List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
All-time streaks -- NBA Conference Finals appearance streaks
Table:
Streak

Team

NBA Conference Finals
appearance streak

Conference titles won
during streak

Reference

13 seasons

Boston Celtics

1957–1969

12 (1957–1966, 1968–69)

[7]

8 seasons

Los Angeles Lakers

1982–1989

7 (1982–85, 1987–89)

[21]

6 seasons

St. Louis Hawks

1956–1961

4 (1957–58, 1960–61)

[28]

6 seasons

Los Angeles Lakers

1968–1973

4 (1968–70, 1972–73)

[21]

6 seasons

New York Knicks

1969–1974

3 (1970, 1972–73)

[23]

6 seasons

Detroit Pistons

2003–2008

2 (2004–05)

[15]

5 seasons

New York Knicks

1949–1953

3 (1951–53)

[23]

5 seasons

Minneapolis Lakers

1951–1955

3 (1952–54)

[21]

5 seasons

Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers

1959–1963

3 (1959, 1962–63)

[21]

5 seasons

Boston Celtics

1984–1988

4 (1984–87)

[7]

5 seasons

Detroit Pistons

1987–1991

3 (1988–90)

[15]

5 seasons

Chicago Bulls

1989–1993

3 (1991–93)

[22]

5 seasons

Golden State Warriors ^

2015–2019

5 (2015–19)

[3]

4 seasons

Syracuse Nationals

1954–1957

2 (1956–57)

[12]

4 seasons

Philadelphia 76ers

1965–1968

1 (1967)

[12]

4 seasons

Philadelphia 76ers

1980–1983

3 (1980, 1982–83)

[12]

4 seasons

Miami Heat

2011–2014

4 (2011–14)

[29]

4 seasons

Cleveland Cavaliers

2015–2018

4 (2015–18)

[30]

Looking at the accompanying table together with the passages below.

Provide an answer to this question: Which team appeared in the NBA conference finals first ? A team that is one of two franchises formed after 1980 to win an NBA titles , or the team that had just three winning seasons and overall had a winning percentage of .417 between the seasons of 56-57 and 82-83 ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern and Western championship series of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , a major professional basketball league in North America . The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . The NBA adopted its current name at the start of the 1949-50 season when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The league currently consists of 30 teams , of which 29 are located in the United States and 1 in Canada . Each team plays 82 games in the regular season . After the regular season , eight teams from each of the league 's two conferences qualify for the playoffs . At the end of the playoffs , the top two teams play each other in the Conference Finals , to determine the Conference Champions from each side , who then proceed to play in the NBA Finals .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . It documents the teams season-by-season records , including post-season records , and also includes year-end awards won by the team 's players and/or coaches . With seventeen NBA Championships , the Celtics have won more than any other NBA franchise , while the 1959-to-1966 domination of the NBA Championship , with eight straight titles , is the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any North American professional sports team to date . Following this , the Celtics had two major periods of success separated by quite poor seasons during rebuilding . Between 1971-72 and 1975-76 the Celtics , led by Dave Cowens and John Havlicek , won 294 of 410 regular season games and reached the conference finals in each of those five seasons , winning two more NBA championships , whilst between 1979-80 and 1987-88 led by the frontcourt of Larry Bird , Kevin McHale and Robert Parish the Celtics won 550 of 742 regular season games and reached every Conference Final except for 1982-83 when they were swept in the Conference Semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks . The Celtics have had 13 separate seasons where they won 60 or more regular season contests , the highest number for any franchise . Between 1993-94 and 2006-07 the Celtics had their single sustained period of failure , with an overall win percent of .423 and only twice getting beyond the first playoff round . With the acquisition of Kevin Garnett for 2007-08 , the Celtics achieved a record single-season rise in win percentage to claim their first title in twenty-two seasons , in the process achieving the best average point differential between the 1995-96 Bulls and the 2015-16 Warriors . The team remained a power until after the 2011 lockout , but lost to the Lakers in their most recent Finals appearance . The Celtics are 23-8 all-time in seventh games of playoff series , and 7-1 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals .
The 1957 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1956-57 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . It was the first title in Celtics history ; as of 2017 , they led the NBA in titles won with 17 . The Celtics and Hawks met in 4 out of 5 NBA Finals from 1957-1961 , with the Celtics winning 3 out of 4 . While the Hawks ' dominance of the Western Division was succeeded by the Los Angeles Lakers afterward , Boston missed the NBA Finals just once between 1957-1969 , and win the NBA title in every year but two . In the division semifinals , the Philadelphia Warriors were swept by the Syracuse Nationals 2-0 . This was the first time in NBA history that the defending champions were swept in the opening round . The next time the defending champions were swept in the opening round was in 2007 . It was also the only time in which the playoff series leading to the Final resulted in sweeps .
The 1969 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1968-69 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . Despite finishing in 4th place , the Celtics won their second straight NBA title , marking their 11th overall as their era of 1960s dominance drew to a close . They upset Philadelphia and New York on the way to the Finals . Out west , the San Francisco Warriors stunned the Lakers by winning the first 2 in L.A. , and Bay Area fans were thinking of avenging the prior year 's sweep by the Lakers with a sweep of their own . But the Lakers won 4 straight to win the series in 6 . This year marked the debut of the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award ; it was awarded to Jerry West of the Lakers , which marks the only time so far that the trophy has been given to a player on the losing team . The Celtics were the first team seeded below third in their conference or division and win the NBA championship . It would not happen again until the 1995 NBA playoffs . The second-year San Diego Rockets made their first playoff appearance ; the next time they appeared was in 1975 as the Houston Rockets .
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles , California that competes in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , which was formerly called the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . Since 1999 , the Lakers have played their home games at Staples Center . The Lakers ' franchise was founded in 1947 in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The first owners purchased the disbanded Gems from Detroit , Michigan , then renamed and moved the team . It was in Minneapolis where the Lakers received their official title from Minnesota 's nickname , Land of 10,000 Lakes . The Lakers won five championships before relocating to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 NBA season . The Lakers went on to lose all of their six appearances in the NBA Finals in the 1960s , despite the presence of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West . In 1972 , the Lakers compiled a 33-game winning streak , the longest streak in U.S. professional team sports , and won their sixth title , under coach Bill Sharman . The Lakers ' popularity soared in the 1980s when they won five additional championships during a nine-year span with the help of Hall of Famers Magic Johnson , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , James Worthy and coach Pat Riley , the franchise 's all-time leader in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins . Two of those championships during that span were against their arch-rivals , the Boston Celtics . With the help of Shaquille O'Neal , Kobe Bryant , and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson , the Lakers played in seven NBA Finals between 2000 and 2010 , winning three of them consecutively from 2000 to 2002 , losing the next two in 2004 and 2008 , and winning in 2009 and 2010 ; the last three appearances were without O'Neal . The Lakers hold records for having ( at the end of the 2014-15 NBA season ) the most wins ( 3,125 ) , the highest winning percentage ( .620 ) , the most NBA Finals appearances ( 31 ) of any NBA franchise , second-fewest non-playoff seasons with seven and are second NBA championships with 16 , behind the Boston Celtics ' 17 .
The 1982 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1981-82 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Magic Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time . It was the second NBA Finals meeting in three years between the Lakers and Sixers , and ended with the same result - a 4-2 Lakers victory - as the previous confrontation . They met again in 1983 , with Philadelphia getting revenge in a sweep . The Sixers beat the Celtics again in the Eastern Conference Finals , the second of their three series wins in a four-year stretch . The Bullets ' 2-0 sweep of the Nets was their last playoff series victory until 2005 . This was the third straight year the Bucks failed to advance to the third round with the # 2 seed despite a first-round bye .
The 1989 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1988-89 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals . Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP . The Pistons had one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history , finishing 15-2 with their only losses to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals . The Lakers won the Western Conference title without losing a game , and entered the NBA Finals as the heavy favorites . However , they were swept in the Finals by the Pistons , due in part to season-ending injuries suffered by Magic Johnson and Byron Scott . The Lakers became the first team in NBA history to open an NBA post-season with 11 straight victories and to sweep three series in an NBA post-season . Chicago advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1975 ( and the first time in Michael Jordan 's career ) , but their season was ended by Detroit for the second straight year . Two rounds earlier , Jordan hit The Shot over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer to beat the Cavs . The Boston Celtics ' first-round playoff sweep by the Pistons was the first time they failed to get past the round of 16 . Boston 's chances were hampered by the absence of Larry Bird during these playoffs due to a season-ending injury earlier in the season ; the first and only time in Bird 's NBA career he 'd miss playing in the playoffs . Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan made the first of 19 playoff appearances in a 22-year tenure .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The 2014-15 season was the first time the franchise won at least 60 games in a regular season , in either St. Louis or Atlanta .
The 1956 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1955-56 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Western Conference champion Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . It was the Warriors ' second NBA title ; their first was in 1947 back when the NBA was known as the BAA . They would have to wait until 1975 to taste championship gold again ; by that time they had moved to the Bay Area and become the Golden State Warriors . Philadelphia 's later team , the Philadelphia 76ers , would win the title in 1967 . This was the Pistons ' second straight trip to the NBA Finals , but they would not make another appearance until 1988 as the Detroit Pistons . No team from Indiana would return to the NBA Finals until the Indiana Pacers did so in 2000 .
The 1961 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1960-61 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . The Lakers made the playoffs for the first time after moving to Los Angeles . They were one game away from their first Finals in L.A. as the St. Louis Hawks defeat them . For the Celtics , it was their third straight NBA title and fourth overall . This would be the last Finals appearance for the Hawks franchise to date ; though they still exist in the NBA as the Atlanta Hawks , they have yet to return to the Finals as of 2019 .
The 1968 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1967-68 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . The Celtics won their 10th NBA title , first under player/coach Bill Russell after Red Auerbach 's retirement . In the Eastern Division Finals , the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win , as they knocked off the defending champion 76ers in 7 . In the West , the Lakers swept the Warriors in 4 games . It was the first time since 1954 that the top team in a division failed to make the Division Finals ; from 1955-1966 the league gave the regular-season division champion a first-round bye .
The 1973 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1972-73 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . The Knicks won their second ( and most recent ) NBA title . Willis Reed became the first player to be named NBA Finals MVP twice . The playoff format was modified , as only the divisional champions qualified automatically ; two wild-cards were also added from each conference . Once qualification was determined , the four qualifiers were seeded 1-4 based on record ; divisional position no longer mattered . The # 1 seed then played # 4 , and # 2 played # 3 . Because of this new format , New York , the Atlantic Division runner-up , had home-court advantage versus the Baltimore Bullets , the Central Division champion , since the Knicks had the better regular-season record . The Bullets had home-court advantage in the 1972 playoffs versus the Knicks and in the 1971 playoffs versus Philadelphia , even though their record was worse than New York 's and Philadelphia 's were those seasons , because they had won their division , while the Knicks and Sixers were runners-up . This was the second straight time ( and third in the last 4 years ) that the Lakers and Knicks met in the Finals ; the Lakers-Knicks rivalry ended with two titles won by the Knicks and one by the Lakers . This was the Lakers ' last appearance in the Finals until 1980 ; It was New York 's last appearance until 1994 .
The New York Knickerbockers , better known as the New York Knicks , are a professional basketball team based in New York City that competes in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . An original member of the NBA , the Knicks play in the Eastern Conference 's Atlantic Division . In its 73 seasons , the franchise has reached the NBA Finals eight times and won two championships . As of the end of the 2018-19 season , New York has won more than 2,700 regular season games , and the team has the fourth-highest victory total in NBA history . Since 1968 , the Knicks have played home games at Madison Square Garden . One of the Basketball Association of America 's ( BAA ) eleven teams during its inaugural season , the Knicks won the league 's first game , defeating the Toronto Huskies 68-66 on November 1 , 1946 . The club qualified for the playoffs in the league 's first three seasons before the BAA merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the NBA . Following the merger , New York extended its streak of playoff appearances to nine consecutive years , and reached the NBA Finals each year from 1952 to 1954 . The Knicks returned to the Finals in 1970 and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games for the team 's first title . New York and Los Angeles faced each other again in the 1972 Finals , a series that the Lakers won four games to one . The Knicks earned their second NBA championship the following year , as they won a rematch with Los Angeles in five games . From 1988 to 2001 , the franchise reached the playoffs in fourteen consecutive seasons , but did not win an NBA title .
The 1974 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1973-74 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion [ [ 1973-74 2019 Division Champ . 2018-19 best record in the NBA.Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee Bucks ] ] 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . John Havlicek was named NBA Finals MVP . It was the Celtics ' twelfth NBA title , and first accomplished in the post-Bill Russell era . It is the last -- to date -- Finals appearance for Milwaukee . Using the revised playoff format adopted in 1973 , two third-place teams ( Buffalo in the East , Detroit in the West ) qualified for the playoffs , while the second-place finishers in the Central ( Atlanta ) and Pacific ( Golden State ) divisions did not . Also , since the top three Western qualifiers were in the Midwest Division , the two divisional champions in the Western Conference ( Milwaukee and Los Angeles ) played in the conference semifinals . With a 4-3 series victory over the Pistons in the first round , the Bulls earned their first playoff series victory . In their first eight years of existence , the Bulls made the playoffs seven times . As a matter of historical curiosity , 3 of the 4 teams in the 1974 Western Conference bracket ( Milwaukee , Detroit and Chicago ) now reside in the Eastern Conference . This was the only appearance of the Capital Bullets in the playoffs under that moniker ; they assumed the Capital name for one year before changing to the Washington Bullets the next season .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association . The franchise was founded in 1941 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in the National Basketball League and as the Fort Wayne Pistons joined the Basketball Association of America , which was the precursor to the NBA . However , the games won and lost in the NBL are not included in the franchise total . The Pistons have had three main periods of success . In the early years of the NBA the team reached the NBA Finals twice in consecutive years before falling to the Lakers and then to the St. Louis Hawks . Following an extended era of mediocrity the Pistons , led by the Hall of Fame backcourt of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars and nicknamed the Bad Boys for their intimidating defence , posted winning records every seasons from 1983-84 to 1991-92 , and after narrowly losing in 1988 , ended the Lakers dynasty of the 1980s the following season and repeated the following year . The Pistons third period of success , with former on-court star Dumars serving as general manager and building a top team from other franchises discards , occurred between 2001-02 and 2007-08 when the team won fifty games or more during every season , including a third NBA title in 2003-04 and a franchise record total of wins two seasons later . The Pistons have experienced two major periods of failure . Between 1956-57 and 1982-83 , the Pistons had just three winning seasons and overall had a winning percentage of .417 , culminating in a combined record of 37-127 ( win percent .226 ) in the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons , after which the drafting of Isiah Thomas completely revitalized the franchise . Since 2009-10 , the Pistons have only once finished out of the bottom two in their division or had a winning record . In the six seasons starting in 2009-10 the franchise had an overall record of 172 wins from 476 games or a winning percentage of .361 .
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2002-03 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets , 4 games to 2 , in the NBA Finals . Tim Duncan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time . This postseason featured the most series decided by 6 games in NBA Playoff history . This postseason is notable for being the first time since 1974 that all series were conducted in a best-of-seven format ; From 1984 to 2002 , the first-round series were best-of-five . It is also notable as the only time the conference quarterfinal round did not include any series sweeps . This is the first time that the NBA Playoffs carried more games on cable television than regular broadcast television , and marks the debut for the NBA Playoffs to be aired on NBA TV , and the return broadcast on ESPN and ABC after the NBA departed from NBC and TBS . The Detroit Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars-led team was swept by the Chicago Bulls in 1991 , ending the Pistons ' quest for a third consecutive title . The Pistons would go on to appear in six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals through 2008 , the most consecutive appearances for any Eastern Conference team since the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics ( 1956-69 ) . The Dallas Mavericks ended a long conference finals drought by making it there for the first time since 1988 . As of 2018 , the 49-win Nets are the most recent NBA Finals participant to win fewer than 50 games in an 82-game season . The Boston Celtics were swept in a postseason series for the first time since 1983 .
The 2008 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2007-08 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Paul Pierce was named NBA Finals MVP . The playoffs were noted for the Atlanta Hawks ' return after 9 years , taking the # 1 seed and eventual champion Celtics to 7 games before bowing out . Also notable was the debut of the Chris Paul-led Hornets in the playoffs after Hurricane Katrina and their 7-game series against defending champions San Antonio Spurs , and the Lakers and Celtics ' revitalization of their franchises , most especially after key trades during the preseason and regular season . The Celtics ended up playing 26 playoff games ( 2 games short of a full length postseason of 28 ) , breaking the 25 game record of the 1994 Knicks and 2005 Pistons by 1 game for the most playoff games in a single season played by 1 NBA team . The Knicks , however , only played a Best-of-5 First Round , and so had 2 fewer games to accomplish that feat . Also , the top seeds from each Conference met in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 . The 2008 Finals was also the first since 1998 to feature neither Shaquille O'Neal nor Tim Duncan . The Golden State Warriors won 48 games , more than 5 of the 8 playoff teams in the Eastern Conference . However , all eight qualifiers in the Western Conference finished with at least 50 wins , thus leaving the Warriors out of the postseason .
The 1949 BAA playoffs was the postseason tournament following the Basketball Association of America 1948-49 season , its third and last . ( Later that year the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA . ) The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Division champion Washington Capitols 4 games to 2 in the BAA Finals . The eight qualified teams began tournament play on Tuesday and Wednesday , March 22 and 23 , and the Finals concluded on Wednesday , April 13 . Minneapolis and Washington played 10 and 11 games in a span of 22 days ; their six final games in ten days . Prior to their final series , however , Minneapolis had been idle for five days , Washington for only one day .
The 1953 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1952-53 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . The Lakers won their fourth championship in the last five years , and defeated the Knicks in the Finals for the second straight season to complete their run . Not only did the four Western Division teams meet for the third straight year , but the Eastern Division teams this year , had a slight change . The Philadelphia Warriors did not make the playoffs , but the Baltimore Bullets did . They would be swept by the Eastern Division champion New York Knicks in 2 games . The Indianapolis Olympians played their last game , a Game 2 loss to the Lakers in the first round . They folded at the end of the season , and major professional basketball did not return to Indianapolis , Indiana until the Indiana Pacers were founded for the inaugural 1967-68 season of the American Basketball Association . The Boston Celtics earned their first playoff series victory with a two-game sweep of the Syracuse Nationals . The 1952-53 Baltimore Bullets hold the distinction of having the worst regular-season record of any playoff qualifier in league history , at 16-54 .
The 1951 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 1950-51 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Rochester Royals defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . The eight qualified teams began tournament play on Tuesday and Wednesday , March 20 and 21 , and the Finals concluded on Saturday , April 21 . Rochester and New York played 14 games in a span of 33 days ; their seven final games in fifteen days . The Rochester Royals ( now the Sacramento Kings ) were royalty in their first nine seasons , from 1945-46 to 1954-54 always one of the strong teams in their league . Rochester had played three seasons in the National Basketball League , winning the 1946 NBL championship and losing the Finals in 1947 and 1948 . In one BAA and one NBA season , the team had won 75% of its games before losing in the second round , then first round , of the 1949 and 1950 playoffs . The 1950-51 team won more than 60% of its games , as the Royals would do for three more seasons , and participated in the club 's only NBA Finals . That remains true more than 60 years later , covering stints in Rochester , Cincinnati , Kansas City , and Sacramento . The New York Knicks were an original Basketball Association of America franchise , now in its sixth season and participating in the BAA or NBA Finals for the first time . It would be the first three consecutive years as losing finalist . Another six-year-old , original BAA team , the Boston Celtics had qualified only for the 1948 BAA Playoffs .
The 1955 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1954-55 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Syracuse Nationals defeating the Western Conference champion Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . This was the only title for the Nationals under that moniker ; the franchise won its next title in 1967 as the Philadelphia 76ers . For the Pistons , this was their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history ; they returned the next year , but did n't win their first title until 1989 as the Detroit Pistons . After experimenting with a round robin playoff format in 1954 , the NBA moved to a system in which the top team in each conference earned a first-round bye , giving them the right to start out in the division finals . It remained in place until 1967 , when it changed to an eight-team format in which all teams played the first round .
The 1959 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1958-59 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals . It was the Celtics ' second NBA championship . This was the first NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Celtics ; as of 2020 , they have met in the Finals 12 times . Boston won the first eight NBA Finals series of the rivalry , spanning 3 decades - the 1950s , 1960s and 1980s - before the Lakers finally defeated Boston for the title in 1985 and again in 1987 . Boston again topped the Lakers in 2008 , but the Lakers gained revenge in 2010 .
The 1963 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1962-63 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . The Celtics won their 5th straight and 6th overall , NBA title . Boston defeated L.A. in the NBA Finals for the second straight year , something that happened regularly in the 1960s . The Cincinnati Royals advanced to the Division Finals for the first time since 1952 , extending the Celtics to seven games . This was the last playoff appearance for the Syracuse Nationals under that name ; they moved to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania the following season and became known as the Philadelphia 76ers . This was the first time that both Division Finals series went to a deciding Game 7 , and will be the last until 1979 and again until 2018 .
The 1984 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1983-84 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP . This was the first postseason allowing 16 teams to qualify , a format still in use . The first round format was also changed from best-of-3 to best-of 5 . It was the first NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since 1969 ; they met 7 times in the Finals from 1959-69 , with Boston coming out on top each year . Going into the 1984 playoffs , the Lakers had already won 2 titles in the 1980s and the Celtics 1 , making the revival of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry arguably inevitable and certainly highly anticipated . Two teams made their playoff debuts and won their first playoff series : the Utah Jazz ( who joined the NBA for the 1974-75 season as the New Orleans Jazz ) and Dallas Mavericks , a 1981 expansion team . The Jazz did not miss the playoffs again until 2004 . The Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 1977 , starting a string of nine consecutive appearances that included five straight Conference Finals appearances ( 1987-1991 ) , three consecutive NBA Finals appearances ( 1988 , 1989 , and 1990 ) and two NBA Championships . They did not miss the playoffs again until 1993 . The New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time in their NBA history , upsetting the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in 5 .
The 1988 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1987-88 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . James Worthy was named NBA Finals MVP . The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions , a feat that coach Pat Riley guaranteed the previous offseason . This marked the first time since 1983 that the Celtics did not represent the East in the NBA Finals , but they did win one of the most memorable games of the 1988 playoffs , beating the Hawks 118-116 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston Garden . Larry Bird scored 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help Boston overcome the 47 points scored by Dominique Wilkins . The Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to the Western Conference Finals , losing in 7 to the Lakers . They would not advance that far again until 2003 , and would not face the Lakers again until 2011 . The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 1984 . They remained regulars until 2001 , which included NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999 . On the other hand , the Washington Bullets did not return until 1997 , and would not win a playoff game again until 2005 as the Wizards . In the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers , Michael Jordan scored 50 or more points twice - 50 points in Game 1 , and 55 points in Game 2 - becoming the first player to do so in the same series .
The 1987 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1986-87 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . The Lakers earned their 10th NBA championship , and Magic Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP for a then-record third time . This was the last time the Celtics would appear in the NBA Finals until 2008 . Boston only advanced as far as the Conference Finals twice in that stretch : losing the following year to the Detroit Pistons in six games and in 2002 to the New Jersey Nets , also in 6 games . The Pistons appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals was the franchise 's first ( and their first Division/Conference Final appearance since 1962 ) . It would be the first of five straight Conference Finals appearances for Detroit . They would make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1956 the following season , the first of 3 straight trips to the Finals ( winning the last 2 ) . The Warriors & Pacers made their first playoff appearances since 1977 and 1981 respectively . The Pacers also won their first NBA playoff game , in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Hawks . By beating Dallas 3-1 , the Supersonics became the first # 7 seed to defeat a # 2 seed since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984 . They reached the Western Conference Finals , where they were swept by the Lakers .
The 1991 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1990-91 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP . The Lakers reached the Finals despite not being the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 1981 , and for just the second time since drafting Magic Johnson first overall in 1979 . After the Pistons had ended their season the last three years , the Bulls got revenge in the Eastern Conference Finals by sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions . It was the first time the Bulls won a playoff series over the Pistons since 1974 , when both teams were still part of the Western Conference . Game 4 ended with some of the Pistons walking off the court before time expired , refusing to shake the Bulls ' hands . In the 1989 NBA Finals , the Pistons themselves had swept the two-time defending champion Lakers . Detroit did not reach the conference finals again until 2003 . The seventh seeded Golden State Warriors stunned the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs , defeating them 3 games to 1 . It would be Golden State 's last playoff series win until 2007 . The 76ers and the Bucks met in the first round of the playoffs where the 76ers swept the series .
The Chicago Bulls are a National Basketball Association ( NBA ) team based in Chicago , Illinois . Dick Klein founded the Bulls in 1966 after a number of other professional basketball teams in Chicago had failed . [ a ] In their 50 seasons , the Bulls have achieved a winning record 25 times , and have appeared in the NBA playoffs 34 times . They received international recognition in the 1990s when All-Star shooting guard Michael Jordan led them to their six league championships . The only two NBA franchises that have won more championships than the Bulls are the Boston Celtics ( 17 championships ) and Los Angeles Lakers ( 16 ) . The Bulls initially competed in the NBA 's Western Division . The Western Division was renamed the Western Conference in 1970 , and was split into the Midwest and Pacific Divisions . The Bulls played in the Midwest Division until 1980 , when they moved to the Central Division of the Eastern Conference .
The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1992-93 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year . This was the Suns ' second Western Conference title ; they made their first NBA Finals appearance since 1976 , losing to the Boston Celtics . The Knicks-Pacers rivalry started in their first-round encounter , which New York won , 3-1 . But it was n't until the next two meetings ( 1994 and 1995 ) that the rivalry became even more intense , particularly due to Reggie Miller 's heroics in the Garden that made him a household name and Indiana legitimate contenders in the East . [ citation needed ] The Charlotte Hornets made their playoff debut . Their opening-round series versus Boston was also last time the Celtics made the playoffs with Kevin McHale , who retired after the series , and Robert Parish , who left as a free agent . Game 1 of the series was the final game of Reggie Lewis ' career , as he collapsed during the first quarter and did not play for the rest of the series ; he died in July of a heart attack . Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals saw the Suns attempt sixty-four free throws while connecting on fifty-seven of them , both NBA postseason records . Sportswriter Bill Simmons called the 1993 post-season the best in NBA history .
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco , California . The franchise has also been based in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Oakland and San Jose , California ( during a renovation of its home arena ) . The team is a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Warriors joined the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946 and won the first BAA championship title in the same year , under coach Edward Gottlieb . The Warriors joined the NBA at its foundation in 1949 . The Warriors ' record was 26-42 in their first NBA season , and they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Syracuse Nationals . Franklin Mieuli and the Diners Club put together a group of 40 local investors to move the Warriors to San Francisco before the 1962-63 NBA season , with Mieuli eventually buying all the shares of the franchise to keep the team from collapsing and to keep it in the area . After playing several home games in Oakland from 1967 onward , the team moved to Oakland full-time for the 1971-72 NBA season and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors . Led by Rick Barry , the Warriors were a strong franchise during the middle 1970s , achieving winning records every season from 1971-72 to 1977-78 , winning two division titles , and winning the 1975 NBA championship . After Barry departed at the end of the 1977-78 season , however , the Warriors were not in the hunt for a title for the next 35 seasons . Between 1978-79 and 2011-12 , the Warriors only achieved winning records in eight seasons . The team also suffered the NBAs fourth-longest postseason appearance drought in history , with no playoff appearances between 1994-95 and 2005-06 ; this mark trails only the Braves/Clippers between 1976-77 and 1990-91 , the Timberwolves between 2004-05 and 2016-17 , and the Kings from 2006-07 to 2018-19 ( still active ) Led by NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry , the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win the 2015 NBA championship .
The 2015 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2014-15 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Andre Iguodala was named NBA Finals MVP .
The 2019 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2018-19 season . The playoffs began on April 13 and ended on June 13 at the conclusion of the 2019 NBA Finals .
The Philadelphia 76ers , often referred to as the Sixers , are an American professional basketball team based in Philadelphia . The Sixers play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . In sixty-six NBA seasons , the franchise has played in the NBA Finalsnine times and never won . The Sixers have the third-highest victory total and third most playoff appearances in NBA history . Since 1996 , the Sixers have played home games at Wells Fargo Center . In 1937 , owner Daniel Biasone founded the franchise as the Syracuse Nationals , a member of the National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The Nationals qualified for the playoffs three times then joined the NBA in 1949 , one of seven NBL teams to merge with the rival Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . The Nationals qualified for the playoffs in every season played in Syracuse , advancing to three Finals and Losing . For the 1963-64 season , the year following the departure of the Philadelphia Warriors for San Francisco , the Syracuse Nationals relocated to Philadelphia as the 76ers . The franchise has played fifty-three seasons as the Philadelphia 76ers , with thirty-three playoff appearances and zero championships . The Sixers acquired Philadelphia-native Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 from the Warriors and defeated Chamberlain 's former team in the 1967 Finals , but suffered a sharp fall from grace due to the loss of Chamberlain to retirement and Billy Cunningham to the ABA : in 1972-73 the team won only nine games , the fewest in an 82-game NBA season . Under coaches Gene Shue and Cunningham , and the on-court leadership of forward Julius Erving , the 76ers returned as a power quite rapidly , achieving winning records in all but one season from 1975-76 to 1990-91 .
The 1954 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1953-54 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Syracuse Nationals 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals . For the Lakers , it was their third straight NBA title , and fifth in the last six years . With the folding of the Indianapolis Olympians after the previous year 's playoffs , leaving the NBA with nine teams , they resorted to a round-robin playoff format in 1954 for the only time in league history . Although the Minneapolis Lakers , Fort Wayne Pistons , Rochester Royals and Syracuse Nationals all play in different cities now ( Los Angeles , Detroit , Sacramento and Philadelphia respectively ) , this is the earliest NBA playoff in which every team that participated still exists today .
The 1965 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1964-65 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . Boston won its seventh consecutive NBA title and eighth overall while handing the Lakers their fourth straight Finals loss in the process . This was the first playoff appearance for the Baltimore Bullets , who had begun play in the 1961-62 season as the Chicago Packers .
The 1980 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1979-80 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . The Lakers earned their seventh NBA title , their second since moving from Minneapolis . Magic Johnson became the first and ( as of 2019 [ update ] ) , only rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP , leading L.A. to a clinching Game 6 victory with 42 points , 15 rebounds and 7 assists . With center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out with a severely sprained ankle , Johnson started at center instead , and ultimately played all five positions on the court in the game . Philadelphia earned their third Eastern Conference championship , but were unsuccessful in capturing their second NBA title . The Milwaukee Bucks appeared in the playoffs for the last time as a member of the West ; the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs likewise appeared for the last time playing for the East . They switched conferences ( along with the Chicago Bulls ) in the 1980-81 season with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks . The Bucks made the playoffs for the first time since 1978 , starting a string of twelve consecutive appearances that included three Conference Finals appearances ( 1983 , 1984 , and 1986 ) and seven consecutive division titles ( 1980-1986 ) . They did not miss the playoffs again until 1992 .
The 1983 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1982-83 season . This was the final postseason using the 12-team format , before the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams the next season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals . Moses Malone was named NBA Finals MVP . Malone made a famous prediction about the Sixers ' chances prior to the playoffs , saying Fo ' , fo ' , fo ' - predicting the number of games the Sixers would need to win each of the three series they would play on the way to a championship . They nearly accomplished this prediction of a sweep of all three rounds , only losing one game ( to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals ) en route to the championship . The Sixers set a record for highest winning percentage in the playoffs that was not broken until the Lakers went 15-1 in 2001 . The Lakers ' mark , however , came after the expansion to the current 16-team , four-round playoff format , which was first implemented in the 1984 playoffs , while the Sixers avoided the first round by virtue of their top seeding . It was the third time in four years that the Lakers and 76ers had met in the NBA Finals , with the Lakers winning the previous two series . After missing the playoffs the previous year , the Blazers began a string of 21 straight playoff appearances in 1983 lasting until 2003 . They made the playoffs 25 out of 26 years from their title-winning season of 1977-2003 . The record was just one season shy of the 22-year playoff run set by the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950-1971 .
The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami , Florida that competes in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Heat were formed in 1988 as an expansion franchise along with the Charlotte Hornets ; as of the 2018-19 season [ update ] they were one of two franchises formed after 1980 to win any NBA titles ( the other being the Toronto Raptors ) . The Heat and the Orlando Magic are the two NBA franchises that are located in the state of Florida . Since entering the league , Miami has fielded squads that have made the playoffs 19 out of 28 seasons , captured 12 division titles , five conference titles and three NBA Championships . They defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals , the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals , and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals .
The 2011 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2010-11 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Dirk Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP . The Chicago Bulls achieved several firsts since 1998 : the East 's best record , a Central Division title , and over 60 victories . They also clinched the NBA 's best record for the first time since 1997 , guaranteeing home-court advantage in every round . They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 , and lost the ECF for the first time since 1990 . The Indiana Pacers appeared in the playoffs for the first time since 2006 , as did the Memphis Grizzlies . The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 , but this was their first playoff appearance as an above-.500 team since 2001 . The Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Hornets appeared for the third time in 4 years . The other 11 teams were in the 2010 NBA Playoffs . The Oklahoma City Thunder headed to the playoffs with their first Northwest Division title under this incarnation . This was the final postseason appearance for the New Orleans franchise while known as the Hornets , as the team was renamed the Pelicans before the 2013-14 season .
The 2014 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2013-14 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals . Kawhi Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP . For the first time since 1984 , the NBA Finals were played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format ( the higher seed hosts Games 1 , 2 , 5 , and 7 , the lower seed hosts Games 3 , 4 , and 6 ) . They were also the first playoffs overseen by Commissioner Adam Silver . The Spurs continued the longest active playoff streak in the NBA at 17 straight appearances . The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards made their first playoff appearances since 2008 , while the Charlotte Bobcats , in their final playoff appearance before renaming themselves the Hornets , returned after a four-year absence . All three teams from Texas made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 . For the first time since 2005 , the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks did not qualify for the playoffs in the same year . For the first time since 1994 , the Lakers and Celtics missed the playoffs in the same season . In addition , this was the first time in NBA history that the Knicks , Celtics , and Lakers missed the playoffs in the same year ( the Celtics last missed the playoffs in 2007 ) The Denver Nuggets also missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003 . The first round of the 2014 Playoffs is generally considered one of the greatest postseason rounds in NBA history .
The Cleveland Cavaliers ( also known as the Cavs ) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland , Ohio . They began playing in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) in 1970 . This list summarizes the team 's season-by-season records , including post-season , and includes select season-end awards won by the team 's players and/or coaches . The Cavaliers were founded in 1970 as an expansion franchise and since their first season , they have always played in the Central Division and in the Eastern Conference . On October 14 , 1970 , the Cavs lost to the Buffalo Braves 92-107 in their first game . They have been awarded the first overall draft pick six times , choosing Austin Carr ( 1971 ) , Brad Daugherty ( 1986 ) , LeBron James ( 2003 ) , Kyrie Irving ( 2011 ) , Anthony Bennett ( 2013 ) and Andrew Wiggins ( 2014 ) . In his last season with the Cavs , Austin Carr won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award , the first of four Cavaliers to win the award ( Eric Snow , Luol Deng and LeBron James won the award in 2005 , 2014 and 2017 , respectively ) . As a Cavalier , LeBron won Rookie of the Year as well as four MVP awards and two All Star Game MVP awards . He also led the Cavaliers to five NBA Finals , including the last 4 straight , and won the 2016 title as Finals MVP . Cleveland 's next first overall pick after James , Kyrie Irving , won Rookie of the Year in 2012 and NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2014 . In their 48 seasons , the Cavs have achieved a winning record 23 times . Highlights include 20 playoff appearances , which included winning the Central Division championship six times ( 1975-76 , 2008-09 , 2009-10 , 2014-15 , 2015-16 , 2016-17 , and 2017-18 ) , winning the Eastern Conference championship five times ( 2006-07 , 2014-15 , 2015-16 , 2016-17 , and 2017-18 ) , and winning the NBA Title in 2016 .
The 2018 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 2017-18 season . The playoffs began on April 14 , 2018 and ended on June 8 at the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Finals .