The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the original Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1976–77, though under the same name until 1984.
The series was initially known as the BAA Finals prior to the 1949–50 season when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The competition oversaw further name changes to NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985, as well as a brief stint as the Showdown, before settling on NBA Finals in 1986.[1] Since 2018, it has been officially known as the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons.[2][3]
The NBA Finals was initially structured in a 2–2–1–1–1 format.[4] In 1985, to ease the amount of cross-country travel, it was changed to a 2–3–2 format, in which the first two and last two games of the series were played at the arena of the team who earned home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season.[5][6] In 2014, the 2–2–1–1–1 format was restored. The team with the better regular season record hosts the first two games and the other team hosts the next two games. If needed, the remaining three are played at each team's home arena alternately, starting with the arena of the team with the better regular season record.[7][8]
A total of 21 franchises have won the NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics winning the most recent title in 2024. Boston holds the record for the most championships, having won the Finals 18 times. Boston also won the most consecutive titles, winning eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. The Los Angeles Lakers have the most NBA Finals appearances, with 32. The Eastern Division/Conference has provided the most champions, with 40 wins from eleven franchises; the Western Division/Conference has 37, from nine franchises.
The beginning era of modern professional basketball was dominated by the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five of the first ten titles. The Philadelphia Warriors also won multiple championships, including the inaugural title in 1947 and another in 1956 to bookend the NBA's first decade. After being founded in 1946, the Basketball Association of America completed its inaugural season in April 1947 with the Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Chicago Stags in the 1947 BAA Finals in five games. The following season the Warriors again reached the Finals, however they fell short to the now defunct Baltimore Bullets. To date the Baltimore Bullets are the only defunct team to win a championship.
In 1948, the Minneapolis Lakers won the championship of the rival National Basketball League before joining the BAA. Led by future Hall of Famer George Mikan, the Lakers won the third and final BAA championship in 1949 over the Red Auerbach-coached Washington Capitals. The BAA then merged with the NBL to form the National Basketball Association before the 1949–50 season. The Lakers won the inaugural NBA championship in 1950 to become the first team to repeat as champions.
In 1951, the Rochester Royals defeated the New York Knicks in the only Finals contested between two teams from the same state (something not possible under the current NBA alignment). This was the first of three consecutive losses in the Finals for the Knicks, Meanwhile, the Lakers won three straight Finals from 1952 to 1954 to become the first team to three-peat while also winning their fifth title in six seasons.
Of the five franchises to win a championship from 1947 to 1956, one (the Bullets) folded and the other four (the Warriors, Lakers, Royals, and Syracuse Nationals) all relocated by 1964.
The Boston Celtics won 11 of the 12 NBA Finals they reached during 13 seasons (1956–57 to 1968–69), including eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966.[9] During this time the St. Louis Hawks also won their only title before moving to Atlanta and the Philadelphia 76ers won their first title since relocating from Syracuse.
With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, spearheaded by center Bill Russell, the team saw great success. Despite encountering some difficulty when up against teams led by Wilt Chamberlain, for most of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Celtics and Russell managed to have an upper hand on Chamberlain's teams.
In 1964, Chamberlain, who had moved to the state of California alongside his team, led the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Division championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics. The following season, he returned to the Eastern Division to join the Philadelphia 76ers after the former Syracuse Nationals relocated to the city to cover the vacancy created by the Warriors.
The first clash between the two stars in the playoffs was in 1966, with Boston winning the series 4–1. In the following season, Philadelphia coach Alex Hannum instructed Chamberlain to provide an increased focus on playing a team game, to avoid drawing the double-teams that troubled Chamberlain during the Finals. This tactical change brought the team to a new record of 68 wins the following season, as well as defeating the Celtics before winning the 1967 Finals. In 1968, Boston overcame a 3–1 deficit against Philadelphia to once again arrive in the Finals. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals to again become NBA champions.
In 1969, the Celtics faced great difficulty entering the postseason, as they had an aging team and multiple injuries to a number of players. They qualified for the playoffs as the fourth and final seed in the East, while the Lakers, who had added Chamberlain in the off-season to join stars Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were prohibitive favorites to become champions for the first time since relocating to Los Angeles. Despite holding a 2–1 advantage going into Game 4, the Lakers led 87–86 and had the ball with 10 seconds to play. But after a turnover, Sam Jones scored to give the Celtics a narrow 88–87 win and tying the series. The series was eventually tied 3–3 going into Game 7 in Los Angeles, with Lakers owner Jack Cooke hanging balloons in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. West also picked up injuries to his thigh and hamstring during the series, but returned to play for the final game. Russell utilized this newly lacking mobility in West to organize fast breaks at every opportunity for the Celtics, which allowed them to gain an early lead. They held off a furious Lakers comeback to win 108–106 and win the series, and win their eleventh championship in 13 years.
As many stars either declined or retired following this win, it is largely recognized as the last NBA Finals conducted by the Celtics dynasty.
The 1970s saw ten different teams reach the Finals and eight different teams win a championship, the most of any decade in the NBA, with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks winning twice.
In 1970, a classic Finals featured the Knicks against the Lakers. In the waning moments of Game 3, with the series tied, Jerry West hit a basket from 60 feet to tie the game, a shot that became one of the most famous ever.[10] However, the Knicks won in overtime and eventually won the series in 7 games. Game 7 featured an injured Willis Reed returning to action for the Knicks and inspiring his team to victory, though Reed scored only 4 points.[11] The following season had another first-time champion, as the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, defeated the Baltimore Bullets.
Two seasons after losing in the Finals, the Lakers won 33 straight games, the longest winning streak in NBA history.[12] By season's end, they broke the record for most wins in a season with 69, one more than the 1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers, before taking home the championship for the first time since relocating to Los Angeles, beating the Knicks. The Knicks returned to win the Finals again a season later, followed by the Celtics’ 12th title in 1974.
The late 1970s were characterized by a major breakthrough of the league's western franchises. In 1975, after compiling a 48–34 regular season record, the Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4–0 in the 1975 NBA Finals. In 1976, the Phoenix Suns, after only eight years of existence, overcame an 18–27 losing record early in the regular season to build a remarkable run to finish 42–40.[13] The team, nicknamed the "Sunderella Suns," achieved upset victories over the Seattle SuperSonics and the Warriors, before facing the Celtics in the Finals. The teams split the first four games, before Game 5 went into three overtimes, and Boston won 128–126.[14] The Celtics quickly managed to secure their 13th championship, and second in three years, defeating the Suns 87–80 in Game 6.
Franchises that won their first titles in the 1970s included the New York Knicks in 1970, Milwaukee Bucks in 1971, the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, and the Washington Bullets, who defeated the Seattle SuperSonics, in 1978. The Sonics exacted revenge on the Bullets the following season, beating Washington in five games in 1979 to win their first title.
The 1980s were mostly known for the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, who combined to win eight titles in the decade. Rookie Magic Johnson led the Showtime Lakers to the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by Julius Erving. The Lakers took a 3–2 lead, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could not play in Game 6 due to injury. Johnson, a natural point guard, was shifted to center and played every position on the court during the game, scoring 42 points, with 15 rebounds and 7 assists to win his first championship and Finals MVP honors, becoming the first and only rookie to win the award.[15]
Boston reached the 1981 NBA Finals led by the "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. They met the Houston Rockets, who were carried practically single-handedly by Moses Malone and upset the Lakers in the first round. The Rockets were only the second team in NBA history to make the Finals after posting a losing record in the regular season, and the Celtics had an NBA best record of 62–20. The Celtics won the Finals in 6 games.
The Lakers returned to the Finals in 1982, this time led by new coach Pat Riley, in a rematch against the 76ers. The 76ers defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in a 7-game series, but were defeated by Lakers in 6 games. The 76ers responded by trading for Moses Malone, the league's reigning MVP. With the new duo of Malone and Erving, the 76ers won the 1983 NBA Finals in a sweep of the Lakers.
The Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987. In 1984, the Celtics toppled the Lakers 4–3. The final game of this series attracted the largest ever TV audience for an NBA game, and the second-largest ever for a basketball game, with only the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Johnson and Bird having a larger audience. The teams faced off again in 1985 and 1987, but the Lakers came up on top both time, winning in 6 games despite each time, despite losing Game 1 in 1985 by 34 points in the Memorial Day Massacre. The 1987 Finals included Johnson hitting a hook shot with two seconds left in Game 4 to give the Lakers a 107–106 win and a 3–1 series lead.
In the following two seasons, the Celtics failed to reach the Finals, becoming overshadowed by the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers defended their title in the 1988 NBA Finals, winning the series in 7 games against the Pistons. They became the first team to win back-to-back NBA titles since 1969.[16] Seeking a three-peat in 1989, the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. The Pistons were nicknamed the "Bad Boys" due to their rough, physical play led by future Hall of Fame guards Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas and a rugged front court with Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman.[17] In 1990, the Pistons went back-to-back, defeating the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trail Blazers in five games.
The majority of the 1990s was marked by the supremacy of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls, led by head coach Phil Jackson and star players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, won six titles in six Finals appearances from 1991 to 1998. The only other team to win a title during this time was the Houston Rockets, who won titles in 1994 and 1995.
The Bulls' first championship came at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers, in the last Finals appearance for Magic Johnson. The series was billed[by whom?] as a showdown between the aging Johnson and the upstart Jordan. The Lakers won the first game, however, for the rest of the series, Pippen guarded Johnson allowing Jordan to primarily focus on scoring. The Bulls won the next four games to win the series 4–1. The Bulls returned to the Finals the next year, pitted against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. Chicago defeated the Trail Blazers in Game 1 by 33 points, a game notable for Jordan breaking the record for the most three-pointers in a first half, with six. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games.
In 1993, The Bulls were matched against the Phoenix Suns, led by Charles Barkley, who was the league's reigning MVP of the Phoenix Suns. After dropping the first two games at home, The Suns won Game 3 in Chicago in triple overtime. The Bulls came back to win Game 4 with Jordan scoring 55 points and tying Rick Barry for the second-most points in an NBA Finals game. Chicago clinched the series in Game 6, 99–98, on John Paxson's three-pointer, as the Bulls became the third team in history to three-peat. After this win, Jordan retired from basketball to pursue a career in baseball.
Following Jordan's departure, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles. During this time, Olajuwon became the only player in history to win the NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season.
After his short stint with baseball, Jordan returned to basketball late in the 1994–95 season. Although he did not lead the Bulls to the Finals for that season, he returned to pre-retirement form the next season while the team acquired perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman. The 1995–96 Bulls finished the regular season 72–10, attaining, at the time, the best regular season record in NBA history. They dominated in the playoffs, going 11–1 in the first three rounds, before facing the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals. After the Bulls took a 3–0 series lead, Seattle won the next two games after point guard Gary Payton asked his coach George Karl to be switched onto Jordan. Jordan altered his game to deal with Payton, and the Bulls won Game 6 to win their fourth title.
In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met the Utah Jazz in the Finals twice. Led by Dream Team Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz were defeated in both Finals by the Bulls in six games. In both series, Chicago won by hitting winning shots in the sixth game, the first by Steve Kerr in 1997 in Chicago, and the second by Jordan in Utah in 1998. This saw Chicago winning their sixth NBA championship, and winning their second three-peat. Jackson retired following this season, which set off a chain reaction that resulted in most of the team, including Jordan and Pippen, leaving the Bulls. With no foundation of youth to build upon, the Bulls became a lottery-bound team for the next six seasons.
The 2000s were largely dominated by the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, who appeared in a combined eleven Finals to win nine championships in twelve seasons.
The Spurs won four championships, in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. During the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Spurs finished with a 15–2 mark. With a defensive squad led by David Robinson and Tim Duncan, San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game was the fewest average points allowed in the postseason in the last 30 years. In the Finals, the Spurs held the New York Knicks, the first 8-seed team to reach the Finals in NBA history, to an average of 79.8 points per game. During the 2003 NBA Finals, the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games, which also marked the first championship contested between two former ABA teams. In Game 6, Duncan was two blocks short of recording the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history, finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. The Spurs also defeated the Detroit Pistons 4–3 in 2005 and swept the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. Tony Parker won the Finals MVP award in 2007, becoming the first European-born player to do so.
The Lakers won five championships in the same period, including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Most notably, during their 2001 postseason run, the Lakers swept their first three series and won the Finals against the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in five games, finishing with an unprecedented 15–1 record, the best postseason record in NBA history at the time. The Lakers also defeated the Indiana Pacers in 2000, the Pacers’ only Finals appearance to date, and swept the New Jersey Nets in 2002.
In the 2003 off-season, veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone signed with the Lakers. Along with Bryant and O'Neal, they formed what many expected to be one of the best teams in NBA history and were heavy favorites to win the championship in 2004. However, the Detroit Pistons, coached by Larry Brown, defeated the Lakers in five games. Now established as one of the powerhouses of the East, the Pistons returned to the NBA Finals the following year, losing to the Spurs in seven games.
Following bad blood and eventual fallout with former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant,[18] O'Neal was traded from the Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004, where he teamed up with rising star Dwyane Wade. Together they led the Heat to a championship in 2006 at the expense of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2008 against the Boston Celtics, renewing the teams' rivalry marking the 11th Finals matchup between them. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games, led by their "Big Three" superstars of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. The Lakers bounced back from the loss by winning the 2009 NBA Finals, where they Orlando Magic in five games. The Lakers met the Celtics once again in 2010, trailing 3–2 before winning the last two games at home. Head coach Phil Jackson surpassed Red Auerbach's record for most NBA titles of all time with eleven.
The 2010s were distinguished by the continued excellence of LeBron James, who appeared in nine NBA Finals in ten seasons, winning four titles, while playing for three different franchises. The decade also saw the ascent of the Golden State Warriors, emerging as a dominant force in the Western Conference with six NBA Finals appearances and four titles in eight seasons.
During the 2010 off-season, the Miami Heat re-signed team captain Dwyane Wade and added James and Chris Bosh via free agency to form a new "Big Three."[19] The Heat were subsequently considered heavy title favorites and appeared four straight finals, starting in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks. Despite being heavy underdogs on paper, the Mavericks won the series in six games. The Heat returned to the Finals in the following year against a young Oklahoma City Thunder team featuring future MVPs Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. Miami won the series in five games, with James winning his first championship. The Heat repeated as champions in 2013, this time over the San Antonio Spurs, featuring a Heat comeback in Game 6 that is widely regarded one of the greatest playoff games ever played.[20] Miami sought a three-peat in a 2014 rematch with the Spurs, but this time San Antonio prevailed in five games, winning the fifth and final title of Tim Duncan's career.
.jpg/1280px-Stephen_Curry_dribbling_2016_(cropped).jpg)
In the 2014 off-season, James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to form a new "Big Three". The Cavaliers appeared in the next four Finals, all against the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers and Warriors became the first two teams to square off in more than two consecutive Finals. The Warriors drew first blood in the 2015 NBA Finals, coming back from a 2–1 deficit to win the series 4–2, despite James' historic efforts.[21] The following season, the Warriors broke the record for most regular season wins with a record of 73–9. The Warriors opened up a 3–1 series lead in the 2016 NBA Finals, but James and Irving led the Cavaliers to two straight victories to force a deciding Game 7. In a key sequence with two minutes remaining in Game 7, LeBron James made a memorable chase-down block on Iguodala to keep the game tied, while Irving hit a 3-point shot a minute later to take the lead. Cleveland held on to win the title and end the city's championship drought.[22] In the subsequent off-season, the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant through free agency, forming what many considered to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled.[23] In 2017, the Warriors set a playoff record of 15 consecutive wins en route to a five-game victory in the Finals, followed by a dominant sweep in 2018.[24]
.jpg/1280px-Lebron_wizards_2017_(cropped).jpg)
The Warriors made their fifth consecutive Finals appearance in 2019 against the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors. Toronto prevailed in six games after season-ending injuries to stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, resulting in the first NBA title for a team based outside the United States.[25]
LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, and subsequently led them to the 2020 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, marking the first time in NBA history that two teams that missed the playoffs the year before met in the Finals.[26] The Lakers won the series 4–2, claiming their 17th title to tie the Boston Celtics' franchise record; LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career, becoming the first player to win the award with three different franchises.[27]
The 2021 NBA Finals saw the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Phoenix Suns in the first Finals since 1971 to feature no players who had previously won a championship.[28]
After missing the playoffs two years in a row due to injuries and roster changes, the Warriors returned to the 2022 NBA Finals for their sixth appearance in eight seasons.[29] They defeated the Boston Celtics in six games for their fourth championship in eight seasons.[30]
The Denver Nuggets reached their first Finals in franchise history in 2023, defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Nikola Jokić was named Finals MVP, becoming the lowest-drafted player (41st overall) to win the award.[31] The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, marking the sixth straight year with a different championship team, matching a run of NBA championship that only occurred from 1975 to 1980.[32] Boston won its record 18th NBA title, breaking a tie with their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers.[33]
As part of a multiyear partnership that began in 2018, internet television service YouTube TV became the presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals.[3]
The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost. For individual game statistics, see Individual games records.
(*) As a result of the original franchise's relocation to New Orleans, the NBA team in Charlotte suspended operations for the 2002–03 and the 2003–04 seasons, before a new team, named the Bobcats, was established for the 2004–05 season. In 2013, the original Hornets were renamed the Pelicans and obtained the records during their time in New Orleans and Oklahoma City from 2002 to 2013. In 2014, the Bobcats became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, and retained the history and records of the Hornets organization from 1988 to 2002.
