BasketBall nba finals

: Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns 4-2: Clasps

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1976: Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns 4-2: Clasps Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labeled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever." With the series tied 2–2 against the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics 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; the series was highlighted by Game Five, Second in the "Dave Cowens era". Jo Jo White of the Celtics was named NBA Finals MVP. The Suns earned their first two playoff series victories in franchise history to advance to the NBA Finals; they would win their second (and as of 2010, most recent) Western Conference championship in 1993. The sixth-year Cleveland Cavaliers made their first playoff appearance (and won their first playoff series) in this year's postseason. The 1976 playoffs marked the last appearance of the Buffalo Braves in the playoffs until 1992, when they would return as the Los Angeles Clippers. The Philadelphia 76ers made the playoffs for the first time since 1971, starting a twelve-year playoff run that included four NBA Finals (1977, 1980, 1982, 1983).

1977: Portland TrailBlazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2: Tussle It was Portland's first (and as of 2009, only) NBA championship. Bill Walton of the Blazers was awarded the NBA Finals MVP award. Portland won the NBA championship in its very first playoff appearance, something that had not occurred since the very early days of the BAA (and has not been accomplished since, as of 2009). This was the first NBA playoff tournament to take place after the ABA-NBA merger; two of the former ABA teams (the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets) made their NBA playoff debuts in this, their first season in the league. The New Jersey Nets made their first playoff appearance in 1979, and the Indiana Pacers in 1981. For the first time since 1956 (when the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Syracuse Nationals three games to two), the Eastern Conference/Division championship series had neither the Boston Celtics nor the New York Knicks participating.

1978: Washington Bullets vs. Seattle Supersonics 4-3: Blasted The Washington Bullets and the Seattle SuperSonics swap championships, each team winning on the other's home court. The Bullets won game 7 in Seattle in 1978; Wes Unseld of the Bullets was named NBA Finals MVP. To date, it remains the first and only NBA Championship that the Washington Bullets have ever won. It was the third NBA Finals appearance and first championship for the Bullets, founded in 1961. The Sonics made the Finals for the first time in their 11-year existence. This would be the first of two consecutive meetings in the Finals between the Bullets and Sonics, with Seattle winning the championship the following year. This was the first time since the expansion of the playoff field to ten teams in 1975 that neither conference champion had the benefit of a first-round bye by being one of the top two teams in the conference during the regular season. The 1979 Finals rematch between the Sonics and Bullets took place with both teams as the #1 seed in their respective conference. The Denver Nuggets, one of the four former American Basketball Association teams to join the NBA the previous season, became the first of them to win an NBA playoff series, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game conference semifinal.

1979: Seattle Supersonics vs. Washington Bullets 4-1: Sumba The Sonics return the favor in 1979, beating the Bullets 4-1, taking game 5 on the Bullets' home court. The Sonics earned their first (and as of 2010, only) NBA championship. Seattle's Dennis Johnson won the NBA Finals MVP award. The Finals were a rematch of the previous year's championship series; the Bullets had defeated the Sonics four games to three in the 1978 Finals. As of 2010, the Bullets (later the Washington Wizards) have not returned to the championship series. The San Antonio Spurs made their first visit to the conference finals in the 1979 playoffs. The 1979 playoffs also marked the first time that three of the former ABA teams would make the postseason, as it marked the NBA playoff debut of the New Jersey Nets.

1980: LA Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2: Loosed 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". The Lakers earned their seventh NBA championship, their second since moving from Minneapolis. Magic Johnson of the Lakers became the first and (as of 2010), only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award, leading the Lakers to a clinching victory in Game 6 with 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. With center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out with a severely sprained ankle, Johnson started at center in his stead, and ultimately played all five positions on the court during the game. Philadelphia earned their third Eastern Conference championship but were unsuccessful in capturing their second NBA championship. The Milwaukee Bucks appeared in the playoffs for the last time as a member of the Western Conference; the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs likewise appeared for the last time playing for the Eastern Conference. They would switch conferences (along with the Chicago Bulls) in the 1980-81 season with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks.

1981: Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets 4-2 Cherub Celtics won their 14^th championship. Boston's Cedric Maxwell was awarded NBA Finals MVP. The playoffs were notable for being the only time, to date, that a team with a losing record has ever advanced to the NBA Finals, as the Rockets won their first Western Conference championship, despite finishing with a record of 40-42 (the other Western Conference Finalist, the Kansas City Kings, also had a 40-42 record). The Kings' playoff series victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns were the last for the franchise in Kansas City. The franchise's last playoff series in Kansas City was a three-game sweep in the opening round in 1984 by the Los Angeles Lakers. The team moved to Sacramento after the 1984-85 season and did not win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001. The Indiana Pacers became the fourth and final former American Basketball Association team to make their postseason debut, though two straight losses to the Philadelphia 76ers brought a quick end to the Pacers' first playoff run. This was the last year, to date, in which an NBA playoff game was played during the month of March. The Boston Celtics replicated its 1968 playoff comeback in the conference finals by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games after trailing 1-3. This marked the only time a team had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series against the same team twice.

1982: Minneapolis/LA Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2: LoosesThe Lakers won their eighth NBA championship (third in Los Angeles) and Magic Johnson won his second NBA Finals MVP award. It was the second NBA Finals meeting in three years between the Lakers and Sixers, and ended with the same result—a six-game Lakers victory—as the previous confrontation. The Lakers and Sixers would meet once more the following year, with Philadelphia getting their revenge in a four-game sweep.The Washington Bullets' two-game sweep of the New Jersey Nets would be their last playoff series victory for 23 years; they would not advance to the second round again until 2005. This was the third consecutive year the Milwaukee Bucks would fail to advance to the third round with the #2 seed in spite of getting a first round bye.

1983: Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers Vs. Lakers 4-0: Sail Moses Malone and Julius Erving. This was the final postseason using the 12-team format, before the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams the next season. However, this would be the last time the city of Philadelphia would enjoy a championship until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.^[1]Moses Malone was named NBA Finals MVP; he notably made a prediction about the Sixers' chances prior to the start of the playoffs, saying "Fo', fo', fo'"—predicting that the Sixers would sweep all three series. They came close; they only lost one game, to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals. The Sixers set a record for highest winning percentage in the playoffs that would not be broken until the Lakers went 15-1 in 2001. The Lakers' mark, however, came after the expansion to the current 16-team, four-round playoff format, which was first implemented in the 1984 playoffs, while the Sixers avoided the first round by virtue of their top seeding. It was the third time in four years that the Lakers and 76ers had met in the NBA Finals, with the Lakers winning the previous two series. After missing the playoffs the previous year, the Portland Trail Blazers began a string of 21 consecutive playoff appearances in 1983 lasting until 2003. They made the playoffs 25 out of 26 years from their title-winning season of 1977 to 2003. The record was just one season shy of the 22-year playoff run set by the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1949 to 1971. The Boston Celtics were swept out of the playoffs for the first time in team history, losing 4-0 to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. However the Celtics would win the next three playoff meetings over the Bucks (1984, 1986 and 1987). Until 1995, this would be the San Antonio Spurs' last appearance in the Conference Finals. However, for players such as George Gervin and Artis Gilmore, the six-game loss to the Lakers would be the closest they would get into reaching the NBA Finals, let alone an NBA Championship (Gilmore did return to the conference finals with the Celtics in 1988, but played sparingly).

1984: Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers 4-3: Callboy 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 won Game 1, and almost Game 2, 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. The Celtics won Game 4. 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 the Celtics won. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings. This was the first postseason allowing sixteen teams to qualify, a format that is still in use as of 2010. Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. It was the first NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since 1969; the storied rivals met seven times in the championship series from 1959 to 1969, with Boston coming out on top each year. Going into the 1984 playoffs the Lakers had already won two championships in the 1980s and the Celtics one, making the renewal of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry arguably inevitable and certainly highly anticipated. Two teams made their playoff debuts (and won their first playoff series) in the 1984 playoffs: the Utah Jazz (who joined the NBA for the 1974-75 season as the New Orleans Jazz) and the Dallas Mavericks, a 1980-81 expansion team. The Jazz would not miss the playoffs again until 2004. The Detroit Pistons made their first playoff appearance since 1977; they would not miss the postseason again until 1993. The New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time in their NBA history, upsetting the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in five games. This was also the only time a road team won every playoff game in a series. The Nets would not win a playoff series again until 2002. The 1984 Playoffs also involved two of the hottest (literally) games in NBA history. Game 5 of the first round between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons was played at Joe Louis Arena, as the Pontiac Silverdome was unavailable, with temperatures reaching as high as 120 degrees. Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, at the Boston Garden, reached temperatures as high as 100 degrees, as the Garden lacked air-conditioning, coupled with the sweltering outdoors conditions in Boston.

1985: LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics 4-2: Lancer The Lakers and Celtics met again, and the Celtics opened the series with a crushing 148-112 win over Los Angeles. Known as the "Memorial Day Massacre", Boston's 148 points still stands as the highest total by a team in the Finals. However, the Lakers came back to win the series in six games, finally beating Boston in the NBA Finals. L.A.'s Finals victory marked the only time Boston lost a championship on their home floor. The Lakers' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time in his long career (he had won the award under his former name, Lew Alcindor, as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971). The Lakers had been unsuccessful in their eight previous attempts to defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, losing seven times from 1959 to 1969 and also in the previous year's championship series. To put the icing on the cake, the Lakers won the championship at the Boston Garden, becoming the only opposing team to win a title on the Celtics' home floor. The 1985 playoffs marked the return of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the postseason; they had last made the playoffs in 1978 and gave the Celtics their stiffest challenge in the opening round. The 1985 playoffs marked the first time that all three teams from the state of Texas made the playoffs in the same year. The Denver Nuggets advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 1978 and would not advance again until 2009. The Philadelphia 76ers, on the other hand, advanced to the conference finals for the fifth time in six years, but would not reach that level again until 2001.

1986: Boston Celtcs vs. Houston Rockets 4-2: Course The Celtics won their 16th NBA championship, their last until 2008. Larry Bird was awarded his second NBA Finals MVP trophy. The Rockets made the NBA Finals when Ralph Sampson made an off balance jumper at the buzzer against the Lakers at The Forum in Game 5 of the Western Finals. This was the second NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Rockets; the teams also met in the 1981 series, with the same result. It was the third of four consecutive Eastern Conference championships for the Celtics, who won an impressive 67 games that year, and lost just one game in the regular season at home out of 41 played. The Rockets, meanwhile had won just their second conference title in franchise history. Second-year player Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls put on an ageless performance in game two of the Bulls' first-round series against the Celtics, scoring 63 points in an overtime loss, which still stands as the All-Time NBA Playoffs Record. Jordan averaged 43.7 points per game in the series, but was unable to prevent the Bulls from being swept by a more experienced, more talented Celtics team considered by many among the greatest of all-time. The Bulls set a dubious mark by posting the second worst record for a playoff-qualifying team in history, going just 30-52 during the season. The 1986 playoffs marked the third time in four years that the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it would be their last appearance in the series until 2001. The Celtics avenged the ghosts of its 1983 sweep by sweeping the Bucks in four games. As for the Philadelphia 76ers, this would be the last time they would play in a Game 7 until the 2001 NBA Playoffs. After their humiliating first round loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons would advance past the first round in each of the next five seasons (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991), which include all appearances in the conference finals, three NBA Finals, and two championships.

1987: LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics 4-2: Lanced 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. The Lakers earned their 10th NBA championship, and Magic Johnson won his record third NBA Finals MVP trophy. Before 2008, this was the last time the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals though Boston threatened in 2002, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the New Jersey Nets in six games. By making it to the Eastern Conference finals, the Detroit Pistons advanced farther in the playoffs than they had in the past 25 years. They would make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1956 the following season, the first of three consecutive trips to the championship round (winning the last two). The Golden State Warriors made their first playoff appearance since 1977, and the Indiana Pacers made their return to the playoffs after a six-year absence. By defeating the Dallas Mavericks 3 games to 1, the Seattle SuperSonics became the first #7 seed to defeat a #2 seed since the NBA playoff format was expanded to 16 teams at the end of the 1983-1984 season. They managed to reach the Western Conference Finals. The 1989 and 1991 Golden State Warriors, 1998 New York Knicks and 2010 San Antonio Spurs were the other 7th seeds to beat the 2nd seed. One of the most memorable moments of the playoffs occurred in the final moments of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals when, with Boston trailing by 1, Detroit's Isiah Thomas's pass intended for Bill Laimbeer was stolen by Boston's Larry Bird, who passed to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning basket. The only dent in the Lakers run to the finals came in game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors when Eric "Sleepy" Floyd scored a playoff record 39 points in the second half, with a record 29 coming in the forth quarter, to seal a 129-121 win. Both records still stand.

1988: Minneapolis/LA Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons 4-3: Limping The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions, a feat that Lakers coach Pat Riley had guaranteed through the previous offseason. James Worthy of the Lakers was named NBA Finals MVP. This was the sixth and last championship of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career; the following year, the Lakers would be swept by the Pistons in the finals and Abdul-Jabbar retired at the end of the season. This marked the first time since 1983 that the Boston Celtics did not represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, although the Celtics did win one of the most memorable games of the 1988 playoffs, beating the Atlanta Hawks, 118-116, in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis at Boston Garden. Larry Bird scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics overcome the 47 points scored by Dominique Wilkins. The Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to the Western Conference finals, falling in seven to the Lakers. They would not advance that far again until 2003. The New York Knicks made their first postseason appearance since 1984. They would remain playoff regulars until 2001, which included two NBA Finals appearances (1994, 1999). On the other hand, the Washington Bullets would not return to the playoffs until 1997, and would not win a playoff game again until 2005 as the Wizards. This was the first time in NBA history that a game other than a Championship Series game was played during the month of June. Highlights of the 1988 NBA Playoffs were provided by the Los Angeles Lakers championship documentary "Back To Back", narrated by Chick Hearn. Game 4 of the Hawks-Bucks series would be the last game ever played at the Mecca. Game 5 of the NBA Finals would be the last game ever played at the Pontiac Silverdome.

1989: Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons vs. LA Lakers 4-0: PillLos Angeles Lakers were severely hampered by injuries. Pistons won their 1^st championship. Joe Dumars of the Pistons was named the NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons had one of the most dominating playoff runs in NBA history, finishing 15-2 with their only two losses to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals. The Lakers won the Western Conference championship without losing a game. They would be swept in the championship round by the Pistons, due in part to season-ending injuries suffered by Magic Johnson and Byron Scott. The Lakers earned the distinction of being the only team to sweep the first three playoff round, and then be swept in the NBA Finals. The Chicago Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1975 (and for the first time in the career of Michael Jordan), but their season was ended by the Pistons for the second of what would ultimately be three consecutive years. Two rounds earlier, Jordan made "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer for the Bulls to beat the Cavs. The Boston Celtics' first-round playoff sweep by the Pistons was the first time the Celtics failed to get past the round of 16. Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan would make the first of 19 playoff appearances in a 22-year tenure. The only times he missed the playoffs with the Jazz was from 2004 to 2006. His previous playoff appearance was in 1981 with the Bulls. His Jazz were ousted by the Golden State Warriors in a three-game sweep, the second time a seventh seed had beaten the second seed in the playoffs. Under Don Nelson, the Warriors became famous for their up-tempo game that made up for an undersized lineup, as well as their ability to create mismatches. The Warriors would make history as the only team to beat either of the top two seeds thrice in the NBA Playoffs; they also ousted the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in 1991 and the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks (a team Nelson also coached) in 2007.

1990: Detroit Pistons vs. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1: Pouty The Portland Trail Blazers win the Western Conference and go on to be defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals Isiah Thomas of the Pistons was awarded the title of NBA Finals MVP. It was the first trip to the NBA Finals for the Portland Trail Blazers since their stunning championship win of 1977. The Chicago Bulls would go on to lose 93-74 in Detroit in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, making it the 3rd consecutive year the Bulls were ousted in the postseason by the Pistons. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff series for the first time ever, which marked the first time since 1981 that the Lakers failed to reach at least the conference finals. The New York Knicks fell 0-2 behind to the Boston Celtics in their first round Eastern Conference matchup, but came back to take the series 3-2 by winning the decisive Game 5 on the road in Boston The Indiana Pacers made only their third playoff appearance since their NBA debut in the 1976-77 season; they would proceed to make the playoffs 16 out of the next 17 years (missing only in 1997). The Dallas Mavericks made their only playoff appearance of the 1990s. They would miss the playoffs the next 10 seasons before returning in 2001. Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals marked the final NBA game to be televised on CBS.

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