Finals Appearances
The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost.
| # | Team | W | L | % | Most recent appearance | Most recent title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Los Angeles Lakers | 16 | 15 | .516 | 2010 | 2010 | 1 NBL title and 5 NBA titles as Minneapolis Lakers; 2 three-peats: one as Minneapolis from 1952–54 and one as Los Angeles from 2000–02. The Lakers have won 11 and lost 14 NBA Championships in Los Angeles. |
| 21 | Boston Celtics | 17 | 4 | .809 | 2010 | 2008 | Won 8 straight titles from 1959–66. The first 13 titles were Brown Trophies, the rest being Larry O'Brien Championship Trophies. |
| 9 | Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 6 | .333 | 2001 | 1983 | 1–2 as Syracuse Nationals. |
| 8 | New York Knicks | 2 | 6 | .250 | 1999 | 1973 | In 1999, became first 8th playoff seed to ever reach Finals. |
| 7 | Detroit Pistons | 3 | 4 | .428 | 2005 | 2004 | 0–2 as Ft. Wayne Pistons. Only franchise to win a title in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s (decade). |
| 6 | Chicago Bulls | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 1998 | 1998 | All with head coach Phil Jackson and players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Two three-peats: 1991–93 and 1996–98. |
| 6 | Golden State Warriors | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1975 | 1975 | 2–1 as Philadelphia Warriors; 0–2 as San Francisco Warriors; 1–0 as Golden State Warriors. |
| 4 | San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2007 | 2007 | All with head coach Gregg Popovich and Power Forward/Center Tim Duncan. Won three championships in six years (2003, 2005, 2007). |
| 4 | Houston Rockets | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1995 | 1995 | 2 championships with center Hakeem Olajuwon (named MVP in both championship series) and coach Rudy Tomjanovich, championships were back to back. |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1961 | 1958 | All appearances as St. Louis franchise. |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2012 | 1979 | 1-2 as the Seattle SuperSonics. Relocated to Oklahoma City for the 2008–09 NBA season. |
| 4 | Washington Wizards | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1979 | 1978 | 0–1 as Baltimore Bullets, 1–2 as Washington Bullets. |
| 3 | Miami Heat | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2012 | 2012 | All with Dwyane Wade. Faced Mavericks in 2006 (won in six on the road) and 2011 (lost in six at home). Won the 2012 Finals 4-1 after losing the first game. |
| 3 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1992 | 1977 | Lost Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia, won four straight, three of those coming in Portland, led by UCLA legend and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton. |
| 2 | Dallas Mavericks | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2011 | 2011 | Lost in the 2006 Finals and won in the 2011 Finals versus the Heat. |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1974 | 1971 | Won with Oscar Robertson and Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). |
| 2 | Brooklyn Nets | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2003 | Never | Won 2 ABA titles in 1974 and 1976, and was defeated in 1972 ABA Finals as New York Nets. Appeared twice in NBA Finals as New Jersey Nets. |
| 2 | Orlando Magic | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2009 | Never | Swept by the Rockets in 1995 and defeated in 2009 by the Lakers in a 4–1 series. |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1993 | Never | |
| 2 | Utah Jazz | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1998 | Never | Both with coach Jerry Sloan and players Karl Malone and John Stockton and against the Bulls. |
| 1 | Sacramento Kings | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1951 | 1951 | Won one NBL title in 1946. Won first appearance in NBA Finals as Rochester Royals. |
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2007 | Never | Were swept in their first and only appearance in the NBA Finals. |
| 1 | Indiana Pacers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2000 | Never | Team won three ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) and made two other ABA Finals appearances (1969, 1975). |
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Famous quotes containing the word appearances:
“The appearances of goodness and merit often meet with a greater reward from the world than goodness and merit themselves.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)