5 NBA teams with the most Western Conference Finals appearances
The final stage for the Western Conference Finals is set.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are ready to face the Dallas Mavericks in their final bid to make it to the NBA Finals. While the Mavericks are appearing in the WCF for the second time in the past three seasons, it will be the first for the Timberwolves in the last 20 years.
While the Timberwolves have made a rare appearance, here are some of the great teams that have made the most conference finals in the West.
5 NBA teams with the most Western Conference Finals
#5 Golden State Warriors (9)
The Golden State Warriors have tasted the most success since Steve Kerr took over the coaching job from Mark Jackson. In the Steph Curry and Steve Kerr era, the Warriors rose to become a historically great team.
In the last 10 seasons, the Warriors have won four NBA titles and made six NBA Finals runs. They have the fifth-most Western Conference Finals appearances.
#4 Phoenix Suns (10)
The Phoenix Suns had a taste of success during the Charles Barkley era in the 1990s. During Barkley’s stint with the Suns, the team appeared in the NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls during the 1992-93 season. After Barkley, it was during the Steve Nash era when Mike D'Antoni was the coach, that the Suns enjoyed a bit of success.
Since the 2009-10 season, the Suns have made the Western Conference Finals only once, during the 2020-21 season when they also reached the NBA Finals.
#3 Oklahoma City Thunder (10)
The OKC Thunder were highly successful when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were still playing with the team. Since their departure, the Thunder haven’t made it past the second round of the Western Conference. From 2010-11 until the 2015-16 season, the Thunder made it to the Conference Finals four out of six times.
This season, the Thunder were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. However, with the emergence of MVP-caliber players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and their rookie Chet Holmgren, the future of the franchise looks better.
#2 San Antonio Spurs (14)
The San Antonio Spurs are third in the league behind the Boston Celtics for most Conference Finals appearances by any team in the league. They are second in the Western Conference for most appearances in the Conference Finals.
The Spurs dominated in the David Robinson-Tim Duncan era and later on carried that dominance forward with a trio of Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. The Spurs haven’t made the playoffs in the last five seasons. However, with Victor Wembanyama, their future looks bright.
#1 Los Angeles Lakers (24)
The LA Lakers are the most successful team in the league. They are tied with the Boston Celtics for the most titles [17] in NBA history. However, it is the Lakers that hold the record for most conference finals appearances of any team.
The Lakers saw a large chunk of their success during the 'Showtime' era of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their success was followed by almost a decade of domination by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the 2000s.
Since LeBron James joined the Lakers in 2029, the team has appeared in the Western Conference Finals twice and won a title in 2020. Most recently in the 2022-23 season, they made it to the WCF and played against the Denver Nuggets.