NBA Finals

1947–56: Early years and Lakers success

During the first decade the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, winning five championships in six years under Hall of Fame head coach John Kundla. The team also featured George Mikan, one of the greatest players in NBA history.

1957–69: Celtics dynasty

The Boston Celtics went 11–1 in the NBA Finals during 13 seasons (1956–57 to 1968–69). They won eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966. This period includes one season (1958–59) when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis, and it marks the largest stretch of seasons (14) that two teams made up over 65% of NBA appearances, second being the 10 seasons (1979–80 to 1988–89) the Celtics and Lakers appeared 13 times.

With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Bill Russell became the star of the league. Game 7 of the NBA Finals was decided on a Celtics basket in the final seconds of the second overtime. For most of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Celtics always seemed to have the upper hand on Wilt Chamberlain's teams.

In 1964, Wilt Chamberlain, who had moved to the state of California with his team, the former Philadelphia Warriors, led the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Conference championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics. The following season, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals team that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors.

A clash between the two stars in the playoffs was in 1966 and Boston won it 4–1. Chamberlain's coach told him to play a team game, not an individual game, and thus avoid drawing double-teams. His new-found team spirit brought them to a new record of 68 wins the following season, and they defeated the Celtics and then advanced to, and won, the 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 for the sixth straight time, 4 games to 2.

In 1969, the Celtics overcame even longer odds. Boston was an aging team and had injuries to a number of players. They barely qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth in the East. The Lakers, who in the offseason added Chamberlain to join West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were prohibitive favorites to finally win it all for the first time since relocating to L.A. They won the first two games at the Los Angeles Forum. However, when the series shifted to Boston Garden, the Celtics won Game 3 110–105. Game 4 was the turning point, as the Lakers led 87–86 and had the ball with 10 seconds to play. But after a turnover, Sam Jones put up a shot that hit the front of the rim, the back heel, rolled around, and went in, giving the Celtics an 88–87 win and tying the series. Game 5, played at the Forum, returned the advantage to the Lakers, but Game 6 was a 99–90 Celtics win, with Chamberlain scoring just eight points. Game 7 was held on May 5; Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had balloons hung up in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. When Jerry West saw the balloons he was furious, while Russell immediately used the balloons as an inspiration for his team. With West nursing a sore thigh and hamstring, Russell ordered his team to fast break at every chance and they raced off to an early lead. They held off a furious Lakers comeback to win 108–106 and win the series, their eleventh championship in 13 years. This game represented the final one of the Celtics' dynasty.

1970–79: Decade of parity

The 1970s saw eight different teams win the title, with the Celtics and Knicks winning twice.

In 1970, a classic final featured the New York 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 which became one of the most famous ever. However, the Knicks won in overtime and continued their momentum for a 4–3 win. Just two seasons later, the Lakers got a measure of revenge by winning 33 straight games, the longest such streak in NBA history. By season's end, they broke the record for most wins in a season with 69, one more than the 1966–67 76ers. The Lakers finally, after a tough postseason, took home the championship for the first time since the Minneapolis days. The Knicks won the championship again in 1973, using much the same formula, for their second franchise victorious season.

The 1974 championship went back to the Celtics as the remaining players demonstrated excellent teamwork and resilience in the Finals.

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 heavily favored Washington Bullets 4–0 in the 1975 NBA Finals.

1976 saw the rise of the Phoenix Suns. Only eight years in existence, they overcame a losing record early in the season to build remarkable win streaks to finish 42–40. The events culminated in upset victories over Seattle and Golden State. In the final against Boston, the teams split the first four games. Game 5 went into three overtimes but eventually went to Boston 128–126. Two days later, the Celtics finished Phoenix off 87–80 in Game 6 for their 13th championship.

Other western franchises that won their first titles in the late 1970s included the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. Portland's victory was against the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving. Although the Washington Bullets were able to defeat Seattle in the 1978 NBA Finals, Seattle was able to prevail the following year against the Bullets to win its first NBA title.

1980–90: Lakers–Celtics rivalry and the Bad Boys

Between 1980 and 1989, the Celtics, 76ers, Pistons, or the Lakers won every NBA Finals. The Lakers won five titles from 1980 to 1990 (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988); the Celtics won three (1981, 1984, and 1986); the Pistons won twice (1989 and 1990); and the 76ers won once (1983).

The 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game featured Magic Johnson's Michigan State University team facing off against Larry Bird's Indiana State University team. Michigan State won. This meeting has been immortalized; in fact, it attracted the largest ever TV rating for an NCAA Championship game, with 38 percent of all television viewers that night tuned to the game.

Bird had actually been drafted the year before, but later decided to stay one more year, and the two superstars entered the league in 1979, leading their respective teams to dazzling heights. Johnson's Lakers reached the 1980 NBA Finals against Julius Erving's 76ers, and took a 3–2 lead, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could not play in Game 6 due to injury. Johnson shifted to center, ended up playing every position on the court and scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 7 assists to win his first championship while being awarded his first NBA Finals MVP; a remarkable performance in the annals of the sport.

Boston reached the 1981 NBA Finals led by the "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. During the 1980 NBA draft, the Celtics traded two first round picks to the Warriors for Parish and a first round pick later spent on McHale. Considered to be one of the best front courts of all time, all three players would later make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They met the Rockets in the 1981 Finals, practically single-handedly carried by Moses Malone, who upset Magic's 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. After reasserting themselves as a powerhouse in the NBA, the Celtics won the Finals in 6 games.

Led by new coach Pat Riley, the Lakers returned to the 1982 NBA Finals in a rematch against the 76ers. The 76ers defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in a 7-game series. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers were able to dispatch of the 76ers in 6 games, with Magic Johnson being named Finals MVP. Philadelphia, losing their past three NBA Finals appearances, decided that they needed one more piece to become a champion. On September 15, 1982, they traded for reigning MVP Moses Malone.

Philadelphia, led by Malone and Julius Erving, won the 1983 NBA Finals, losing only once in the entire playoffs, and sweeping the Lakers. (Malone had predicted earlier that they would sweep every series in "Fo-Fo-Fo"). However, in the 1984 NBA Finals, the Celtics and Lakers met for the first time since 1969, and again, from Bird's performance, the Celtics toppled the Lakers 4–3. Game 7 attracted the largest TV audience ever for an NBA game, and the second-largest ever for a basketball game, with only the game between the two stars played five years earlier having a larger audience. It was the last NBA Finals played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format until 2014.

In the 1985 NBA Finals, the Lakers made amends for their previous eight losses to the Celtics by defeating them in six games. Even though the Lakers lost the first game in a rout, 148–114, dubbed the "Memorial Day Massacre", they won 4 of the next 5 games, including Game 6 in Boston Garden, to finally end the long years of frustration of failing to defeat the Celtics. These finals were the first to be played in the 2–3–2 format, which Red Auerbach suggested to David Stern in order to cut back on the frequent traveling between Boston and Los Angeles.

The 1986 NBA Finals brought the Celtics back against the Rockets. Boston won in six games, taking their 16th title, with the MVP award going to Larry Bird, his second Finals MVP trophy.

In 1987, the Lakers and Celtics met again for a rubber match. Both sides had won one series, and now a third was being played. The Lakers won the first two games, but Boston won Game 3. In Game 4, Magic Johnson hit an iconic sky-hook with two seconds left to give the Lakers a 107–106 win and a 3–1 series lead. The Lakers lost Game 5, but won Game 6 to clinch the series with Magic receiving his third NBA Finals MVP.

In 1988 and 1989, the aging Celtics failed to reach the Finals, with the Lakers and Pistons being the best of their conferences. The Lakers defended their title in The 1988 Finals, as they won the series in 7 games against the Pistons; the Lakers became the first team to win back-to-back NBA titles since 1960s. Seeking a three-peat in 1989, the Lakers lost to the Pistons in a rematch of the previous year's NBA Finals. In 1990, Detroit beat the Blazers in five games, and the name "Bad Boys" became attached to the team for its rough, physical play. Led by a Hall of Fame back court in Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas and a rough, physical front court with Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer, the Pistons were able to fight past the up-and-coming superstar Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

1991–98: Rule of the Bulls

The majority of the 1990s was marked by the Chicago Bulls' Finals appearances, which ended in 1998. Coached by Phil Jackson and led by Michael Jordan, the Bulls won six titles from 1991 to 1998. Supported by Scottie Pippen, Jordan won the Finals MVP award every time.

The first championship came at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers, the last appearance in the Finals for Magic Johnson. Billed as a showdown between the aging Johnson and the upstart Jordan, the Lakers won the first game, 93–91. For the rest of the series, Pippen guarded Johnson, with Chicago ultimately taking the next four games. The Bulls returned to the Finals in the next year, pitted against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. Throughout the 1991–1992 season, Jordan and Drexler led their teams to the best records in their respective conferences, leading to several comparisons between the two players in anticipation of a postseason match-up. Chicago blew out the Trail Blazers in Game 1, a game most famous for Jordan's shrugging after his record-breaking sixth three-pointer in the first half. Game 2 went into overtime, with the Trail Blazers outscoring the Bulls 18–7 in the final period to run away with the win. Game 3 and 4 were split between Chicago and Portland, respectively, but the Bulls took the final two games, clinching their second championship.

In 1993, Jordan was matched against his close friend, MVP Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls won the first two games in Phoenix, with 100–92 and 111–108 as the final scores, respectively. The Suns, rallying behind Barkley, won Game 3, 129–121, in Chicago in triple overtime. The Bulls took Game 4, 111–105, with Jordan scoring 55 points and tying Rick Barry for the second-most points in an NBA Finals game. The Suns won Game 5, 108–98, sending the series back to Phoenix. Chicago won the series clincher in Game 6, 99–98,on John Paxson's three-pointer, as the Bulls became the third team in history to three-peat.

Known as Clutch City, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 NBA title, during Jordan's tenure as a baseball player, and the 1995 NBA title. Olajuwon in those two seasons became the only player in history to win the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in the same season (1993–94). That was the only year that both the NBA and NHL finals went to seven games while involving teams from the same city. The Rockets' win in Game 7 denied New York from winning both the NBA and NHL titles in the same year, as the New York Rangers won the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. The Rockets swept the Orlando Magic of Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway in the 1995 Finals; Olajuwon was again named Finals MVP. The Rockets became the fifth franchise to win back-to-back titles. Former Portland Trail Blazer Clyde Drexler was on the 1995 Rockets team.

After his short stint in baseball, Jordan returned to basketball late in the 1994–95 season (March 18). Although he did not lead the Bulls to the Finals, he returned to pre-retirement form the next year while the team acquired perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman. The 1995–96 Bulls finished the regular season 72–10, the second-best regular season record in NBA history. They dominated in the playoffs, with series records of 3–0, 4–1 and 4–0, 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 coach George Karl switched point guard Gary Payton onto Jordan, leading to a sixth game before the Bulls could close it out.

In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met the Utah Jazz in the Finals two times. Led by 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 and deciding game—the first by Steve Kerr in 1997 in Chicago and the second by Jordan in Utah in 1998. Although Jordan, Pippen and Jackson were the only three involved in all six titles, the Bulls had a strong cast of players that were decisive in obtaining them. Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, B. J. Armstrong and other supporting cast members were pieces added to create the first three-peat. Of the second, little-known players such as Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington, Ron Harper and Luc Longley were key factors who rarely produced many points, but proved crucial via setting picks, rebounding, and creating turnovers. Before the beginning of the 1999 season, Jackson decided to retire, which set off a chain reaction that resulted in most of the team, including Jordan and Pippen, to leave the Bulls. With no foundation of youth to build upon, the Bulls were lottery-bound for the next six seasons.

1999–2010: Lakers/Spurs' dominance

The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs combined to win 11 of the 12 Western Conference titles and nine NBA Championships during this period.

The Spurs won four championships during this period, in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. In the 1999 NBA Playoffs, the Spurs finished with a 15–2 mark, including sweeps of the Blazers and Lakers. 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 post-season in the last 30 years. In the Finals that year, 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. From 2003 to 2007, San Antonio would win three more championships in five years, but never repeated as champions. During the 2003 NBA Finals, the Spurs defeated the Nets in 6 games. Said Finals 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 went on to defeat the defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the 2005 NBA Finals, as well as sweeping the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA Finals. Duncan won the Finals MVP in 1999, 2003 and 2005. In 2007, Tony Parker was named MVP, becoming the first European-born player to win the award.

From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, won three straight NBA Championships. O'Neal won the finals MVP all three times. Their first championship came at the expense of the Indiana Pacers, whom the Lakers defeated in 6 games. During their 2001 postseason run, the Lakers swept their first 3 series and won the Finals in 5 games, finishing with an unprecedented 15–1 record. Their opponent in the Finals was the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Allen Iverson. In the 2002 NBA Finals, the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets, leading almost the entire time in each game; only for a short while after the beginning of Game 4 did the New Jersey Nets gain any significant lead in a game.

In the 2003 offseason, 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 the favorites to win the championship. However, the Detroit Pistons, under coach Larry Brown, upset the Lakers in 5 games. Chauncey Billups was named the Finals MVP. The Pistons were also the first team to win games 3, 4, and 5 at home in the Finals since the series switched to a 2–3–2 rotation in 1985, a feat that has since been repeated by the 2006 and 2012 Miami Heat. Now established as one of the premier powerhouses of the East, Detroit would return to the NBA Finals in the following year, bowing out to the Spurs in seven games.

The 2006 NBA Finals were the only Finals between 1999 and 2010 not to feature the Spurs or Lakers. Instead, it featured the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. It was the first NBA Finals since 1971 that had both Western and Eastern Conference champions making their first Finals appearance in franchise history. The Mavericks won the first two games at home, but the turning point of the series was in Game 3, when the Heat overcame a 13-point deficit with less than 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter to win 98–96. The comeback was led by Dwyane Wade's 12 points in the final six minutes and a clutch outside jumpshot by Gary Payton, who was appearing in his third NBA finals. Miami swept all three of their home games, two of which were sparked by fourth quarter comebacks led by Wade; the Heat would win their first championship in game six.

The Lakers returned to the finals in 2008, against the Boston Celtics. Renewing the teams' fierce rivalry of the 1980s, this marked the 11th time that these two teams met in the Finals, the last such meeting happening in 1987. The Celtics, who defeated the Lakers 4–2, were led by their "Big Three" superstars: Long-time Celtic and Finals MVP Paul Pierce, and first year Celtics Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

The Lakers bounced back from their 2008 loss and returned to the Finals in 2009, where they faced the Orlando Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard in 2009. Los Angeles would defeat Orlando in five games, with Bryant earning the Finals MVP award. The Lakers met the Celtics once again in 2010. The Lakers trailed 3–2 before winning the last two at home, marking the first time in the history of the Celtics franchise that Boston lost a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP once again. The 2009 and 2010 titles were Lakers' coach Phil Jackson's 10th and 11th NBA titles, passing Red Auerbach for the most NBA titles all time. Jackson would also pass Auerbach and National Hockey League coach Scotty Bowman for the most titles for a head coach in any major American sport.

2011–present: The LeBron James era

During the 2010 offseason, the Miami Heat added free agents Chris Bosh and LeBron James, and re-signed team captain Dwyane Wade. The Heat were considered the favorites by many to win the title; not just for the following season, but for years to come. The Heat would represent the Eastern Conference in the next four finals, winning two of them (2012 and 2013).

The 2011 NBA Finals put the Heat against the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of the finals from five years earlier. The Mavericks, who were led by Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, and Jason Kidd, won the series 4–2, with Nowitzki being named the Finals MVP. The Heat returned to the finals in 2012 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in a series that had 3-time NBA MVP James and 3-time NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant, neither of whom had won a championship at the time. After the Thunder took Game 1 at home, the Heat won four straight games to win the series 4–1. The Heat became the first team ever to win a championship after trailing in three different series. James was unanimously named NBA Finals MVP. The Heat won a second title in 2013, this time over the San Antonio Spurs. The 2013 Finals was the first Finals since 1987 to feature four former Finals MVPs: Tim Duncan (1999, 2003, 2005) and Tony Parker (2007) for the Spurs and Dwyane Wade (2006) and LeBron James (2012) for the Heat. The Spurs were up 3–2 in the series going into Game 6 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. With seconds remaining in regulation, Miami's Ray Allen scored a game-tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime, and the Heat would prevail 103–100. The game is considered by some to have been one of the greatest playoff games in NBA history. The Heat would win Game 7, 95–88, to clinch the title. James was named the Finals MVP for the second straight year.

Looking for a 3-peat, the Heat dominated the 2014 postseason, going 12–3 in the first three rounds. They reached the 2014 NBA Finals and faced the Spurs in a rematch of the 2013 Finals. After James' early exit, San Antonio went on a 31–9 run to win the game 110–95. Miami would win Game 2, but that would be their only win of the series, as the Spurs would win Games 3, 4, and 5 to win the Championship, their fifth in 16 years, but their first since 2007. Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP, becoming the third youngest Finals MVP after Duncan and Magic Johnson.

After the 2014 Finals, James became a free agent and returned to Cleveland where he played alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2015 NBA Finals. In the 2015 offseason, the Miami Heat did not qualify in the playoffs due to mediocrity stemming from brutal injuries all season, and the former defending champions, San Antonio Spurs, were eliminated in a Game 7 battle against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. The 2014–15 MVP, Stephen Curry, and the Golden State Warriors achieved a 67–15 record, the best record since the 2007 Dallas Mavericks, entering the finals, while James and current Cavalier and former Heat teammate James Jones made their fifth straight finals appearance – the first two players to do this since the 1960s Celtics. In the 2014–15 season, the Warriors managed to defy conventional wisdom and traditionalist ideas by winning the championship with a small-ball, three-point shooting, fast-paced team. The Warriors won Game 1 in overtime, with the Cavaliers losing All-Star starting point guard Kyrie Irving to injury in the process. The Cavaliers would win Games 2 and 3. However, the Warriors won the next three games after Coach Steve Kerr made the adjustment of inserting sixth man Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of center Andrew Bogut. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 4–2, with Iguodala becoming the first player to not start in any regular season game to win the Finals MVP award.

In the next season, Cleveland finished the season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and defeated the Toronto Raptors 4–2 in the conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals. James, along with James Jones, would be making their sixth straight appearance in the Finals. They met the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of the previous Finals. During the 2015–16 season, the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a season with a record of 73–9 and Stephen Curry would go on to win his second straight MVP Award (first unanimous MVP in history) after shattering the record for three-pointers made in a single season by over one hundred. The Warriors would advance to the NBA Finals with 3 straight wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder after trailing 3–1.

In the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA championship in franchise history, recovering from a 3–1 deficit to win 4–3. Kyrie Irving hit a go-ahead 3 point shot to take the lead with less than one minute remaining. The Cavaliers would win the decisive Game 7, 93–89 and James was named unanimous Finals MVP.

Finals appearances

The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost.

Active franchises with no Finals appearances

(*) 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 formerly called the Bobcats was established for the 2004–05 season. On May 20, 2014, the Bobcats officially became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets. At a press conference heralding the change, team officials also announced that as part of a deal with the NBA and the Pelicans, the renamed Hornets reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets, while all of the Hornets' records during their time in New Orleans and Oklahoma City from 2002 to 2013 remained with the Pelicans.

Most common matchups

Individual

1. Jerry West – 1,679
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1,317
3. Michael Jordan – 1,176
4. Elgin Baylor – 1,161
5. Bill Russell – 1,151
6. Sam Jones – 1,143
7. LeBron James – 1,079
8. Tom Heinsohn – 1,037
9. John Havlicek – 1,018
10. Magic Johnson – 971