NBA conference finals
The NBA conference finals are the
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, 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 trophies have a slightly different base for each conference to help distinguish one from the other; the silver basketball on the Eastern Conference trophy sits on three pegs, while the Western Conference trophy has the basketball sitting on intercrossing circular rings.
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 10 Conference titles, the second most of any team. Twenty-two of the 30 active franchises have won at least one conference title. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers have each played in at least one Conference finals (Atlanta and Sacramento have played 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.
Conference trophies
The NBA first started awarding conference championship trophies in 2001.
Key
^ | NBA champion, winner of the NBA Finals |
† | Team with the best regular season record, or tie for best |
Conference
Eastern Conference finals
Western Conference finals
Results by team
Stats updated through May 22, 2023
- Total number of appearances
- Years of appearance
In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning Conference finals appearances.
Most frequent match-ups among active teams
Count | Matchup | Record | Years Played |
---|---|---|---|
4 | Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat | Heat, 3–1 | 2012, 2020, 2022, 2023 |
4 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs | Lakers, 4–0 | 1982, 1983, 2001, 2008 |
4 | Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers | Tie, 2–2 | 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985 |
4 | Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers | Lakers, 3–1 | 1985, 2009, 2020, 2023 |
3 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns | Lakers, 3–0 | 1979, 1989, 2010 |
3 | Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers, 2–1 | 1976, 2017, 2018 |
3 | Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons | Celtics, 2–1 | 1987, 1988, 2008 |
3 | Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks | Knicks, 2–1 | 1972, 1973, 1974 |
3 | Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons | Pistons, 2–1 | 1989, 1990, 1991 |
3 | Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks | Knicks, 2–1 | 1994, 1999, 2000 |
3 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers | Lakers, 2–1 | 1977, 1991, 2000 |
See also
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 September 7, 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.
- ^ Feldman, Dan (May 12, 2022). "NBA to name conference finals MVPs". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "NBA redesigns Finals trophy, adds awards named after Magic Johnson, Larry Bird". Washington Post. May 12, 2022.
To complete the postseason collection, the NBA updated its conference championship trophies, first created in 2001
- ^ "NBA introduces new lineup of postseason hardware". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
External links
- NBA History at NBA.com
- NBA and ABA Playoff Index (includes BAA) at Basketball-Reference.com