NBA Finals History: The 10 Best NBA Finals series of all time

Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had several run-ins against each other in the '80s

As the collective NBA world continues to lambast JR Smith for his brain fart at the end of regulation time in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, in our recency bias, we've lost sight of some of the biggest meltdowns in Finals history. Through the course of this article, we also feature some games comparable to James' 51-point outburst in Game 1 by past legends of the game, and take a look at some truly exciting Finals series.

As the most successful franchises in NBA history, the Lakers and Celtics find several mentions in the article, as we'll see. LeBron's Heatles feature, as do his 2016 iteration of the Cavaliers who came back from a 3-1 deficit in an unimaginably tough comeback in the NBA Finals.

Here's a look at the top 10 NBA Finals series of all time:

#10 1993 - Bulls beat the Suns 4-2

Jordan and Barkley
Jordan and Barkley face off in the 1993 NBA Finals

This series ended in 6 games, but the point differential over those games was exactly 0 as Jordan's rampaging Bulls ran into an arguably deeper and superior Phoenix Suns team, featuring Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and Danny Ainge. The Suns had the better record from the regular season (62-20) as the Bulls (57-25) floundered through a below-par regular season in which they finished 3 games behind the Knicks (60-22).

But the playoffs had always brought out a different animal in Michael Jordan, who powered the Bulls past the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 7-0 record. The Knicks were at the peak of their powers at this time, but the Bulls needed only 6 games to dispatch the top seed from the East.

They won both games in Phoenix by margins of 100-92 and 111-108 as Jordan logged 73 points in these outings. The Suns roared back in Game 3 with a 129-121 win in triple overtime despite Jordan's 44-point tally. They got pegged back 3-1 in Game 4 as Jordan recorded a career Finals high of 55 points to drive the Bulls past the Suns 111-105.

The Bulls had the chance to close out the series at home in Game 5, but the Suns found 3 20-point scorers in Game 5 with Richard Dumas recording a near-perfect 12-of-14 from the field in a 25-point outing.

Jordan was not to be outdone, however, as the Bulls and Suns did battle in a thriller of a Game 6. The Bulls trailed by 2 points with under 14.4 seconds remaining in the game. They came out of a timeout in their own backcourt with Jordan inbounding the ball. He dished to Pippen after advancing past half-court. Pippen found Horace Grant on the baseline cut, but Grant dished it out to Paxson for a wide-open 3-point shot from the left wing.

Paxson made no mistake, and the Bulls emerged from the series with a perfect 3-0 record in Arizona. Jordan was named Finals MVP after averaging 41 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the best Finals performance of all time.

#9 1962 - Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3

Boston Celtics Bill Russell, 1962 NBA Finals
Boston Celtics Bill Russell, 1962 NBA Finals

The L.A. - Boston sports rivalry sported a new look following the relocation of the Minneapolis Lakers to the largest market on the West Coast in 1959. It took a turn for the better in 1962, when the Lakers made their first NBA Finals in their new city against 3-time defending champions Boston.

The Celtics had 4 Hall of Famers in their team at this point, but the Lakers weren't far off in terms of talent as they had two of the best pure scorers in the game in Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. The series started off with the Celtics winning convincingly by a 122-108 margin at home, staving off the 35-point, 17-rebound explosion by Elgin Baylor.

Baylor was outshone by West in Game 2, and the duo combined for 76 points in a 129-122 victory at the Boston Garden. Game 3 saw Baylor put in another monstrous outing with 39 points and 23 rebounds in a one-possession game that saw them win 117-115.

Bill Russell was not about to be outdone, however, as he won back homecourt advantage with a 21 point, 22 rebound outing to win the Celtics Game 4 by a 115-103 margin. He was provided able support by his supporting cast - 6 Celtics scored in double digits.

Game 5 saw Elgin Baylor put in what is probably the greatest NBA Finals display ever, scoring 61 points and grabbing 22 rebounds as the Lakers won 126-121. Sam Jones starred alongside Russell in Game 6, scoring 35 points to beat off the 2-man onslaught of West and Baylor, who each scored 34 points as the Celtics won Game 6 at the Forum by a 119-105 margin.

Back at home for Game 7, the Celtics saw the championship hopes hang in the balance as Frank Selvy missed a runner from 7 feet - a shot that he would make 9 out of every 10 times. This missed shot left the game tied at 100 apiece, and Bill Russell took over to finish the game 110-107 in overtime. He had 30 points and 40 rebounds in another performance that must rank among the top 5 ever in an NBA Finals series.

#8 1974 - Celtics beat the Bucks 4-3

Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics, 1974 NBA Finals
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics, 1974 NBA Finals

The Bucks came into the Finals on the back of a league-leading 59-23 record in the regular season, and they rounded it off with an 8-1 record through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. The Celtics, on the other hand, had to battle past the Buffalo Braves in 6 games, before winning 4-1 against reigning champions the New York Knicks.

The Celtics prevailed in a 98-83 win in Game 1 at the Milwaukee Arena, but the Bucks rode Abdul-Jabbar's stellar 36 point, 15 rebound showing to win Game 2 105-96. The Celtics held serve on their first home game with a 95-83 win on the back of Dave Cowen's 30-point outing, but they ceded the homecourt advantage back to the Bucks in game 4 as Kareem's 34 point, 14 rebound performance steered the Bucks past a stuttering Celtics offense 97-89.

In a decisive game 5, Dave Cowens and an aging John Havlicek netted 28 points each to offset Kareem's 37 point, 11 rebound showing and won by a margin of 96-87. Kareem had no intention of letting the series go in 6, and the Bucks wrested control of the series back in game 6 at the Garden with a clutch 102-101 win, despite Havlicek scoring 36 points.

But the Bucks blew it at home, suffering a blowout game 7 loss at home as 5 players scored in double figures for the Cs, leading to a 102-87 victory. John Havlicek was named the Finals MVP for averaging 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals through the series.

#7 1994 - Rockets beat the Knicks 4-3

1994 NBA Finals Game 7:  New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets
1994 NBA Finals Game 7: New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets

In a Finals series where two teams led by dominant centers faced off, the Rockets were stretched to the limit by Pat Riley's Knicks. Olajuwon outplayed his opposite number Patrick Ewing, and that was, at the end, the difference between two evenly balanced teams.

The Rockets had homecourt advantage, and they made it count in game 1 with an 85-78 victory. The Knicks fought back with a road win by a 91-83 margin as 6 players scored double-digit points.

Olajuwon was not to be outdone, however, as he rounded out an incredible all-round performance by tallying 21 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks and 7 assists in Game 3 to guide the Rockets to a 93-89 win in Game 3. The back-and-forth continued in Game 4 as the Knicks hit back with a 91-82 win, despite another dominant display by Hakeem who had 32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks.

The Knicks consolidated their advantage with a Game 5 victory at the Madison Square Garden by a 91-84 margin, banking on another well-rounded team effort. But they were unable to get the job done in Game 6 despite Starks' 16-point 4th quarter, losing 86-84.

Starks followed up possibly his best display with definitely his worst shooting night in a playoff game, going 0-for-11 from 3-point range. If he'd connected on just 2 of those open looks he kept getting, the Knicks could have taken the series. As things stand, Clutch City won its first NBA championship by a 93-88 margin, and Hakeem deservedly took home MVP honours.

#6 2013 - Heat beat the Spurs 4-3

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 6
Ray Allen hits the greatest clutch shot in NBA history to tie Game 6 and send it to overtime

In one of the most well-competed Finals series ever, the Spurs got outlasted by LeBron James and the Miami Heat in Games 6 & 7 after being one free throw away from victory.

The Heat dropped their first game by a 92-88 margin, conceding homecourt advantage to their opponents. They won Game 2 103-84 on the back of an well-rounded team performance as Mario Chalmers top-scored with 19 points, but they were given a rude awakening in Game 3 at the AT&T Center as Danny Green went OFF for 7 made 3-pointers in the first half.

This awakening stood them in good stead for Game 4, when they stifled the Spurs offense to just 93 points and beat them 109-93 on their own court, regaining homecourt advantage. The Spurs did come back to win Game 5 114-104, but the ball was in the Heat's court for the remainder of the series.

Even so, they almost messed up their elimination game performance. Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard had the chance to put the game to bed with made free throws, but they missed 3 of their 4 shots in clutch time to leave a 3-point gap open.

Erik Spoelstra drew up a play to allow LeBron a 3-point shot, but he missed on his attempt. Chris Bosh gathered the rebound, found Ray Allen at the corner and Allen made no mistake, tying the game with 5.2 seconds left. Lockdown defense enabled the Heat to take the game 103-100, and with it the momentum swung decisively in their favour as they won Game 7 95-88 on the back of a legendary LeBron James performance.

#5 2010 - Lakers beat the Celtics 4-3

NBA Finals Game 7:  Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Finals Game 7: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers

The Celtics and the Lakers faced off in the NBA Finals for the second time in 3 years. The Cs held the edge with their win in the 2008 Finals, but the Lakers as a squad had become deeper and improved their cohesion ever since. They finished the regular season as the top-seeded team in the West, and went on to beat the Thunder, the Jazz and the Suns in the Western Conference.

The Celtics had to deal with a multitude of injuries in the regular season and finished with the 4th seed. But they revved up the intensity in the playoffs to dispatch the Heat, the Cavaliers and then the Magic in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers won Game 1 102-89, but gave away homecourt advantage with a 103-94 loss in Game 2. They took it right back in Game 3 with a hard-fought 91-84 win at the TD Garden, but dropped the next 2 games to go 3-2 down in the series.

Kobe and the rest of the Lakers squad stepped up on the defensive end to hold Boston to just 67 points in Game 6, and they repeated the performance in an ugly Game 7 which was won by the Lakers 83-79 on the back of poor shooting performances all around the court.

Kobe, who averaged 28.6 points, 8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, won Finals MVP honours. Neither team shot the ball particularly well as this was a defensive grind through the length of it. The Lakers shot worse than the Celtics from all ranges, but their superior rebounding and defense allowed them to score off freebies more often and finish the deal off.

#4 1988 - Lakers beat the Pistons 4-3

1988 NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons v Los Angeles Lakers
1988 NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons v Los Angeles Lakers

This series pitted the 2 greatest point guards of the world against each other - Magic Johnson for the Lakers and Isiah Thomas for the Pistons. The Lakers finished with a 62-20 record in the regular season, a mark better than the Pistons' 54-28 record. The homecourt advantage proved pivotal for the Lakers in the Finals, which were then played in a 2-3-2 format (home-road-home for the team with homecourt).

The Pistons started the series with a rousing 105-93 win at the Great Western Forum, with Adrian Dantley leading both teams in scoring with 34 points. The Lakers did win their next home game 108-96, and they used this momentum to steal homecourt advantage back from the Pistons in a 99-86 Game 3 win.

The Pistons blew the Lakers out of the Palace with a 111-86 win in Game 4, before securing a 3-2 advantage in their final home game with a 104-94 win. But disaster struck in the form of injury to Isiah Thomas in Game 6, which ruled him out for Game 7 as well.

However, in possibly the greatest display by an NBA player after a serious injury, Thomas went ballistic in the third quarter, dropping a Finals-record 25 points in the period while playing through a busted ankle. The Lakers took the game with a really close 103-102 win despite Thomas' 43 point, 8 assist, 6 steal performance.

James Worthy produced the best game of his life in Game 7, tallying 36 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals to guide the Lakers to a 108-105 win. He won the Finals MVP award largely for his display in this game.

#3 1969 - Celtics beat Lakers 4-3

Boston Celtics Bill Russell, 1969 NBA Finals
Wilt Chamberlain blocks a shot by Bill Russell

The 1969 NBA Finals pitted some of the greatest players to ever play against each other. Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West lined up against Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Sam Jones in what was easily the best Finals series till that time.

Bill Russell's decision not to double-team Jerry West resulted in the guard going off for 53 points in a 120-118 victory for the Lakers in Game 1. He continued in the same vein given Russell's reluctance to deploy the double-teaming tactic to get the Lakers a 2-0 lead with a 41-point haul in Game 2.

John Havlicek shook off a swollen eye to record 34 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in a 111-105 win for the Celtics. The Cs followed it up with perhaps the most famous 'Ohio' play of all time, when a shooter receives a triple ball screen - Sam Jones hit the buzzer-beater to win the game for the Celtics in a turnover-filled 88-89 game.

The Lakers, enraged by their narrow loss in Game 4, turned on the afterburners to race to a 117-104 win. But disaster struck as Jerry West pulled his hamstring with 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. He had to be carried off on a stretcher, and he never made a full recovery from this injury in the series thereafter.

West did not let up, however. Eager to seal a series win in game 6, he took the field once again to score 26 points, but the Celtics won 99-90 as Wilt wilted under the circumstances, making just one field goal on 5 attempts and finishing the game with 8 points.

The Lakers, in anticipation of a series win at home, went all the way to suspend celebratory balloons on the roof of the Great Western Forum. This rubbed Bill Russell off the wrong way, and he said to Jerry West: "Those f***** balloons are staying up there."

The Celtics followed through on Russell's promise. Defying another ballistic outing from Jerry West, who totalled 42 and willed the Lakers back into the game in the 4th quarter - they were trailing by 15 points heading into this period. The Celtics were the ones, however, to uncork the victory champagne with a 108-106 win.

Jerry West received Finals MVP honours for his unreal showing through the 7 games - especially in his game 7 when he was playing through an injured hamstring. He averaged 38 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists for the series.

#2 2016 - Cavaliers beat the Warriors 4-3

2016 NBA Finals - Game Seven
James with the signature block of his career on Andre Iguodala in Game 7

Undisputedly the greatest NBA Finals comeback of all time, this series pit LeBron James, possibly the greatest baller of all time, against the team with the greatest regular season team of all time, the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.

The Cavaliers had an easier road to the Finals this time around than in 2015, when they were seeded second and faced tough challenges from the Bulls and the 60-win Hawks. They owned a 12-2 record, sweeping both the Hornets and the Hawks in the first two rounds before winning the Conference Finals against the Raptors 4-2. They also had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love available this time around, making them much more of a challenge for the Warriors.

However, the Warriors entered this series as heavy favourites, and they proved their mettle by blowing the Cavs out in the first 2 games of the series at home, 104-89 and 110-77. The Cavs hit back with a 120-90 blowout of their own in Game 3 at the Quicken Loans Arena, but the Warriors took a commanding 3-1 lead with a 108-97 victory in Game 4.

There were extenuating circumstances which led to the Warriors being below full strength for Game 5 as Draymond Green was retroactively handed a suspension for accumulating too many flagrant foul points by the end of Game 4. That proved to be the momentum-reverter for the Cavs, as twin 41-point performances from James and Kyrie Irving rained fire on the Warriors' defense.

Things turned from bad to worse for the Warriors as Andrew Bogut suffered a left knee injury and was ruled out for what left of the series. Steve Kerr was left with no real rim protector for Games 6 & 7, and LeBron's second 41-point game in succession gave the Cavaliers 115-101 victory in Game 6.

Game 7 of these Finals proved to be a nerve-wracking affair. LeBron turned it up as he's wont to in elimination games, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. But he was met with stout opposition from Draymond Green, whose statline of 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists would have won the Warriors on a day when their shooters played at their usual level.

However, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were off the mark, going a combined 12-of-36 from the field and finishing with only 31 points together. Harrison Barnes continued his rough patch, going 3-of-10 from the field.

Neither team was able to score well in this game, and the deadlock late in the 4th quarter was broken by Kyrie Irving's clutch 3-pointer while being guarded by Steph Curry. Curry missed his shot attempt with Kevin Love guarding him. The Warriors had to foul LeBron, who made a free throw and put the game beyond their reach to cap off a historic Finals MVP performance in which he led both teams in all 5 major statistical categories!

#1 1984 - Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3

1984 NBA Finals Game 7:  Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
1984 NBA Finals Game 7: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

At #1 we have the crown jewel from the legendary '80s rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. The Finals in 1984 pitted historically the two most successful NBA franchises against each other. The Celtics had homecourt advantage with a 63-19 record, with the Lakers narrowly off the pace in the regular season boasting a 62-20 record.

Game 1 ended in a Lakers victory as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put up a stirring 32 point performance to headline a 115-109 scoreline. The Celtics battled back with a clutch 124-121 victory at home to make it 1-1.

The Lakers put on a stirring all-round show of basketball dominance at the Great Western Forum in Game 3 to blow the Celtics out 137-104. But they were jolted back to level terms when the Celtics completed a 129-125 victory in overtime, with Larry Bird putting the Celtics on his back while tallying 29 points and 21 rebounds.

Boston used this momentum to run out to a 121-103 victory at home in Game 5. The Lakers refused to relent, however, and Worthy, Magic, Kareem and Michael Cooper all accounted for 20+ points in Game 6 to give the Lakers a 119-108 victory.

All eyes turned to Game 7 at the Garden, and the Celtics came through with a 119-108 victory. Larry Bird walked away with Finals MVP honours, having averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram