Looking Back at Every Sweep in NBA Finals History

May 29, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Among the four major North American sports leagues, the NBA has traditionally stood out in the popular imagination as being the league of the dynasties. The Boston Celtics of the 1960s begat the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s begat the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, and so on and so forth.

For this reason, it may surprise you to learn that in the NBA Finals’ entire history—from its quaint 1947 origins to the present day—professional basketball’s final series has seen just nine sweeps.

Here is a look back at the nine perfect performances in the event’s annals. Note before we begin that there were four best-of-five finals sweeps in the history of the National Basketball League, the NBA’s immediate predecessor.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Celtics 118, Lakers 115
Game 2	Celtics 128, Lakers 108
Game 3	Celtics 123, Lakers 110
Game 4	Celtics 118, Lakers 113

The very first Finals between Boston and the Lakers, and the only one that took place while the Lakers were located in Minneapolis. The first of the Celtics’ run of eight straight championships, the longest streak in the history of the four major North American sports. Boston center Bill Russell averaged 29.5 rebounds per game, which will play.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Bucks 98, Bullets 88
Game 2	Bucks 102, Bullets 83
Game 3	Bucks 107, Bullets 99
Game 4	Bucks 118, Bullets 106

The Milwaukee Bucks‘ first title, and their only title until 2021. The first of six rings for Bucks center Lew Alcindor, the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The most recent of two series, along with the 1956 Finals, played under a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 format in which the two teams alternated home games.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Warriors 101, Bullets 95
Game 2	Warriors 92, Bullets 91
Game 3	Warriors 109, Bullets 101
Game 4	Warriors 96, Bullets 95

Both the Golden State Warriors (Al Attles) and Washington Bullets (K.C. Jones) had Black head coaches, which hadn’t happened before in any league. The Bullets actually took three of four from Golden State in the regular season, anticipating a highly competitive matchup. A 14-5 run late in Game 4 gave the Warriors their last title until 2015.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	76ers 113, Lakers 107
Game 2	76ers 103, Lakers 93
Game 3	76ers 111, Lakers 94
Game 4	76ers 115, Lakers 108

A fitting conclusion to Hall of Fame center Moses Malone’s third and final MVP season. Polished off a 12-1 playoff run after Malone predicted the Philadelphia 76ers would need only four games to win each series. The last major Philadelphia championship until the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Pistons 109, Lakers 97
Game 2	Pistons 108, Lakers 105
Game 3	Pistons 114, Lakers 110
Game 4	Pistons 105, Lakers 97

The Detroit Pistons‘ first title after a grueling seven-game loss to the Lakers the season prior. Featured a superb performance from Pistons guard Joe Dumars, who averaged 27.3 points per game. The curtain call on Abdul-Jabbar’s spectacular 20-year career.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Rockets 120, Magic 118 (OT)
Game 2	Rockets 117, Magic 106
Game 3	Rockets 106, Magic 103
Game 4	Rockets 113, Magic 101

Notorious for the Orlando Magic’s complete meltdown in Game 1, during which guard Nick Anderson missed four crucial free throws to open the door for Houston Rockets guard Kenny Smith’s game-tying three. The Rockets, seeded sixth, became the lowest-seeded team to win the title. Houston’s title followed a seven-game championship win over the New York Knicks in 1994.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Lakers 99, Nets 94
Game 2	Lakers 106, Nets 83
Game 3	Lakers 106, Nets 103
Game 4	Lakers 113, Nets 107

The Lakers’ third consecutive championship, and center Shaquille O’Neal’s third consecutive Finals MVP award. Los Angeles overcame a superb individual series from New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd, who had averaged a triple-double in the Eastern Conference finals. The last Finals aired on NBC to date.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Spurs 95, Cavaliers 76
Game 2	Spurs 103, Cavaliers 92
Game 3	Spurs 75, Cavaliers 72
Game 4	Spurs 83, Cavaliers 82

Noted for its astoundingly low scores, Game 3 was the lowest-scoring Finals game since 1955. The first Finals for Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, and for every Cavalier apart from veteran guard Eric Snow. Despite several close games, only in Game 4 did Cleveland lead in the second half.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114 (OT)
Game 2	Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3	Warriors 110, Cavaliers 102
Game 4	Warriors 108, Cavaliers 85

The sweep everyone remembers. Began with a bizarre overtime game in which Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith appeared to forget the score at the end of regulation and James scored 51 points in defeat. The average margin of victory, 15, is the largest in any NBA Finals.

30 Apr 24 Jimm Sallivan

Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Expected to Miss Several Games With Soleus Injury

Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis exited Monday's Game 4 against the Miami Heat before halftime after sustaining a non-contact calf injury. It could be a little while before he's back in action for the Celtics.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Porzingis is expected to miss several games with a right soleus strain. The team announced Tuesday that the 28-year-old would miss Game 5 against the Heat, and it seems that he'll be unavailable to start the second round, should Boston advance.

A win in Game 5 on Wednesday would secure the Celtics a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals, where a matchup against the Orlando Magic or Cleveland Cavaliers would await. It's not clear if Porzingis would be able to return in time for that series.

Porzingis's injury is a similar one to the ailment which has kept Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo out of commission thus far into the playoffs. Antetokounmpo has not played since April 9, when he sustained the injury in a regular-season game against Boston.

Porzingis played 14 minutes on Monday before exiting with the calf injury. He logged seven points and three rebounds before departing. He's averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in the first round against Miami, including his numbers from Game 4.

9 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Best NBA Prop Bets Today for Mavericks vs. Celtics in NBA Finals Game 2 (Bet This Kristaps Porzingis Prop)

Game 2 of the NBA Finals is upon us, and there are only so many more days that we can bet on the NBA this season, so why not take advantage of them with a few player prop picks?

Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks ended up being a blowout, but it was an educational game in terms of how these teams are going to match up.

We learned that Kristaps Porzingis was going to come off the bench, Boston was going to play Luka Doncic straight up, and Dallas’ lob threats weren't going to have an easy time at the rim.

There is one prop I took in Game 1 – Jrue Holiday’s points, rebounds, and assists – that I’m going back to on Sunday night, along with two more plays to round out the betting card.

Let’s break things down!

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Kristaps Porzingis OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-130)

Kristaps Porzingis came off the bench for Boston in Game 1 and dominated the game in the 21 minutes that he played, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.

While he didn’t play his usual minutes, Porzingis still attempted the second-most shots on the team and was a clear focal point on the Boston offense.

I’m eyeing his 3-point prop in Game 2, as he’s had a ton of success against Dallas in this market this season. In his lone regular-season meeting with the Mavs, KP drilled four of his eight shots from beyond the arc.

Dallas switched a lot in Game 1, giving Porzingis some favorable matchups to shoot over smaller defenders. If that continues, I imagine he keeps letting it fly from 3. KP shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season.

Jrue Holiday OVER 22.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-120)

Jrue Holiday did a little bit of everything in Game 1, finishing with 12 points (4-for-9 shooting), eight rebounds, and five assists to clear his PRA prop of 22.5.

Oddsmakers are setting this at the same number in Game 2, and I’ll gladly take the OVER again on the Celtics point guard.

Holiday has now cleared this line in every game since the start of the Eastern Conference Finals and seven of his last eight contests while averaging 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game over that stretch.

There aren’t a ton of shots to go around in the Boston offense, but Holiday still got a decent share in Game 1 and did a lot of the dirty work on the glass as well. Until he starts missing this number consistently, he’s a must-bet for me in Game 2.

PJ Washington OVER 5.5 Rebounds (-135)

Dallas forward PJ Washington had a big game on the glass in Game 1 with the Celtics spreading out the Dallas defense.

Washington finished with eight rebounds in the loss, the ninth time in 12 times that he’s cleared this total (dating back to the start of the second round against Oklahoma City).

For the playoffs, Washington has just one game where he finished with less than five rebounds, and he’s averaging 6.8 rebounds per game overall.

Dallas needs him on the floor defensively, and this is a favorable matchup for him to hit the glass on the defensive end since both of Boston’s centers stretch the floor and aren’t always parked in the paint (like Rudy Gobert was in the Western Conference Finals).

This is a great number to land Washington at him Game 2.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's betting record here You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Cavaliers-Celtics Odds Paint Grim Picture for Cleveland in NBA playoffs

If the Cleveland Cavaliers were looking for bulletin board material heading into their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Celtics, all they’d have to do is look at the odds.

Recent NBA betting scandals notwithstanding, it's clear oddsmakers don't think the Cavs stand any chance against Boston. In fact, sportsbooks are giving the Cavs a better chance of getting swept than upsetting the top-ranked Celtics, and it’s really not even close.

The Celtics are -3000 to win the series at FanDuel Sportsbook and -1200 to win at DraftKings. That means those sportsbooks are giving the Celtics an implied probability to win the series of 96.8% and 92.3% respectively.

Even more telling, the Celtics are +140 at FanDuel and +170 at DraftKings to win the series 4-0. Those are the shortest odds of any correct series score. The Celtics winning 4-1 has the second shortest odds at +170 and +190, respectively.

For context, even after winning Game 1, the Knicks are only -440 at FanDuel to win their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

This is not exactly surprising.

The Celtics have been the betting favorites to win the NBA championship most of the season and remain so today. They are +100 to win the title at FanDuel and +115 at DraftKings.

The Cavs are +10000 and +8000 at those books, respectively, the longest odds of any playoff team.

All of this paints a grim picture for the Cavs, even more so when you consider the Celtics are expected to be without their third-leading scorer from the regular season, Kristaps Porzingis, who is dealing with a calf injury and is not expected to play the entirety of the series.

The Cavs are at full strength but struggled to beat a young Orlando Magic team in the first round of the playoffs. The series went seven games and the Magic had the Cavs on the ropes in the first half of Game 7 before Donovan Mitchell took over and willed Cleveland into the second round.

Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics easily dispatched the Miami Heat in five games in the first round, though the Heat were without Jimmy Butler.

It’s clear oddsmakers believe in the duo of Tatum and Brown, not only against the Cavs, but against anyone in the league. The Cavs could look at that as an insult and use it as motivation. It won’t matter to oddsmakers though. It seems their belief is near certainty, at least in this round.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Looking Back at Every Sweep in NBA Finals History

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Jimm Sallivan