The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference winners play with a best-of-seven game set to determine the league champion. The champions of the Finals are given the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1983.
The series was initially Called the BAA Finals prior to the 1949–50 season when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) united with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The competition oversaw additional name changes to NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985, as well as a brief stint as the Showdown, before settling NBA Finals in 1986. [1]
The NBA Finals was originally ordered at a two –2–1–1–1 structure. Back in 1985, to alleviate the quantity of cross-country journey, it had been changed into a 2–3–2 structure, in which the first two and final two games of the series were played at the arena of the group who made home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. In 2014, the two –2–1–1–1 format has been revived. The first two games are played the higher-seeded team’s home, the following two in the house of the lower-seeded team, and the remaining three are played at each team’s home arena alternately. [2]
A total of 19 franchises have won the NBA Finals, with the Toronto Raptors winning in 2019. The Boston Celtics maintain the record for the most victories, having won the contest 17 occasions, in addition to the many consecutive titles, winning 8 times from 1959 to 1966. The Los Angeles Lakers have contested the NBA Finals the most times, with 31 appearances. The Eastern Conference has provided the most champions, with 38 wins from 10 franchises; the Western Conference has 32, from 9 franchises.
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