Ranking the 10 easiest trips to the NBA Finals in NBA history
A lot of basketball fans will agree that winning an NBA championship in any era was difficult. However, one couldn't help but claim that some championship runs are just easier than others. Here's a look at the 10 easiest trips to the NBA Finals in NBA history and how they rank.
A well-seasoned Boston Celtics team made easy work of a young Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who went 30-52 in the regular season, in the first round.
Although Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks managed to steal one game, The Celtics dominated for the rest of the way en route to a championship, including a sweep against the Milwaukee Bucks before beating the Houston Rockets in six games in the NBA Finals.
Although it looked tough on paper, the Denver Nuggets capitalized on the playing field in the Western Conference by taking advantage of their opposing teams' chemistry issues. Jokic and the Nuggets picked apart the Timberwolves, who saw Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert on different pages.
Chemistry issues also haunted their succeeding opponents in the Phoenix Suns, who acquired Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who rarely paraded a healthy roster during the season. This set them up to finally win their first NBA title .
Given that the Detroit Pistons nearly swept their way to the NBA Finals, it says a lot. They went undefeated in the first round against the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
While Michael Jordan and the Bulls got two games, the Pistons dominated the Bulls after that. Come the NBA Finals, injuries to Magic Johnson and Byron Scott helped the Pistons dominate the Lakers' depleted backcourt for their first franchise title.
While the Miami Heat were poised for another Finals run, it's safe to say that this was one of the easiest trips to the NBA Finals. The Heat first swept the 38-44 Bucks, who didn't really have the star power to match up in the first place. Afterwards, the Heat also took advantage of the Bulls, who limped into the second round without MVP Derrick Rose due to injury.
Afterwards, the Heat battled a Pacers squad without Danny Granger. The Heat went all the way but met some tough resistance in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Considered as one of Michael Jordan's easier championship runs, the Bulls easily swept a 39-43 Knicks team in the first round before beating an inexperienced Philadelphia 76ers team led by a young Charles Barkley in the second round. The Bulls also went on to sweep an aging Bad Boy Pistons team in dominant fashion in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Although the Phoenix Suns had to deal with an injury to Chris Paul, the rest of the field in the Western Conference were also limping their way through the playoffs. In the first round, the Suns capitalized on the Lakers thanks to an injury to Anthony Davis.
In the second round, the Suns dealt with a Nuggets squad that didn't feature Jamal Murray due to a season-ending injury. Furthermore, the Suns also played a Clippers squad that had to endure the absence of Kawhi Leonard. While the Suns finally made the Finals, they fell short in the 2021 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors' 2015 NBA championship was quite controversial. Every team they played in the postseason saw an opposing superstar fall to injury.
In the first round, the Pelicans lost Jrue Holiday to a leg injury along with Tyreke Evans en route to a Warriors sweep. In the second round, Mike Conley and Tony Allen also succumbed to injuries. And then in the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors capitalized on the absences of defensive specialist Patrick Beverley and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard.
The Celtics caused quite a buzz after winning 2024 NBA Finals. During their postseason run, the Celtics lost only three times. The squad took care of business in five games against the Heat, who lost Jimmy Butler to injury during the Play-In Tournament.
The Celtics then went on to beat the Cavaliers in five games as the Cavs were hit with the injury bug that sidelined Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen. Lastly, the Cavs swept the Pacers, who had to play without Tyrese Haliburton in the final two games. As a result, some fans have dubbed the Celtics run as one of the easiest trips to the Finals in recent memory.
LeBron James didn't receive much help from the supporting cast, but he willed the Cavs to the 2007 NBA Finals. James took advantage of the playing field in the East. The Cavs first swept a Washington Wizards squad playing without an injured Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.
In the next round, the Cavs eliminated a 41-41 Nets team. Both the Wizards and Nets were 0.500 teams during the regular season. The Cavs did face some resistance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons. However, the Pistons were also playing without Defensive Player of the Year winner Ben Wallace.
The 1986-1987 Lakers probably had the easiest path to the Finals. The Purple and Gold faced two NBA teams with losing records in the form of the 39-43 Seattle Supersonics in the first round and the 37-45 Nuggets. They also took care of business against a 42-40 Warriors team in five games during the second round.
Around this time, the Lakers were clearly in a class of their own in the Western Conference. The team went on to win the 1987 NBA championship as well at the expense of Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.
