NBA Iconic Moments | NBA Playoff History

1947 Joe Fulks leads the BAA in scoring and claims the league's first ever championship.
NBA Finals Philadelphia Warriors, 4
Chicago Stags, 1

1948 Amid folding teams and a struggling league, Baltimore takes the title in its first season.
NBA Finals Baltimore Bullets, 4
Philadelphia Warriors, 2

1949 George Mikan becomes the league's first true star; Lakers' first dynasty is born.
NBA Finals Minneapolis Lakers, 4
Washington Capitols, 2

1950 Remaining NBL teams join the BAA, complete the birth of the National Basketball Association.
NBA Finals Minneapolis Lakers, 4
Syracuse Nats, 2

1951 Nate "Sweetwater" Clifton becomes the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract.
NBA Finals Rochester Royals, 4
New York Knicks, 3

1952 With the lane increased from six to 12 feet, Mikan leads Lakers to third title.
NBA Finals Minneapolis Lakers, 4
New York Knicks, 3

1953 Bob Cousy's breakout season isn't enough to get Celtics into Finals; Lakers win again.
NBA Finals Minneapolis Lakers, 4
New York Knicks, 1

1954 Lakers win final title in Minneapolis, complete the first "three-peat" in NBA history.
NBA Finals Minneapolis Lakers, 4
Syracuse Nats, 3

1954 Lakers - A look at the Minneapolis Lakers' third straight NBA championship.

1955 Danny Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nats, invents the 24-second shot clock.
NBA Finals Syracuse Nats, 4
Ft. Wayne Pistons, 3

1956 Bob Pettit becomes the first MVP in NBA History, but Warriors take the title.
NBA Finals Philadelphia Warriors, 4
Ft. Wayne Pistons, 1

1957 Red Auerbach drafts Bill Russell; the reign of the Celtics begins.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
St. Louis Hawks, 3

1957 Celtics - The Boston Celtics win the franchise's first NBA title.

1958 Pettit explodes for 50 points in Game 6 of the Finals for St. Louis' only title.
NBA Finals St. Louis Hawks, 4
Boston Celtics, 2

1959 Lakers rookie Elgin Baylor sets the bar for future generations of wing players.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Minneapolis Lakers, 0

1960 Wilt Chamberlain gives fans something they've never seen before; rivalry with Bill Russell begins.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
St. Louis Hawks, 3

1961 Oscar Robertson, Jerry West enter the league; Celtics win third straight title.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
St. Louis Hawks, 1

1962 Wilt scores 100, Oscar Robertson averages a triple double, but the Celtics keep on rolling.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1963 Bill Russell wins third straight MVP; Bob Cousy retires in fashion with another Celtics' crown.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 2

1964 The Celtics' sixth consecutive title breaks the major professional sports record.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
San Francisco Warriors, 1

1965 John Havlicek's famous steal in Game 7 preserves the Celtics' championship run.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 1

1965 MVP - A highlight of Bill Russell's fifth MVP season.

1966 Red Auerbach announces his retirement after Game 1 of the NBA Finals, motivates Boston.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1967 Wilt finally gets the best of Bill, wins his first title as Celtics reign is interrupted.
NBA Finals Philadelphia 76ers, 4
San Francisco Warriors, 2

1968 Bill Russell leads Celtics to his first title as a player-coach.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 2

1968 Celtics - Highlights from the Celtics' 1968 NBA championship against the Lakers.

1969 Jerry West wins Finals MVP even though Boston takes 10th title in 11 years.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1970 Willis Reed leads New York to its first ever championship with heroic Game 7.
NBA Finals New York Knicks, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1970 Wilis Reed - Willis Reed's dramatic return in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers.

1971 Oscar Robertson finally gets his ring as he leads the way for Milwaukee's only title.
NBA Finals Milwaukee Bucks, 4
Baltimore Bullets, 0

1972 Lakers win an NBA record 33 straight games en route to first title in 18 years.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
New York Knicks, 1

1973 Knicks defeat the Lakers in Wilt Chamberlain's seventh and final Finals appearance.
NBA Finals New York Knicks, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 1

1974 Jerry West, Willis Reed and Oscar Robertson play their final season as an era ends.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Milwaukee Bucks, 3

1975 Rick Barry leads Golden State past Washington in stunning Finals upset.
NBA Finals Golden State Warriors, 4
Washington Bullets, 0

1976 Boston wins 13th title after an epic triple-overtime Game 5 win in the Finals.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Phoenix Suns, 2

1977 Rip City is born with Bill Walton leading Portland to its only NBA championship.
NBA Finals Portland Trail Blazers, 4
Philadelphia 76ers, 2

1977 Blazermania - 'Blazermania' takes over the city of Portland as the Blazers win the 1977 NBA championship.

1978 Washington wins just 44 regular season games, but captures the team's only NBA title.
NBA Finals Washington Bullets, 4
Seattle Sonics, 3

1979 Finals MVP Dennis Johnson, Seattle get revenge on Washington in championship rematch.
NBA Finals Seattle Sonics, 4
Washington Bullets, 1

1980 The year the 3-point line, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Philadelphia 76ers, 2

1981 Boston adds Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, wins first title of new Celtics era.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Houston Rockets, 2

1981 Celtics - Larry Bird takes over in the fourth quarter of Game 6 to help the Celtics topple the Houston Rockets for the 1981 NBA title.

1982 Pat Riley brings "Showtime" to L.A.; Lakers cruise to second title in three years.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Philadelphia 76ers, 2

1983 Moses Malone's famous "Fo, Fo, Fo" prediction turns to "Fo, Fi, Fo" and a Sixers title.
NBA Finals Philadelphia 76ers, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 0

1984 Magic and Bird finally meet for a title bout; Celtics squeeze it out in seven.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 3

1985 The draft delivers Michael Jordan, but the story on the court was still Magic and Bird.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Boston Celtics, 2

1986 'God disguised as Michael Jordan' said Bird after Jordan's legendary 63-point playoff game.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Houston Rockets, 2

1986 Celtics - Watch Larry Bird lead the Celtics' to their third NBA title of the 1980s

1987 Magic beats Bird in their last Finals matchup, with a sky-hook to seal it.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Boston Celtics, 2

1988 Pat Riley guarantees L.A. to repeat, Lakers back it up to cement their legacy.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Detroit Pistons, 3

1989 Bad Boy Pistons romp injury-depleted Lakers to claim Detroit's first championship.
NBA Finals Detroit Pistons, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 0

1990 Pistons hold off Jordan's Bulls again, repeat as champs to validate claim to the crown.
NBA Finals Detroit Pistons, 4
Portland Trail Blazers, 1

1991 Critics once thought Jordan could never win an NBA championship. That ended in 1991.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 1

1992 Magic's HIV announcement shakes the nation; Bulls become third straight team to repeat.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Portland Trail Blazers, 2

1992 Bulls - Take a look at the Top 10 plays from the Bulls' championship run in the 1992 NBA Finals.

1993 Jordan leads Bulls to first "three-peat" since the Celtics in 1967.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Phoenix Suns, 2

1994 After Jordan's sudden retirement at 30, a wide open league allows Hakeem Olajuwon to shine.
NBA Finals Houston Rockets, 4
New York Knicks, 3

1995 Jordan returns with rust; Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler prove too much for a young Shaq.
NBA Finals Houston Rockets, 4
Orlando Magic, 0

1996 Jordan, Bulls set all-time record of 72-10 en route to fourth championship in six years.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Seattle Sonics, 2

1996 Bulls - Take a look at the Top 10 plays from the Bulls' championship season.

1997 The first of the Jordan-Pippen, Stockton-Malone bouts goes Chicago's way.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Utah Jazz, 2

1998 Jordan goes out in style, hitting the game-winning shot of the Finals.
NBA Finals Chicago Bulls, 4
Utah Jazz, 2

1999 With Jordan gone again, Tim Duncan and David Robinson bring San Antonio its first title.
NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs, 4
New York Knicks, 1

2000 Phil Jackson joins Kobe and Shaq to put the Lakers back on top.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Indiana Pacers, 2

2001 Allen Iverson carries the 76ers to the Finals, but can't compete with the Lakers.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Philadelphia 76ers, 1

2002 Jordan returns one last time with the Washington Wizards; Lakers win third straight.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
New Jersey Nets, 0

2002 Lakers - A look at Kobe Byrant, Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers' third-straight NBA title.

2003 Duncan wins second straight MVP, teams up with Robinson for the duo's last title together.
NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs, 4
New Jersey Nets, 2

2003 - Watch the San Antonio Spurs' championship run over the New Jersey Nets.

2004 Kobe and Shaq's crumbling relationship comes crashing down after Pistons take the crown.
NBA Finals Detroit Pistons, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 1

2005 Shaq to Miami, "The Malice at the Palace" and another title for Duncan's Spurs.
NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs, 4
Detroit Pistons, 3

2006 Kobe scores 81; Dwyane Wade and Shaq deliver Miami its first ever championship.
NBA Finals Miami Heat, 4
Dallas Mavericks, 2

2007 After the failed synthetic ball experiment, San Antonio handles LeBron James' Cavs for fourth title.
NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs, 4
Cleveland Cavaliers, 0

2008 The Celtics "Big Three" team up and bring Boston its first championship in 22 years.
NBA Finals Boston Celtics, 4
Los Angeles Lakers, 2

2009 Kobe matches Shaq's four titles; Phil Jackson passes Auerbach for most coaching titles.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Orlando Magic, 1

2010 Kobe wins his fifth championship in Lakers-Celtics 12th Finals matchup.
NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers, 4
Boston Celtics, 3

2011 Lebron joins Wade, Chris Bosh to form new "Big Three" but Miami is stunned by Dallas.
NBA Finals Dallas Mavericks, 4
Miami Heat, 2

2011 Mavericks - Watch the Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA championship.

2012 LeBron outduels Kevin Durant, finally gets his ring in his third trip to the Finals.
NBA Finals Miami Heat, 4
Oklahoma City Thunder, 3

2012 Heat - LeBron James leads the Miami Heat to his first and the franchise's second championship