NBA Finals history · A new generation
The 2020s: the championship field opens again
The decade has resisted a single ruler, rewarding adaptable stars and teams capable of surviving radically different playoff matchups.
What defined this era
The decade has resisted a single ruler, rewarding adaptable stars and teams capable of surviving radically different playoff matchups.
No champion has repeated yet in the decade’s opening years.
International superstars sit at the center of the title picture.
Versatility matters when every playoff round asks a different question.
Championship timeline
How the Finals changed
2020
A title inside the bubble
The season resumed in isolation after a four-month shutdown. LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the Lakers past Miami, completing an unprecedented championship run without home crowds or travel.
2021
Giannis completes the climb
Milwaukee fell behind Phoenix 2–0 before winning four straight. Giannis’s block, alley-oop and 50-point closeout turned years of playoff disappointment into the Bucks’ first title since 1971.
2022
The Warriors return
After injuries and two missed postseasons, Golden State rebuilt around its original core. Stephen Curry’s 43-point Game 4 in Boston redirected the Finals and completed a fourth championship.
2023–25
Jokić, Boston and Oklahoma City offer new blueprints
Nikola Jokić’s playmaking carried Denver to its first title in 2023. Boston answered with depth and elite two-way wings in 2024, before Oklahoma City’s young core completed its rise in a seven-game 2025 Finals.
NBA Finals2023MIAMIHEATDENVERNUGGETSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Denver’s first
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets
NBA Finals2024BOSTONCELTICSDALLASMAVERICKSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Boston reaches 18
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks
NBA Finals2025OKLAHOMA CITYTHUNDERINDIANAPACERSCOMPLETE SERIESNBA Finals · Oklahoma City arrives
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers
Watch the era
Games that explain the decade
Nuggets vs Jazz
2020 Western First Round Game 7
Bucks vs Suns
2021 NBA Finals Game 6
Celtics vs Warriors
2022 NBA Finals Game 4
Celtics vs Bucks
2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 7
Nuggets vs Suns
2023 Western Conference Semifinals Game 4
Celtics vs Heat
2023 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
Timberwolves vs Nuggets
2024 Western Conference Semifinals Game 7