Thursday on TV: It's an 'Amazing Race' to the finish; the NBA Finals begin

"The Amazing Race" ends and the NBA Finals begin tonight on TV.

Season 29 of "The Amazing Race" (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2) has turned out to be a pretty good one. The racers have gone to some cool places, done some cool things, and the episodes have been, as always, well edited and (for the most part) fun to watch.

Yes, there have been some annoying contestants — but there are always some annoying contestants.

The big twist this season is that, for the first time, none of the contestants knew each other before the race began. The two-person teams were made up of total strangers, and that actually did add a new dimension to a show that's been on the air for 16 years.

In tonight's finale, the three remaining teams race to Chicago — and one pair claims the $1 million prize.

• Over on ABC, it's Game 1 of the NBA Finals (7 p.m., Ch. 4) — and it after hundreds of regular-season games and dozens of playoff games, we're right where we thought we'd be before the season began.

It's a rematch of last year's Finals, with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Actually, it's the third year in a row the two teams have met in the Finals, the first time in league history that's happened.

The Warriors won in 2015; the Cavs won in 2016. So … this is the rubber match.

Elsewhere on TV ...

• 90th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee (6 p.m., ESPN and ESPNU): Live from Washington, D.C.

• NBA Finals (7 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Game 1 — Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors

• "Beat Shazam" (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Jamie Foxx hosts.

• "Love Connection" (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Andy Cohen hosts.

• "Nashville" (10 and 11 p.m., CMT): Deacon tries to help Daphne with school; Juliette gives Maddie unsolicited advice about a song; Scarlett and Gunnar come back from their tour.