favorite games, so make sure to tune in no matter where you are in the world.
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