Photo Credit: Steve Lipofsky/Basketballphoto.com/Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
To date, there have been a total of 66 NBA Finals series, including the three finals series of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the precursor to the NBA. Half of those series have been won by either the Boston Celtics (17) or the Los Angeles Lakers (16). The NBA Finals have gone to a championship-deciding seventh game 17 times. Eight champions earned the NBA title by sweeping their Finals opponent in four straight games. The tables below provide the results of all 65 NBA Finals, including the BAA Finals of 1947, 1948 and 1949.
BAA Champions
| Year | Champion | Result | Runner-Up |
| 1947 | Philadelphia Warriors | 4-1 | Chicago Stags |
| 1948 | Baltimore Bullets | 4-2 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-2 | Washington Capitols |
NBA Champions
| Year | Champion | Result | Runner-Up |
| 1950 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-2 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1951 | Rochester Royals | 4-3 | New York Knicks |
| 1952 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-3 | New York Knicks |
| 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-1 | New York Knicks |
| 1954 | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-3 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1955 | Syracuse Nationals | 4-3 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1956 | Philadelphia Warriors | 4-1 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1957 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1958 | St. Louis Hawks | 4-2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1959 | Boston Celtics | 4-0 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1960 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1961 | Boston Celtics | 4-1 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1962 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1963 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1964 | Boston Celtics | 4-1 | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1965 | Boston Celtics | 4-1 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1966 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1967 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1968 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1969 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1970 | New York Knicks | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-0 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 | New York Knicks |
| 1973 | New York Knicks | 4-1 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1974 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors | 4-0 | Washington Bullets |
| 1976 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers | 4-2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1978 | Washington Bullets | 4-3 | Seattle Supersonics |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics | 4-1 | Washington Bullets |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1981 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Houston Rockets |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1983 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-0 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984 | Boston Celtics | 4-3 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1986 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Houston Rockets |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Boston Celtics |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1989 | Detroit Pistons | 4-0 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1990 | Detroit Pistons | 4-1 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1991 | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1992 | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1993 | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets | 4-3 | New York Knicks |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | 4-0 | Orlando Magic |
| 1996 | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1997 | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Utah Jazz |
| 1998 | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 | Utah Jazz |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs | 4-1 | New York Knicks |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-0 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2004 | Detroit Pistons | 4-1 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs | 4-3 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2006 | Miami Heat | 4-2 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | 4-0 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2008 | Boston Celtics | 4-2 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 | Orlando Magic |
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 | Boston Celtics |
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks | 4-2 | Miami Heat |
| 2012 | Miami Heat | 4-1 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
