NBA Finals history · Parity
The 1970s: everybody gets a turn
After Boston’s monopoly ended, eight franchises won championships in ten seasons and the Finals became a laboratory for new stars, new cities and wildly different styles.
What defined this era
After Boston’s monopoly ended, eight franchises won championships in ten seasons and the Finals became a laboratory for new stars, new cities and wildly different styles.
Parity made the championship feel nationally available.
The decade’s defining Finals belonged to teams, not one dynasty.
Late-game improvisation created several of the sport’s earliest universal highlights.
Championship timeline
How the Finals changed
1970
Reed walks through the tunnel
Jerry West’s 60-footer extended Game 3, but Willis Reed’s injured entrance before Game 7 became the lasting image. His first two jumpers electrified Madison Square Garden as the Knicks won their first title.
1971–73
Kareem rises; the Lakers finally finish
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson delivered Milwaukee’s first championship in 1971. One year later, West and Chamberlain’s 69-win Lakers ended years of Finals frustration before New York answered in 1973.
NBA Finals1971MILWAUKEEBUCKSWASHINGTONWIZARDSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Kareem’s first title
Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards
NBA Finals1972LOS ANGELESLAKERSNEW YORKKNICKSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Los Angeles breaks through
Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks
NBA Finals1973NEW YORKKNICKSLOS ANGELESLAKERSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · New York answers
New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers
1974–75
The skyhook and the underdogs
Kareem’s baseline skyhook forced Game 7 in 1974 before Boston prevailed. One year later, Rick Barry’s Warriors stunned Washington with a Finals sweep.
1976–79
The wildest game opens the door west
Boston and Phoenix played a triple-overtime Game 5 in 1976. Portland, Washington and Seattle then won titles, closing a decade in which no champion repeated.
NBA Finals1976BOSTONCELTICSPHOENIXSUNSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · triple-overtime classic
Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns
NBA Finals1977PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERSPHILADELPHIA76ERSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Portland’s first
Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Finals1978WASHINGTONWIZARDSOKLAHOMA CITYTHUNDERCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Washington survives
Washington Wizards vs Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA Finals1979OKLAHOMA CITYTHUNDERWASHINGTONWIZARDSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Seattle answers
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Washington Wizards
Watch the era
Games that explain the decade
Knicks vs Lakers
1970 NBA Finals Game 7
Bucks vs Celtics
1974 NBA Finals Game 6
Celtics vs Suns
1976 NBA Finals Game 5
Trail Blazers vs 76ers
1977 NBA Finals Game 6