The NBA Finals is the yearly championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference winners play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The champions of the Finals are given the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.
The series was initially Called the BAA Finals before the 1949–50 season when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The contest oversaw additional name changes to NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985, in addition to a brief stint as the Showdown, before settling NBA Finals in 1986. [1]
The NBA Finals was originally ordered at a 2–2–1–1–1 structure. Back in 1985, to alleviate the amount of cross-country travel, it had been changed into a 2–3–2 structure, in which the first two and last two games of the series were played at the arena of the group who made home-court benefit by getting the better record during the regular season. In 2014, the two –2–1–1–1 structure was revived. The first two games are played with the higher-seeded team’s home, the following two in the home of the lower-seeded team, along with the rest three are played in each team’s home arena . [2]
A total of 19 franchises have won the NBA Finals, with the Toronto Raptors winning in 2019. The Boston Celtics hold the record for the most victories, having won the contest 17 times, as well as the many consecutive titles, winning 8 times from 1959 to 1966. The Los Angeles Lakers have contested the NBA Finals the most times, with 31 appearances. The Eastern Conference has provided the many winners, with 38 wins from 10 franchises; the Western Convention has 32, from 9 franchises.
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