Listing the only 5 teams to appear in 4 straight NBA Finals
Teams in the NBA go into each season with title hopes. Winning is one of the main goals of any competitive sport, if not the only goal. As far as basketball goes, the NBA is one of the premier events and the NBA Finals is the holy grail of title hopefuls year after year.
There are some teams in particular that leave their mark upon history. Teams that were built to stand the test of time and compete to produce some of the greatest moments in the history of the league. These are the dynasties.
The NBA has seen dynasties rise and fall, be it the Minneapolis Lakers in the 50's or the Golden State Warriors who dominated the second half of the 2010's. The very nature of dynasties is to end. However, the success they enjoy in that time immortalizes them in the record books.
Looking at the NBA dynasties in the league's history, in this article we list the only five teams to appear in four consecutive NBA Finals.
#1 LA Lakers
The LA Lakers are among one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. Being a part of the league since its inception, the Lakers have excelled across several decades, amassing 17 NBA Championships in the process.
The franchise saw its most successful NBA Finals runs in the 1980's. Led by a trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, the LA Lakers became one of the most exciting and successful franchises in the NBA.
With a style of play that suited their Hollywood background, the Lakers appeared in four consecutive NBA Finals from 1982-1985.
With coach Pat Riley, the Lakers would win two out of those four appearances. They won their first ring of the four year streak against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers would get them back immediately, sweeping them in the Finals with the addition of Moses Malone to their ranks.
The second win came against their age-old rivals, the Boston Celtics. Although the Celtics beat them in 1984, the Lakers would get them back in 1985 by beating them 4-2.
With that victory in 1985, the Lakers capped off their tremendous streak in the NBA Finals. Magic and the LA Lakers went on to win two more titles in the latter part of the decade, successfully repeating championships in 1987 and 1988.
#2 Miami Heat
The Miami Heat franchise came into being during the 1988-89 season as an expansion team in the NBA. After hiring Pat Riley as team president, the Heat enjoyed much success entering playoff contention with stars like Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning.
Miami won its first championship in 2006 led by the duo of Dwyane Wade and the league's most dominant force, Shaquille O'Neal. However, their most impressive run in the Finals came during their "Big Three" era.
After the additions of All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat went on to appear in four consecutive NBA Finals between 2011-2014. With a trio that was at the peak of their powers, the Heat would produce two NBA titles in that period of time.
In their first season in the "Big Three" era, the Heat produced instant success by making it to the Finals. However, faced up against the Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Heat would lose in six games on the back of one of the greatest playoff runs in NBA history.
The Heat followed up this season with consecutive victories against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013.
However, as all dynasties do, the Heat's epic run in the Finals came to an end. In 2014, the Spurs faced them again and beat them on the back of a stellar performance by the young Kawhi Leonard.
While the Heat continued to be in playoff contention, LeBron James left the franchise to return home to Cleveland. Miami wouldn't see another NBA Finals appearance until 2020 where they were led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.