Boston ended up winning in seven games, but the series truly turned in game 5 on one of the most iconic moments in nba history. Game 6 of the 1998 bullsjazz series ranks as the highest rated and mostwatched nba game ever with a 22. The boston celtics possess the most overall nba finals series wins with an overall record of 174. The nba finals provide basketball fans with an opportunity to see the leagues best players on the biggest stage. You can find a list of nba champions by year, including their opponent and the series record on the the list of nba finals history in the table below. Ranking the top 10 greatest nba finals series of alltime. Only players to score at least 30 points in every game. After 1974, the playoffs were 4 rounds 1st round, conference semifinals, conference finals, nba finals.
Jun 03, 2018 since the bba and the nbl joined forces to become the nba before the 194950 season, there have only been eight championship series sweeps. Past nba championship history, game results and mvps. A look back at the 10 most memorable nba finals series in the storied 71year history of the league. The eastern and western conference champions play a bestofseven game series to determine the league champion. The nba finals series are religiously followed by countless fans all over the globe.
Speaking of seriesending buzzerbeaters, none has ever been more improbable than this twisting touch shot from sampson, who put the rockets in. This is the complete list with all the nba champions year by year. The first brackets in the western champion and eastern champion columns indicate the teams playoff seed. The lakers would have won this series if frank selvy had made an open 12foot baseline shot in the closing seconds of game 7. Aug 06, 2016 cleveland goes down 31 after game 4 with no team in finals history ever coming back from that deficit. Nba finals ratings history 1988present as will surprise no one, nba finals ratings peaked during the chicago bulls era of the 1990s. Nba championship history a complete championship history. Believe it or not, the 2005 finals was the only championship series to go seven games in the first decade of the 2000s. Once the playoffs are set, we will also have nba playoffs tickets and even nba finals tickets available to purchase. May 29, 2017 the series were one of the most interesting in nba history, and washington bullets won their first and last nba championship so far. The nba finals is the annual championship series of the national basketball association nba. Nba finals ratings history 1988present sports media watch. With so many legendary, unforgettable championship games and players, the nba finals is always a must watch for basketball fans.
All finals have been played in a bestofseven 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. Any time a series has three of the 100 greatest individual performances in nba playoff history, its going to make it onto this list. Apr 21, 2017 that is the nature of a series in which isiah thomas and company led by a 32 margin and encountered two of the best games in nba history with both going in the wrong direction. The very first nba finals mvp award was historic for multiple reasons most notably because its the only time a player on the losing team has. Allstar games 2020 allstar game, 2019 allstar game, 2018 allstar game, 2017 allstar game. Season record results opponent record results opponent record results opponent record results opponent. Since the bba and the nbl joined forces to become the nba before the 194950 season, there have only been eight championship series sweeps. The 2007 nba finals was the championship series of the national basketball association nbas 200607 season, and was the conclusion of the seasons playoffs. 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. That is the nature of a series in which isiah thomas and company led by a 32 margin and encountered two of the best games in nba history with both going in the wrong direction. In the 2001 finals, shaquille oneal led the lakers to the second championship of.
This is a list of national basketball association nba franchise postseason appearance droughts. Mar 04, 2019 the 2015 16 nba finals may have been his best effort of all time, however. This list includes the alltime and the active consecutive nonplayoffs. Ranking the 15 greatest series in nba finals history. After 1987, the classic finals rivalry wasnt renewed until 2008. These are the 10 best nba finals series of alltime sportscasting. Against the golden state warriors, he led the cavs back from a 31 series deficit to their first nba championship ever. Mar 25, 2017 with so many legendary, unforgettable championship games and players, the nba finals is always a must watch for basketball fans.
Lakers 83, celtics 79 kobe bryant and the lakers rally from a 32 series deficit and a point hole in game 7 to beat their rivals and repeat as nba champions. Michael jordan averaged 41 points per game in the series, and its widely regarded as one of the most entertaining finals in nba history. The first nba finals were played following the 194647 season where the philadelphia warriors emerged victorious over the chicago stags. The warriors beat the cavaliers in the first game of the 2016 nba finals a series that could be an instant classic. Nba finals history the nba finals evolved from a simple championship playoff in the late 40s into one of the most anticipated series in all of sports. Nba finals champions ticketcity insider the ticketcity blog. Jun 07, 2019 this is one of the best series in nba history because it featured several hall of fame players in a rematch of the 1997 nba finals. The tiebreak criteria for playoff seeding and homecourt advantage have also changed. The cleveland cavaliers are big underdogs in the nba finals. The nba also recognizes records from its original incarnation, the basketball association of america. Ranking the 10 best nonfinals nba playoff series for.
Now lets take a look back at the top 10 best nba finals of all time. The celtics lead the nba with 17 championships, including a remarkable eight straight from 195966. The oldest such franchise is the suns 51 seasons, while the royals. Toronto was in their first, propelled by arguably the greatest shot in nba history to win one series and complete a 20 comeback to win the next.
The 55 points were the secondhighest total scored in nba finals history and his 22 made field goals tied elgin baylors finals record. In fact, it was the first time the final round had gone the distance since 1994. The nba finals is the annual championship series of the national basketball association. Jun 05, 2014 believe it or not, the 2005 finals was the only championship series to go seven games in the first decade of the 2000s. The cavaliers have made 22 playoff appearances, and won seven central division titles, five eastern conference titles, and one nba title.
May 01, 2020 the nba finals are one of the brightest stages in all of sports. Archived nba futures odds including nba finals odds, regular season win totals, regular season scoring title, nba mvp odds, and nba rookie of the year odds. The 2015 16 nba finals may have been his best effort of all time, however. As of 2019, the defending champions are the toronto raptors, making history as the first team from outside of the united states to win. This article lists alltime records achieved in the nba postseason in major categories recognized by the league, including those set by teams and individuals in single games, series, and careers.
Over the past 50 years the lakers have won an unprecedented 14 championships, making them the best nba franchise ever. Lebron james and company werent able to replicate the magic of their historic comeback from a 31 series deficit in 2016 and lasted only five games against the dubs. Toronto wins first championship in franchise history the raptors closed oracle arena with a seriesclinching win over the warriors in game 6. The longest active playoff appearance streak currently belongs to the san antonio spurs with 22 consecutive appearances in the playoffs, beginning in the 199798 nba season. The 7 best finals series in nba history fox sports. With the nba finals set to get underway, we take a look at the 10 best matchups in league history. The winners of the finals are awarded the larry obrien championship trophy, which replaced the walter a. Duncan tallied the most rebounds for either team in all 6 games, with 20, 12, 16, 17, 17, and 20. Jul 24, 2019 the celtics lead the nba with 17 championships, including a remarkable eight straight from 195966. May 25, 2012 any time a series has three of the 100 greatest individual performances in nba playoff history, its going to make it onto this list. The bestofseven series was played between the western conference champion san antonio spurs and the eastern conference champion cleveland cavaliers. Aside from the nba playoff appearance droughts, this list also includes droughts of series wins, appearances in the nba finals and nba championship wins.
Veterans shawn marion, jason kidd, jason terry, and peja stojakovic celebrated their first nba championship. It also includes finals results, runnerup and mvps. The oldest such franchise is the suns 51 seasons, while the royalskings and the hawks have even longer championship droughts 68 and 61 seasons, respectively. Game 2 2015 nba finalslebron james wills the cavs to a win without kyrie irving and kevin love game 5 2012 nba finals lebron james wins his first ring game 1 2019 nba finals pascal siakam. Seattle supersonics won the year after the revenge against the bullets with 41 in the nba finals. He also recorded the most blocks ever in an nba finals series with 32. The series was initially known as the baa finals prior to the 194950 season when the basketball association of america merged with the national basketball league to. The national basketball association nba finals is the championship series for the nba and. You can find a list of nba champions by year, including their opponent and the series record on the the list of nba. Two of the most talented teams in the league face off for the most coveted prize in basketball, the larry obrien trophy. Kobe moments game 4 2000 nba finalsshaq fouls out and a hobbled kobe dominates ot. The national basketball association nba finals is the championship series for the nba and the conclusion of its postseason. The miami heat and san antonio spurs are all set to square off in an nba finals matchup that, somehow, already feels historically significant.
List of nba champions simple english wikipedia, the free. Most points per game in an nba championship series. The nba finals are one of the brightest stages in all of sports. Year, lg, champion, runnerup, finals mvp, points, rebounds, assists, win. Nba nbarank counts down the top 10 conference finals. Conference semi finals conference finals nba finals. The mavericks, led by dirk nowitzki the eventual nba finals mvp, took the series in six games.
The past 25 nba finals ranked in terms of watchability. But what about all the other great finals performances in nba history. This fivedisc special edition collectors set features the complete lakers history including yearend compilation programs highlighting the championship seasons from the 1950s through 2002. Ranking the 15 greatest series in nba finals history bleacher. The last celticslakers series of the 80s tipped off. Looking back at every season from the leagues inception in 1946 to today.
List of nba franchise postseason droughts wikipedia. Golden state entered the 2019 finals at the end of a halfdecade of dominance, becoming the first team in 52 years to reach the finals fivestraight times. The second brackets indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an nba finals as well as each respective teams nba finals record to date. In 1991, as the utah jazz defeated the seattle supersonics 103, guard john stockton dished out 11 assists and finished the season with a total of 1,164. The golden state warriors opened as favorites against. Nba finals page on wikipedia has a great history of the nba, including the boston celtics dynasty and the chicago bulls dynasty. May 17, 2017 speaking of series ending buzzerbeaters, none has ever been more improbable than this twisting touch shot from sampson, who put the rockets in the finals and denied the nba a lakersceltics trilogy. This was clevelands first trip to the nba finals in their franchise history and san. Historys legends have fought tooth and nail to claim the ultimate prize, often making or breaking a players legacy. This is one of the best series in nba history because it featured several hall of fame players in a rematch of the 1997 nba finals.
Byron russell hounded jordan all series, but jordan made one of the most iconic shots in sports history to seal the championship for the bulls while stunning the home utah crowd. May 30, 2018 the cleveland cavaliers are big underdogs in the nba finals. The lakers were trying to win their third title over the. In the days after the pacers beat the lakers in game 3, lakers guard ron harper gave a great interview in. Lakers playoff history playoff appearances 60 440297. May 24, 2018 the nba finals provide basketball fans with an opportunity to see the leagues best players on the biggest stage. We looked at the 15 best individual performances in recent nba finals. Game 7 is doordie in the nba playoffs, and in this series the stakes were high. These are the 10 best playoff series in nba history. The 2016 nba finals victory over the golden state warriors marked the first time in finals history a team had come back to win the series after trailing three games to one. Cleveland goes down 31 after game 4 with no team in finals history ever coming back from that deficit. Well see history made in the 2019 nba finals between the warriors and raptors, but will this championship stack up against the best ever. The three most dramatic nba finals series in franchise history. Instead, the game went into overtime and the celtics clinched the series.
In september 2015, the nba announced changes to the format of the nba playoffs that would begin with the 2016 nba playoffs. Over the 71year history of the league, the nba has. Nba mvp, allnba, defensive player of the year, rookie of the year, allrookie, hall of fame. All finals have been played in a bestofseven 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. The top eight teams in each conference east and west, ranked in order by winloss records, qualify for the playoffs. Jun 10, 2016 the warriors beat the cavaliers in the first game of the 2016 nba finals a series that could be an instant classic.
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