NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern and Western championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1] The NBA adopted its current name at the start of the 1949–50 season when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).[2] The league currently consists of 30 teams, of which 29 are located in the United States and 1 in Canada. Each team plays 82 games in the regular season.[A] After the regular season, eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. At the end of the playoffs, the top two teams play each other in the Conference Finals, to determine the Conference Champions from each side, who then proceed to play in the NBA Finals.
Overview[]
Initially, the BAA teams were aligned into two divisions, the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The Divisional Finals were first played in 1949, the league's third season. The first two seasons used a playoffs format where Eastern and Western Division teams would face each other before the BAA Finals, hence there were no divisional finals. In the 1949–50 season, the league realigned itself to three divisions, with the addition of the Central Division. However, the arrangement was only used for one season and the league went back into two divisions format in 1951. The two divisions format remained until 1970, when the NBA realigned itself into two conferences with two divisions each, which led to the renaming to Conference Finals. The finals was a best-of-3 series from 1949 to 1950 to; a best-of-5 series from 1951 to 1956, and a best-of-7 series since 1957. Currently, the Conference Finals are played in a best-of-7 series like the NBA playoffs and Finals. The two series are played in late May each year after the first and second rounds of the Playoffs and before the Finals. At the conclusion of the Conference Finals, winners are presented with a silver trophy, caps, and T-shirts, and advance to the NBA Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won the most conference titles with 19. They have also made 23 appearances in the Conference Finals, more than any other team. The Boston Celtics have won 9 Conference titles, the second most of any team. Twenty-two of the 30 active franchises have won at least one conference title. The Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers have each played in at least one Conference Finals (Denver has played in four, Atlanta and Sacramento in two), but they have each failed to win their respective conference title. Two other franchises, the Charlotte Hornets, and New Orleans Pelicans have never appeared in the Conference Finals.
Key[]
| ^ | NBA champion, winner of the NBA Finals |
| † | Team with the best regular season record, or tie for best |
Conference[]
Eastern Conference Finals[]
| Year | Champion | Coach | Result | Runner-up | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Baltimore Bullets | Gene Shue | 4–3 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman |
| 1972 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman | 4–1 | Boston Celtics | Tom Heinsohn |
| 1973 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman | 4–3 | Boston Celtics† | Tom Heinsohn |
| 1974 | Boston Celtics | Tom Heinsohn | 4–1 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman |
| 1975 | Washington Bullets† | K. C. Jones | 4–2 | Boston Celtics† | Tom Heinsohn |
| 1976 | Boston Celtics | Tom Heinsohn | 4–2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Bill Fitch |
| 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers | Gene Shue | 4–2 | Houston Rockets | Tom Nissalke |
| 1978 | Washington Bullets | Dick Motta | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham |
| 1979 | Washington Bullets† | Dick Motta | 4–3 | San Antonio Spurs | Doug Moe |
| 1980 | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | 4–1 | Boston Celtics† | Bill Fitch |
| 1981 | Boston Celtics† | Bill Fitch | 4–3 | Philadelphia 76ers† | Billy Cunningham |
| 1982 | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | 4–3 | Boston Celtics† | Bill Fitch |
| 1983 | Philadelphia 76ers† | Billy Cunningham | 4–1 | Milwaukee Bucks | Don Nelson |
| 1984 | Boston Celtics† | K. C. Jones | 4–1 | Milwaukee Bucks | Don Nelson |
| 1985 | Boston Celtics† | K. C. Jones | 4–1 | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham |
| 1986 | Boston Celtics† | K. C. Jones | 4–0 | Milwaukee Bucks | Don Nelson |
| 1987 | Boston Celtics | K. C. Jones | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly |
| 1988 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | 4–2 | Boston Celtics | K. C. Jones |
| 1989 | Detroit Pistons† | Chuck Daly | 4–2 | Chicago Bulls | Doug Collins |
| 1990 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | 4–3 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson |
| 1991 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | 4–0 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly |
| 1992 | Chicago Bulls† | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Lenny Wilkens |
| 1993 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | New York Knicks | Pat Riley |
| 1994 | New York Knicks | Pat Riley | 4–3 | Indiana Pacers | Larry Brown |
| 1995 | Orlando Magic | Brian Hill | 4–3 | Indiana Pacers | Larry Brown |
| 1996 | Chicago Bulls† | Phil Jackson | 4–0 | Orlando Magic | Brian Hill |
| 1997 | Chicago Bulls† | Phil Jackson | 4–1 | Miami Heat | Pat Riley |
| 1998 | Chicago Bulls† | Phil Jackson | 4–3 | Indiana Pacers | Larry Bird |
| 1999 | New York Knicks | Jeff Van Gundy | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers | Larry Bird |
| 2000 | Indiana Pacers | Larry Bird | 4–2 | New York Knicks | Jeff Van Gundy |
| 2001 | Philadelphia 76ers | Larry Brown | 4–3 | Milwaukee Bucks | George Karl |
| 2002 | New Jersey Nets | Byron Scott | 4–2 | Boston Celtics | Jim O'Brien |
| 2003 | New Jersey Nets | Byron Scott | 4–0 | Detroit Pistons | Rick Carlisle |
| 2004 | Detroit Pistons | Larry Brown | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers† | Rick Carlisle |
| 2005 | Detroit Pistons | Larry Brown | 4–3 | Miami Heat | Stan Van Gundy |
| 2006 | Miami Heat | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Detroit Pistons† | Flip Saunders |
| 2007 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Mike Brown | 4–2 | Detroit Pistons | Flip Saunders |
| 2008 | Boston Celtics† | Doc Rivers | 4–2 | Detroit Pistons | Flip Saunders |
| 2009 | Orlando Magic | Stan Van Gundy | 4–2 | Cleveland Cavaliers† | Mike Brown |
| 2010 | Boston Celtics | Doc Rivers | 4–2 | Orlando Magic | Stan Van Gundy |
| 2011 | Miami Heat | Erik Spoelstra | 4–1 | Chicago Bulls† | Tom Thibodeau |
| 2012 | Miami Heat | Erik Spoelstra | 4–3 | Boston Celtics | Doc Rivers |
| 2013 | Miami Heat† | Erik Spoelstra | 4–3 | Indiana Pacers | Frank Vogel |
| 2014 | Miami Heat | Erik Spoelstra | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers | Frank Vogel |
| 2015 | Cleveland Cavaliers | David Blatt | 4–0 | Atlanta Hawks | Mike Budenholzer |
| 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tyronn Lue | 4–2 | Toronto Raptors | Dwane Casey |
| 2017 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tyronn Lue | 4–1 | Boston Celtics | Brad Stevens |
| 2018 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tyronn Lue | 4–3 | Boston Celtics | Brad Stevens |
| 2019 | Toronto Raptors | Nick Nurse | 4–2 | Milwaukee Bucks† | Mike Budenholzer |
| 2020 | Miami Heat | Erik Spoelstra | 4–2 | Boston Celtics | Brad Stevens |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks | Mike Budenholzer | 4–2 | Atlanta Hawks | Nate McMillan |
Western Conference Finals[]
| Year | Champion | Coach | Result | Runner-up | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks† | Larry Costello | 4–1 | Los Angeles Lakers | Joe Mullaney |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers† | Bill Sharman | 4–2 | Milwaukee Bucks | Larry Costello |
| 1973 | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Sharman | 4–1 | Golden State Warriors | Al Attles |
| 1974 | Milwaukee Bucks† | Larry Costello | 4–0 | Chicago Bulls | Dick Motta |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors | Al Attles | 4–3 | Chicago Bulls | Dick Motta |
| 1976 | Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod | 4–3 | Golden State Warriors† | Al Attles |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers | Jack Ramsay | 4–0 | Los Angeles Lakers† | Jerry West |
| 1978 | Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens | 4–2 | Denver Nuggets | Larry Brown |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens | 4–3 | Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers | Paul Westhead | 4–1 | Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens |
| 1981 | Houston Rockets | Del Harris | 4–1 | Kansas City Kings | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4–0 | San Antonio Spurs | Stan Albeck |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4–2 | San Antonio Spurs | Stan Albeck |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4–1 | Denver Nuggets | Doug Moe |
| 1986 | Houston Rockets | Bill Fitch | 4–1 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers† | Pat Riley | 4–0 | Seattle SuperSonics | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers† | Pat Riley | 4–3 | Dallas Mavericks | John MacLeod |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4–0 | Phoenix Suns | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| 1990 | Portland Trail Blazers | Rick Adelman | 4–2 | Phoenix Suns | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| 1991 | Los Angeles Lakers | Mike Dunleavy | 4–2 | Portland Trail Blazers† | Rick Adelman |
| 1992 | Portland Trail Blazers | Rick Adelman | 4–2 | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan |
| 1993 | Phoenix Suns† | Paul Westphal | 4–3 | Seattle SuperSonics | George Karl |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets | Rudy Tomjanovich | 4–1 | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | Rudy Tomjanovich | 4–2 | San Antonio Spurs† | Bob Hill |
| 1996 | Seattle SuperSonics | George Karl | 4–3 | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan |
| 1997 | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan | 4–2 | Houston Rockets | Rudy Tomjanovich |
| 1998 | Utah Jazz† | Jerry Sloan | 4–0 | Los Angeles Lakers | Del Harris |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs† | Gregg Popovich | 4–0 | Portland Trail Blazers | Mike Dunleavy |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers† | Phil Jackson | 4–3 | Portland Trail Blazers | Mike Dunleavy |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–0 | San Antonio Spurs† | Gregg Popovich |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–3 | Sacramento Kings† | Rick Adelman |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs† | Gregg Popovich | 4–2 | Dallas Mavericks† | Don Nelson |
| 2004 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Flip Saunders |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | 4–1 | Phoenix Suns† | Mike D'Antoni |
| 2006 | Dallas Mavericks | Avery Johnson | 4–2 | Phoenix Suns | Mike D'Antoni |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | 4–1 | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan |
| 2008 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–1 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Denver Nuggets | George Karl |
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Phoenix Suns | Alvin Gentry |
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks | Rick Carlisle | 4–1 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Scott Brooks |
| 2012 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Scott Brooks | 4–2 | San Antonio Spurs† | Gregg Popovich |
| 2013 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | 4–0 | Memphis Grizzlies | Lionel Hollins |
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs† | Gregg Popovich | 4–2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Scott Brooks |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors† | Steve Kerr | 4–1 | Houston Rockets | Kevin McHale |
| 2016 | Golden State Warriors† | Steve Kerr | 4–3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Billy Donovan |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors† | Steve Kerr | 4–0 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | Steve Kerr | 4–3 | Houston Rockets† | Mike D'Antoni |
| 2019 | Golden State Warriors | Steve Kerr | 4–0 | Portland Trail Blazers | Terry Stotts |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | Frank Vogel | 4–1 | Denver Nuggets | Michael Malone |
| 2021 | Phoenix Suns | Monty Williams | 4–2 | Los Angeles Clippers | Tyronn Lue |
Results by team[]
Stats updated through June 30, 2021
- Total number of appearances
| Team | East | West | Total | East | West | Total | Total appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Runner-up | ||||||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 0 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 |
| Boston Celtics | 9 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 20 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Detroit Pistons | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Phoenix Suns | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| San Francisco / Golden State Warriors | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Miami Heat | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Houston Rockets | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| New York Knicks | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Indiana Pacers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Utah Jazz | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Baltimore / Washington Bullets | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Orlando Magic | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Denver Nuggets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kansas City / Sacramento Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
See also[]
- List of NBA champions
- List of NBA seasons
Basketball portal
Notes[]
- ^ Exceptions include the 1998–99 season, which was shortened to 50 games due to the lockout, the 2011–12 season, shortened to 66 games due to another lockout, the 2019–20 season, shortened to between 63 and 75 games due to the season's suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020–21 season, shortened to 72 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
References[]
- ^ Goldaper, Sam. "The First Game". NBA History: NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition. NBA Media Ventures (NBA.com). Archived from the original on July 5, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ "1949–50 Season Overview: Powerful Lakers Repeat". NBA History: NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition. NBA Media Ventures (NBA.com). Retrieved August 5, 2010.
External links[]
- NBA History at NBA.com
- NBA & ABA Playoff Index (includes BAA) at Basketball-Reference.com
- NBA Conference Finals
- National Basketball Association playoffs