2019 NBA Finals

Warriors secure 5th consecutive NBA Finals appearance

The Golden State Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers out of the NBA Western Conference finals on Monday, with their 119-117 overtime victory sending them to the NBA Finals for a fifth consecutive postseason.

They join the 1960s Boston Celtics (10 total) as the only groups to do so in league history, outlasting both the LeBron James-led Miami Heat (2011-14) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2015-18), along with Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics (1984-87) and the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers (1982-85).

This marked the Warriors’ second conference finals sweep in the past three seasons, and pushed the record of teams leading 3-0 in a series to 136-0 all-time. They were the only team in the past 20 playoffs to overcome 15-point deficits in three straight games.

Individually, Stephen Curry scored the most points of any player to complete a four-game sweep, posting 146 in the series and besting Shaquille O’Neal (2002 NBA Finals) by a point.

Golden State Warriors’ Finals streak

Season Record (*Through West finals) Result
2014-15 12-3 Won Finals (4-2)
2015-16 12-5 Lost Finals (4-3)
2016-17 12-0 Won Finals (4-1)
2017-18 12-5 Won Finals (4-0)
2018-19 12-4 ???

Additionally, Golden State became the sixth franchise in the four major North American sports leagues to make five or more consecutive championship appearances. They joined the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders, the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, MLB’s New York Yankees and the NBA’s Celtics.

Five or more straight championship appearances

Years Franchise
10 (1950-60) Montreal Canadiens
10 (1957-67) Boston Celtics
6 (1950-55) Cleveland Browns
5 (2014-19) Golden State Warriors
5 (1949-53) New York Yankees
5 (1960-64) New York Yankees
5 (1964-69) Montreal Canadiens
5 (1979-84) New York Islanders

* * *

And for the sake of nostalgia, here’s a look back at each of the Warriors’ last four West finals series …

2015: Warriors vs. Rockets (Golden State won, 4-1)

2016: Warriors vs. Thunder (Golden State won, 4-3)

2017: Warriors vs. Spurs (Golden State won, 4-0)

2018: Warriors vs. Rockets (Golden State won, 4-3)

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