NBA owners have unanimously agreed to change the format of the NBA Finals from 2014.

The league will switch from 2-3-2, which sees the team with the best regular season record play the first and last two games at home, to a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

Commissioner David Stern said: "There's been a sense among our teams that in a 2-2 series, it's not fair for a team with the better record to be away [for game five].

"It's not fair for the better team in terms of record to spend as many as eight days away from home."

Deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who replaces Stern in February, added: "It made sense to do it now. Events came together over many years, and it reached a crescendo. The basketball people thought it was important, and the business people stood down and said it was no longer necessary."

The 2-3-2 format was brought in in 1985.