Kristian Ferrell
The NBA Finals is the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. The NBA was established in 1949 and has since been held annually, with the exception of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA Finals is the culmination of the NBA playoffs, which typically begin in April, with the top teams from each conference advancing to the playoffs based on regular season performance. The NBA Finals is a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games being crowned the NBA Champion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of games in the NBA Finals | 7 |
| Number of games played to win the 2025 NBA Finals | 4 |
| Date of the first game of the 2025 NBA Finals | June 5 |
| Date of the 2025 NBA Championship parade | June 24 |
| Number of franchises that have won the NBA Finals | 22 |
| Number of BAA seasons before the formation of the NBA | 3 |
| Number of teams qualifying for the playoffs in 1950 | 12 |
| Number of teams in each conference that automatically advance to the playoffs | 6 |
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What You'll Learn
The NBA Finals format
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
The NBA Finals culminates the NBA playoffs, which begin with the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, featuring the Nos. 7-10 teams in each conference battling for the 7th and 8th playoff seeds. Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular-season winning percentage. The top six teams in both the Eastern and Western Conference, ranked by winning percentage, directly advance to the playoffs. Teams ranked 7th through 10th compete in the NBA play-in tournament for the 7th and 8th seeds.
The NBA playoffs follow a traditional bracket format, with all rounds being best-of-seven series. The series are played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6. Games 5, 6, and 7 are played if needed. This format has been used since 2014, after the format was changed from the 2–3–2 format in 2013.
The NBA Finals have undergone several name changes since its inception. Initially known as the BAA Finals, it changed to the NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985, then briefly became known as the Showdown before settling on NBA Finals in 1986. Since 2018, for sponsorship reasons, it has been officially known as the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.
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Previous NBA winners
The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the end of its postseason. The NBA has always used a best-of-seven format, where the winners of the Eastern and Western Conferences compete in a series of games to determine the NBA champion.
The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural NBA title in 1947, defeating the Chicago Stags. The Warriors also reached the finals the following year but lost to the Baltimore Bullets, the only defunct team to have won an NBA championship. The Minneapolis Lakers dominated the early era of modern professional basketball, winning five of the first ten titles. The Lakers won the third and final Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship in 1949 before the league was renamed the NBA.
The Celtics hold the record for the most NBA titles, with 18. The 1984 NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers attracted the largest TV audience for an NBA game. The 76ers, led by league MVP Moses Malone, swept the Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. The Lakers returned the following year, defeating the 76ers in a 4-3 series.
The Houston Rockets were the second team in NBA history to make the finals with a losing record in the 1993-94 season. Led by Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets won the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles. Olajuwon was the only player to win the NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. The Bulls became the third team in history to three-peat, winning the 1993 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship, earning their first title since rebranding and their second overall. Led by Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder became the second-youngest team to win an NBA championship.
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The NBA play-in tournament
The NBA Board of Governors approved the first-ever play-in game for the 2019-20 season, which was part of the NBA's plans for a bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the 8 and 9 seeds in either conference were within four games of each other, the two seeds would play each other in up to two play-in games. On November 19, 2020, the NBA Board of Governors approved a format for the 2020-21 season to have a playoff play-in tournament involving teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference. This format was made permanent on July 22, 2022.
In this format, the 9th-place team hosts the 10th-place team, with the loser being eliminated. The 7th place team hosts the 8th-place team, with the winner advancing as the new 7-seed. The loser of the 7/8 game then hosts the winner of the 9/10 game, with that winner receiving the new 8-seed. After this, the NBA's regular playoff format proceeds as normal. The winner of the match between the loser of the 7/8 game and the winner of the 9/10 game always plays on day 2 of the NBA playoffs, allowing that team at least a day of rest.
Since the inception of the 7-10 seed Page-McIntyre play-in format in 2021, the 7 seed has always advanced to the playoffs, while the 10th seed has only done so once. Atlanta and Miami have played the most play-in games, with six, while Miami has the most wins, with four. Only two teams have qualified for the play-in tournament as division champions: the 2022-23 Miami Heat and the 2024-25 Orlando Magic, both from the Southeast Division. The Miami Heat had the best performance by any play-in team in the playoffs, reaching the 2023 NBA Finals.
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The inaugural BAA final
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded in 1946 and completed its inaugural season in April 1947. The Philadelphia Warriors from the Eastern Division faced the Chicago Stags from the Western Division in the 1947 BAA Finals, with Philadelphia having home-court advantage. The Warriors won the championship, defeating the Stags in five games played over seven days, with no days off between consecutive games in the same city. Joe Fulks, who would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame, played for the Warriors in the series. Howie Dallmar sealed the championship for the Warriors with a jump shot, breaking an 80-80 tie with less than a minute remaining.
The BAA's inaugural season began with 11 teams, but four dropped out before the second season. The Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, and Toronto Huskies folded before the season started. The Baltimore Bullets joined the league from the ABL and were assigned to the Western Division, while the Washington Capitols joined the Eastern Division. The Philadelphia Warriors and the St. Louis Bombers won the Eastern and Western Divisions, respectively. The Warriors defeated the Bombers in the playoffs but were then defeated by the Bullets, who went on to become the inaugural BAA champions in 1948.
The 1947 BAA Playoffs were unique in that they did not generate Eastern and Western champions and runners-up, as has been the case in the NBA Playoffs since 1951. Instead, the Eastern and Western leaders, Washington and Chicago, played off to determine one finalist, while the four runners-up played off to determine the other. Philadelphia was not the Eastern Division champion but advanced to the championship round by winning a four-team playoff among the Eastern and Western Division runners-up. The Eastern and Western Division champions, the Washington Capitols and Cleveland Rebels, played a long series to determine the other finalist, with Chicago winning 4-2.
The inaugural BAA season laid the foundation for the development of professional basketball in North America. The BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) following its third season in 1948-49 to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its history, and the 1946-47 BAA season is sometimes considered the first NBA season. Six teams from the BAA are still operating in the NBA as of the 2024-25 season, including three original BAA teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors).
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The 2025 NBA Finals
The 2024-25 NBA season culminated in the championship series, the 2025 NBA Finals, which saw the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers. The best-of-seven series began on June 5 and concluded with a thrilling Game 7 on June 22, marking the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016.
The Thunder entered the NBA Finals as favourites, with a league-best record of 68-14, securing home-court advantage. They boasted a strong regular-season performance, winning both games against the Pacers and maintaining an impressive home record against Eastern Conference teams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the eventual Finals MVP, and the Thunder's historic defence were key factors in their championship run.
The Pacers, on the other hand, faced early-season struggles, particularly with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton's personal challenges. However, they turned their season around starting in January, posting impressive records and showcasing resilience. The Pacers' road to the Finals included several impressive comebacks, including a 7-point, 40-second overtime comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers and another against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 7, the deciding moment of the series, showcased the determination and talent of both teams. The Thunder's defence, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, proved formidable, while the Pacers fought valiantly, with Pascal Siakam's outstanding performance fuelling their efforts. Ultimately, the Thunder clinched the 2025 NBA championship, becoming the second-youngest team to achieve this feat.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no fixed number of games played in the NBA finals. The first team to win four games out of a possible seven wins the championship.
Two teams, the conference champions from the NBA conference finals, make it to the NBA finals.
Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on the regular season's winning percentage. The top six teams in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, ranked by winning percentage, directly advance to the playoffs. Teams ranked seventh through tenth compete in the NBA play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds.
The NBA finals take place annually after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. The NBA playoffs begin in April, and the finals usually take place in June.
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