NBA Finals -- singular or plural?

The NBA Finals are basketball's biggest stage?

OR

The NBA Finals is basketball's biggest stage?

 

Unfortunately, since they incorrectly pluralize the noun, you need to make the verb agree.

There are 4 quarterfinals, 2 semifinals . . . and only one final. There should never be a "finals" in anything. The fact that the "NBA Finals" occurs in 4-7 parts makes the plural use a little less offensive. But just a little.

 

I thought this was going to be a "final" or "finals" argument.

 

I'm similarly annoyed by the AP being the only organization to call it the NBA finals instead the NBA Finals.

Poorly named or not, NBA Finals is the official name of the championship series, no different than World Series or Super Bowl.

 

Yep, we have to cap it all the time as well.

And BT, I think the fact it's multiple games does justify NBA Finals....

Otherwise, gosh, it would be World Serie.

(just kidding.)

 

There is no argument - "final" is right, "finals" is wrong. The end.

 

Except for those who disagree. (And I am in the final camp.)

 

As I said, there is no argument. People who disagree are as wrong as if they had said 2+2=5. They have no argument to make.

 

That's kind of like saying Mychal Thompson or Shawn Kemp spell their names wrong. "NBA Finals" is the proper noun. It might be grammatically incorrect, but it is the correct usage.

 

It is, if you're speaking about those series individually.

If you're speaking of them collectively, "the conference finals" is correct, because there are two of them.

 

Grammar is exactly what I mean. I'm not talking here about proper names.