It isn’t easy being an NBA fan; there are a lot of facts to keep up with, especially if you’ve just recently joined the club and want to prove to your friends that you have a large NBA playoff database!
Well, let’s help you impress fellow NBA fans by offering you fun facts about the NBA playoffs right below.
NBA Playoff Facts That Every Fan Must Know
Here are our favorite random yet cool facts about the NBA playoffs through the years!
- Willis Reed was the first NBA player to win two Finals MVP awards, one in 1970 and the other in 1973, and he was playing for the New York Knicks in both times.
- Through 2003, the Boston Celtics and Lakers had met in the NBA finals ten times. That was in the years 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, and 1987.
- Jerry West got the NBA Finals MVP award in 1969 despite being on the losing team. That was also the first year that this award was given.
- Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers was the first team to appear in two consecutive NBA Finals for the years 1949 and 1950.
- The New York Knicks was the first team to lose three NBA finals. It lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1951 and 1952, then to the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1953.
- The Lakers were also the first NBA team to win three consecutive NBA titles, which occurred in the 1951-1952 to 1953-1954 seasons.
- The Syracuse Nationals were named the NBA Eastern Conference Champions in 1954.
- Miami Heat had home-court advantage in the 2011 series since it won 58 games in the regular season as opposed to Dallas’s 57.
- The Chicago Bulls won the 1996-1997 title after meeting the Utah Jazz in the final game.
- Once again, the Chicago Bulls won the NBA in the 1997-1998 season, also against the Utah Jazz. However, it was the last year of the Bulls’ recurrent victory.
- Gar Heard’s buzzer-beater for the Suns against the Celtics coined the iconic phrase “The Shot Heard Round the World.”
- In 1948, the Baltimore Bullets became the first expansion team to win the NBA Finals.
- American Airlines was the sponsor of two NBA teams independently but right at the same time. American Airlines Arena sponsored the Miami Heat, while American Airlines Center took responsibility for the Mavericks.
- Kyrie Irving’s knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2015 NBA Finals after Game 1.
To Wrap It Up
Explore these NBA playoff trivia facts to elevate your fan status to new heights.
Now, you can have an NBA trivia night with confidence and many cool pieces of information up your sleeve!
