NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - Owners of National Basketball Association (NBA) sides approved a modification to the format of the best-of-seven championship finals so the home and away sequence conforms with other rounds of the play-offs.

The league announced yesterday that the owners voted unanimously to adopt a 2-2-1-1-1 format, beginning with the 2013-14 season.

It replaces the 2-3-2 system that has seen the team with home-court advantage host the first two and, if necessary, last two games - with the other team hosting games three, four and five.

The revised system, recommended by the league's competition committee, will allow for an extra day between games six and seven.

Earlier rounds of the play-offs use the 2-2-1-1-1 schedule, and the finals

did too, from 1957-84.

The format was then changed to make it less onerous to travel during the championship series.

Commissioner David Stern said there had been widespread feeling that it was unfair that the team with home-court advantage should have to play game five on the road if the series was tied at 2-2 after four games.