List of NBA game sevens
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a game seven is the final game of a best-of-seven series in the NBA playoffs. Based on the playoffs format arrangement,[a] it is played in the venue of the team holding home-court advantage for the series. The necessity of a game seven is not known until the outcome of game six is determined, assuming that a series reaches that far. In other words, game seven is the only one in a series that is not guaranteed more than one game in advance. Due to the decisive nature of game sevens, they are often "played more conservatively" and receive more media and fan attention.[1]
The NBA Finals has always employed a best-of-seven series format. The Conference (or Division) Finals have used this format since 1958;[2] the Conference (or Division) Semifinals since 1968;[3] and the First Round since 2003.[4][5] During the 1947 and 1948 playoffs, in which teams from different divisions met each other in the opening rounds, the first-place teams from each division played a best-of-seven series against each other before one advanced to the league finals. The other teams in the playoffs competed against each other in three best-of-three series to determine the other spot in the finals.[6]
Since the inception of the NBA, 134 game sevens have been played. Of those, seven went into overtime, and one into double overtime. Twenty-eight game sevens have been won by the road team.[7] Every active NBA franchise has played in at least one game seven. There have been 12 playoff seasons in which no game sevens were played: 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1972, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, and 1999. The 1994, the 2014 and the 2016 postseasons held the record for most game sevens played, with five. In 1979, 1981, 1988, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2018 and 2020 four game sevens were played. The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks both hold the record for most game sevens played in a single postseason, having played three game sevens in 1988 and 1994, respectively, the maximum possible at that time.
Key[]
OT | Overtime (the number in front indicates the number of overtime periods played, if there were more than one) |
* | Indicates a game seven that was won by the road team |
Year (X) | Indicates the number of games seven played in that year's postseason Each year is linked to an article about that particular NBA season |
∞ | Indicates a game seven that was hosted at a neutral site |
§ | Indicates the team that lost a game seven after coming back from an 0–3 series deficit |
Team (#) | Indicates team and the number of game sevens played by that team at that point |
^ | Indicates game seven in the NBA Finals |
All-time game sevens[]
Year | Playoff round | Date | Venue | Winner | Result | Loser | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Semifinals | April 6, 1948 | St. Louis Arena | Philadelphia Warriors (1) | 85–46* | St. Louis Bombers (1) | [8] |
1951 | Finals | April 21, 1951 | Edgerton Park Arena | Rochester Royals (1) | 79–75^ | New York Knicks (1) § | [9] |
1952 | Finals | April 25, 1952 | Minneapolis Auditorium | Minneapolis Lakers (1) | 82–65^ | New York Knicks (2) | [10] |
1954 | Finals | April 12, 1954 | Minneapolis Auditorium | Minneapolis Lakers (2) | 87–80^ | Syracuse Nationals (1) | [11] |
1955 | Finals | April 10, 1955 | Onondaga War Memorial | Syracuse Nationals (2) | 92–91^ | Fort Wayne Pistons (1) | [12] |
1957 | Finals | April 13, 1957 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (1) | 125–123 (2OT)^ | St. Louis Hawks (1) | [13] |
1959 | Division Finals | April 1, 1959 | Boston Celtics (2) | 130–125 | Syracuse Nationals (3) | [14] | |
1960 | Division Finals | March 26, 1960 | Kiel Auditorium | St. Louis Hawks (2) | 97–86 | Minneapolis Lakers (3) | [15] |
Finals | April 9, 1960 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (3) | 122–103^ | St. Louis Hawks (3) | [15] | |
1961 | Division Finals | April 1, 1961 | Kiel Auditorium | St. Louis Hawks (4) | 105–103 | Los Angeles Lakers (4) | [16] |
1962 | Division Finals | April 5, 1962 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (4) | 109–107 | Philadelphia Warriors (2) | [17] |
Finals | April 18, 1962 | Boston Celtics (5) | 110–107 (OT)^ | Los Angeles Lakers (5) | [17] | ||
1963 | Division Finals | April 10, 1963 | Boston Celtics (6) | 142–131 | Cincinnati Royals (2) | [18] | |
April 11, 1963 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Los Angeles Lakers (6) | 115–100 | St. Louis Hawks (5) | [18] | ||
1964 | Division Finals | April 16, 1964 | Cow Palace | San Francisco Warriors (3) | 105–95 | St. Louis Hawks (6) | [19] |
1965 | Division Finals | April 15, 1965 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (7) | 110–109 | Philadelphia 76ers (4) | [20] |
1966 | Division Finals | April 15, 1966 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Los Angeles Lakers (7) | 130–121 | St. Louis Hawks (7) | [21] |
Finals | April 28, 1966 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (8) | 95–93^ | Los Angeles Lakers (8) | [21] | |
1968 | Division Finals | April 19, 1968 | The Spectrum | Boston Celtics (9) | 100–96* | Philadelphia 76ers (5) | [22] |
1969 | Finals | May 5, 1969 | The Forum | Boston Celtics (10) | 108–106*^ | Los Angeles Lakers (9) | [23] |
1970 | Division Semifinals | April 6, 1970 | Madison Square Garden | New York Knicks (3) | 127–114 | Baltimore Bullets (1) | [24] |
Division Semifinals | April 9, 1970 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (10) | 129–94 | Phoenix Suns (1) | [24] | |
Finals | May 8, 1970 | Madison Square Garden | New York Knicks (4) | 113–99^ | Los Angeles Lakers (11) | [24] | |
1971 | Conference Semifinals | April 4, 1971 | Baltimore Civic Center | Baltimore Bullets (2) | 128–120 | Philadelphia 76ers (6) | [25] |
April 6, 1971 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (12) | 109–98 | Chicago Bulls (1) | [25] | ||
Conference Finals | April 19, 1971 | Madison Square Garden | Baltimore Bullets (3) | 93–91* | New York Knicks (5) | [25] | |
1973 | Conference Semifinals | April 15, 1973 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (13) | 95–92 | Chicago Bulls (2) | [26] |
Conference Finals | April 29, 1973 | Boston Garden | New York Knicks (6) | 94–78* | Boston Celtics (11) | [26] | |
1974 | Conference Semifinals | April 12, 1974 | Madison Square Garden | New York Knicks (7) | 91–81 | Capital Bullets (4) | [27] |
April 13, 1974 | Chicago Stadium | Chicago Bulls (3) | 96–94 | Detroit Pistons (2) | [27] | ||
Finals | May 12, 1974 | Milwaukee Arena | Boston Celtics (12) | 102–87*^ | Milwaukee Bucks (1) | [27] | |
1975 | Conference Semifinals | April 25, 1975 | Capital Centre | Washington Bullets (5) | 115–96 | Buffalo Braves (1) | [28] |
Conference Finals | May 14, 1975 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Golden State Warriors (4) | 83–79 | Chicago Bulls (4) | [28] | |
1976 | Conference Semifinals | April 29, 1976 | Coliseum at Richfield | Cleveland Cavaliers (1) | 87–85 | Washington Bullets (6) | [29] |
Conference Finals | May 16, 1976 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Phoenix Suns (2) | 94–86* | Golden State Warriors (5) | [29] | |
1977 | Conference Semifinals | May 1, 1977 | The Spectrum | Philadelphia 76ers (7) | 83–77 | Boston Celtics (13) | [30] |
May 4, 1977 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (14) | 97–84 | Golden State Warriors (6) | [31] | ||
1978 | Conference Semifinals | May 3, 1978 | McNichols Sports Arena | Denver Nuggets (1) | 116–110 | Milwaukee Bucks (2) | [31] |
Finals | June 7, 1978 | Seattle Center Coliseum | Washington Bullets (7) | 105–99*^ | Seattle SuperSonics (1) | [31] | |
1979 | Conference Semifinals | April 29, 1979 | Capital Centre | Washington Bullets (8) | 100–94 | Atlanta Hawks (8) | [32] |
May 2, 1979 | HemisFair Arena | San Antonio Spurs (1) | 111–108 | Philadelphia 76ers (8) | [32] | ||
Conference Finals | May 17, 1979 | King County Domed Stadium | Seattle SuperSonics (2) | 114–110 | Phoenix Suns (3) | [32] | |
May 18, 1979 | Capital Centre | Washington Bullets (9) | 107–105 | San Antonio Spurs (2) | [32] | ||
1980 | Conference Semifinals | April 20, 1980 | King County Domed Stadium | Seattle SuperSonics (3) | 98–94 | Milwaukee Bucks (3) | [33] |
1981 | Conference Semifinals | April 17, 1981 | HemisFair Arena | Houston Rockets (1) | 105–100* | San Antonio Spurs (3) | [34] |
April 19, 1981 | The Spectrum | Philadelphia 76ers (9) | 99–98 | Milwaukee Bucks (4) | [34] | ||
April 19, 1981 | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Kansas City Kings (3) | 95–88* | Phoenix Suns (4) | [34] | ||
Conference Finals | May 3, 1981 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (14) | 91–90 | Philadelphia 76ers (10) | [34] | |
1982 | Conference Finals | May 23, 1982 | Boston Garden | Philadelphia 76ers (11) | 120–106* | Boston Celtics (15) | [35] |
1984 | Conference Semifinals | May 13, 1984 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (16) | 121–104 | New York Knicks (8) | [36] |
Finals | June 12, 1984 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (17) | 111–102^ | Los Angeles Lakers (15) | [36] | |
1986 | Conference Semifinals | May 11, 1986 | MECCA Arena | Milwaukee Bucks (5) | 113–112 | Philadelphia 76ers (12) | [37] |
1987 | Conference Semifinals | May 17, 1987 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (18) | 119–113 | Milwaukee Bucks (6) | [38] |
Conference Finals | May 30, 1987 | Boston Celtics (19) | 117–114 | Detroit Pistons (3) | [38] | ||
1988 | Conference Semifinals | May 21, 1988 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (16) | 109–98 | Utah Jazz (1) | [39] |
May 22, 1988 | Boston Garden | Boston Celtics (20) | 118–116 | Atlanta Hawks (9) | [39] | ||
Conference Finals | June 4, 1988 | The Forum | Los Angeles Lakers (17) | 117–102 | Dallas Mavericks (1) | [39] | |
Finals | June 21, 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers (18) | 108–105^ | Detroit Pistons (4) | [39] | ||
1990 | Conference Semifinals | May 19, 1990 | Memorial Coliseum | Portland Trail Blazers (1) | 108–105 (OT) | San Antonio Spurs (4) | [40] |
Conference Finals | June 3, 1990 | The Palace of Auburn Hills | Detroit Pistons (5) | 93–74 | Chicago Bulls (5) | [40] | |
1992 | Conference Semifinals | May 17, 1992 | Chicago Stadium | Chicago Bulls (6) | 110–81 | New York Knicks (9) | [41] |
Coliseum at Richfield | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) | 122–104 | Boston Celtics (21) | [41] | |||
1993 | Conference Semifinals | May 22, 1993 | Seattle Center Coliseum | Seattle SuperSonics (4) | 103–100 (OT) | Houston Rockets (2) | [42] |
Conference Finals | June 5, 1993 | America West Arena | Phoenix Suns (5) | 123–110 | Seattle SuperSonics (5) | [43] | |
1994 | Conference Semifinals | May 21, 1994 | The Summit | Houston Rockets (3) | 104–94 | Phoenix Suns (6) | [44] |
May 21, 1994 | Delta Center | Utah Jazz (2) | 91–81 | Denver Nuggets (2) § | [45] | ||
May 22, 1994 | Madison Square Garden | New York Knicks (10) | 87–77 | Chicago Bulls (7) | [46] | ||
Conference Finals | June 5, 1994 | New York Knicks (11) | 94–90 | Indiana Pacers (1) | [47] | ||
Finals | June 22, 1994 | The Summit | Houston Rockets (4) | 90–84^ | New York Knicks (12) | [48] | |
1995 | Conference Semifinals | May 20, 1995 | America West Arena | Houston Rockets (5) | 115–114* | Phoenix Suns (7) | [49] |
Conference Semifinals | May 21, 1995 | Madison Square Garden | Indiana Pacers (2) | 97–95* | New York Knicks (13) | [50] | |
Conference Finals | June 4, 1995 | Orlando Arena | Orlando Magic (1) | 105–81 | Indiana Pacers (3) | [51] | |
1996 | Conference Finals | June 2, 1996 | KeyArena at Seattle Center | Seattle SuperSonics (6) | 90–86 | Utah Jazz (3) | [52] |
1997 | Conference Semifinals | May 17, 1997 | The Summit | Houston Rockets (6) | 96–91 | Seattle SuperSonics (7) | [53] |
May 18, 1997 | Miami Arena | Miami Heat (1) | 101–90 | New York Knicks (14) | [54] | ||
1998 | Conference Finals | May 31, 1998 | United Center | Chicago Bulls (8) | 88–83 | Indiana Pacers (4) | [55] |
2000 | Conference Semifinals | May 21, 2000 | American Airlines Arena | New York Knicks (15) | 83–82* | Miami Heat (2) | [56] |
Conference Finals | June 4, 2000 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Lakers (19) | 89–84 | Portland Trail Blazers (2) | [57] | |
2001 | Conference Semifinals | May 20, 2001 | First Union Center | Philadelphia 76ers (13) | 88–87 | Toronto Raptors (1) | [58] |
Bradley Center | Milwaukee Bucks (7) | 104–95 | Charlotte Hornets (1) | [59] | |||
Conference Finals | June 3, 2001 | First Union Center | Philadelphia 76ers (14) | 108–91 | Milwaukee Bucks (8) | [60] | |
2002 | Conference Finals | June 2, 2002 | ARCO Arena | Los Angeles Lakers (20) | 112–106 (OT)* | Sacramento Kings (4) | [61] |
2003 | First Round | May 4, 2003 | American Airlines Center | Dallas Mavericks (2) | 107–95 | Portland Trail Blazers (3) § | [62] |
The Palace of Auburn Hills | Detroit Pistons (6) | 108–93 | Orlando Magic (2) | [63] | |||
Conference Semifinals | May 17, 2003 | American Airlines Center | Dallas Mavericks (3) | 112–99 | Sacramento Kings (5) | [64] | |
2004 | First Round | May 4, 2004 | American Airlines Arena | Miami Heat (3) | 85–77 | New Orleans Hornets (1) | [65] |
Conference Semifinals | May 19, 2004 | Target Center | Minnesota Timberwolves (1) | 83–80 | Sacramento Kings (6) | [66] | |
May 20, 2004 | The Palace of Auburn Hills | Detroit Pistons (7) | 90–69 | New Jersey Nets (1) | [67] | ||
2005 | First Round | May 7, 2005 | FleetCenter | Indiana Pacers (5) | 97–70* | Boston Celtics (22) | [68] |
American Airlines Center | Dallas Mavericks (4) | 116–76 | Houston Rockets (7) | [69] | |||
Conference Finals | June 6, 2005 | American Airlines Arena | Detroit Pistons (8) | 88–82* | Miami Heat (4) | [70] | |
Finals | June 23, 2005 | SBC Center | San Antonio Spurs (5) | 81–74^ | Detroit Pistons (9) | [71] | |
2006 | First Round | May 6, 2006 | US Airways Center | Phoenix Suns (8) | 121–90 | Los Angeles Lakers (21) | [72] |
Conference Semifinals | May 21, 2006 | The Palace of Auburn Hills | Detroit Pistons (10) | 79–61 | Cleveland Cavaliers (3) | [73] | |
May 22, 2006 | AT&T Center | Dallas Mavericks (5) | 119–111 (OT)* | San Antonio Spurs (6) | [74] | ||
US Airways Center | Phoenix Suns (9) | 127–107 | Los Angeles Clippers (2) | [75] | |||
2007 | First Round | May 5, 2007 | Toyota Center | Utah Jazz (4) | 103–99* | Houston Rockets (8) | [76] |
2008 | First Round | May 4, 2008 | TD Banknorth Garden | Boston Celtics (23) | 99–65 | Atlanta Hawks (10) | [77] |
Conference Semifinals | May 18, 2008 | TD Banknorth Garden | Boston Celtics (24) | 97–92 | Cleveland Cavaliers (4) | [78] | |
May 19, 2008 | New Orleans Arena | San Antonio Spurs (7) | 91–82* | New Orleans Hornets (2) | [79] | ||
2009 | First Round | May 2, 2009 | TD Banknorth Garden | Boston Celtics (25) | 109–99 | Chicago Bulls (9) | [80] |
May 3, 2009 | Philips Arena | Atlanta Hawks (11) | 91–78 | Miami Heat (5) | [81] | ||
Conference Semifinals | May 17, 2009 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Lakers (22) | 89–70 | Houston Rockets (9) | [82] | |
May 17, 2009 | TD Banknorth Garden | Orlando Magic (3) | 101–82* | Boston Celtics (26) | [83] | ||
2010 | First Round | May 2, 2010 | Philips Arena | Atlanta Hawks (12) | 95–74 | Milwaukee Bucks (9) | [84] |
Finals | June 17, 2010 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Lakers (23) | 83–79^ | Boston Celtics (27) | [85] | |
2011 | Conference Semifinals | May 15, 2011 | Oklahoma City Arena | Oklahoma City Thunder (8) | 105–90 | Memphis Grizzlies (1) | [86] |
2012 | First Round | May 12, 2012 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Lakers (24) | 96–87 | Denver Nuggets (3) | [87] |
May 13, 2012 | FedExForum | Los Angeles Clippers (3) | 82–72* | Memphis Grizzlies (2) | [88] | ||
Conference Semifinals | May 26, 2012 | TD Garden | Boston Celtics (28) | 85–75 | Philadelphia 76ers (15) | [89] | |
Conference Finals | June 9, 2012 | American Airlines Arena | Miami Heat (6) | 101–88 | Boston Celtics (29) | [90] | |
2013 | First Round | May 4, 2013 | Barclays Center | Chicago Bulls (10) | 99–93* | Brooklyn Nets (2) | [91] |
Conference Finals | June 3, 2013 | American Airlines Arena | Miami Heat (7) | 99–76 | Indiana Pacers (6) | [92] | |
Finals | June 20, 2013 | Miami Heat (8) | 95–88^ | San Antonio Spurs (8) | [93] | ||
2014 | First Round | May 3, 2014 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indiana Pacers (7) | 92–80 | Atlanta Hawks (13) | [94] |
Chesapeake Energy Arena | Oklahoma City Thunder (9) | 120–109 | Memphis Grizzlies (3) | [95] | |||
Staples Center | Los Angeles Clippers (4) | 126–121 | Golden State Warriors (7) | [96] | |||
May 4, 2014 | Air Canada Centre | Brooklyn Nets (3) | 104–103* | Toronto Raptors (2) | [97] | ||
AT&T Center | San Antonio Spurs (9) | 119–96 | Dallas Mavericks (6) | [98] | |||
2015 | First Round | May 2, 2015 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Clippers (5) | 111–109 | San Antonio Spurs (10) | [99] |
Conference Semifinals | May 17, 2015 | Toyota Center | Houston Rockets (10) | 113–100 | Los Angeles Clippers (6) | [100] | |
2016 | First Round | May 1, 2016 | American Airlines Arena | Miami Heat (9) | 106–73 | Charlotte Hornets (2) | [101] |
May 1, 2016 | Air Canada Centre | Toronto Raptors (3) | 89–84 | Indiana Pacers (8) | [102] | ||
Conference Semifinals | May 15, 2016 | Toronto Raptors (4) | 116–89 | Miami Heat (10) | [103] | ||
Conference Finals | May 30, 2016 | Oracle Arena | Golden State Warriors (8) | 96–88 | Oklahoma City Thunder (10) | [104] | |
Finals | June 19, 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers (5) | 93–89*^ | Golden State Warriors (9) | [105] | ||
2017 | First Round | April 30, 2017 | Staples Center | Utah Jazz (5) | 104–91* | Los Angeles Clippers (7) | [106] |
Conference Semifinals | May 15, 2017 | TD Garden | Boston Celtics (30) | 115–105 | Washington Wizards (10) | [107] | |
2018 | First Round | April 28, 2018 | Boston Celtics (31) | 112–96 | Milwaukee Bucks (10) | [108] | |
April 29, 2018 | Quicken Loans Arena | Cleveland Cavaliers (6) | 105–101 | Indiana Pacers (9) | [109] | ||
Conference Finals | May 27, 2018 | TD Garden | Cleveland Cavaliers (7) | 87–79* | Boston Celtics (32) | [110] | |
May 28, 2018 | Toyota Center | Golden State Warriors (10) | 101–92* | Houston Rockets (11) | [111] | ||
2019 | First Round | April 27, 2019 | Pepsi Center | Denver Nuggets (4) | 90–86 | San Antonio Spurs (11) | [112] |
Conference Semifinals | May 12, 2019 | Portland Trail Blazers (4) | 100–96* | Denver Nuggets (5) | [113] | ||
May 12, 2019 | Scotiabank Arena | Toronto Raptors (5) | 92–90 | Philadelphia 76ers (16) | [114] | ||
2020 | First Round | September 1, 2020 | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | Denver Nuggets (6) | 80–78∞ | Utah Jazz (6) | [115] |
September 2, 2020 | Houston Rockets (12) | 104–102∞ | Oklahoma City Thunder (11) | [116] | |||
Conference Semifinals | September 11, 2020 | Boston Celtics (33)[b] | 92–87*∞ | Toronto Raptors (6) | [117] | ||
September 15, 2020 | Denver Nuggets (7)[b] | 104–89*∞ | Los Angeles Clippers (8) | [118] | |||
2021 | First Round | June 6, 2021 | Staples Center | Los Angeles Clippers (9) | 126–111 | Dallas Mavericks (7) | [119] |
Conference Semifinals | June 19, 2021 | Barclays Center | Milwaukee Bucks (11) | 115–111 (OT)* | Brooklyn Nets (4) | [120] | |
June 20, 2021 | Wells Fargo Center | Atlanta Hawks (14) | 103–96* | Philadelphia 76ers (17) | [121] |
All-time standings[]
Team | Games played | Wins | Losses | Win–loss % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Celtics | 33 | 24 | 9 | .727 |
Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers | 24 | 16 | 8 | .667 |
Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers | 17 | 6 | 11 | .353 |
New York Knicks | 15 | 7 | 8 | .467 |
St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 |
Houston Rockets | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 |
Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 |
San Antonio Spurs | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 |
Miami Heat | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 |
Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets / Washington Wizards | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 |
Fort Wayne / Detroit Pistons | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 |
Philadelphia / San Francisco / Golden State Warriors | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 |
Chicago Bulls | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
Phoenix Suns | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 |
Indiana Pacers | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 |
Buffalo Braves / Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 |
Denver Nuggets | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 |
Dallas Mavericks | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 |
Utah Jazz | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 |
Toronto Raptors | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 |
Rochester/Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City/Sacramento Kings | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 |
New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
Orlando Magic | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Charlotte Hornets | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
St. Louis Bombers (defunct) | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Note: Teams that have never played a game seven are excluded. Names of franchises before their relocation are also shown. |
Reoccurring game seven matchups[]
(*) – Number of overtime periods played in the seventh game.
Count | Matchup | Record | Years Played |
---|---|---|---|
7 | Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers/ Syracuse Nationals | Celtics, 5–2 | 1959, 1965, 1968, 1977, 1981, 1982, 2012 |
5 | Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics, 4–1 | 1962*, 1966, 1969, 1984, 2010 |
4 | Atlanta/ St. Louis Hawks vs. Boston Celtics | Celtics, 4–0 | 1957**, 1960, 1988, 2008 |
4 | Atlanta/ St. Louis Hawks vs. Los Angeles/ Minneapolis Lakers | Tie, 2–2 | 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966 |
3 | New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards/ Baltimore/ Capital/ Washington Bullets | Knicks, 2–1 | 1970, 1971, 1974 |
3 | Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks | Celtics, 3–0 | 1974, 1987, 2018 |
3 | Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers | 76ers, 2–1 | 1981, 1986, 2001 |
3 | Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers, 2–1 | 1992, 2008, 2018 |
3 | Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder/ Seattle SuperSonics | Rockets, 2–1 | 1993*, 1997, 2020 |
2 | Los Angeles/ Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks | Tie, 1–1 | 1952, 1970 |
2 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns | Tie, 1–1 | 1970, 2006 |
2 | Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Lakers, 2–0 | 1971, 1973 |
2 | Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks | Tie, 1–1 | 1973, 1984 |
2 | Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons | Tie, 1–1 | 1974, 1990 |
2 | Oklahoma City Thunder/ Seattle SuperSonics vs. Phoenix Suns | Tie, 1–1 | 1979, 1993 |
2 | Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks | Tie, 1–1 | 1992, 1994 |
2 | Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz | Tie, 1–1 | 1994, 2020 |
2 | Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns | Rockets, 2–0 | 1994, 1995 |
2 | Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks | Tie, 1–1 | 1994, 1995 |
2 | Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks | Tie, 1–1 | 1997, 2000 |
2 | Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors | Tie, 1–1 | 2001, 2019 |
2 | Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs | Tie, 1–1 | 2006*, 2014 |
2 | Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | Thunder, 2–0 | 2011, 2014 |
Notes[]
- a The home-and-away format in every round of the playoffs is the 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in games one, two, five and seven). The format of the finals from 1984–2013 used the 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in games one, two, six and seven).[122] In the past, there have been several other formats used in the playoffs.
- b Won as the designated road team at a neutral-site game.
References[]
- General
- "All-Time Game Seven Road Winners". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- "Breakdown of Game 7s in NBA playoff history". NBA.com. June 8, 2012. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
- Specific
- ^ McCallum, Jack (May 24, 2004). "It's That Time Again: Everything changes when you get to Game 7. The air is different. The noise is different. And there's so much weight". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- ^ Newmann, Peter (May 30, 2007). "Jazz–Spurs research notes". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ Hickok, Ralph (February 18, 2009). "NBA 1967–68 Season". HickokSports.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ Abrams, Jonathan & Beck, Howard (May 2, 2009). "An Unforgettable Series, and They've Only Just Begun". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ Anderson, Corrie and Rob Reheuser, et al (2006). Sporting News Official 2006–2007 NBA Guide. Sporting News Books. ISBN 0-89204-854-9.
- ^ Rosen, Charley (2008). The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA. Mc-Graw Hill. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-07-148785-9.
- ^ "NBA serves up rare Game 7 feast". USA Today. May 21, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
- ^ "1948 BAA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1951 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1952 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1954 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1955 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1957 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1959 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1960 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1961 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1963 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
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- ^ a b "1966 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1968 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
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- ^ a b c "1970 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c "1971 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1973 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c "1974 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1975 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1976 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1977 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c "1978 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "1979 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "1980 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "1981 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
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- ^ a b "1984 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
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- ^ a b "1987 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "1988 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1990 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "1992 NBA Playoff Summary". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
- ^ "Boxscore – Seattle vs. Houston". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Houston vs. Phoenix". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Miami vs. New York". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Dallas at San Antonio". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Boston vs Chicago". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Memphis at Oklahoma City". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "Boxscore – Denver at Los Angeles". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Philadelphia at Boston". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ^ "Boxscore – Boston at Miami". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- ^ "Boxscore – Chicago at Brooklyn". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Atlanta at Indiana". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Brooklyn at Toronto". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ "Boxscore – Dallas at San Antonio". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ "Boxscore – San Antonio at Los Angeles". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Charlotte at Miami". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Miami at Toronto". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ "Boxscore – Oklahoma City at Golden State". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
- ^ "Boxscore – Cleveland at Golden State". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ "Boxscore – Utah at Los Angeles". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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- ^ "Boxscore – Milwaukee at Boston". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ "Boxscore – Indiana at Cleveland". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ "Boxscore – Cleveland at Boston". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "Boxscore – Houston at Golden State". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ "Boxscore – San Antonio at Denver". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Boxscore – Portland at Denver". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "Boxscore – Philadelphia at Toronto". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "Boxscore – Utah at Denver". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ "Boxscore – Oklahoma City at Houston". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Boxscore – Boston at Toronto". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Boxscore – Denver at Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "Boxscore – Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Boxscore – Milwaukee at Brooklyn". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ "Boxscore – Atlanta at Philadelphia". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Bob (June 23, 2005). "Time to turn back clock on format". The Boston Globe.
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