NBA Finals -- singular or plural?

Which I said above was correct. I'm sorry I expanded on my answer.

 

This debate has been going since CBS and the NBA began calling it "Finals." It should be final. The "s" is added because its a series (at least that's what one TV type told me many moons ago). In copy, I take the "S" off. I haven't had a complaint yet.

 

I don't think there needs to be any explanation for why "finals" is used. It's an incorrect usage that has become so common as to be acceptable in informal settings. That's how a large chunk of the language came to be.

 

The TV type obviously doesn't realize that a series is a singular entity.

 

It's TV double J. Always remember its a make-believe world to those folks. (Sorry if that line offended my TV brotheren).

 

And if you run the official NBA Finals logo, it's going to have an S. If you take out the 'S' in copy, you're creating an inconsistency.

 

Good point. No, I don't put an s on Dodger Stadium.

 

Correct. It is a proper name, whether or not anyone wants to change it to their own incorrect style.

 

Here's a thought - how about making it plural because of the multiple participants, two teams and Stern's NBA referee hoods who will fix your team's ass if you cross him, or them.

 

I've always understood it to be plural because they're the final games. The Eastern Conference finals are the final games played between Eastern Conference teams. The NBA Finals are the final games played between any NBA teams.

Is there one final game in the Finals? Well, yes. But I have no issue with it, especially considering best-of-seven series are not played during the season, so you couldn't necessarily say it's the final series.