• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 6, 2025

Sports World’s Ground Zero: Dallas to Host NBA and NHL Conference Finals

  • American Airlines Center is the first arena to host NHL, NBA conference finals games in the same season since 2003.
  • Venue officials are stressing normalcy in what remains an abnormal situation.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The center of the sports world, at least for the next week or so, will largely be the American Airlines Center in Dallas, highlighting a unique confluence among two of the city’s major pro teams. 

The NHL’s Stars and NBA’s Mavericks, who share the 23-year-old arena, have each reached the conference finals in their respective leagues. That’s the first time that’s happened in the same year with NHL and NBA teams that share a building since 2003, when the Devils and Nets each advanced to the league finals, and New Jersey winning the Stanley Cup, while playing at the now closed Meadowlands Arena (then known as Continental Airlines Arena). 

A somewhat similar situation happened just a year ago when the NHL’s Panthers and NBA’s Heat in South Florida also made joint finals appearances. But those teams play in separate arenas more than 30 miles apart. 

The situation in Dallas, conversely, has been a jam-packed one in which three concerts there have already been rescheduled due to the ongoing playoff runs, with more shifts likely to come. Such movement on the venue calendar is typical at this time of year as concerts booked for May and June frequently contain additional contingencies to account for newly scheduled playoff games in basketball and hockey. 

Boom Times in Big D

Upcoming games at American Airlines Center will be held May 23, 25, 26, and 28, with more possible depending on the outcome of the two series. But arena leaders are attempting to normalize the situation, and highlighted the frequent operational turnovers all year long between the two sports and other events. 

“This is really about the teams and the fans,” Dave Brown, American Airlines Center general manager, tells Front Office Sports. “This is what we do and what we prepare for. It’s very exciting, obviously, but we are ready for this.”

A similar shared-arena situation for the conference finals was one game away from also happening at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and it would have extended what’s been a historically resonant spring for the NBA’s Knicks and NHL’s Rangers. But the Knicks fell to the Pacers on Sunday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Both the Stars and Mavericks have previously won league championships, but never at the same time. But the latest success extends a local run that has included MLB’s Rangers winning last year’s World Series and that team’s Globe Life Field hosting the league All-Star Game in July. The NFL’s Cowboys, by far the most popular team locally, have been left out of this and haven’t reached the NFC championship game since 1995.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Apr 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) points to the dugout after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park.

Trump Travel Ban Not Expected to Impact MLB, NBA—for Now

The ban is a full restriction on 12 countries and a partial ban on others.
NBA Finals

NBA Finals Continue to Strip Away Pageantry

Fans once again complained about the lack of visible Finals markings.

Silver: NBA Local Media Woes Could Hurt Expansion Momentum

Las Vegas and Seattle have long been rumored as expansion cities.
Tony Clark

Everything You Need to Know About the MLBPA-OneTeam FBI Investigation

Money from lucrative group licensing deals is under federal scrutiny.

Featured Today

August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
UFL

UFL Ratings Dropped 20% in Second Season

The UFL is in its second season after a XFL-USFL merger.
June 4, 2025

Manfred: MLB Wants New Media-Rights Deal Before All-Star Game

Talks continue with three bidders, and a decision is expected soon.
June 5, 2025

NHL Not Opening Expansion Bids—but Houston, Atlanta Still in Mix

The question of additional franchises will stay in a more unstructured process.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Jun 4, 2025; Paris, FR; Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates winning her match against Madison Keys of the United States on day 11 at Roland Garros Stadium.
June 4, 2025

Coco Gauff Is Last Hope for U.S. to End French Open Drought

Gauff last made the French Open final in 2022.
LeBron James
June 4, 2025

Adam Silver: All-Star Game Will Be USA vs. World in Daytime Event

The NBA tried a tournament last year that fell in ratings.
Hilary Knight
June 4, 2025

PWHL Teams Risk Losing Superstars in Expansion Draft

The league permitted teams to initially protect only three players each.
June 4, 2025

ACC Lawsuits Formally Closed, but How Long Will Peace Remain?

Florida State, Clemson, and the ACC have ended their litigation.