The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA conducted at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are fought between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (previously Divisions until 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion met the victor 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 competition where the two semifinal winners faced each other in the championship. The winning team of the series wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

The current home-and-away format in the NBA Finals is 2–2–1–1–1 (the team with the higher regular-season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), which has been utilized in 1947–1948,1950–1952,1957–1970, 1972–1974, 1976–1977, 1979–1984, and 2014–present. It was formerly in a 2–3–2 format (the team with the superior regular season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7) during 1949, 1953–1955, and 1985–2013, in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format between 1956 and 1971, and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978. 

As of 2022, the Eastern Conference/Division led the Western Conference/Division 40–36 in championships won. As of 2022, the Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have won a combined total of 34 NBA championships (with 17 apiece).

As of 2022, the reigning champions are the Golden State Warriors.

1946–1956: Beginnings and Lakers Dynasty

The Minneapolis Lakers dominated the early era of modern professional basketball, winning half of the first 10 titles. The Philadelphia Warriors also won many championships, including the first in 1947 and another in 1956 to cap the first decade of the NBA. The Basketball Association of America, created in 1946, finished its debut season in April 1947, with the Philadelphia Warriors beating the Chicago Stags in five games. The Warriors returned to the Finals the following season, but were defeated by the now-defunct Baltimore Bullets. To far, the only defunct club to win a title is the Baltimore Bullets.

Before entering the BAA, the Minneapolis Lakers won the rival National Basketball League title in 1948. The Lakers, led by future Hall of Famer George Mikan, won the third and final BAA championship in 1949, defeating the Red Auerbach-coached Washington Capitals. Before the 1949-50 season, the BAA and the NBL merged to form the National Basketball Association. In 1950, the Lakers won the inaugural NBA championship, becoming the first club to repeat as champions.

In the lone Finals game involving two teams from the same state, the Rochester Royals upset the New York Knicks in 1951. This was the first of three consecutive Finals losses for the Knicks, who also lost to the Lakers in 1952 and 1953. The Lakers would win again in 1954, becoming the first club to do it. The Lakers would win their fifth championship in six years, and their last in Minneapolis. The Syracuse Nationals won their sole championship before becoming the Philadelphia 76ers in 1955, while the Warriors won their second and last championship in Philadelphia before migrating to California in 1956.

One of the five championship-winning clubs from 1947 through 1956 would collapse, while the other four would all relocate by 1964.

1957–1969: Celtics Dynasty

During 13 seasons (1956-57 to 1968-69), the Boston Celtics went 11-1 in the NBA Finals, including eight successive titles from 1959 to 1966. During this time, the St. Louis Hawks won their sole championship before moving to Atlanta, the Philadelphia 76ers won their first title since moving from Syracuse, and the Lakers and Warriors returned to the Finals for the first time in California.

The Celtics enjoyed immense success after establishing a dynasty in 1957, led by center Bill Russell. Despite having some trouble facing teams headed by Wilt Chamberlain, the Celtics and Russell managed to have the upper hand on Chamberlain's teams throughout the most of the late 1950s and 1960s.

Chamberlain, who had relocated to California with his club, guided the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Conference title in 1964, but failed to defeat the Celtics once more. The next season, he returned to the Eastern Conference to join the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals who had relocated to the city to fill the void left by the Warriors' departure.

The first postseason meeting between the two stars occurred in 1966, with Boston winning the series 4-1. To avoid attracting the double-teams that plagued Chamberlain in the Finals, Philadelphia coach Alex Hannum encouraged Chamberlain to focus more on playing a team game the next season. The next season, the club set a new record with 68 victories, beating the Celtics before capturing the 1967 NBA Championship. In 1968, Boston overcame a 3-1 deficit against Philadelphia to reach the Finals for the second time. They went on to win the NBA championship again by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

The Celtics had a difficult time making the playoffs in 1969 due to an older roster and repeated injuries to key players. They made the playoffs as the fourth and last seed in the East, while the Lakers, who had signed Chamberlain in the offseason to join players Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were overwhelming favorites to win the championship for the first time since migrating to Los Angeles. Despite having a 2-1 lead into Game 4, the Lakers led 87-86 and held the ball with 10 seconds remaining. However, following a mistake, Sam Jones scored to give the Celtics a close 88-87 victory and even the series. The series was finally deadlocked 3-3 heading into Game 7 in Los Angeles, when Lakers owner Jack Cooke hung balloons in anticipation of a Lakers triumph. West also had thigh and hamstring injuries during the series, but he recovered to play in the final game. Russell took advantage of the Celtics' now limited movement in West to orchestrate fast breaks at every chance, allowing them to take an early lead. They fought off a dramatic Lakers rally to win the series 108-106 and their 11th title in 13 years.

Because several stars declined or retired after this victory, it is often regarded as the Celtics' final NBA Finals appearance.

1970–1979: Decade of parity

The 1970s saw ten different teams reach the NBA Finals and eight different teams win championships, the most of any decade in NBA history, with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks each winning twice.

In 1970, the Knicks faced the Lakers in a historic final. In the last minutes of Game 3, with the series deadlocked, Jerry West made a 60-foot jumper to tie the game, which became one of the most iconic shots in NBA history. However, the Knicks triumphed in overtime and went on to win the game 4-3, becoming the first club to win an NBA championship following the Celtics dynasty. In 1971, the Milwaukee Bucks won their first championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets.

The Lakers won 33 consecutive games two seasons after losing in the NBA Finals, the longest such stretch in NBA history. By the conclusion of the season, they had surpassed the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers' record of 69 victories in a season, before winning the title for the first time since moving to Los Angeles. A season later, the Knicks won their second title by winning the Finals again.

Despite the Knicks' ascent, the Celtics won the title in 1974.

Following the Lakers' success, the 1970s saw a big breakthrough of the league's western clubs. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Bullets 4-0 in the 1975 NBA Finals after amassing a 48-34 regular season record. After just eight years as a club, the Phoenix Suns overcame a losing record early in the season to construct a spectacular victory run that saw them finish 42-40. They defeated the Seattle SuperSonics and the Warriors before meeting Boston in the Finals. The first four games were divided, but Game 5 went into three overtimes and Boston won 128-126. The Celtics won their 13th championship in record time, defeating the Suns 87-80 in Game 6.

Other teams who won their first championships in the 1970s included the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and the Washington Bullets in 1978, who defeated the SuperSonics. The following season, the SuperSonics won their first championship, exacting revenge on the Bullets.

1980–1990: Celtics–Lakers rivalry and "Bad Boys" Pistons

The 1980s were most known for the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, who won eight championships between them. The rivalry unofficially began in 1979, when Magic Johnson's Michigan State University squad faced off against Larry Bird's Indiana State University team, which drew the highest TV rating ever for an NCAA Championship game, with 38 percent of all television watchers tuning in that night. Bird and Johnson both entered the league in 1979 and led their respective teams to spectacular success.

Magic Johnson, a rookie, led the Showtime Lakers to the 1980 NBA Finals, where they faced the 76ers, who were also headed by NBA legend Julius Erving. The Lakers grabbed a 3-2 lead in Game 6, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to participate due to injury. Johnson, a natural point guard, was pushed to center and ended up playing every position on the field throughout the game, collecting 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists[6] to win his first title while being named NBA Finals MVP; a unique accomplishment in the sport's annals.

The "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish led Boston to the NBA Finals in 1981. All three players were eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for their contributions to one of the finest front courts of all time. [7] In the 1981 Finals, they faced the Houston Rockets, who were carried almost entirely by Moses Malone, who had beaten the Lakers and Johnson in the first round. The Rockets became only the second club in NBA history to reach the Finals while having a losing record during the regular season, while the Celtics had the best record in the league at 62-20. The Celtics won the NBA Championship in six games.

In 1982, the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals, this time led by new coach Pat Riley, for a rematch with the 76ers. The 76ers upset the Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals, but were defeated in six games by the Lakers, with Johnson awarded Finals MVP. After losing their previous three NBA Finals trips, the 76ers felt they needed one more piece to become champions and traded for Malone, the league's reigning MVP, on September 15, 1982. The 76ers won the 1983 NBA Finals with the new tandem of Malone and Erving, losing only once in the whole playoffs, including a sweep of the Lakers.

The Celtics and Lakers faced one other in the 1984 NBA Finals for the first time since 1969. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4-3 thanks to an amazing effort by Bird. Only the game between the two stars played five years earlier had a greater TV audience for an NBA game and the second-largest ever for a basketball contest. The 2-2-1-1-1 format was used in the NBA Finals through 2014.

The Lakers avenged their earlier loss by beating the Celtics in six games in the 1985 NBA Finals. Despite losing the opening game by 34 points in the Memorial Day Massacre, the Lakers won four of the following five games, including Game 6 at the Boston Garden. These finals were the first to be played in the 2-3-2 format, which Boston coach Red Auerbach proposed to NBA commissioner David Stern in order to reduce the frequent journey from Boston to Los Angeles.

The Celtics faced the Rockets in the 1986 NBA Finals, which Boston won in six games to claim their 16th championship. For the second time, Bird was voted Finals MVP. The Lakers and Celtics met again in 1987. The Lakers took the first two games, but Boston took the third. Johnson sank a hook jumper with two seconds left in Game 4 to give the Lakers a 107-106 victory and a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers lost Game 5, but won Game 6 to seal the series and a 2-1 victory against the Celtics. For the third time, Johnson was voted Finals MVP.

The aging Celtics failed to reach the Finals the next two seasons, getting overshadowed by the emergence of the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers successfully defended their title in the 1988 Finals, defeating the Pistons in seven games. They went on to become the first team since 1969 to win back-to-back NBA championships. [8] In an attempt to complete a three-peat, the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in a rematch of the previous year's Finals in 1989. After defeating the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trail Blazers in five games in 1990, the Pistons earned the nickname "Bad Boys" due to their rough, physical play led by a Hall of Fame backcourt in Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas and a rugged front court in Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer.

1991–1998: Bulls dynasty

The Chicago Bulls dominated the NBA throughout the duration of the 1990s. From 1991 through 1998, the Bulls won six titles in six Finals appearances, headed by head coach Phil Jackson and top players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The only other club to win a championship during this time period was the Houston Rockets, who did it in 1994 and 1995.

The first title came at the cost of the Los Angeles Lakers, who also witnessed Magic Johnson's final participation in the Finals. The Lakers won the first game, 93-91, in what was billed as a battle between the elderly Johnson and the rising Jordan. Pippen defended Johnson for the rest of the series, enabling Jordan to concentrate on scoring, and Chicago won the next four games. The Bulls returned to the Finals the next season, this time facing Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. Throughout the 1991-1992 season, Jordan and Drexler led his respective conferences to the greatest records, prompting various parallels between the two superstars in anticipation of a postseason match-up. In Game 1, the Bulls trounced the Trail Blazers by 33 points, and Jordan set a record with six three-pointers in the first half. The Trail Blazers won Game 2 in overtime, outscoring the Bulls 18-7 in the last frame despite Drexler fouling out in the fourth quarter. The third and fourth games were shared between Chicago and Portland, but the Bulls won the remaining two games to capture their second title.

Jordan faced up against personal friend Charles Barkley, the reigning MVP of the Phoenix Suns, in 1993. In Phoenix, the Bulls won the first two games, 100-92 and 111-108. The Suns rallied behind Barkley to win Game 3 129-121 in triple overtime in Chicago. Jordan scored 55 points, tying Rick Barry for the second-most points in an NBA Finals game, as the Bulls won Game 4 111-105. Game 5 was won by the Suns, 108-98, moving the series back to Phoenix. The Bulls became the third team in history to three-peat when they won Game 6 99-98 on a three-pointer by John Paxson. Jordan left basketball after this victory to pursue a career in baseball.

Following Jordan's departure, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. During this period, Olajuwon became the only player in NBA history to earn the NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Finals MVP trophies all in the same season. The Rockets faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals in 1994, the only year in which both the NBA and NHL Finals went to seven games. The Rockets' victory in Game 7 prevented New York from capturing both the NBA and NHL championships in the same year, as the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994. After trading for Clyde Drexler in the middle of the season, the Rockets swept an Orlando Magic team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in the 1995 Finals; Olajuwon was named Finals MVP again, and the Rockets became the fifth franchise to win back-to-back titles and the first sixth-seeded team to win the title without having home court advantage in any of their playoff series. With "Road Court" advantage, the Houston Rockets also defeated teams with at least 50 regular-season victories in every round of the playoffs. No other team in NBA history has accomplished this feat. The Houston Rockets trailed the Phoenix Suns 3 games to 1 in the Semi-Finals, but won two of three games on the road, including game 7, to advance to the Conference Finals.

Jordan returned to basketball late in the 1994-95 season after a brief break in baseball. Despite failing to lead the Bulls to the Finals that season, he returned to pre-retirement form the next season as the team added perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman. The Bulls finished the regular season 72-10, the greatest regular season record in NBA history at the time. They dominated the playoffs, going 3-0, 4-1, and 4-0 before playing the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals. After the Bulls built a 3-0 series lead, the Seahawks won the following two games after point guard Gary Payton begged his coach, George Karl, to go back to Jordan, forcing a sixth game. Jordan adjusted his game to deal with Payton, and the Bulls won Game 6 to capture their fourth championship.

The Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals twice in 1997 and 1998. The Jazz, led by Dream Team Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone, were beaten by the Bulls in both Finals in six games. Chicago won both series by hitting game-winning shots in the sixth game, the first by Steve Kerr in Chicago in 1997 and the second by Jordan in Utah in 1998. Chicago won their sixth NBA title and completed its second three-peat. Before the lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season, Jackson announced his retirement, triggering a chain reaction that culminated in the departure of the majority of the squad, including Jordan and Pippen. With no youth base to build on, the Bulls were destined for the lottery for the following six seasons.

1999–2014: Lakers, Spurs and Heat dominance

The Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, or San Antonio Spurs competed in every Finals between 1999 and 2014, collecting a total of 13 titles in 16 seasons.

During this period, the Spurs won five championships: in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. The Spurs were 15-2 in the NBA playoffs in 1999, including sweeps of the Blazers and Lakers. San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game, spearheaded by David Robinson and Tim Duncan, was the fewest average points allowed in the postseason in the past 30 years. The Spurs kept the New York Knicks, the NBA's first #8 seed to reach the playoffs, to an average of 79.8 points per game in that year's Finals. The Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals, marking the first title contested by two former ABA clubs. Duncan finished Game 6 with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks, falling two blocks shy of the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history. In 2005, the Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons 4-3, and in 2007, they swept the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Duncan was the Finals MVP in 1999, 2003, and 2005, while Tony Parker was the first European-born player to accomplish it in 2007.

During this time, the Lakers also won five titles, including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won their first championship by defeating the Indiana Pacers in six games. During their playoff run in 2001, the Lakers swept their first three series and won the Finals in five games against the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with an amazing 15-1 record, the greatest postseason record in NBA history at the time. The Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets in 2002, leading for nearly the entire game in each. O'Neal was named Finals MVP three times.

Veteran players Gary Payton and Karl Malone joined the Lakers in the offseason of 2003. They created what many considered to be one of the finest teams in NBA history, along with Bryant and O'Neal, and were the favorites to win the title in 2004. The Detroit Pistons, led by coach Larry Brown, beat the Lakers in five games. The Finals MVP was Chauncey Billups. The Pistons, now established as one of the East's powerhouses, returned to the NBA Finals the following year, losing in seven games to the Spurs.

In 2004, O'Neal was transferred from the Lakers to the Miami Heat, where he joined forces with rookie phenom Dwyane Wade. They led the Heat to the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, who won the first two games at home, but Miami won the next four after repeated fourth-quarter comebacks spearheaded by Wade, who was named Finals MVP.

The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2008, this time against the Boston Celtics, continuing the clubs' rivalry for the 11th time. The Celtics won 4-2 over the Lakers, led by their "Big Three" talents Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Finals MVP Paul Pierce. The Lakers recovered from their setback and advanced to the NBA Finals in 2009, where they defeated the Orlando Magic, spearheaded by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, in five games. The Lakers faced the Celtics again in 2010, trailing 3-2 before winning the final two games at home, becoming the only team in NBA history to lose a Game 7 in the Finals. Both years, Kobe Bryant was awarded Finals MVP, while head coach Phil Jackson broke Red Auerbach's record of eleven NBA titles.

The Miami Heat re-signed club captain Dwyane Wade and added free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the 2010 off-season to form a new Big Three.

[9] The Heat were thus considered major favorites for the following four Finals, beginning in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch from five years before. The Mavericks won the series 4-2, despite being huge underdogs on paper, with Dirk Nowitzki awarded Finals MVP. The next year, the Heat faced a youthful Oklahoma City Thunder squad led by future MVPs Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant in the Finals. Despite the Thunder won Game 1 at home, the Heat won the series 4-1, becoming the first team to win a title after trailing in three postseason series. James won his first title and was awarded NBA Finals MVP unanimously.

The Heat won again in 2013, this time over the San Antonio Spurs, with the finals including four past Finals MVPs for the first time since 1987. (Duncan, Parker, Wade and James). The Spurs led the series 3-2, but the Heat responded with a historic Game 6 victory, highlighted by a game-tying three-pointer by Ray Allen in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. The Heat won Game 7 to secure the championship, and James was awarded Finals MVP for the second year in a row. In a rematch with the Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, Miami attempted a three-peat, but San Antonio won in five games, claiming their first title since 2007 and Duncan's fifth and last victory. After Duncan and Magic Johnson, Kawhi Leonard was chosen Finals MVP, making him the third-youngest Finals MVP.

2015–present: Warriors dynasty

Between 2015 and 2022, the Golden State Warriors competed in six Finals, winning four titles in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 offseason, joining forces with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to create a new "Big Three" in Cleveland. The Cavaliers would face the Golden State Warriors in four consecutive Finals, noted for their innovative small-ball, three-point shooting offense devised by coach Steve Kerr and led by two-time MVP Stephen Curry. They became the first two teams to compete in more than two successive Finals.

The Cavaliers built a 2-1 series lead in the 2015 NBA Finals before losing studs Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to injury. The Warriors won the series in six games, with Andre Iguodala claiming NBA Finals MVP for his efforts on defense against LeBron James. The Warriors set the record for most regular season victories the next season, going 73-9, and Curry earned his second consecutive MVP award by unanimous vote, breaking his own record for three-pointers made in a single season. The Warriors and Cavaliers faced again in the 2016 NBA Finals, with the Warriors taking a 3-1 series lead until James and Irving guided the Cavaliers to two straight wins to force a Game 7 decider. LeBron James produced a stunning chase-down block on Iguodala with two minutes remaining in Game 7, keeping the game knotted, and Irving sank a 3-point jumper a minute later to take the lead. Cleveland won the championship and ended the city's championship drought, with James collecting his third Finals MVP award.

Kevin Durant was signed as a free agent by the Warriors during the 2016 offseason. They returned to the Finals with a 12-0 sweep of the West after finishing 67-15 (the first team to win 67+ games in three consecutive seasons). The Cavaliers fell to the second seed entering the playoffs, but they only lost one game on their way to the 2017 NBA Finals, setting up a third consecutive meeting with the Warriors. The Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 lead against the Cavaliers and went on to win the series in five games, with Durant awarded Finals MVP. The Warriors set a postseason record with 15 straight wins, a 16-1 final record, and a 13.5-point difference in the Finals. The Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving in the offseason of 2017 and continued to change their roster throughout the season, whereas the Warriors' roster remained largely intact. In the 2017-18 season, neither Cleveland nor Golden State received the top playoff seed, and both teams fell behind 3-2 in the Conference Finals before rallying to win the series and ensure a fourth consecutive Finals matchup in 2018. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 4-0, and Durant was named Finals MVP for the second time.

In 2018, James left the Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers struggled without James and did not make the playoffs. The Warriors' success continued in 2019, as they reached their fifth consecutive Finals, becoming the first team since the 1960s Celtics and the first Western Conference team to do so. However, due to injuries to stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the Warriors were defeated 4-2, resulting in the Raptors' first championship and the first NBA title won by a team based outside of the United States. Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors was named Finals MVP, making him the first player to win the award while representing teams from both conferences. He previously won it with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019-20 NBA season was halted in March 2020 and resumed on a shortened schedule in July 2020 inside the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. In the 2020 NBA Finals, LeBron James returned to his tenth Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers against the Miami Heat, marking the first time in NBA history that two teams that missed the playoffs the previous year met in the Finals. The Lakers won the series 4-2, tying the Boston Celtics' franchise record of 17 titles; LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career, becoming the first player to win the award with three different teams.

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, the first Finals since 1971 to include no players who had previously won a title. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP, was named Finals MVP.

After missing the playoffs two years in a row, the Warriors made their sixth participation in the last eight seasons in the 2022 Finals. They won their fourth title in eight seasons in six games, defeating the Boston Celtics, and Curry was unanimously named NBA Finals MVP.