You think you know how it started. You probably picture Michael Jordan's shrug or Magic Johnson's "junior, junior" skyhook. But honestly, the history of the NBA Finals is way weirder than the highlight reels suggest. It didn't even start as the "NBA."
Back in 1947, a team called the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Chicago Stags to win the first title. At the time, they called it the BAA (Basketball Association of America). There was no three-point line. The shorts were dangerously short. And get this—the only team from that early era to win a title and then completely vanish from existence was the Baltimore Bullets (the 1948 version).
✨ Don't miss: Chiefs Re-Sign WR Montrell Washington: Why Dave Toub’s Favorite Sleeper is Back
The George Mikan Era and the First Dynasty
Before there was LeBron or Shaq, there was George Mikan. He was basically the first true superstar. Standing 6'10", he was so dominant for the Minneapolis Lakers that the league literally had to widen the lane just to give other humans a fighting chance.
The Lakers won five titles in six years. People kinda forget that the Lakers' "Showtime" legacy actually started in a chilly auditorium in Minnesota, not the bright lights of Los Angeles.
History of the NBA Finals: The 11-Ring Problem
If you look at the record books, one name sits so far above everyone else it feels like a typo: Bill Russell. Between 1957 and 1969, the Boston Celtics won 11 championships.
Eleven.
They won eight in a row. Imagine a team winning every single year from now until the mid-2030s. That’s what Red Auerbach’s Celtics did. They were defensive monsters. While the rest of the league was trying to outscore people, Russell was busy swatting shots into the third row.
Why the 70s Were Pure Chaos
After Russell retired, the league went into a bit of a tailspin. We call the 1970s the "Decade of Parity," but that's just a polite way of saying nobody could stay on top. In ten years, eight different teams won a title.
You had the "Knicks Tape" era with Willis Reed hobbling out of the tunnel in 1970. You had the Portland Trail Blazers’ "Blazermania" in 1977. It was wild, unpredictable, and—truth be told—the league was struggling for ratings.
The Rivalry That Saved Basketball
Everything changed in 1980. Larry Bird. Magic Johnson.
Most people think the NBA has always been this global powerhouse. It wasn't. In the late 70s, some Finals games were actually shown on tape delay. Can you imagine? Watching a championship game at 11:30 PM after the local news?
👉 See also: Travis Kelce Post Game Interview: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
Bird and Magic fixed that. Their 1980s duel redefined the history of the NBA Finals by making it "Showtime" vs. "Celtic Pride." They met in the Finals three times ('84, '85, '87). It wasn't just basketball; it was a cultural event.
The Jordan Tax
Then came the 90s. If you played in the NBA during the 1990s and your name wasn't Michael Jordan or Hakeem Olajuwon, you probably don't have a ring.
Jordan’s Chicago Bulls pulled off two separate "three-peats."
- 1991-1993
- 1996-1998
The only reason the Houston Rockets won in '94 and '95 was that MJ was busy trying to hit curveballs in the minor leagues. Jordan's 6-0 record in the Finals remains the gold standard. He never even let a series go to a Game 7. That's cold.
Modern Times and the Shifting Format
For a long time, the Finals used a weird 2-3-2 format. The idea was to save on travel costs back when flying across the country was a bigger deal. But playing three straight games at home gave the middle-game host a massive psychological edge. In 2014, the league finally wised up and went back to the 2-2-1-1-1 format we see now.
The 2000s and 2010s were dominated by "The Big Three" era and the rise of the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James made eight straight Finals appearances from 2011 to 2018. Think about the stamina that requires.
Then Steph Curry happened. The Warriors didn't just win; they changed how the game is played. In the 2015 Finals, they proved you could win a title by shooting more threes than anyone thought was sane.
The 2025 Milestone
We just witnessed something historic in the most recent 2025 Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in a grueling seven-game series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the MVP after a Game 7 masterclass.
What’s crazy is that the 2025 Finals marked the seventh different champion in seven years. We haven't seen parity like this since the 1970s. The "Superteam" era seems to be dying, replaced by deep rosters and international superstars like SGA and Nikola Jokić.
The International Takeover
Looking at the history of the NBA Finals, the biggest shift is where the talent comes from. It used to be all American. Now? The best players on the floor are often from Serbia, Greece, Slovenia, or Canada.
Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) paved the way in the 90s. Then Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Tony Parker (France) took over with the Spurs. Today, it’s a global game. The Larry O'Brien trophy has become a world traveler.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Fan
If you're trying to sound like an expert during the next Finals watch party, keep these nuances in mind:
🔗 Read more: Why North Carolina Tar Heels Football Uniforms Are the Gold Standard of College Sports
- Watch the "Drop" Coverage: In the modern Finals, the chess match usually revolves around how teams defend the high pick-and-roll. If a center "drops" too far, a shooter like Curry or SGA will bury them.
- The Home Court Myth: In a 2-2-1-1-1 format, the "swing" game is almost always Game 5. Statistically, the winner of Game 5 in a tied series wins the title over 70% of the time.
- Efficiency over Volume: Gone are the days of a star taking 30 shots to get 30 points. Modern Finals winners are almost always the teams with the highest "True Shooting" percentage, not just the most stars.
- The Second Apron: Keep an eye on the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) rules. Teams are now punished for spending too much, which is why we’re seeing so many different champions lately. Building a dynasty is harder now than it was for Jordan or Russell.
The history of this series is a living thing. It moves from George Mikan's goggles to Jordan's flu game to the Thunder's 2025 breakthrough. Every June, the game changes just a little bit more.
To stay ahead of the curve, track the "Net Rating" of contenders starting in February. Teams that rank in the top five for both offensive and defensive efficiency during the regular season are the only ones with a statistically significant chance of lifting the trophy in June. Historical data shows that "one-way" teams—those that only play offense or only play defense—almost always crumble under the pressure of a seven-game Finals series.