The NBA Finals are the championship series of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's post season each June. The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1987. The series is played between the winner of the Eastern Conference and the winner of the Western Conference. Since 1992, the series has been a 2-3-2 format, with the first two and last two games being held at the court of the team with the superior regular season record. The reigning NBA Finals Champion is the Indiana Pacers, who defeated the Aurora Nuggets in six games in 2011.
History[]
List of NBA Finals Champions[]
1949-1959[]
- 1949: New York Knicks
- 1950: New York Knicks
- 1951: Minneapolis Lakers
- 1952: Syracuse Nationals
- 1953: Rochester Royals
- 1954: Rochester Royals
- 1955: Indianapolis Olympians
- 1956: Yorktown Huskies
- 1957: Minneapolis Lakers
- 1958: Minneapolis Lakers
- 1959: St. Louis Hawks
1960-69[]
- 1960: St. Louis Hawks
- 1961: Boston Celtics
- 1962: Boston Celtics
- 1963: Boston Celtics
- 1964: St. Louis Hawks
- 1965: Boston Celtics
- 1966: Boston Celtics
- 1967: Philadelphia 76ers
- 1968: San Francisco Warriors
- 1969: New York Knicks
1970-79[]
- 1970: New York Knicks
- 1971: Boston Celtics
- 1972: Atlanta Hawks
- 1973: Los Angeles Lakers
- 1974: Los Angeles Lakers
- 1975: Los Angeles Lakers
- 1976: Washington Bullets
- 1977: San Francisco Warriors
- 1978: San Francisco Warriors
- 1979: Boston Celtics 4-2 over San Francisco Warriors
1980-89[]
- 1980: Yorktown Huskies 4-0 over Tacoma SuperSonics
- 1981: Chicago Bulls 4-3 over Houston Rebels
- 1982: Kansas City Kings 4-2 over Indiana Pacers
- 1983: Yorktown Huskies 4-3 over Los Angeles Lakers
- 1984: Boston Celtics 4-0 over Houston Rebels
- 1985: Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 over Boston Celtics
- 1986: Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 over New York Knicks
- 1987: Kansas City Kings 4-2 over Indiana Pacers
- 1988: Washington Bullets 4-0 over Tacoma SuperSonics
- 1989: Tacoma SuperSonics 4-0 over Chicago Bulls
1990-99[]
- 1990: Tacoma SuperSonics 4-1 over New York Knicks
- 1991: Tacoma SuperSonics 4-3 over Chicago Bulls
- 1992: Tacoma SuperSonics 4-1 over Cleveland Cavaliers
- 1993: Detroit Pistons 4-0 over Los Angeles Lakers
- 1994: Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 over New York Knicks
- 1995: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 over Detroit Pistons
- 1996: Milwaukee Bucks 4-0 over Detroit Pistons
- 1997: Havana Matadors 4-0 over Los Angeles Lakers
- 1998: San Diego Rockets 4-3 over Havana Matadors
- 1999: Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 over Los Angeles Lakers
2000-09[]
- 2000: San Diego Rockets 4-0 over Miami Heat
| Season | Eastern Conference Champion | Finals Result | Western Conference Champion | Finals MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 | Kansas City Kings | |
| 2001-02 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1-4 | New Orleans Jazz | |
| 2002-03 | New Jersey Nets | 0-4 | New Orleans Jazz | |
| 2003-04 | Indiana Pacers | 4-3 | New Orleans Jazz | |
| 2004-05 | Indiana Pacers | 4-0 | New Orleans Jazz | |
| 2005-06 | Toronto Huskies | 4-1 | Salt Lake Stars | |
| 2006-07 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-3 | Houston Rebels | |
| 2007-08 | Detroit Pistons | 4-0 | Salt Lake Stars | |
| 2008-09 | Detroit Pistons | 4-2 | Denver Nuggets | |
| 2009-10 | New York Knicks | 4-0 | San Francisco Warriors | |
| 2010-11 | Philadelphia 76ers | 3-4 | Denver Nuggets | |
| 2011-12 | Indiana Pacers | 4-2 | Denver Nuggets | |
| 2012-13 | Indiana Pacers | 4-0 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| 2013-14 | Detroit Pistons | 4-1 | San Francisco Warriors | LeBron James, SF, Pistons |
| 2014-15 | New York Knicks | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers | LeBron James, SF, Knicks |
| 2015-16 | New York Knicks | 3-4 | Kansas City Kings | |
| 2016-17 | Charlotte Hornets | 0-4 | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 2017-18 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 2018-19 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Kansas City Kings | Sean Mackenzie, PF, Celtics |
| 2019-20 | Boston Celtics | 4-0 | Las Vegas Raiders | Sean Mackenzie, PF, Celtics |
| 2020-21 | Charlotte Hornets | 4-3 |