NBA Finals Matchups by Year: A Look Back at Every NBA Finals Winner Through the Years

Akash Vaishnav

Last updated: June 23, 2025

5 min read

Take a year-by-year tour of every NBA Finals champion

Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The 2025 NBA Finals is on the horizon with the Indiana Pacers fighting against the OKC Thunder for the championship. NBA Finals is like a Super Bowl event for the world of basketball. However, it is spanned into a series rather than just one game.

Best of seven series is played between the two Conference winners which determines the winner of the NBA Title. The NBA Finals has a rich legacy filled with unforgettable moments, dynastic runs, and the birth of legends. Different dynasties have dominated the scene and won multiple trophies. Eras were defined by these dynasties.

The Boston Celtics sit atop the NBA Finals history with the most championships to their name. They have 18 championships to their name. While, the Los Angeles Lakers have won 17 times just one short at the top. In the third position remains another franchise fuelled by dynasty success, Golden State Warriors who won 7 championships so far.

Michael Jordan didn’t miss a single game during his Final 3-Peat with the Bulls.

Jordan played 310 out of 310 possible games including playoffs from 1995 to 1998 while winning 3 championships.

MJ cared about the fans who paid to watch him live. Never took a day off to rest. pic.twitter.com/Q3lFFKr5RA
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) June 1, 2025

No list of NBA dominance is complete without the Chicago Bulls, a franchise that owned the ’90s with six emphatic title runs. While the San Antonio Spurs have 5 NBA Titles to their name thanks to the leadership of Gregg Popovich.

Here’s a full breakdown of NBA Finals Matchups by Year, giving you a clear snapshot of every champion crowned through the decades.

NBA Finals Matchups by Year

Year	Matchups	Winner
1949 NBA Finals	Minneapolis Lakers vs. Washington Capitols	Minneapolis Lakers
1950 NBA Finals	Minneapolis Lakers vs. Syracuse Nationals	Minneapolis Lakers
1951 NBA Finals	Rochester Royals vs. New York Knicks	Rochester Royals
1952 NBA Finals	Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks	Minneapolis Lakers
1953 NBA Finals	New York Knicks vs. Minneapolis Lakers	Minneapolis Lakers
1954 NBA Finals	Syracuse Nationals vs. Minneapolis Lakers	Minneapolis Lakers
1955 NBA Finals	Syracuse Nationals vs. Fort Wayne Pistons	Syracuse Nationals
1956 NBA Finals	Philadelphia Warriors vs. Fort Wayne Pistons	Philadelphia Warriors
1957 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks	Boston Celtics
1958 NBA Finals	St. Louis Hawks vs. Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
1959 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Minneapolis Lakers	Boston Celtics
1960 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks	Boston Celtics
1961 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks	Boston Celtics
1962 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1963 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1964 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. San Francisco Warriors	Boston Celtics
1965 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1966 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1967 NBA Finals	Philadelphia 76ers vs. San Francisco Warriors	Philadelphia 76ers
1968 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1969 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1970 NBA Finals	New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers	New York Knicks
1971 NBA Finals	Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets	Milwaukee Bucks
1972 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks	Los Angeles Lakers
1973 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks	New York Knicks
1974 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks	Boston Celtics
1975 NBA Finals	Washington Bullets vs. Golden State Warriors	Golden State Warriors
1976 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns	Boston Celtics
1977 NBA Finals	Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers	Portland Trail Blazers
1978 NBA Finals	Washington Bullets vs. Seattle SuperSonics	Washington Bullets
1979 NBA Finals	Washington Bullets vs. Seattle SuperSonics	Seattle SuperSonics
1980 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers	Los Angeles Lakers
1981 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
1982 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers	Los Angeles Lakers
1983 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers	Philadelphia 76ers
1984 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
1985 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles Lakers
1986 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets	Boston Celtics
1987 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles Lakers
1988 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons	Los Angeles Lakers
1989 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons	Detroit Pistons
1990 NBA Finals	Detroit Pistons vs. Portland Trail Blazers	Detroit Pistons
1991 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Chicago Bulls
1992 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers	Chicago Bulls
1993 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns	Chicago Bulls
1994 NBA Finals	Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks	Houston Rockets
1995 NBA Finals	Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic	Houston Rockets
1996 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics	Chicago Bulls
1997 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz	Chicago Bulls
1998 NBA Finals	Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz	Chicago Bulls
1999 NBA Finals	New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio Spurs
2000 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana Pacers	Los Angeles Lakers
2001 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers	Los Angeles Lakers
2002 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Nets	Los Angeles Lakers
2003 NBA Finals	San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Nets	San Antonio Spurs
2004 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons	Detroit Pistons
2005 NBA Finals	San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons	San Antonio Spurs
2006 NBA Finals	Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat	Miami Heat
2007 NBA Finals	San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers	San Antonio Spurs
2008 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
2009 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Orlando Magic	Los Angeles Lakers
2010 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles Lakers
2011 NBA Finals	Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat	Miami Heat
2012 NBA Finals	Miami Heat vs. OKC Thunder	Miami Heat
2013 NBA Finals	Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs	Miami Heat
2014 NBA Finals	Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio Spurs
2015 NBA Finals	Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors
2016 NBA Finals	Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers	Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 NBA Finals	Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors
2018 NBA Finals	Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors
2019 NBA Finals	Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors	Toronto Raptors
2020 NBA Finals	Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat	Los Angeles Lakers
2021 NBA Finals	Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns	Milwaukee Bucks
2022 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors	Golden State Warriors
2023 NBA Finals	Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat	Denver Nuggets
2024 NBA Finals	Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks	Boston Celtics
2025 NBA Finals	Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers	Oklahoma City Thunder

Indiana Pacers

NBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder

Akash Vaishnav

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I cover NBA at the Playoffs. I specialize in covering breaking news, Previews, in in-depth analysis (breaking down numbers, complex stats, nuances of the game, and converting them into reader-friendly content). Furthermore, I got into the sports media while looking for an entry into the media industry. I love International Relations, and since entry without majoring in the subject was difficult, I got into sports. Now, while majoring in International Relations on one side, I also like covering sports as part of the journey as a young Journalist.