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NBA Finals

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File:NBA Finals logo, 2007.png
Logo of the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each June. The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986.

The series is played between the winners of Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the NBA Finals is presented the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. (Winners from 1946 to 1977 received the Walter A. Brown Trophy) The NBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every NBA and BAA season in history, the first being held in 1947.

Since 1985, the winner of the NBA Finals are determined through a 2–3–2 best-of-seven playoff format. The team with the better regular season record has home court advantage (The first two, sixth, and final game are played at its home court) regardless of their respective seeding.

History

See also: List of NBA champions

Highlights

  • 1955: The Syracuse Nationals faced the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small, the series was spectacular, in part due to the addition of the 24-second shot clock.[1] 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 what was to become 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 second NBA Finals with the Lakers against the Celtics (after 1959). In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy (who once scored 100 points in a college game) missed an eight-foot game- and series-winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics won in overtime.
  • 1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" mid way through the 4th quarter, only to see his team's big 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, the aging Celtics (who had finished fourth in the Eastern Division), led by player-coach Bill Russell, put on 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' championship winning streak. In game 7, Boston built a big lead and Wilt Chamberlain picked up his 5th foul. The Lakers rallied behind their subs, and cut the deficit to 2 points in the final moments. Laker guard Keith Eickson knocked the ball away from John Havlicek, but it bounced to Don Nelson with only 2 seconds left on the 24 second shot clock. Nelson's shot hit the heel of the rim, bounced high in the air and came down through the hoop as Boston ended up winning 108–106.
  • 1970: With the series tied 1–1, Game 3 produced an instant classic.[citation needed] The Knicks' Dave DeBusschere made a basket with 3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102–100 lead. Jerry West then made a 63 foot shot to force overtime. However, the Knicks recovered to win the game and eventually the series in 7. Game 7 is best remembered when the injured Willis Reed, who supposedly was out of Game 7, started the game and scored the first two baskets 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 against the Phoenix Suns, Boston took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. Eventually, after numerous last second heroics by both teams, Boston won in three overtimes, 128–126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.
  • 1980: The Lakers took a 3–2 lead against the Sixers, led chiefly by Abdul-Jabbar, who came off the bench with a sprained ankle in Game 5. But the ankle worsened, and Kareem didn't even make the trip to Philadelphia for game 6. Magic Johnson, just a rookie, 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. This was the series that Julius Erving executed the behind-the-backboard "Baseline Move".
  • 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 by Gerald Henderson 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.
  • 1985: The Lakers and Celtics met again, and the Celtics won game 1 by a huge margin in a game known as "The Memorial Day Massacre." But the Lakers won 4 of the next 5 to win the series in 6 and finally beat the Celtics in the NBA finals.
  • 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.
  • 1990: The Portland Trail Blazers win the Western Conference and went on to be defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.
  • 1993: The Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls squared off in a thrilling series in which the visiting team prevailed in all but one (Game 4 at Chicago). Phoenix fell behind 2–0 in the series, but a triple overtime victory in Game 3, allowed the Suns back into contention. Still, it would be John Paxson's clutch three pointer in Game 6 that would seal the game, the series and the Bulls' first three-peat.
  • 1994: The Knicks took a 3–2 lead on the Houston Rockets and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but John Starks' final shot was blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets would win game 7 and win their first NBA Championship. During Game 5 (June 17, 1994) most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being the network's own flagship station, WNBC-TV out of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas (NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from Madison Square Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal."
  • 1997: In Game 5, Michael Jordan, the star player on the Chicago Bulls, was sick and weakened due to a stomach virus. But that didn't matter to Jordan as he still managed to score 38. Soon, Michael would capture his fifth NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, bringing the Bulls to their fifth title in seven years. Not to be forgotten is Michael's buzzer beater in Game 1, and his pass to Steve Kerr for the latter's crucial series-clinching jumper in Game 6.
  • 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.
  • 2000 NBA Finals: The Los Angeles Lakers, under new head coach Phil Jackson, led the team to a 67–15 regular season record, and then led them to the Finals against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the franchise's 12th championship, while Shaquille O'Neal winning the Finals MVP trophy, averaging 38 points and 16.6 rebounds. The Lakers could have easily have gone to a Game 7, but Shaq and teammate Kobe Bryant scored a combined 67 points to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116 to 111.
  • 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 clinching the championship in Game 7.
  • 2006 NBA Finals: The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games, with Dwyane Wade garnering MVP honors after averaging 34.7 points per game. The title marked the first championship for aging legends Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning. It also marked the fourth for Shaquille O'Neal and the fifth for coach Pat Riley, both of whom had not won a title outside of Los Angeles.

1947–1956: The Early Years and Lakers Dynasty

During the first decade the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, winning 5 championships in 6 years.

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.

1957–1969: The Celtics Dynasty

From 1957–1969 the Celtics went to the finals 12 times in 13 years and were victorious in 11 tries, including 8 years in a row.

For most of the late 1950s and the 1960s, the Celtics seemed always to have the upper hand on Wilt Chamberlain's teams. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Bill Russell 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, Wilt Chamberlain, who had moved to 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 was traded back to Philadelphia, to join the 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals team that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors.

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 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. 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, 1969, found the Celtics overcoming even longer odds. Boston 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 LA. They easily won the first two games at the Los Angeles 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 the entire duration. Game 7 was held on May 5, with balloons hung up in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. Russell immediately used the balloons as an inspiration for his team[citation needed], 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 Celtics' dynasty.

1970–1979: Decade of Parity

The 1970s saw eight different teams win the title, with the Celtics and Knicks both 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 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 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 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 seventies 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 a Finals series.

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 upset victories over Seattle and 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.

Other western franchises that won their first titles in the late 70's 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.

1980–1990: The Lakers-Celtics Rivalry

Between 1980 and 1990, either or both of the Lakers and Celtics were in the NBA Finals every year except 1990. The Lakers won five titles during this span (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988), with the Celtics winning three times (1981, 1984 and 1986), the Pistons winning twice (1989 and 1990), and the Sixers once (1983).

The 1979 NCAA Championship Game 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 rating for an NCAA Championship game, with 38 percent of all television viewers that night tuned to the game.[citation needed]

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, and sweeping the Lakers. (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 1988 finals went to Los Angeles in seven games, but the Pistons swept the Lakers in 1989. In 1990, Detroit beat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games, and the name "Bad Boys" became attached to the team for its rough, physical play.

1991–1998: The Bulls Dynasty

During the 1990s the Bulls completed two three-peats. The decade also had the Rockets winning back-to-back championships and the Jazz falling short twice. It started with the Pistons winning their second championship in as many seasons.

The majority of the 1990s was 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. 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 (Pistons did it in 1990). Particularly memorable were the 1993 Finals, which became an offensive showdown between Jordan and regular-season MVP (and close friend) Charles Barkley. These Finals are also notable in that only one game (Game 4 at Chicago) was won by the home team. Game 3 of the 1993 Finals is widely considered one of the greatest basketball games ever played. In this first game at Chicago, the Bulls attempted to go up 3–0 in the series, but the Suns were not willing to seal their own doom. With neither side quitting, the game took three overtimes to decide, with the Suns finally prevailing 129–121. However, the Bulls would clinch the series in Game 6 at Phoenix on John Paxson's clutch three pointer to become only the third team in history to three-peat.

The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 NBA championships. Olajuwon dominated the game during those two seasons, becoming the only player in history to win the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Finals MVP in the same season (1993–94). The seven-game NBA Finals between the Rockets and Knicks in 1994 would be the last to reach a game seven until the 2005 series between San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. The Rockets swept the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Finals, Olajuwon again claiming honors as Finals MVP. The Rockets thus became only the fifth franchise to win back-to-back titles.

After a short stint as a baseball player, Jordan decided to return to basketball in late of the 1994–95 season (March 19). 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 1995–96 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, with series records of 3–0, 4–1 and 4–0, and then went on to defeat Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and the Seattle SuperSonics in 6 games in the NBA Finals. While Seattle enjoyed a franchise-best season of 64–18, the 1995–96 Bulls are widely regarded as one the greatest basketball teams of all-time and handily defeated the Sonics in the Finals.

In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met with the Utah Jazz. Led by Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz were defeated in both Finals by the Bulls' unstoppable team play, and most notably Jordan's undying will to win, to secure a "repeat three-peat". In both series, Chicago won by hitting winning shots in the sixth and deciding game-the first by Steve Kerr in '97 in Chicago and the second by Jordan in Utah the following year. Although Jordan, Pippen and coach Phil Jackson were the only three members involved in all six championships, the Bulls dynasty had a cast of characters that proved to be final pieces in obtaining the ultimate prize. Little-known players such as Jud Buechler, Randy Brown, Bill Wennington, and Luc Longley were key players that rarely produced an astounding amount of points, but proved crucial 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, Phil Jackson decided to retire, setting off a chain reaction that resulted in most of the team, including Jordan and Pippen, leaving the Bulls. With no foundation of youth to build upon, the Bulls would become a mediocre team and fail to qualify for the playoffs for the next six seasons.

1999–present: Spurs/Lakers Dominance

File:2008 NBA Playoffs Symposium in Taiwan the Champion Trophy.jpg
The Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy

Since 1999 the Spurs and Lakers have won 9 of the 10 Western Conference titles, and have won 7 of the 10 NBA Finals. Every NBA Finals has featured either Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal, up until 2008, where neither were present.

In 1999, the San Antonio Spurs dominated the playoffs and finished with a 15–2 post-season mark, including sweeps of the Blazers and Lakers. With a defensive squad led by big men 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.[citation needed] In the Finals they held the Knicks to an average of 79.8 points per game. So stingy was the defense that only twice in 17 playoff games did San Antonio's opponent muster 90 points. It should be noted, however, that the 1998–99 NBA season was the lockout shortened season.

In the three years span in the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, won the NBA Finals in dominating performances, each year completing the task in one fewer game than 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 the Spurs defeated the 5th seeded Lakers in the conference semifinals.

The 2003 NBA Finals marked the first championship contested between two former ABA teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets. The Spurs went on to beat the Nets and win the series in 6 games, 4–2. In the series clinching game, Tim Duncan was two blocks short of recording the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history, finishing with 22 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks.

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 the 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 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 (particularly notable because the home team in those games does not have home-court advantage in the series and is usually considered the underdog in the 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 fellow Piston Isiah Thomas in 1990.

In 2005, for the first time since 1987, the previous two champions met to decide it all, despite neither having played the other in their championship season. 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. Wallace thus earned some redemption for his gaffe at the end of Game 5 when he left 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). The Pistons became the first road team to force a game 7 down 3–2 in the series since the NBA switched to the 2–3–2 format in 1985. The home team was 7–0 previously in game 6 with the 3–2 lead ('86 Celtics, '87 Lakers, '96 Bulls, '97 Bulls, '00 Lakers and '03 Spurs) and home-court for game 7. The 2005 Finals 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; the other was John Salley).

The 2006 NBA Finals 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. Led by upcoming star and Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, legendary coach Pat Riley and veteran superstar Shaquille O'Neal, the Miami Heat won the championship 4 games to 2 on Dallas' home court. The Heat's clinching victory in game 6 was their first win at Dallas in four years, and they became only the third team to ever win the finals after going down 0–2, the first since the 2–3–2 setup after 1985. Most agree that the turning point of the series was in Game 3, when the Heat overcame a 13 point deficit with less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to win 98–96. The comeback was led by Dwayne Wade's 12 points in the final six minutes and a clutch outside jumpshot by once-perennial all-star Gary Payton, who was appearing in his third NBA finals. Wade constantly earned high accolades in the form of comparisons to Michael Jordan throughout the series. His points-per-game average was better than what Jordan had in his first championship (34.7 vs. 31.2). And in four games (43, 42, 36 twice), he scored as many as or more than Jordan did in his best game in the '91 Finals (36). One difference that impacted Wade's scoring was the number of times he attempted free throws, which exceeded Jordan's average by nearly five attempts per game. In games 3,5, and 6, Wade was able to consistently get to the line in the fourth quarter. In game 5, Wade had the same number of free throw attempts as the entire Mavericks team. Heat coach Pat Riley became the third coach to win Championships with two different teams (Alex Hannum and Phil Jackson were the first two), and the first to ever do it with two different teams as an interim head coach.

In the 2007 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers made their first Finals appearance in their 37 year history and faced off with the experienced San Antonio Spurs. The defensive minded Spurs were able to shut down Cavaliers lead scorer LeBron James effectively as they captured their fourth title in nine years in a convincing 4–0 sweep. This is the first Finals sweep since 2002 by the Lakers against the Nets. The Spurs showed excellent team play and the Cavs were confined to an average 80.5 points per game.

In 2008, the Eastern Conference was represented by the revamped Boston Celtics, and the Western Conference by the Los Angeles Lakers. This marks the 11th time that these two teams have met in the Finals, the last such meeting happening in 1987. The Celtics are the first team since the 2003 San Antonio Spurs to make the Finals after having the NBA's best record, as well as the first team from the Eastern Conference to have home-court advantage in the Finals since the 1997 Chicago Bulls; from 1998–2007 the Western Conference representative had home-court. This is also the first time since 2000 that the top seeds in both conferences advanced to the Finals. The Lakers defeated the Pacers 4–2 in the 2000 series.

On June 17, 2008 in the 2008 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 to win the series 4-2 and win a record-setting 17th NBA Championship. The final score was the largest ever in a game clinching win in NBA Finals History and the 2nd largest margin of victory. Paul Pierce was named the 2008 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. This championship win was Pierce's first NBA title in his 10 year career with the Celtics, as well as the first for star forward Kevin Garnett and shooting guard Ray Allen. It was also Doc Rivers first NBA Championship as a Head Coach.

Finals appearances

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

Num Team W L PCT Last appearance Last title Notes
29 Los Angeles Lakers 14 15 .480 2008 2002 5–1 as Minneapolis Lakers; two three-peats: one as Minneapolis from 1952–54 and one as Los Angeles from 2000–02. They had the most O'Brien trophies won, with 8.
20 Boston Celtics 17 3 .850 2008 2008 Won 8 straight titles from 1959–1966. 13 of their 17 championships were Brown Trophies.
9 Philadelphia 76ers 3 6 .333 2001 1983 1–2 as Syracuse Nationals
8 New York Knicks 2 6 .250 1999 1973 First 8th playoff seed to ever reach finals which happened in 1999
7 Detroit Pistons 3 4 .428 2005 2004 0–2 as Ft. Wayne Pistons
6 Chicago Bulls 6 0 1.000 1998 1998 All with head coach Phil Jackson and players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Three-peats from 1991–93 and 1996–98
6 Golden State Warriors 3 3 .500 1975 1975 2–1 as Philadelphia Warriors; 0–2 as San Francisco Warriors; 1–0 as Golden State Warriors[2]
4 San Antonio Spurs 4 0 1.000 2007 2007 All with head coach Gregg Popovich and team captain Tim Duncan.
4 Houston Rockets 2 2 .500 1995 1995 2 championships with center Hakeem Olajuwon named MVP in both championship series, won 94–95 Championship with Clyde Drexler
4 Atlanta Hawks 1 3 .250 1961 1958 All appearances as St. Louis franchise
4 Washington Wizards 1 3 .250 1979 1978 0–1 as Baltimore Bullets (see note below), 1–2 as Washington Bullets.
3 Portland Trail Blazers 1 2 .333 1992 1977
3 Oklahoma City Thunder 1 2 .333 1996 1979 All appearances as Seattle SuperSonics franchise
2 Milwaukee Bucks 1 1 .500 1974 1971
2 New Jersey Nets 0 2 .000 2003 Never Team won two ABA championships as the New York Nets (1974, 1976).
2 Phoenix Suns 0 2 .000 1993 Never
2 Utah Jazz 0 2 .000 1998 Never
1 Baltimore Bullets 1 0 1.000 1948 1948 Team folded in 1954 and is not the same franchise as the current Washington Wizards.
1 Miami Heat 1 0 1.000 2006 2006
1 Sacramento Kings 1 0 1.000 1951 1951 Won first appearance in NBA Finals as Rochester Royals
1 Cleveland Cavaliers 0 1 .000 2007 Never
1 Dallas Mavericks 0 1 .000 2006 Never
1 Indiana Pacers 0 1 .000 2000 Never Team won three ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973).
1 Orlando Magic 0 1 .000 1995 Never
1 Chicago Stags 0 1 .000 1947 Never Team folded in 1950.
1 Washington Capitols 0 1 .000 1949 Never Team folded in 1951.

Active franchises with no Finals appearances

Team #Seasons Founded Notes
Buffalo Braves/San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers 38 1970 Began as Buffalo Braves, moved to San Diego in 1978 and became Clippers before moving to Los Angeles in 1984.
Denver Nuggets 32 1976 Joined NBA after 9 ABA seasons (1967-76)
Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets 20 1988 Began in Charlotte, moved to New Orleans in 2002, split home schedule with Oklahoma City from 2005-07 (due to effects of Hurricane Katrina), during which time they were the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, before returning to New Orleans fulltime in 2007.
Minnesota Timberwolves 19 1989
Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies 13 1995 Began in Vancouver, moved to Memphis in 2001.
Toronto Raptors 13 1995
Charlotte Bobcats 4 2004

Most common matchups

Individual games records

Num Team W L PCT Notes
22 San Antonio Spurs 16 6 .727
35 Chicago Bulls 24 11 .686
6 Miami Heat 4 2 .667
6 Baltimore Bullets 4 2 .667 franchise defunct
11 Milwaukee Bucks 7 4 .636
122 Boston Celtics 74 48 .607
7 Sacramento Kings 4 3 .571 all as Rochester Royals
40 Detroit Pistons 22 18 .550 includes 4-8 as Fort Wayne franchise
31 Golden State Warriors 17 14 .548 includes 10-6 as Philadelphia franchise and 3-8 as San Francisco franchise
23 Houston Rockets 12 11 .522
18 Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder 9 9 .500
167 Los Angeles Lakers 81 86 .485 includes 20-15 as Minneapolis franchise
53 Philadelphia 76ers 24 29 .453 includes 9-11 as Syracuse Nationals
25 Atlanta Hawks** 11 14 .440 all as St. Louis franchise
48 New York Knicks 20 28 .417
17 Portland Trail Blazers 7 10 .412
12 Phoenix Suns 4 8 .333
12 Utah Jazz 4 8 .333
6 Dallas Mavericks 2 4 .333
6 Indiana Pacers 2 4 .333
6 Washington Capitols 2 4 .333 franchise defunct
20 Washington Wizards 5 15 .250 all as Baltimore Bullets (0-4) and Washington Bullets (5-11)
5 Chicago Stags 1 4 .200 franchise defunct
10 New Jersey Nets 2 8 .200
4 Cleveland Cavaliers 0 4 .000
4 Orlando Magic 0 4 .000

References

  1. ^ "NBA : Nats Win First Title of Shot-Clock Era". nba.com.
  2. ^ "NBA : Golden State Warriors Finals appearances". mcubed.net.

See also

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