Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP, becoming the third-youngest Finals MVP after Duncan and Magic Johnson. The Warriors started strong with a 3–0 lead over the Cavs, eventually winning the series in five games with Durant being named Finals MVP.

I love @HoustonRockets & have rooted for them my entire life. No other team in NBA History has done that. This would be the first of three consecutive losses in the Finals for the Knicks, as they would lose the 1952 and 1953 Finals to the Lakers. Following the success of the Lakers, the 1970s were characterized by a major breakthrough of the league's western franchises.
And then there is the gritty Miami team that nobody expected to be here — except themselves. In response, Cuban said, "shame on me for putting American Civil Rights and Justice, creating jobs, growing our economy and healthcare reform over twitter proclamations. The 1995–96 Bulls finished the regular season 72–10, attaining, at the time, the best regular season record in NBA history. They won eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966. Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 1–2 in Syracuse and 2–4 in Philadelphia. 7 Dallas 4-2, No. Game 6: Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)*

I happily cheer for the Spurs & Mavericks against any non-TX team. [13] The Cavaliers traded away Kyrie Irving in the 2017 off-season and continued to change their roster throughout the season, while the Warriors largely remained intact. The following season the Warriors would again reach the Finals, however they would fall short to the now defunct Baltimore Bullets. This tactical change brought the team to a new record of 68 wins the following season, as well as defeating the Celtics before winning the 1967 Finals. They also attained a three-peat in Minneapolis from 1952 to 1954, and another in Los Angeles from 2000 to 2002.

The first clash between the two stars in the playoffs was in 1966, with Boston winning the series 4–1.

By season's end, they broke the record for most wins in a season with 69, one more than the 1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers, before taking home the championship for the first time since relocating to Los Angeles. Lost 1–4 their last Finals appearance in 2012. In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met the Utah Jazz in the Finals twice. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links. The 2006 NBA Finals were the only Finals during this time not to feature the Spurs or Lakers, instead featuring the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. Game 1: Lakers 116, Heat 98 Game 2: Oct. 2, 9 p.m. (ABC) The Los Angels Lakers were a little more than 20 seconds away from winning their 17th NBA title.

In 1964, Chamberlain, who had moved to the state of California alongside his team, led the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Conference championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics.