of the NBA Finals.]]
The
NBA Finals is the championship series of the
National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the sport's
postseason each June. The series was named the
NBA World Championship Series until 1986.
The series is played between the winners of Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the NBA Finals is presented the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. (Winners from 1946 to 1977 received the Walter A. Brown Trophy) The NBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every NBA and BAA season in history, the first being held in 1947.
Since 1985, the winner of the NBA Finals has been determined through a 2–3–2 format. The first two and the last two games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season.
History
Highlights
1955: The
Syracuse Nationals faced the
Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small, the series was spectacular in part due to the addition of the 24-second shot clock. The home team won every game, the Nats taking the series with a free throw by
George King at the end of Game 7.
1957: The first championship in what was to become the Celtics dynasty. A hard-fought series against the Hawks. Jim Loscutoff won the game for the Celtics in double overtime in Game 7 with two free throws.
1962: The second NBA Finals with the Lakers against the Celtics (after 1959). Elgin Baylor scored a Finals record 61 points in a game 5 Laker victory. In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy (who once scored 100 points in a college game) missed an eight-foot game and series winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics won in overtime, with Bill Russell tying his own Finals record with 40 rebounds.
1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" midway through the 4th quarter, only to see his team's big lead melt away. They held on, however, and won 95–93 to preserve the Celtics' eighth straight championship and ninth in ten seasons.
1969: For the third time in the decade, a Lakers-Celtics final went to seven games. Chamberlain, Baylor, and West, three of the game's best players, were now all playing for the Lakers. Nevertheless, the aging Celtics (who had finished fourth in the Eastern Division), led by player-coach Bill Russell, put on an effective counter-attack. In Game 4, with the Celtics trailing 2–1 in the series and 88–87 in the game, Sam Jones hit an incredible buzzer-beater with three seconds left to even the series and preserve the Celtics' championship winning streak. In game 7, Boston built a big lead and Wilt Chamberlain picked up his 5th foul. The Lakers rallied behind their subs, and cut the deficit to 2 points in the final minutes. Laker guard Keith Erickson knocked the ball away from John Havlicek, but it bounced to Don Nelson with only 2 seconds left on the 24 second shot clock. Nelson's shot hit the heel of the rim, bounced high in the air and came down through the hoop to restore the lead to 4 with a minute remaining. Boston ended up winning 108–106.
1970: New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers: With the series tied 1–1, Game 3 produced an instant classic (see game 3 of 1970 finals). The Knicks' Dave DeBusschere made a basket with 3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102–100 lead. Jerry West then made a 63 foot shot to force overtime. However, the Knicks recovered to win the game and eventually the series in 7. Game 7 is best remembered when the injured Willis Reed, who was reportedly out for Game 7, started the game and scored the first two baskets to inspire the Knicks just when they needed it. New York claimed its first title. Walt "Clyde" Frazier also scored 36 points and had 19 assists.
1976: Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labeled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever." With the series tied 2–2 against the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. Eventually, after numerous last second heroics by both teams, Boston won in three overtimes, 128–126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.
1977: After an 11 day rest, the Portland Trail Blazers lost the first two games of the Finals but come back to win the next four to become first team in Finals history to make such a comeback.
1978 and 1979: The Washington Bullets and the Seattle SuperSonics swap championships, each team winning on the other's home court. The Bullets won game 7 in Seattle in 1978; and the Sonics return the favor in 1979, beating the Bullets 4–1, taking game 5 on the Bullets' home court. It's still the last time that a team west of Texas other than the Lakers has won an NBA title.
1980: The Lakers took a 3–2 lead against the Sixers, led chiefly by Abdul-Jabbar, who came off the bench with a sprained ankle in Game 5. But the ankle worsened, and Kareem didn't even make the trip to Philadelphia for game 6. Magic Johnson, just a rookie, shifted to center and played out a huge game in Game 6, scoring 42 points and netting 15 rebounds as the Lakers clinched the title, 123–107. This was the series that Julius Erving executed the behind-the-backboard "Baseline Move".
1984: The long-awaited rematch of the Lakers and Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1980 with the Johnson-Bird pair entering the league. The Lakers won Game 1, and almost Game 2, but a crucial steal in Game 2 by Gerald Henderson led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3. The Celtics won Game 4. Now tied 2–2, the Lakers and Celtics each held serve at their home court to send the series to Boston for Game 7. Game 5 was a classic, with Bird coming up with a huge game in one of the (literally) hottest games ever in non-air conditioned Boston Garden. Game 7 was a close game but eventually the Celtics won. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings.
1985: The Lakers and Celtics met again, and the Celtics opened the series with a crushing 148–112 win over Los Angeles. Known as the "Memorial Day Massacre", Boston's 148 points still stands as the highest total by a team in the Finals. However, the Lakers came back to win the series in six games, finally beating Boston in the NBA Finals. L.A.'s Finals victory marked the only time Boston lost a championship on their home floor.
1987: The Lakers and Celtics clashed again. Johnson beat the Celtics on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 to take a 3–1 lead and swing the momentum towards the Lakers. Los Angeles won in six.
1989: The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, effectively ending the Laker dynasty of the 80s.
1990: The Portland Trail Blazers win the Western Conference and go on to be defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.
1993: The Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls squared off in a thrilling series in which the visiting team prevailed in all but one (Game 4 at Chicago). Phoenix fell behind 2–0 in the series, but a triple overtime victory in Game 3, allowed the Suns back into contention. Still, it would be John Paxson's clutch three pointer in Game 6 that would seal the game, the series and the Bulls' first three-peat.
1994: The Knicks took a 3–2 lead on the Houston Rockets and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but John Starks' final shot was blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets would win game 7 and win their first NBA Championship. Game 4 (June 15, 1994) took place at Madison Square Garden less than 24 hours after hosting the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years, following their 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the their finals. During Game 5 (June 17, 1994), which took place hours after the parade in New York honoring the Stanley Cup Champions, most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being the network's own flagship station, WNBC-TV out of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas (NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from the Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal." Pat Riley became the first coach in NBA history to coach in Game 7 NBA Finals with two different teams, having been coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in and .
1997: In Game 5, Michael Jordan, the star player on the Chicago Bulls, had a stomach virus but still managed to score 38 points. Soon, Jordan would capture his fifth NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, bringing the Bulls to their fifth title in seven years. Not to be forgotten is Jordan's buzzer beater in Game 1, and his pass to Steve Kerr for the latter's crucial series-clinching jumper in Game 6.
1998: The Chicago Bulls held a 3–2 lead over the Utah Jazz but nearly lost Game 6. Michael Jordan made two key baskets in the final minute for a one-point win and the championship. It would be Jordan's last game for the Bulls.
1999: The New York Knicks, who fell to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games, made NBA history by becoming the first (and as of 2011, the only) 8th seed ever to make the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win an NBA Championship.
2000: The Los Angeles Lakers, under new head coach Phil Jackson, are led to a 67–15 regular season record, and to a Finals appearance against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice led the Lakers to the franchise's 12th championship, with Shaquille O'Neal winning the Finals MVP trophy, averaging 38 points and 16.6 rebounds. The Lakers could have easily have gone to a Game 7, but Shaq along with teammates Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice scored a combined 83 points to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116 to 111.
2001: The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games. After Allen Iverson lead the 76ers to an overtime game 1 win in Los Angeles. The Lakers went on to win the next 4 games, completing their first repeat since their back to back titles in '87 and '88.
2002: The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New Jersey Nets to complete a Three Peat, becoming only the 5th team to accomplish this feat.
2003: The San Antonio Spurs defeat the New Jersey Nets 4–2, clinching their 2nd NBA title.
2004: Detroit Pistons defeat the favored Los Angeles Lakers 4–1. The Pistons won Game 1, 3, 4 and 5. This was the first time a team without home court advantage had won all 3 of their home games in the 2–3–2 format. Chauncey Billups was the Finals MVP.
2005: San Antonio Spurs 4–3 over the Detroit Pistons. The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 was a very tight game in a scene reminiscent of the 1976 Finals. Robert Horry of the Spurs hit a three-pointer at the end of the overtime period for a 96–95 win and a 3–2 lead in the series.
2006: The Dallas Mavericks took a 2-0 lead early in the series and in Game 3, with 6 minutes left and trailing by 13 points, the Miami Heat came back to win the game and defeat the Dallas Mavericks in six games, with Dwyane Wade garnering MVP honors after averaging 34.7 points per game. The title marked the first championship for aging legends Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. It also marked the fourth for Shaquille O'Neal and the fifth for coach Pat Riley, both of whom had not previously won a title outside of Los Angeles.
2007: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sweep. This was their 4th NBA title in 8 years.
2008: The Boston Celtics ended their 22-year title drought with a six-game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2009: Phil Jackson won his 10th championship as a head coach and his 4th with the Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing Red Auerbach for the all time NBA record.
2010: Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Boston Celtics 83–79 in Game 7 to once again win back to back championships. The Lakers came back from multiple deficits, including a long span in which they were down by 13 points in the 3rd quarter, to win. Kobe Bryant earned the Finals MVP.
2011: In a rematch of the 2006 Finals, the Dallas Mavericks found themselves playing the role of underdog to the media hyped Miami Heat. The Mavericks won the series in game 6 in Miami, 105-95, giving veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion their first championship, while Nowitzki earned the Finals MVP. Dallas won their first NBA championship in one of the closest Finals series ever, with the Mavericks coming back in the final minutes of two games to erase 15 and 14 point deficits and ultimately taking a 3-2 series lead. Dallas won the last three games of the series.
1947–1956: The Early Years and Lakers Dynasty
During the first decade the
Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, winning 5 championships in 6 years under
Hall of Fame head coach
John Kundla. The team also featured
George Mikan, one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. Franchises which had previously been in the
National Basketball League tended to dominate, especially the Minneapolis Lakers.
1957–1969: The Celtics Dynasty
The
Boston Celtics went 11–1 in the NBA Finals during thirteen seasons (1956–1957 to 1968–1969). The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals 8 years in a row during the 1958–59 to 1965–66
NBA seasons.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers made up 19 of 26 possible NBA appearances during thirteen seasons (1956–1957 to 1968–1969). The two teams met 6 times during the 8 years Boston won the NBA in a row.
|-
| align="center"|4||San Antonio Spurs||align="center"|4||align="center"|0||align="right"|1.000||align="center"|2007||align="center"|2007|| All with head coach Gregg Popovich and Power Forward/Center Tim Duncan.
|-
| align="center"|4||Houston Rockets||align="center"|2||align="center"|2||align="right"|.500||align="center"|1995||align="center"|1995|| 2 championships with center Hakeem Olajuwon (named MVP in both championship series) and coach Rudy Tomjanovich, championships were back to back.
|-
| align="center"|4||Atlanta Hawks||align="center"|1||align="center"|3||align="right"|.250||align="center"|1961||align="center"|1958||All appearances as St. Louis franchise.
|-
| align="center"|4||Washington Wizards||align="center"|1||align="center"|3||align="right"|.250||align="center"|1979||align="center"|1978||0–1 as Baltimore Bullets (see note below), 1–2 as Washington Bullets.
|-
| align="center"|3||Portland Trail Blazers||align="center"|1||align="center"|2||align="right"|.333||align="center"|1992||align="center"|1977||Lost games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia, won four straight, three of those coming in Portland, led by UCLA legend and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton.
|-
| align="center"|3||Oklahoma City Thunder||align="center"|1||align="center"|2||align="right"|.333||align="center"|1996||align="center"|1979|| All appearances as the Seattle SuperSonics.
|-
| align="center"|2||Dallas Mavericks||align="center"|1||align="center"|1||align="right"|.500||align="center"|2011||align="center"|2011||Lost in the 2006 Finals and won in the 2011 Finals versus the Heat.
|-
| align="center"|2||Miami Heat||align="center"|1||align="center"|1||align="right"|.500||align="center"|2011||align="center"|2006||Won in the 2006 Finals and lost the 2011 Finals versus the Mavericks.
|-
| align="center"|2||Milwaukee Bucks||align="center"|1||align="center"|1||align="right"|.500||align="center"|1974||align="center"|1971||
|-
| align="center"|2||Phoenix Suns||align="center"|0||align="center"|2||align="right"|.000||align="center"|1993||align="center"|Never||
|-
| align="center"|2||Utah Jazz||align="center"|0||align="center"|2||align="right"|.000||align="center"|1998||align="center"|Never||Both with coach Jerry Sloan and players Karl Malone and John Stockton and against the Bulls.
|-
| align="center"|2||New Jersey Nets||align="center"|0||align="center"|2||align="right"|.000||align="center"|2003||align="center"|Never||Won 2 ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. Also appeared in 1972 ABA Finals.
|-
| align="center"|2||Orlando Magic||align="center"|0||align="center"|2||align="right"|.000||align="center"|2009||align="center"|Never|| Lost both NBA Finals appearances. Swept by the Rockets in 1995 and defeated in 2009 by the Lakers in a 4–1 series.
|-
| align="center"|1||Baltimore Bullets||align="center"|1||align="center"|0||align="right"|1.000||align="center"|1948||align="center"|1948||Team folded in 1954 and is not the same franchise as the current Washington Wizards.
|-
| align="center"|1||Sacramento Kings||align="center"|1||align="center"|0||align="right"|1.000||align="center"|1951||align="center"|1951||Won first appearance in NBA Finals as Rochester Royals.
|-
| align="center"|1||Indiana Pacers||align="center"|0||align="center"|1||align="right"|.000||align="center"|2000||align="center"|Never|| Team won three ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) and made two other ABA Finals appearances (1969, 1975).
|-
| align="center"|1||Cleveland Cavaliers||align="center"|0||align="center"|1||align="right"|.000||align="center"|2007||align="center"|Never|| Were swept in their first and only appearance in the NBA Finals.
|-
| align="center"|1||Chicago Stags||align="center"|0||align="center"|1||align="right"|.000||align="center"|1947||align="center"|Never||Team folded in 1950.
|-
| align="center"|1||Washington Capitols||align="center"|0||align="center"|1||align="right"|.000||align="center"|1949||align="center"|Never||Team folded in 1951.
|-
|}
Active franchises with no Finals appearances
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Team!!#Seasons!!Founded!!Notes
|-
|-
||
Buffalo Braves / San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers||40||
1970||Founded as
Buffalo Braves, moved to
San Diego in
1978 and became Clippers before moving to Los Angeles in
1984. Reached three conference semifinals as the Braves, and one in Los Angeles, in the
2005–06 season, where they lost to the
Phoenix Suns 4–3.
|-
||
Denver Nuggets||34||
1976||Joined NBA after 9
ABA seasons (1967–76). Denver played in the 1976 ABA Championship, losing to the
New York Nets. Played in the 1977–1978 Conference Finals, losing to the
Seattle SuperSonics. Played in the 1984–1985 and 2008–2009 Conference Finals, losing both times to the
Los Angeles Lakers.
|-
||
Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets||22||
1988||Founded as the
Charlotte Hornets, moved to
New Orleans in
2002, split home schedule with
Oklahoma City from
2005–
07 (due to effects of
Hurricane Katrina), during which time they were the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, before returning to New Orleans full time in
2007. Reached the conference semi-finals twice in Charlotte and once in New Orleans.
|-
||
Minnesota Timberwolves||21||
1989||Played in the 2003–2004 Conference Finals, losing to the
Los Angeles Lakers.
|-
||
Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies||15||
1995||Founded as the
Vancouver Grizzlies, moved to
Memphis in
2001. Never advanced past the conference semi-finals, which they reached
once.
|-
||
Toronto Raptors||15||
1995|| Reached the conference semi-finals in the
2000–01 season. In the
2006–07 season, ranked 3rd in the Eastern Conference, won the division for the first time, and won 47 games, tying the franchise record for wins set in 2000-01. In the
playoffs, the Raptors lost to the
New Jersey Nets four games to two.
|-
||
Charlotte Bobcats||6||
2004||Qualified for their first playoff berth during the
2009–10 season in the
2010 NBA Playoffs but were swept by the
Orlando Magic in a 4–0 series.
|}
Most common matchups
12 times: Boston Celtics (9) vs. Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (3)
6 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (5) vs. Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1)
5 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. New York Knicks (2)
4 times: Boston Celtics (3) vs. St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1) (Such a meeting is now impossible due to current conference alignment.)
3 times: Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1)
2 times: Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Washington Bullets/Wizards (1)
2 times: Boston Celtics (2) vs. Houston Rockets (0)
2 times: Chicago Bulls (2) vs. Utah Jazz (0)
2 times: Miami Heat (1) vs. Dallas Mavericks (1)
Individual games records
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Num!!Team!!W!!L!!PCT!!Notes
|-
||22||
San Antonio Spurs||16||6||.727||swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last appearance
|-
||35||
Chicago Bulls||24||11||.686|| 4–2 in their last finals appearance against the Utah Jazz.
|-
||6||
Baltimore Bullets||4||2||.667||franchise defunct
|-
||11||
Milwaukee Bucks||7||4||.636||3–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Boston Celtics.
|-
||122||
Boston Celtics||74||48||.607|| 3–4 in their last finals appearance against the Los Angeles Lakers.
|-
||7||
Sacramento Kings||4||3||.571||all as
Rochester Royals. The
Cincinnati Royals and
Kansas City Kings both made zero Finals appearances.
|-
||40||
Detroit Pistons||22||18||.550||includes 4–8 as
Fort Wayne franchise
|-
||31||
Golden State Warriors||17||14||.548||includes 10–6 as Philadelphia franchise and 3–8 as San Francisco franchise
|-
||23||
Houston Rockets||12||11||.522|| Swept the Orlando Magic in their last finals appearance.
|-
||167||
Los Angeles Lakers||85||83||.503||includes 20–15 as Minneapolis franchise. 4–3 in their last finals appearance against the Boston Celtics.
|-
||18||
Seattle SuperSonics||9||9||.500||2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls. Moved and became the
Oklahoma City Thunder, who have zero Finals appearances at this time.
|-
||12||
Dallas Mavericks||6||6||.500|| All versus Miami in both appearances.
|-
||12||
Miami Heat||6||6||.500|| All versus Dallas in both appearances.
|-
||53||
Philadelphia 76ers||24||29||.453||includes 9–11 as
Syracuse Nationals
|-
||25||
Atlanta Hawks**||11||14||.440||all as St. Louis
franchise
|-
||48||
New York Knicks||20||28||.417||1–4 in their last appearance against the San Antonio Spurs.
|-
||17||
Portland Trail Blazers||7||10||.412||2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls.
|-
||12||
Phoenix Suns||4||8||.333||2–4 in their last finals appearance, lost to the Chicago Bulls.
|-
||12||
Utah Jazz||4||8||.333||2–4 in both their finals appearances, both to the Chicago Bulls.
|-
||6||
Indiana Pacers||2||4||.333||2–4 in their only finals appearance, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
|-
||6||
Washington Capitols||2||4||.333||franchise defunct
|-
||20||
Washington Wizards||5||15||.250||all as Baltimore Bullets (0–4) and Washington Bullets (5–11)
|-
||10||
New Jersey Nets||2||8||.200||Swept in their first appearance by the Los Angeles Lakers.
|-
||5||
Chicago Stags||1||4||.200||franchise defunct
|-
||9||
Orlando Magic||1||8||.111||Swept by the Houston Rockets in their first appearance.
|-
||4||
Cleveland Cavaliers||0||4||.000||Swept by the San Antonio Spurs in their only appearance.
|}
See also
List of NBA players with most championship rings
List of NBA champions
References
External links
NBA Finals: All-Time Champions
The Historical Records Section of the NBA official site
The Greatest Game Ever (Game 5, 1976 Finals)
NBA.com: Greatest Finals Moments
Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1947
