NBA Finals Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

The Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won 5 championships and appeared in 3 other NBA Finals during the 1980s. The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, won 6 championships from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998, winning all Finals in which they appeared and making them the first team to repeat "threepeat".

History

The first NBA Finals were held in 1947, and have been held each year in June ever since. The popularity of the Finals has grown continually, with television audiences approaching those of the World Series (also played in similar best-of-7 format). The attention paid to the Finals is dependent on the teams involved, with square offs between perennial powerhouses drawing the largest media coverage. Each Finals series has produced memorable moments, and here are some of the more noteworthy:

* 1955: The Syracuse Nationals faced the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although both markets were small (so little coverage was offered) the series was spectacular. The home team won every game, the Nats taking the series with a free throw by George King at the end of Game 7, breaking a 91-91 tie.
* 1957: The first championship in the Celtics dynasty. A hard-fought series against the Hawks. Jim Loscutoff won the game for the Celtics in double overtime in Game 7 with two free throws.

* 1962: The series to which many ascribe the beginnings of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. In Game 7, the clock was winding down with the score tied at 100, when Frank Selvy missed an 18-foot game (and series) winning basket for the Lakers. The Celtics then won in overtime.

* 1966: Another Celtics-Lakers classic. In Game 7, Red Auerbach, Boston's coach, lit up his traditional "victory cigar" only to see his team's lead melt away. They held on, however, and won 95-93.

* 1969: For the third time in the decade, a Lakers-Celtics final went to seven games. Chamberlain, Baylor, and West, three of the game's best players, were now all playing for the Lakers. Nevertheless, Celtics player-coach Bill Russell's experience led to an effective counter-attack. In Game 4, with the Celtics trailing 2-1 in the series and 88-87 in the game, Sam Jones hit an incredible buzzer-beater with three seconds left to even the series and preserve the Celtics' dynasty. They won Game 7 by two points in Los Angeles' home arena.

* 1970: Game 3 produced an instant classic. The Lakers trailed 102-100 with three seconds left, but Jerry West scored a basket from 60 feet away to even the game. Although the Knicks eventually won in overtime, the Lakers produced momentum. Unfortunately for them, the injured Willis Reed, who supposedly was out of Game 7, came back in to inspire the Knicks just when they needed it. New York claimed its first title.

* 1976: Chiefly remembered for the fifth game, a classic that was often labelled afterwards as the "greatest NBA game ever". With the series tied 2-2 against the Phoenix Suns, Boston took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. The game was marred by several controversies but eventually went to Boston in three overtimes, 128-126. Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship.

* 1980: The Lakers took a 3-2 lead against the Sixers, led chiefly by Abdul-Jabbar. After he sprained his ankle in Game 5, Magic Johnson (then little known) shifted to center and played out a huge game in Game 6, scoring 42 points and netting 15 rebounds as the Lakers clinched the title 123-107. This was the series that Julius Erving executed the behind-the-backboard "Baseline Move".

* 1984: The long-awaited rematch of the Lakers and Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1980 with the Johnson-Bird pair entering the league. The Lakers almost swept the Celtics but a crucial steal in Game 2 led to a tie game and the Celtics were able to win in overtime to tie the series. The Lakers won Game 3 easily and almost won Game 4, but were again thwarted. Now tied 2-2, the Lakers and Celtics each held serve at their home court to send the series to Boston for Game 7. Game 5 was a classic, with Bird coming up with a huge game in one of the (literally) hottest games ever in non-air conditioned Boston Garden. Game 7 was a close game but eventually went to the Celtics. The 1984 championship series was one of the most watched in history, with soaring TV ratings.

* 1987: The Lakers and Celtics clashed again. Johnson beat the Celtics on a buzzer-beater in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead and swing the momentum towards the Lakers. Los Angeles won in six.

* 1993: In one of the greatest Finals to date, the Phoenix Suns, who were believed by leader Charles Barkley to be a team of destiny, and the Chicago Bulls squared off with thrilling game after thrilling game in which the visiting team prevailed in all but one (Game 4 at Chicago). Phoenix fell behind 2-0 in the series, but a miraculous triple overtime victory in Game 3, regarded by many as one of the greatest games ever played, allowed the Suns back into contention. Still, it would be John Paxson's unguarded, clutch three pointer in Game 6 that would seal the game, the series and the Bulls' first threepeat.

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* 1994: The Knicks took a 3-2 lead on the Houston Rockets and had a chance to clinch it in Game 6 but John Starks' final shot was blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets would win game 7 and win their first NBA Championship. During Game 5 (June 17, 1994) most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being the network's own flagship station, WNBC-TV out of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. A visibly confused and distraught Bob Costas (NBC's anchor for their NBA Finals coverage) said during the telecast from Madison Square Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal."

* 1997: In Game 5, Michael Jordan, the star player on the Chicago Bulls, was sick and weakened due to a stomach virus. But that didn't matter to Jordan as he still managed to score 38. Soon, Michael would capture his fifth NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, bringing the Bulls to their fifth title in seven years.

* 1998 NBA Finals: The Chicago Bulls raced to a 3-2 lead but nearly lost Game 6 until Michael Jordan made two key baskets for a one-point win and the championship. It would be Jordan's last play for the Bulls.

* 2000 NBA Finals: The Los Angeles Lakers, under new head coach Phil Jackson, led the team to a 67-15 regular season record, and then led them to the Finals against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to the franchise's 12th championship, while winning the Finals MVP trophy, averging 38 points and 16.6 rebounds. The Lakers could have easily have gone to a Game 7, but Shaq and teammate Kobe Bryant scored a combined 67 points to win Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116 to 111.

* 2005 NBA Finals: The first four games were blowouts for the home team, but Game 5 was a very tight game (a scene reminiscent of 1976). Robert Horry shot a three-pointer at the end of the first overtime for a 96-95 win. The Spurs thus took a 3-2 lead going home and although losing Game 6 narrowly, could not be kept from clinching the championship in Game 7.

The 1990s, and the Bulls Dynasty

The 2000s, The Post-Jordan Era

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