The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. From 1946 through 1949, when the league was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the playoffs were a three-stage tournament where the two semifinal winners played each other in the finals.[1][2][3] The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.[4]

The current home-and-away format in the NBA Finals is 2–2–1–1–1 (the team with the better regular-season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), which has been used in 1947–1948,[5] 1950–1952,[6][7][8] 1957–1970, 1972–1974, 1976–1977, 1979–1984, and 2014–present. It was previously in a 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7) during 1949, 1953–1955, and 1985–2013,[9][10] in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format during 1956 and 1971,[11][12] and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978.[13][14]

As of 2022, the Eastern Conference/Division led the Western Conference/Division 40–36 in championships won.[15] As of 2022, the Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have won a combined total of 34 NBA championships (with 17 apiece).[16] As of 2022, the defending champions are the Golden State Warriors.

Champions

Bold Winning team of the BAA/NBA Finals
Italics Team with home-court advantage
Year Western champion Coach Result Eastern champion Coach Reference
Basketball Association of America (BAA)
1947 Chicago Stags (1) (1, 0–1) Harold Olsen 1–4 Philadelphia Warriors (2) (1, 1–0) Eddie Gottlieb [17]
1948 Baltimore Bullets (2) (1, 1–0) Buddy Jeannette 4–2 Philadelphia Warriors (1) (2, 1–1) Eddie Gottlieb [18]
1949 Minneapolis Lakers (2) (1, 1–0) John Kundla 4–2 Washington Capitols (1) (1, 0–1) Red Auerbach [19]
National Basketball Association (NBA)
1950 Minneapolis Lakers (1) [a] (2, 2–0) John Kundla 4–2 Syracuse Nationals (1) (1, 0–1) Al Cervi [23][24]
1951 Rochester Royals (2) (1, 1–0) Les Harrison 4–3 New York Knicks (3) (1, 0–1) Joe Lapchick [25]
1952 Minneapolis Lakers (2) (3, 3–0) John Kundla 4–3 New York Knicks (3) (2, 0–2) Joe Lapchick [26]
1953 Minneapolis Lakers (1) (4, 4–0) John Kundla 4–1 New York Knicks (1) (3, 0–3) Joe Lapchick [27]
1954 Minneapolis Lakers (1) (5, 5–0) John Kundla 4–3 Syracuse Nationals (1) (2, 0–2) Al Cervi [28]
1955 Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (1, 0–1) Charles Eckman 3–4 Syracuse Nationals (1) (3, 1–2) Al Cervi [29]
1956 Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (2, 0–2) Charles Eckman 1–4 Philadelphia Warriors (1) (3, 2–1) George Senesky [30]
1957 St. Louis Hawks (1) (1, 0–1) Alex Hannum 3–4 Boston Celtics (1) (1, 1–0) Red Auerbach [31]
1958 St. Louis Hawks (1) (2, 1–1) Alex Hannum 4–2 Boston Celtics (1) (2, 1–1) Red Auerbach [32]
1959 Minneapolis Lakers (2) (6, 5–1) John Kundla 0–4 Boston Celtics (1) (3, 2–1) Red Auerbach [33]
1960 St. Louis Hawks (1) (3, 1–2) Ed Macauley 3–4 Boston Celtics (1) (4, 3–1) Red Auerbach [34]
1961 St. Louis Hawks (1) (4, 1–3) Paul Seymour 1–4 Boston Celtics (1) (5, 4–1) Red Auerbach [35]
1962 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (7, 5–2) Fred Schaus 3–4 Boston Celtics (1) (6, 5–1) Red Auerbach [36]
1963 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (8, 5–3) Fred Schaus 2–4 Boston Celtics (1) (7, 6–1) Red Auerbach [37]
1964[b] San Francisco Warriors (1) (4, 2–2) Alex Hannum 1–4 Boston Celtics (1) (8, 7–1) Red Auerbach [38]
1965 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (9, 5–4) Fred Schaus 1–4 Boston Celtics (1) (9, 8–1) Red Auerbach [39]
1966 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (10, 5–5) Fred Schaus 3–4 Boston Celtics (2) (10, 9–1) Red Auerbach [40]
1967 San Francisco Warriors (1) (5, 2–3) Bill Sharman 2–4 Philadelphia 76ers (1) (4, 2–2) Alex Hannum [41]
1968 Los Angeles Lakers (2) (11, 5–6) Butch van Breda Kolff 2–4 Boston Celtics (2) (11, 10–1) Bill Russell [42]
1969 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (12, 5–7) Butch van Breda Kolff 3–4 Boston Celtics (4) (12, 11–1) Bill Russell [43]
1970 Los Angeles Lakers (2) (13, 5–8) Joe Mullaney 3–4 New York Knicks (1) (4, 1–3) Red Holzman [44]
1971 Milwaukee Bucks (1) (1, 1–0) Larry Costello 4–0 Baltimore Bullets (1) (1, 0–1) Gene Shue [45]
1972 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (14, 6–8) Bill Sharman 4–1 New York Knicks (2) (5, 1–4) Red Holzman [46]
1973 Los Angeles Lakers (2) (15, 6–9) Bill Sharman 1–4 New York Knicks (2) (6, 2–4) Red Holzman [47]
1974 Milwaukee Bucks (1) (2, 1–1) Larry Costello 3–4 Boston Celtics (1) (13, 12–1) Tom Heinsohn [48]
1975 Golden State Warriors (1) (6, 3–3) Al Attles 4–0 Washington Bullets (2) (2, 0–2) K. C. Jones [49]
1976 Phoenix Suns (3) (1, 0–1) John MacLeod 2–4 Boston Celtics (1) (14, 13–1) Tom Heinsohn [50]
1977[c] Portland Trail Blazers (3) (1, 1–0) Jack Ramsay 4–2 Philadelphia 76ers (1) (5, 2–3) Gene Shue [53]
1978 Seattle SuperSonics (4) (1, 0–1) Lenny Wilkens 3–4 Washington Bullets (3) (3, 1–2) Dick Motta [54]
1979 Seattle SuperSonics (1) (2, 1–1) Lenny Wilkens 4–1 Washington Bullets (1) (4, 1–3) Dick Motta [55]
1980 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (16, 7–9) Paul Westhead 4–2 Philadelphia 76ers (3) (6, 2–4) Billy Cunningham [56]
1981 Houston Rockets (6) (1, 0–1) Del Harris 2–4 Boston Celtics (1) (15, 14–1) Bill Fitch [57]
1982 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (17, 8–9) Pat Riley 4–2 Philadelphia 76ers (3) (7, 2–5) Billy Cunningham [58]
1983 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (18, 8–10) Pat Riley 0–4 Philadelphia 76ers (1) (8, 3–5) Billy Cunningham [59]
1984[d] Los Angeles Lakers (1) (19, 8–11) Pat Riley 3–4 Boston Celtics (1) (16, 15–1) K. C. Jones [60]
1985 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (20, 9–11) Pat Riley 4–2 Boston Celtics (1) (17, 15–2) K. C. Jones [61]
1986 Houston Rockets (2) (2, 0–2) Bill Fitch 2–4 Boston Celtics (1) (18, 16–2) K. C. Jones [62]
1987 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (21, 10–11) Pat Riley 4–2 Boston Celtics (1) (19, 16–3) K. C. Jones [63]
1988 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (22, 11–11) Pat Riley 4–3 Detroit Pistons (2) (3, 0–3) Chuck Daly [64]
1989 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (23, 11–12) Pat Riley 0–4 Detroit Pistons (1) (4, 1–3) Chuck Daly [65]
1990 Portland Trail Blazers (3) (2, 1–1) Rick Adelman 1–4 Detroit Pistons (1) (5, 2–3) Chuck Daly [66]
1991 Los Angeles Lakers (3) (24, 11–13) Mike Dunleavy 1–4 Chicago Bulls (1) (1, 1–0) Phil Jackson [67]
1992 Portland Trail Blazers (1) (3, 1–2) Rick Adelman 2–4 Chicago Bulls (1) (2, 2–0) Phil Jackson [68]
1993 Phoenix Suns (1) (2, 0–2) Paul Westphal 2–4 Chicago Bulls (2) (3, 3–0) Phil Jackson [69]
1994 Houston Rockets (2) (3, 1–2) Rudy Tomjanovich 4–3 New York Knicks (2) (7, 2–5) Pat Riley [70]
1995 Houston Rockets (6) (4, 2–2) Rudy Tomjanovich 4–0 Orlando Magic (1) (1, 0–1) Brian Hill [71]
1996 Seattle SuperSonics (1) (3, 1–2) George Karl 2–4 Chicago Bulls (1) (4, 4–0) Phil Jackson [72]
1997 Utah Jazz (1) (1, 0–1) Jerry Sloan 2–4 Chicago Bulls (1) (5, 5–0) Phil Jackson [73]
1998 Utah Jazz (1) (2, 0–2) Jerry Sloan 2–4 Chicago Bulls (1) (6, 6–0) Phil Jackson [74]
1999[e] San Antonio Spurs (1) (1, 1–0) Gregg Popovich 4–1 New York Knicks (8) (8, 2–6) Jeff Van Gundy [76]
2000 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (25, 12–13) Phil Jackson 4–2 Indiana Pacers (1) (1, 0–1) Larry Bird [77]
2001 Los Angeles Lakers (2) (26, 13–13) Phil Jackson 4–1 Philadelphia 76ers (1) (9, 3–6) Larry Brown [78]
2002 Los Angeles Lakers (3) (27, 14–13) Phil Jackson 4–0 New Jersey Nets (1) (1, 0–1) Byron Scott [79]
2003 San Antonio Spurs (1) (2, 2–0) Gregg Popovich 4–2 New Jersey Nets (2) (2, 0–2) Byron Scott [80]
2004 Los Angeles Lakers (2) (28, 14–14) Phil Jackson 1–4 Detroit Pistons (3) (6, 3–3) Larry Brown [81]
2005 San Antonio Spurs (2) (3, 3–0) Gregg Popovich 4–3 Detroit Pistons (2) (7, 3–4) Larry Brown [82]
2006 Dallas Mavericks (4) (1, 0–1) Avery Johnson 2–4 Miami Heat (2) (1, 1–0) Pat Riley [83]
2007 San Antonio Spurs (3) (4, 4–0) Gregg Popovich 4–0 Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (1, 0–1) Mike Brown [84]
2008 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (29, 14–15) Phil Jackson 2–4 Boston Celtics (1) (20, 17–3) Doc Rivers [85]
2009 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (30, 15–15) Phil Jackson 4–1 Orlando Magic (3) (2, 0–2) Stan Van Gundy [86]
2010 Los Angeles Lakers (1) (31, 16–15) Phil Jackson 4–3 Boston Celtics (4) (21, 17–4) Doc Rivers [87]
2011 Dallas Mavericks (3) (2, 1–1) Rick Carlisle 4–2 Miami Heat (2) (2, 1–1) Erik Spoelstra [88]
2012[f] Oklahoma City Thunder (2) (4, 1–3) Scott Brooks 1–4 Miami Heat (2) (3, 2–1) Erik Spoelstra [91]
2013 San Antonio Spurs (2) (5, 4–1) Gregg Popovich 3–4 Miami Heat (1) (4, 3–1) Erik Spoelstra [92]
2014 San Antonio Spurs (1) (6, 5–1) Gregg Popovich 4–1 Miami Heat (2) (5, 3–2) Erik Spoelstra [93]
2015 Golden State Warriors (1) (7, 4–3) Steve Kerr 4–2 Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (2, 0–2) David Blatt [94]
2016 Golden State Warriors (1) (8, 4–4) Steve Kerr 3–4 Cleveland Cavaliers (1) (3, 1–2) Tyronn Lue [95]
2017 Golden State Warriors (1) (9, 5–4) Steve Kerr 4–1 Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (4, 1–3) Tyronn Lue [96]
2018 Golden State Warriors (2) (10, 6–4) Steve Kerr 4–0 Cleveland Cavaliers (4) (5, 1–4) Tyronn Lue [97]
2019 Golden State Warriors (1) (11, 6–5) Steve Kerr 2–4 Toronto Raptors (2) (1, 1–0) Nick Nurse [98]
2020[g] Los Angeles Lakers (1) (32, 17–15) Frank Vogel 4–2 Miami Heat (5) (6, 3–3) Erik Spoelstra [100]
2021 Phoenix Suns (2) (3, 0–3) Monty Williams 2–4 Milwaukee Bucks (3) (3, 2–1) Mike Budenholzer [101]
2022 Golden State Warriors (3) (12, 7–5) Steve Kerr 4–2 Boston Celtics (2) (22, 17–5) Ime Udoka [102]

Results by team

Team Win Loss Apps Pct Year(s) won Year(s) lost
Los Angeles Lakers[i] 17 15 32 .531 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004, 2008
Boston Celtics 17 5 22 .773 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008 1958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022
Golden State Warriors[ii] 7 5 12 .583 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 1948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019
Chicago Bulls 6 0 6 1.000 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 —
San Antonio Spurs 5 1 6 .833 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 2013
Philadelphia 76ers[iii] 3 6 9 .333 1955, 1967, 1983 1950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 2001
Detroit Pistons[iv] 3 4 7 .429 1989, 1990, 2004 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
Miami Heat 3 3 6 .500 2006, 2012, 2013 2011, 2014, 2020
New York Knicks 2 6 8 .250 1970, 1973 1951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 1999
Houston Rockets 2 2 4 .500 1994, 1995 1981, 1986
Milwaukee Bucks 2 1 3 .667 1971, 2021 1974
Cleveland Cavaliers 1 4 5 .200 2016 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018
Atlanta Hawks[v] 1 3 4 .250 1958 1957, 1960, 1961
Washington Wizards[vi] 1 3 4 .250 1978 1971, 1975, 1979
Oklahoma City Thunder[vii] 1 3 4 .250 1979 1978, 1996, 2012
Portland Trail Blazers 1 2 3 .333 1977 1990, 1992
Dallas Mavericks 1 1 2 .500 2011 2006
Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954)[viii] 1 0 1 1.000 1948 —
Sacramento Kings[ix] 1 0 1 1.000 1951 —
Toronto Raptors 1 0 1 1.000 2019 —
Phoenix Suns 0 3 3 .000 — 1976, 1993, 2021
Utah Jazz 0 2 2 .000 — 1997, 1998
Brooklyn Nets[x] 0 2 2 .000 — 2002, 2003
Orlando Magic 0 2 2 .000 — 1995, 2009
Chicago Stags (folded in 1950) 0 1 1 .000 — 1947
Washington Capitols (folded in 1951) 0 1 1 .000 — 1949
Indiana Pacers 0 1 1 .000 — 2000
Charlotte Hornets — — — — — —
Denver Nuggets — — — — — —
Los Angeles Clippers — — — — — —
Memphis Grizzlies — — — — — —
Minnesota Timberwolves — — — — — —
New Orleans Pelicans — — — — — —
  1. ^ Includes record as Minneapolis Lakers
  2. ^ Includes record as Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors
  3. ^ Includes record as Syracuse Nationals
  4. ^ Includes record as Fort Wayne Pistons
  5. ^ Includes record as St. Louis Hawks
  6. ^ Includes record as Baltimore and Washington Bullets
  7. ^ Includes record as Seattle SuperSonics
  8. ^ Not affiliated with the present-day Washington Wizards, known as the Baltimore Bullets from 1963 to 1973.
  9. ^ Includes record as Rochester Royals
  10. ^ Includes record as New York and New Jersey Nets

Frequent matchups

Count Matchup Record Years
12 Boston Celtics vs Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers Celtics, 9–3 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2008, 2010
6 Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers Lakers, 5–1 1950, 1954, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001
5 Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks Lakers, 3–2 1952, 1953, 1970, 1972, 1973
4 St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks) vs Boston Celtics Celtics, 3–1 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961
4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors Warriors, 3–1 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
3 Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers Pistons, 2–1 1988, 1989, 2004
2 Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) vs Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards) Tied, 1–1 1978, 1979
2 Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets Celtics, 2–0 1981, 1986
2 Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz Bulls, 2–0 1997, 1998
2 Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat Tied, 1–1 2006, 2011
2 Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs Tied, 1–1 2013, 2014
2 Boston Celtics vs San Francisco/Golden State Warriors Tied, 1–1 1964, 2022

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Minneapolis was the Central Division (now defunct, no relation to the current Central Division) playoff champion, while the Anderson Packers were the Western Division playoff champion.[20] Due to the NBA's realignment into three divisions,[21][22] the team with the best regular season record after the Divisional Finals advanced automatically to the NBA Finals, while the other two teams faced off in the NBA Semifinals to determine the other finalist. Eastern Division playoff champion Syracuse had the best regular season record among the division playoff champions, causing Minneapolis to face Anderson in the NBA Semifinals.[20][23]
  2. ^ The trophy was renamed for Walter A. Brown.
  3. ^ The trophy was replaced by a new design.[51][52]
  4. ^ The trophy was renamed for Larry O'Brien.
  5. ^ After a lockout, the season started on February 5, 1999, and all 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule.[75]
  6. ^ After a lockout, the season started on December 25, 2011, and all 30 teams played a shortened 66-game regular season schedule.[89][90]
  7. ^ The 2019–20 NBA season was delayed and shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finished in October 2020 with a bubble tournament.[99]

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