One of the most exciting events in sports is a Game 7 in a championship series, which is a rare occasion. The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder faced off in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, marking the 20th Game 7 in league history and the first addition to the category since 2016.
Here’s a look at Game 7s in NBA Finals throughout the years.
2025: Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Indiana Pacers (MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)
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Thunder won 103-91 over the Pacers. Thunder’s Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 29 points and 12 assists, while Bennedict Mathurin had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers.
2016: Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Golden State Warriors (MVP: LeBron James)
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Cavaliers won 93-89 over the Warriors. James finished Game 7 with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 blocks. The Cavaliers became the first team to win a finals series down three games to one. Draymond Green (Warriors) had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists in a losing effort.
2013: Miami Heat defeat San Antonio Spurs (MVP: LeBron James)
2010: Los Angeles Lakers defeat Boston Celtics (MVP: Kobe Bryant)
2005: San Antonio Spurs defeat Detroit Pistons (MVP: Tim Duncan)
1994: Houston Rockets defeat New York Knicks (MVP: Hakeem Olajuwon)
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Rockets won 90-84 over the Knicks. Olajuwon finished Game 7 with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks to help the Rockets win the title. The win marked Houston’s first NBA championship.
1988: Los Angeles Lakers defeat Detroit Pistons (MVP: James Worthy)
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Lakers won 108-105 over the Pistons. Worthy had a triple-double (36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists) to help the Lakers win the championship at home. Magic Johnson had 19 points and 14 assists for the Lakers.
1984: Boston Celtics defeat Los Angeles Lakers (MVP: Larry Bird)
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Celtics won 111-102 over the Lakers. Bird closed out the Lakers with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Cedric Maxwell had led the Celtics in scoring with 24 points, and he also had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.
1978: Washington Bullets defeat Seattle Supersonics (MVP: Wes Unseld)
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Bullets won 105-99 over the Supersonics. Unseld became the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP without averaging 10 points a game in the series (he averaged 9.0). Dennis Johnson (Supersonics) tied an NBA record for most field goal attempts without making one; he missed all 14 of his shot attempts.
1974: Boston Celtics defeat Milwaukee Bucks (MVP: John Havlicek)
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Celtics won 102-87 over the Bucks. Dave Cowens had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics in the Game 7 victory. This milestone marked the first Celtics championship without Bill Russell, who retired in 1969.
1970: New York Knicks defeat Los Angeles Lakers (MVP: Willis Reed)
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Knicks won 113-99 over the Lakers. Reed, who tore his right thigh muscle in Game 5 and did not play in Game 6, hobbled on the floor at the start of the game and hit the Knicks’ first two shots of the game. That move inspired the Knicks to win Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Walt Frazier finished the game with 36 points and 19 assists for the Knicks.
1969: Boston Celtics defeat Lakers (MVP: Jerry West)
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Celtics won 108-106 over the Lakers. West became the first and only Finals MVP to win on a losing team. West finished Game 7 with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a losing effort for the Lakers. The Celtics had three players finish with 20 or more points (John Havlicek with 26, Sam Jones with 24 and Em Bryant with 20).
1966: Boston Celtics defeat Los Angeles Lakers
1962: Boston Celtics defeat Los Angeles Lakers
1960: Boston Celtics defeat St. Louis Hawks
1957: Boston Celtics defeat St. Louis Hawks
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Celtics won 125-123 in double overtime over the St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn had 37 points and 23 rebounds for the Celtics. Bill Russell had 19 points and 32 rebounds in the victory. Bob Pettit had 39 points and 19 rebounds in a losing effort for the Hawks. This victory marked Red Auerbach’s first NBA championship as head coach of the Celtics.
1955: Syracuse Nationals defeat Fort Wayne Pistons
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Syracuse Nationals won 92-91 over the Fort Wayne Pistons. George King led the Nationals in scoring 15, including the game-winning free throw with 12 seconds left. Dolph Schayes had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Nationals. The Nationals had seven players score in double figures.
1954: Minneapolis Lakers defeat Syracuse Nationals
1952: Minneapolis Lakers defeat New York Knicks
1951: Rochester Royals defeat New York Knicks
*Finals MVP was first awarded in 1969
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