After 24 seasons of ups and downs, the Toronto Raptors are at last NBA champions.
In defeating the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of The Finals, Toronto joined the fraternity of championship-winning NBA franchises. From the time the Philadelphia Warriors won the NBA’s first championship in 1947 until the 1970 Finals, the NBA title was claimed by seven different franchises:
| Franchise (today’s name) | NBA title(s) | Year(s) |
| Philadelphia Warriors (Golden State Warriors) | Two | 1947, 1956 |
| Baltimore Bullets (disbanded on Nov. 27, 1954. No connection to present-day Washington Bullets/Wizards) | One | 1948 |
| Minneapolis Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers) | Five | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| Rochester Royals (Sacramento Kings) | One | 1951 |
| Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers | Two | 1955, 1967 |
| St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks) | One | 1958 |
| Boston Celtics | 11 | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 |
The New York Knicks were one of the NBA’s original franchises, but much like Toronto these days had to wait nearly the same amount of time (23 seasons to the Raptors’ 24) to reach the NBA mountaintop. They ended that stranglehold of only a select few teams winning the title. Since then, more teams have joined them in the first-time championship mix.
Here’s a look back at each of the teams to break into the NBA championship mix for the first time in league history …
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New York Knicks, 1970
What happened in The Finals: The first six games were classic battles, with the Knicks winning one, then the Lakers tying the series, until a Game 7 loomed. Reed had been having a marvelous Finals, dominating the injury-slowed Chamberlain, until he tripped and tore a leg muscle in Game 5. The Knicks scrambled with undersized players against Chamberlain and hung on to win that game, but with Reed out of Game 6, Chamberlain poured in 45 points to tie the series.
The Knicks left the locker room before Game 7 in New York not knowing if Reed would be able to play. Just before tipoff, Reed hobbled through the tunnel and onto the floor of Madison Square Garden. The fans erupted, Reed scored New York’s first two baskets, and the inspired Knicks went on to a 113-99 victory.
Did they win it all again?: Yes, the Knicks reached three Finals in the 1970s (’70, ’72, ’73), winning the championship in 1973 by defeating the Lakers 4-1 in The Finals. They also reached The Finals in 1994 (losing to the Houston Rockets in Game 7) and 1999 (losing to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5).
Portland Trail Blazers, 1977
What happened in The Finals?: Before 1977, many fans barely acknowledged that Portland had been fielding a team in the NBA. The Trail Blazers didn’t command respect, averaging 28 wins in six seasons and failing to earn a playoff berth. But in just one magical season, NBA fans everywhere were introduced to “Blazermania.”
In the playoffs, Portland beat Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles to reach The Finals, where they faced the Erving-led 76ers. Philadephia won the first two games at home. Then Walton cut his long red hair, and Portland reeled off four straight wins, spawning Blazermania and the term “Rip City,” from the sound a shot makes when it rips through nothing but net.
Did they win it all again?: No, the championship parade had been hard to come by for the Blazers. Although they reached two Finals in the 1990s, they lost in five games to the Detroit Pistons in 1990 and in six games to the Chicago Bulls in 1992.
Washington Bullets, 1978
https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/978655389708251137/video/1
What happened in The Finals?: The Bullets were the self-proclaimed underdogs of the 1978 playoffs, having never won an NBA championship after losing in The Finals twice in the 1970s (1971 to Milwaukee and in 1975 to Golden State). They entered the playoffs with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference while their Finals foe, the Seattle SuperSonics, had the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.
Facing a 3-2 series in The Finals, the Bullets would romp past the Sonics in Game 6 at home. They then got standout games from eventual Finals MVP Wes Unseld and fellow frontcourt star Elvin Hayes in Game 7 on the road to give Washington, D.C. area its first pro sports championship since the Washington Redskins in 1942.
Did they win it all again?: The Bullets made it back to The Finals in 1979, but it did not go well for them as the Sonics extracted revenge and ousted the Bullets in Game 5. The franchise has not been back to The Finals since then.
Seattle SuperSonics, 1979
What happened in The Finals?: The Washington Bullets took Game 1 by two points when Larry Wright made two free throws with no time remaining. But the SuperSonics, behind eventual Finals MVP Dennis Johnson, won four straight to bring Seattle a title and some overdue respect.
For Seattle, Johnson orchestrated the attack, Gus Williams provided the scoring, Jack Sikma added rebounding and “Downtown” Fred Brown supplied the perimeter bombs. But the man coach Lenny Wilkens pointed to as a key member of the squad was 35-year-old ex-Celtic forward Paul Silas, who averaged just 5.6 points and 7.0 rebounds that season.
Did they win it all again?: Since that 1979 championship season, the SuperSonics have been back to The Finals twice — as two different teams. First, they made it in 1996, losing to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, 4-2. The franchise, now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder, reached The Finals in 2012. However, they lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat 4-1 in that series.
Detroit Pistons, 1989
What happened in The Finals?: The Los Angeles Lakers had their eyes on a three-peat in the 1988-89 season. However, the Detroit Pistons had suffered enough playoff letdowns and weren’t about to be denied once again.
Behind a stellar Finals series from shooting guard (and Finals MVP) Joe Dumars, the Pistons swept away the Lakers. Although injuries sapped Los Angeles of many of its key players (such as Magic Johnson and Byron Scott) in The Finals, there’s little doubt Detroit would have been denied in those Finals regardless of who suited up for Los Angeles. After faltering in Game 7 of The Finals in 1988, Detroit, at long last, had its championship.
Did they win it all again?: The Pistons won the title again in 1990, dropping the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. After some ups and downs in the 1990s, Detroit returned to The Finals stage in back-to-back seasons in the early 2000s. First, they took down the Lakers in five games in 2004. Then, they pushed the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7 in 2005 (which the Pistons lost).
Chicago Bulls, 1991
What happened in The Finals?: The 1991 NBA Finals were billed as a matchup between two larger-than-life superstars — the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan and the Lakers’ Magic Johnson. But as the series played out, it became obvious that it took a team, not one superlative individual, to win an NBA title.
Jordan was superb, as his series averages of 31.2 points, 11.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds demonstrated, but the Bulls were no one-man team. Their defense held the Lakers to a record-low 458 points for a five-game series. Jordan, who had won his fifth straight scoring title in April, had finally silenced those who said he couldn’t lead the Bulls all the way.
Did they win it all again?: You could say that. There were two more titles — vs. Portland in 1992 and the Phoenix Suns in 1993 — after the one in ’91 to complete the first leg of a three-peat. Then, for good measure, Jordan and Co. logged a second three-peat from 1996-98, knocking off the Sonics (in ’96) and the Utah Jazz twice (in ’97 and again in ’98) to go a perfect six-for-six overall in The Finals.
Houston Rockets, 1994
What happened in The Finals?: In the 1993-94 regular season, Hakeem Olajuwon ran roughshod over the NBA en route to winning MVP honors. When the 1994 playoffs got rolling, he and his Rockets took things to new heights — particularly in The Finals against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks.
He was simply magnificent in The Finals, winning his private duel with Ewing and scoring 26.9 ppg in a series where Houston managed just 86.1 ppg. He also averaged 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.9 blocked shots, and it was his block of John Starks’ last-ditch 3-pointer that preserved Houston’s 86-84 win in Game 6. An epic Game 7 was set and Houston came through, thanks to Olajuwon. The 90-84 win not only sealed the city’s first major-league championship in any sport, but was the first Finals since 1955 where neither team reached 100 points in any game.
Did they win it all again?: Yep, things were magical for Houston the following season as it became the first team to defeat four 50-win teams en route to the title. After sweeping away the Orlando Magic in ’95, though, the Rockets have been searching for a return Finals trip ever since.
San Antonio Spurs, 1999
What happened in The Finals?: Buoyed by a win in the “Memorial Day Miracle” in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, San Antonio entered The Finals on a high and was hosting the series to boot. They became the first former ABA team to reach the NBA Finals, where they’d take on the Knicks. They went on quite a run of their own, becoming the first No. 8 seed to make it to the championship round.
But without future Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, who was out with an Achilles tendon injury, Duncan, who was named Finals MVP, powered the Spurs to a five-game series win. Spurs guard Avery Johnson, was the hero in the Spurs’ title-clinching win at Madison Square Garden by knocking down an 18-foot baseline jumper with 47 seconds left to clinch San Antonio’s win.
Did they win it all again?: This was the birth of a dynasty for the new millennium as the Spurs would make a lasting mark in NBA lore in the 2000s. The Spurs reached The Finals in 2002 (sweeping the New Jersey Nets), ’03 (beating the Nets in six games), ’05 (beating the Pistons in Game 7), ’07 (sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers), ’13 (losing in Game 7 to the Miami Heat) and ’14 (eliminating the Heat in Game 5).
Miami Heat, 2006
What happened in The Finals?: Miami rolled through the early rounds and knocked off the 64-win, defending conference-champion Pistons in the East finals to reach their first Finals. Their opponent was the Dallas Mavericks, led by German forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was a force throughout the West playoffs, particularly in the West semifinals against the Spurs.
In The Finals, the Mavericks grabbed a 2-0 series lead and were in prime position to go up 3-0 until Wade took over late in Game 3. Averaging over 39 points in the final four games, Wade led the Heat to four straight wins and their first NBA championship. For his scoring exploits and leadership, Wade was named Finals MVP.
Did they win it all again?: Consider this a delayed run, as the Heat lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2007. Thanks to a retooled roster built before the 2010-11 season that featured Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Heat were back in business. They made the 2011 Finals (where they lost to the Mavs in six games), then won titles in ’12 (against the Thunder in five games) and ’13 (against the Spurs in Game 7). Their last Finals appearance came in 2014, where the Spurs got revenge and ousted Miami in five games.
Dallas Mavericks, 2011
What happened in The Finals?: There was no lack of superstar or future Hall of Famer billing in this series as James, Wade and Bosh and the Heat squared off against Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and his crew on the Mavericks. After falling in Game 1 of The Finals, Nowitzki keyed an epic comeback in Game 2 that allowed Dallas to escape South Florida with a series split.
Miami couldn’t withstand the veteran savvy and clutch play of Nowitzki and Kidd. In the end, it was Nowitzki who exorcised his postseason demons to win the Larry O’Brien trophy, thanks to a monstrous Game 6 (21 points, 11 rebounds) that gave Dallas its first NBA championship.
Did they win it all again?: After their championship season, the Mavericks changed up much of their roster for the 2011-12 season. Nowitzki was still around — he played his entire career with the Mavs — but Dallas never got close to The Finals in the waning seasons of his career.
Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016
What happened in The Finals?: The Cleveland Cavaliers were back on The Finals stage for the third time in franchise history, the wounds of their Finals defeat in Game 6 a season earlier fresh in their minds. Once again, the Cavs faced the Golden State Warriors (as they had in the 2015 series) and found themselves on the cusp of elimination after Game 5.
However, Cleveland was not to be denied in his chance to bring the city its first championship in 52 years. The Cavs became the first team in Finals lore to rally from a 3-1 deficit and claim the championship. Doing so against the Warriors — who set an NBA record with 73 wins — made it even sweeter for James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and the Cavs after a bitter loss a year earlier.
Did they win it all again?: No, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. James was the driving force for Cleveland to reach each of its four straight Finals from 2015-18. However, aside from that 2016 series win, the Cavs went 5-12 in The Finals against the Warriors.