Highlights

§                     1955: The Syracuse Nationals faced the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small, the series was spectacular in part due to the addition of the 24-second shot clock.^[1]The home team won every game, the Nats taking the series with a free throw by George King at the end of Game 7.

§                     1957: The first championship in what was to become the Celtics dynasty. A hard-fought series against the Hawks. Jim Loscutoff won the game for the Celtics in double overtime in Game 7 with two free throws.

§                     1962: The second NBA Finals with the Lakers against the Celtics (after 1959). Elgin Baylor scored a Finals record 61 points in a game 5 Laker victory. In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy (who once scored 100 points in a college game) missed an eight-foot game and series winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics won in overtime, with Bill Russell tying his own Finals record with 40 rebounds.

§                     1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" midway through the 4th quarter, only to see his team's big lead melt away. They held on, however, and won 95–93 to preserve the Celtics' eighth straight championship and ninth in ten seasons.

§                     1969: For the third time in the decade, a Lakers-Celtics final went to seven games. Chamberlain, Baylor, and West, three of the game's best players, were now all playing for the Lakers. Nevertheless, the aging Celtics (who had finished fourth in the Eastern Division), led by player-coach Bill Russell, put on an effective counter-attack. In Game 4, with the Celtics trailing 2–1 in the series and 88–87 in the game, Sam Jones hit an incredible buzzer-beater with three seconds left to even the series and preserve the Celtics' championship winning streak. In game 7, Boston built a big lead and Wilt Chamberlain picked up his 5th foul. The Lakers rallied behind their subs, and cut the deficit to 2 points in the final minutes. Laker guard Keith Erickson knocked the ball away from John Havlicek, but it bounced to Don Nelson with only 2 seconds left on the 24 second shot clock. Nelson's shot hit the heel of the rim, bounced high in the air and came down through the hoop to restore the lead to 4 with a minute remaining. Boston ended up winning 108–106.

§                     1970: New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers: With the series tied 1–1, Game 3 produced an instant classic (see game 3 of 1970 finals). The Knicks' Dave DeBusschere made a basket with 3 seconds left to give the Knicks a 102–100 lead. Jerry West then made a 63 foot shot to force overtime. However, the Knicks recovered to win the game and eventually the series in 7. Game 7 is best remembered when the injured Willis Reed, who was reportedly out for Game 7, started the game and scored the first two baskets to inspire the Knicks just when they needed it. New York claimed its first title. Walt "Clyde" Frazier also scored 36 points and had 19 assists.

§                     1976: 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.

§                     1977: After an 11 day rest, the Portland Trail Blazers lost the first two games of the Finals but come back to win the next four to become first team in Finals history to make such a comeback.

§                     1978 and 1979: 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; and the Sonics return the favor in 1979, beating the Bullets 4–1, taking game 5 on the Bullets' home court. It's still the last time that a team west of Texas other than the Lakers has won an NBA title.

§                     1980: 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".

§                     1984: 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.

§                     1985: 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.

§                     1987: 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.

§                     1989: The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, effectively ending the Laker dynasty of the 80s.

§                     1990: The Portland Trail Blazers win the Western Conference and go on to be defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

§                     1993: The Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls squared off in a thrilling series in which the visiting team prevailed in all but one (Game 4 at Chicago). Phoenix fell behind 2–0 in the series, but a triple overtime victory in Game 3, allowed the Suns back into contention. Still, it would be John Paxson's clutch three pointer in Game 6 that would seal the game, the series and the Bulls' first three-peat.

§                     1994: The Knicks took a 3–2 lead on the Houston Rockets and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but John Starks' final shot was blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets would win game 7 and win their first NBA Championship. During Game 5 (June 17, 1994), most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being the network's own flagship station, WNBC-TVout of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas(NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from the Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal." Pat Riley became the first coach in NBA history to coach in Game 7 NBA Finals with two different teams, having been coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984 and 1988.

§                     1997: In Game 5, Michael Jordan, the star player on the Chicago Bulls, had a stomach virus but still managed to score 38 points. Soon, Jordan would capture his fifth NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, bringing the Bulls to their fifth title in seven years. Not to be forgotten is Jordan's buzzer beater in Game 1, and his pass to Steve Kerr for the latter's crucial series-clinching jumper in Game 6.

§                     1998: The Chicago Bulls held a 3–2 lead over the Utah Jazz but nearly lost Game 6. Michael Jordan made two key baskets in the final minute for a one-point win and the championship. It would be Jordan's last game for the Bulls.

§                     1999: The New York Knicks, who fell to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games, made NBA history by becoming the first (and as of 2011, the only) 8th seed ever to make the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win an NBA Championship.

§                     2000: The Los Angeles Lakers, under new head coach Phil Jackson, are led to a 67–15 regular season record, and to a Finals appearance against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice led the Lakers to the franchise's 12th championship, with Shaquille O'Neal winning the Finals MVP trophy, averaging 38 points and 16.6 rebounds. The Lakers could have easily have gone to a Game 7, but Shaq along with teammates Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice scored a combined 83 points to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116 to 111.

§                     2001: The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games. After Allen Iverson lead the 76ers to an overtime game 1 win in Los Angeles. The Lakers went on to win the next 4 games, completing their first repeat since their back to back titles in '87 and '88.

§                     2002: The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the New Jersey Nets to complete a Three Peat, becoming only the 5th team to accomplish this feat.

§                     2003: The San Antonio Spurs defeat the New Jersey Nets 4–2, clinching their 2nd NBA title.

§                     2004: Detroit Pistons defeat the favored Los Angeles Lakers 4–1. The Pistons won Game 1, 3, 4 and 5. This was the first time a team without home court advantage had won all 3 of their home games in the 2–3–2 format. Chauncey Billups was the Finals MVP.

§                     2005: San Antonio Spurs 4–3 over the Detroit Pistons. The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 was a very tight game in a scene reminiscent of the 1976 Finals. Robert Horry of the Spurs hit a three-pointer at the end of the overtime period for a 96–95 win and a 3–2 lead in the series.

§                     2006: The Dallas Mavericks took a 2-0 lead early in the series and in Game 3, with 6 minutes left and trailing by 13 points, the Miami Heat came back to win the game and defeat theDallas Mavericks in six games, with Dwyane Wade garnering MVP honors after averaging 34.7 points per game. The title marked the first championship for aging legends Gary Paytonand Alonzo Mourning. It also marked the fourth for Shaquille O'Neal and the fifth for coach Pat Riley, both of whom had not previously won a title outside of Los Angeles.

§                     2007: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers with a sweep. This was their 4th NBA title in 9 years. This NBA Finals was also the lowest viewed NBA Finals ever.

§                     2008: The Boston Celtics ended their 22-year title drought with a six-game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

§                     2009: Phil Jackson won his 10th championship as a head coach and his 4th with the Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing Red Auerbach for the all time NBA record.

§                     2010: Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Boston Celtics 83–79 in Game 7 to once again win back to back championships. The Lakers came back from multiple deficits, including a long span in which they were down by 13 points in the 3rd quarter, to win. Kobe Bryant earned the Finals MVP.

§                     2011: In a rematch of the 2006 Finals, the Dallas Mavericks found themselves playing the role of underdog to the Miami Heat. The Mavericks won the series in game 6 in Miami, 105-95, giving veterans Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion their first championship, while Nowitzki earned the Finals MVP. Dallas won their first NBA championship in one of the closest Finals series ever, with the Mavericks coming back in the final minutes of two games to erase 15 and 14 point deficits and ultimately taking a 3-2 series lead. Dallas won the last three games of the series.