Since its inception, the NBA has crowned its champion through a best-of-seven series now known simply as the Finals.
The stage has been dominated by two franchises. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have combined for 33 of the league’s 69 championships since 1947, when the Lakers were based in Minneapolis.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that many Finals records are held by either a Celtic or a Laker.
Bill Russell won 11 titles in Boston, more than any other player in league history. The Lakers’ Jerry West has scored more points in the Finals — 1,679 — than most players have scored in their whole careers.
Ray Allen hit the most 3-pointers in a Finals game when he sank eight for Boston in 2010. The Lakers’ Magic Johnson dished a Finals-record 21 assists in 1984.
And the most common Finals matchup? Naturally, Celtics versus Lakers. They’ve met 12 times over the years, with the Lakers winning the most recent matchup in 2010.
The rivalry was perhaps at its peak in the 1980s, when they faced each other for the title three times in four years.
The Lakers personified Hollywood glitz and glamour, with Johnson pulling the strings for a flashy, up-tempo offense nicknamed “Showtime.” It was the perfect contrast for Boston’s blue-collar Celtics led by Johnson’s longtime nemesis, Larry Bird.
Los Angeles won two of those three matchups. But the real winner was the NBA, which saw its popularity explode.
Of course, there are other teams and players who have stamped their name on the Finals over the years.
In the 1990s, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six titles in eight years — and he was Finals MVP for all six of them.
Scroll through the photo gallery above to see who else is in the Finals record book.