List Of NBA Champions
The National Basketball Association (NBA) (formerly Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946–49) Finals is the championship series for the NBA and the conclusion of the sport's postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 in which the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. Prior to 1949, the playoffs were instituted a three-stage tournament where the two semifinal winners played each other in the finals. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
The home-and-away format in the NBA Finals was in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (that is, the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7) until 1985 (except 1949 and 1953–1955, in a 2–3–2 format; 1956 and 1971, in 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format; 1975 and 1978, in a 1–2–2–1–1 format). After 1985, the games were changed to a 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in Games 1, 2, 6 and 7).
The Eastern Conference/Division leads the Western Conference/Division in series won (36–29). The defunct Central Division won one championship. The Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers alone own half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 66 championships.
Read more about List Of NBA Champions: Trophies, Results By Teams
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