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The 2021 NBA Finals will see two unlikely teams balling it out for the championship in the form of the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks. For the Bucks, it is the first time they have made it to the NBA Finals since the 1973-73 season. They have won the league just once, back in 1971, and are up against a team that has never won the Championship until now.
The LA Lakers, who won the championship last year, hold the record for the most Finals appearances till date, with 32. The Lakers and LeBron James will return next year hoping to add to their tally, as they currently hold the record for most NBA championships along with famous rivals the Boston Celtics.
Which team has won the most number of NBA championships?
The Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers have both won a record 17 championships, and are by far the most successful franchises in the league’s history. The Boston Celtics were traditionally the most successful franchise and won a record nine NBA championships in the 1960s, still considered to be the franchise’s golden era.
Led by bonafide greats in the form of Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics had won 14 of their 17 championships by 1981 while the Lakers still had only seven. But it was the post-Michael Jordan era, with the rise of Kobe Bryant and then eventually Shaquille O’Neal that allowed the LA Lakers to catch up with the Celtics.
The Lakers won six championships in the 2000s, including back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The Boston Celtics won their last championship in the 2007-08 NBA season after an entertaining Finals series against the Lakers led by a 29-year old Bryant. The Celtics won the series 4-2. They failed to make it past the Eastern Conference Finals the following season before being delivered revenge by the LA Lakers, who won the series 4-3, this time around.
The series victory meant that the LA Lakers trailed the Celtics by 17-16 on the all-time list, a deficit that they were able to cover in the 2019-20 NBA season. Currently, both teams are tied at 17, and the LA Lakers will be looking to hit back next year with what will be a record 18th championship victory.
The Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls are tied for third on the overall list, with six championships each. The San Antonio Spurs round off the top five and have won five NBA championships so far.
