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Which teams have most NBA final appearances?

When it comes to the NBA, some teams have managed to navigate much better than others thanks to the tumults of a strenuous regular season.

Regardless of whether this can be attributed to a stacked squad, an ultra-talented trainer or a mixture of both franchise companies, certain franchise have set incredibly high standards and expectations due to their consistent profit.

And while applying a banner is the ultimate goal, a shame that it appears (and losing) in the NBA final.

The teams we see today are the teams with most NBA final appearances in history.

franchise

NBA final appearances

NBA championships

Los Angeles Lakers

32

17

Boston Celtics

23

18

Golden State Warriors

12

7

Philadelphia 76ers

9

3

New York Knicks

8

2

Detroit Pistons

7

3

Miami heat

7

3

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have teamed up to win three championships for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers Center Shaquille O'Neal is located alongside X files star David Duchovny, after taking out the 1st round of the 1st round in the Staples Center in the 4th quarter of the NBA playoff game. The Lakers won 106-83. / USA Today-USA Today Network

The Los Angeles Lakers are the most decorated franchise of the NBA, at least in relation to the NBA final lying areas. The Lakers played 32 times for a championship, with a legacy over two cities and almost eight decades.

Under the direction of the future Hall of Famer George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, five championships won between 1949 and 1954. In 1960 the Lakers moved to Los Angeles and routinely made the final, but fell too short (often into the Boston Celtics) of the profit.

The 1980s initiated the showtime era of the Los Angeles basketball, with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the team to the final eight times in 10 years (five of them). This is often seen as the biggest run in the history of the franchise.

But the Lakers weren't done there. The early 2000s brought another dynasty, this time under the direction of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The duo won three-in-brache championships (2000, 2001 and 2002) and performed in the 2004 final before leaving. But while O'Neal would go, Bryant would remain successive titles and orchestrate in succession in 2009 and 2010.

Most recently, the Lakers appeared in the 2020 NBA final (in the Covid-19 'Bubble' in Orlando). Lebron James and Anthony Davis led the way and defeated the Miami Heat in six games to win the 17th championship of the franchise. At that time, this tied the Lakers with the Celtics for most titles in NBA history.

Bill Russell has won more championships than any other NBA player in history.

Boston Celtics Center Bill Russell in action. / Malcolm Emmons-Mimagn pictures

With 23 NBA final appearances and 18 championships, the Boston Celtics created one of the most impressive legacies in all American sports. Similar to the Lakers, the Celtics cut out dynastic runs in several decades.

The first came in the 1950s and 60s under head coach Red Auerbach and the legendary Bill Russell. From 1956 to 1969 the Celtics made the final 12 times and won 11 of them. These teams were known to suppress defense and selfless crimes, with Russell being the heartbeat of the squad.

In the 1980s, Celtics rose again to the power package thanks to Larry Bird, Kevin Mchashale and Robert Parish. Boston performed in the five NBA final in the 80s and won three of them.

After a significant drought in the nineties and early 2000s, Boston returned to the final with a new 'Big Three' by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. There were high expectations for this group, but injuries derailed the formation of another Celtics dynasty.

Boston returned to the NBA final in 2022, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but was sent by the Golden State Warriors in six games. Two years later, 'The Jays' Boston led to another final and finally hit the Dallas Mavericks to win the 18th championship of the franchise.

Golden State Warriors achieved the NBA final 12 times.

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors Guard, poses with the Larry O'Brien Trophy when Andre Iguodala celebrates the Golden State Warriors with the NBA Finals MVP Trophy after having hit the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the NBA finals in the Quick Loans Arena. / BOB Donnan-Mimagn pictures

The Warriors made 12 appearances in the NBA final and included three different cities: Philadelphia, San Francisco and Oakland. Originally the Philadelphia Warriors, the franchise in 1947 conquered the first championship of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The team won again in 1956 before moving to San Francisco in 1962.

In 1975 Rick Barry led the warriors to one of the largest engineers in NBA history. Golden State hit the Washington balls in the final and swept them and won two of the three games on the street.

From 1976 until the 2010s, things were quite rough for the warriors. The team ended only ten times over 0.500 over a period of 35 years. But everything changed in 2014 when the franchise Steve Kerr brought to his head coach.

With a trio by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors became the best team in basketball. They won 207 games in the first three years and each achieved the NBA final (won two).

Then the rich got richer.

Kevin Durant joined the Warriors the following season and made the team for the three-in-sequence final and two other victories. In total, the team made five in a row between 2014 and 2019.

By 2022, many claimed that the Golden State Dynasty was over. However, the reports about the death of the warriors were very exaggerated. The team achieved the final in 2022 and defeated the Celtics in six games, with Curry winning his first final MVP.

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