The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association, played under a best-of-seven playoff format. The team winning the Eastern Conference Finals earns one of the two berths in the championship round, with the other going to the team that wins the Western Conference Finals. This event has been played at the conclusion of every NBA and BAA season in history, the first being held in 1947. The most recent NBA championship, in 2005, was won by the San Antonio Spurs franchise, who beat the defending champion Detroit Pistons in 7 games
Controversially, the NBA Finals are often regarded by league officials and U.S. media as a "World Championship," implying that no basketball team in the world could compete with NBA Finalists. This issue has become notable since NBA-based U.S. national teams have been unable to win official international competitions like the 2004 Olympics and the 2002 Basketball World Championship
Dynasties
The Boston Celtics won the championship in all but two of the years between 1957 and 1969, inclusive, and eight in a row from 1959 to 1966, forming one of the most celebrated dynasties in league history. Famous people of this dynasty include Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, John Havlicek and coach Red Auerbach. Larry Bird is also famous for having led the team to three championships in the 1980s. The Celtics have, in fact, won 16 championships, in 1957, 1959-1966, 1968-1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984 and 1986, more than any other team in the league. Other powerful championship teams include the Minneapolis (later Los Angeles) Lakers (14 championships, from 1949-1950, 1952-1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-1988, and 2000-2002) and the Chicago Bulls (6 championships, from 1991-1993, and 1996-1998.
History
As basketball is a major sport in the United States, the Final round has become a large-scale event on the sports calendar, with higher popularity than the concurrent Stanley Cup final in the National Hockey League.
Inevitably, many spectacular Finals series will occur. These include:
- 1955: The Syracuse Nationals faced the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small (so little coverage was offered) the series was very spectacular. The home team won every game, the Nats taking the series with a free throw by George King at the end of Game 7, breaking a 91-91 tie.
- 1957: The first championship in 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 series that many ascribe the beginnings of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry to. In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy missed an easy winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics then won in overtime.
- 1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" only to see his team's lead melt away. They held on, however, and won 95-93.
- 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, Celtics player-coach Bill Russell's experience led to 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' dynasty. They won Game 7 by two points in Los Angeles' home arena.
- 1970: Game 3 produced an instant classic. The Lakers trailed 102-100 with three seconds left, but Jerry West scored a basket from 60 feet away to even the game. Although the Knicks eventually won in overtime, the Lakers produced momentum. Unfortunately for them, the injured Willis Reed, who supposedly was out of Game 7, came back in to inspire the Knicks just when they needed it. New York claimed its first title.
- 1976: Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labelled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever". With the series tied 2-2, Boston took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. The game was marred by several controversies but eventually went to Boston in three overtimes, 128-126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.
- 1980: The Lakers took a 3-2 lead, led chiefly by Abdul-Jabbar. After he sprained his ankle in Game 5, Magic Johnson (then little known) 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.
- 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 almost swept the Celtics but a crucial steal in Game 2 led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3 easily and almost won Game 4, but were again thwarted. 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 went to the Celtics. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings.
- 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.
- 1994: The Knicks (who only barely made it to the final after almost being eliminated by Indiana) took a 3-2 lead and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but were blocked in a spectacular move by Olajuwon. Momentum and home-court advantage against them, they lost Game 7 narrowly.
- 1998 NBA Finals: The Chicago Bulls raced to a 3-2 lead but nearly lost Game 6 until Michael Jordan made two key baskets for a one-point win and the championship. It would be Jordan's last play for the Bulls (afterwards he played for the Washington Wizards).
- 2005 NBA Finals: The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 was a very tight game (a scene reminiscent of 1976). Robert Horry shot a three-pointer at the end of the first overtime for a 96-95 win. The Spurs thus took a 3-2 lead going home and although losing Game 6 narrowly, could not be kept from cinching the championship in Game 7.
The Early Years
| Year | Western Champion1 | Margin | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1947 | Chicago Stags | 1-4 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1948 | Baltimore Bullets | 4–2 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-2 | Washington Capitols |
| 1950 | Minneapolis Lakers1 | 4–2 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1951 | Rochester Royals | 4–3 | New York Knicks |
| 1952 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4–3 | New York Knicks |
| 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4–1 | New York Knicks |
| 1954 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4–3 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1955 | Ft. Wayne Pistons | 3-4 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1956 | Ft. Wayne Pistons | 1-4 | Philadelphia Warriors |
1During the 1949-50 NBA season, the league consisted of three divisions. The Minneapolis Lakers were in the Central Division.
During the 1940s and early 1950s decades, the NBA Finals were nothing but a minor highlight on the calendar. Franchises which had previously been in the National Basketball League tended to dominate, especially the Minneapolis Lakers.
However, with the arrival of Bill Russell in 1956, the popularity of the league multiplied immensely. Although, still considered a minor league, it was gaining support in sports fans' views. His games against Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors contributed massively, as they were the two players in the league who were widely considered the best.
The Celtics Dynasty
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1957 | St. Louis Hawks | 3-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1958 | St. Louis Hawks | 4-2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1959 | Minneapolis Lakers | 0-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1960 | St. Louis Hawks | 3-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1961 | St. Louis Hawks | 1-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1962 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1963 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1964 | San Francisco Warriors | 1-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1966 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1967 | San Francisco Warriors | 2-4 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1968 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2-4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1969 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-4 | Boston Celtics |
For most of the late 1950s and the 1960s, the Celtics always seemed to have the upper hand on Chamberlain's teams. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Russell instantly became the star of the league. The seventh game of that year's championship was decided on a Celtics basket in the final seconds of the second overtime.
In 1964, Chamberlain, who had moved to California with his team, led the Warriors to a Western Conference championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics. The following season, he was traded back to Philadelphia, to join the 76ers that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors.
The year 1966 produced a clash between the two stars in the playoffs, and Boston won 4-1. However, Chamberlain's desire to score was so great that the coach made a famous statement to him to seek to play a team game, not an individual game, to avoid drawing double-teams. His newfound spirit brought his team 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. Playing against Jerry West's Lakers, they seemed doomed to defeat. Nevertheless, for the sixth consecutive time, they defeated L.A., winning by a four games to two margin. The following year was similarly frustrating, again with the Celtics winning the East and the Lakers winning the West. However, now that Chamberlain had been traded to the Lakers, early estimates had the probabilities going largely in favour of the Lakers. They easily won the first two games at the L.A. Forum. However, when the series shifted to Boston Garden, the Celtics won two close games, by margins of 110-105 and 88-87, respectively, in Games 3 and 4. The fifth game, played into the Forum, returned the advantage to the Lakers, but the sixth game was a massive Celtics win, Chamberlain scoring just two points in the entire duration. Game 7 was held on May 5, balloons being hung up in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. Russell immediately used the balloons as an inspiration for his team, and they raced off to an early start and held off a furious Lakers comeback to win 108-106 and take the series, their eleventh championship in thirteen years. This game represented the final one in this first incarnation of the dynasty.
The Rise of the Knicks and Lakers
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1970 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3–4 | New York Knicks |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4–0 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 | New York Knicks |
| 1973 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1–4 | New York Knicks |
| 1974 | Milwaukee Bucks | 3–4 | Boston Celtics |
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 sixty feet away to tie the game, a shot which would become one of the most famous ever. Although the Knicks went on to win the game in overtime, and carried on their momentum for a 4-3 win, the Lakers were still far from defeated. Just two seasons later, the coach introduced a new plan, and it proved effective, as, after losing several games at the beginning, the team won thirty-three games consecutively, the longest such streak in NBA history. By the season's end, they had broken the record for most wins in a season, tallying up 69 wins, one more than the 76ers of 1966-67. The Lakers finally, after a tough playoff season, took home the championship for the first time since the NBA 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 Western Breakthrough
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors | 4–0 | Washington Bullets |
| 1976 | Phoenix Suns | 2–4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1978 | Seattle SuperSonics | 3–4 | Washington Bullets |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics | 4–1 | Washington Bullets |
The late seventies were characterized by a major breakthrough of the league's western franchises. The Golden State Warriors defeated the heavily-favored Chicago Bulls in the conference final in 1975, after compiling a 48-34 regular-season record. They then swept the Washington Bullets 4-0 in a Finals series where the odds favored the eastern representative. This accomplishment has largely been overlooked, but the history books nevertheless betray this remarkable season, comparable to that of the New York Yankees in 1978.
The next year, 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 an upset victory over Golden State. In the final against Boston, the teams split the first four games. Game 5 became one of the most memorable games of all. It went into three overtimes but eventually went to Boston 128-126. Two days later the Celtics finished it off for their 13th championship.
The Decline of the NBA
The late seventies were seen by many to be a low point in the history of the NBA. Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the only remaining major stars, and college basketball took over the fans' support, as players who would later become NBA stars were playing. The West continued to dominate in these years, with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the 1977 trophy and the Seattle SuperSonics winning in 1979.
The Resurrection of the League
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1981 | Houston Rockets | 2–4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Lakers | 0–4 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3–4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1986 | Houston Rockets | 2–4 | Boston Celtics |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Lakers | 0–4 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1990 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons |
The 1979 NCAA final featured Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Michigan State University team facing off against Larry Bird's Indiana State team. Michigan State won the game. This meeting has been immortalized, in fact, it attracted the largest ever TV audience for an NCAA 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 in college for one more year, and the two superstars both entered the league that same year, 1979, leading their respective teams to dazzling heights. Johnson's Lakers reached the final in 1980, 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 to win his first championship, a remarkable performance in the annals of the sport.
Boston won the 1981 championship against Houston thanks to Bird, and the team continued dominating the league afterwards, taking many Atlantic Division titles.
Philadelphia, led by Moses Malone and Julius Erving, took the 1983 prize, losing only once in the entire playoffs. (Malone had predicted earlier that they would sweep every series.) 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 Johnson's Lakers 4-3. The seventh game of that series 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.
In the 1985 championship, the Lakers made amends for their previous eight losses to the Celtics by defeating them in six games. After losing the first game in a rout, 148-114, dubbed the "Memorial Day massacre", they won four out of five, including a clincher in Boston Garden, to finally end the long years of failing to defeat the Boston franchise.
The 1986 NBA Finals brought the Celtics back against the Houston Rockets. Boston won in six games, taking their sixteenth championship, 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 pounded out two victories, but Boston took the third. Game 4 would be one of the most memorable games ever played. In the waning moments, Magic Johnson scored a skyhook to give the Lakers a 107-106 win, and a 3-1 series lead. They dropped one more, but won Game 6 to take the series. This championship team was recently voted the best in history by the NBA's officials and experts.
In 1988 and 1989, the aging Celtics failed to reach the Finals, with the Lakers and Pistons becoming the best of their conferences. The first contest between the two teams went to Los Angeles in seven games, but the second was a Detroit sweep. The next year, Detroit won it all again, and the name "Bad Boys" became attached to the team for their rough, physical play.
The Chicago Bulls-Houston Rockets Dynasty
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1991 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1–4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1992 | Portland Trail Blazers | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1993 | Phoenix Suns | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets | 4–3 | New York Knicks |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | 4–0 | Orlando Magic |
| 1996 | Seattle SuperSonics | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1997 | Utah Jazz | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998 | Utah Jazz | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls |
The majority of the 1990s were marked by the rise of the Chicago Bulls dynasty (otherwise known as the 'Michael Jordan era'), which ended in 1998. Coached by legendary head coach Phil Jackson and led by superstar Michael Jordan, the Bulls won six championships from 1991 to 1998. Supported by such remarkable players as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Jordan led the Bulls to victory in all NBA Finals series they competed in, and won the Finals MVP award each time. He cemented his position as the best player in the league with dominating performances over superstar Magic Johnson in 1991 and MVP candidate Clyde Drexler in 1992. The Bulls became the second team to sweep games 3 through 5 on the road in Finals history when they did so in the 1991 series against the Lakers. The first being Detroit in 1990. Particularly memorable were the 1993 Finals, which became an offensive showdown between Jordan and regular-season MVP Charles Barkley.
Jordan decided to retire after the 1993 championship season, causing the Bulls to falter. Without the Bulls to compete against, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, won the 1994 and 1995 NBA championships. The game 7 between the Rockets and Knicks in 1994, would be the last game 7 of the NBA Finals until the 2005 series between San Antonio and Detroit.
Jordan decided to return to basketball in 1995, after a short stint as a baseball player. Although he failed to lead the Bulls to the Finals in that year, he returned to pre-retirement form the next year and led the Bulls to one of the most memorable seasons ever. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with a record of 72-10, the best regular season record of any team in the history of the NBA. They proceeded to dominate in the playoffs, defeating Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and their SuperSonics.
In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met with perhaps their most formidable foe, the Utah Jazz. Led by Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz were defeated in both Finals by Jordan's unstoppable play. The Bulls had a cast of characters that proved to be the final pieces to help Michael obtain the ultimate prize. No-names such as Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington, and Luc Longley were key players that rarely produced an astounding amount of points, but proved vital in the use of intangibles (setting picks, rebounding, creating turnovers, etc.). Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson and Dennis Rodman were all pieces that were added to the puzzle to create the dynasty known as the "Untoucha-Bulls." Before the beginning of the 1999 season, Jordan decided to retire from the NBA, opening the door for teams other than the Bulls to win the championship. The Bulls did not make the playoffs again, much less win a championship, until 2005, and were eliminated by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2005 playoffs.
The Spurs-Lakers-Era
| Year | Western Champion | Result | Eastern Champion |
|---|
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs | 4–1 | New York Knicks |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–1 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4–0 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs | 4–2 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2004 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons |
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, both of the Western Conference, dominated the NBA. In the 1998-1999 off-season, veteran stars Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley signed with the Houston Rockets, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in an attempt to win the championship. Although they were the favorites, the Los Angeles Lakers beat them in the playoffs, and San Antonio Spurs, led by the "Twin Towers" Tim Duncan and David Robinson, won the West and proceeded to end the the injury-plagued New York Knicks magical run (they had been the #8 seed) in the NBA Finals.
For the next 3 years, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, won the NBA Finals in dominating performances, each year completing the task in one fewer game then the previous Finals. They were particularly dominating in the 2002 Finals, as they kept the lead virtually all the time in every game; only for a short while near the beginning of Game 4 did the New Jersey Nets gain any significant lead in a game. The Lakers sweep of the Nets was the first sweep in the Finals since Houston swept Orlando in the 1995 Finals. However, the Lakers streak of championships ended when they were defeated by the Spurs in the playoffs, who proceeded to defeat the Jason Kidd-led Nets in the finals. Game 6 was particularly memorable as Tim Duncan produced a triple-double and led his team to an 11-0 game-winning run during the final minutes.
In 2004, 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 best teams in NBA history. The Lakers were the clear favorites to win the NBA championship. However, the Detroit Pistons, under coach Larry Brown and led by defensive star Ben Wallace and offensive floor general Chauncey Billups, defeated the injury- and dissension-ridden Lakers to become the first Eastern Conference team since the Bulls to win the NBA championship. The Pistons became the first home team to sweep games 3 through 5 in a Finals series. Previously three road teams did it (Detroit in 1990, Chicago in 1991 and the Lakers in 2001). Point guard Billups won the Finals MVP award, becoming the first point guard to win the award since Isiah Thomas.
In 2005, for the first time since 1987, the previous two champions met to decide it all. The Pistons and Spurs were both considered defensive specialists, having both knocked off offensive-minded No. 1 seeds to reach the Finals. The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 produced an instant classic. The game was close throughout: even as the Spurs pulled away in the third quarter the Pistons came back, and the game was tied 89-89 and went into overtime after Tim Duncan missed a potential winning shot for San Antonio. In overtime, the Pistons jumped to a quick 95-91 lead but Robert Horry scored the game-winning 3-point basket with 6 seconds left. This capped an explosive 21-point performance by Horry off the bench, even though Horry had not scored at all until 1 second remained in the third quarter. Horry scored more than a point a minute the rest of the game. This was a capstone to Horry's long career of similarly dramatic game-winning heroics. In Game 6 the defending champion Pistons were given little chance to recover from such a heartbreaking loss but continued a trend of excelling with their 'backs against the wall.' The game was tight throughout until, with a one-point lead and two minutes to play, the Pistons scored the final 8 points of the game to win 95-86. Key to the Detroit win was Rasheed Wallace, who returned to the game to score 7 points and garner a game-clinching steal and rebound, all in the final four minutes. The flamboyant Wallace thus earned some redemption for his gaffe at the end of Game 5 when he left the red-hot Horry unguarded on the game-winning shot. A decisive Game 7 was now set up to conclude this suddenly gripping series, the first Finals Game 7 in 11 years (when Houston defeated New York). Game 7 was won by the Spurs 81-74, giving them their third NBA Finals championship in seven years. Tim Duncan won his third Finals MVP award, joining Magic Johnson, michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the fourth player to win three Finals MVP awards. Robert Horry won his sixth NBA title, and became the second player in NBA history to win a title with three different teams (Rockets, Lakers, Spurs).
