Has Any Team Ever Swept The NBA Finals?
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The answer may surprise you – it has happened before! In fact, it happened as recently as 2018. The Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals that year.
The Boston Celtics in 1959
The Boston Celtics in 1959 became the first—and to date, only—team in NBA history to sweep the NBA Finals. The Celtics achieved this feat by defeating the Minneapolis Lakers 4-0 in the best-of-seven series. Led by future Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, the Celtics were simply too much for the Lakers, who were no match for Boston’s superior talent and experience.
It is worth noting that, while the Celtics did win the Finals in four straight games, they actually lost the first game of the series at home before winning four straight on the road. This effectively means that, while they are technically considered to have swept the series, they did not do so in dominant fashion.
Since 1959, there have been a number of teams who have come close to sweeping the Finals, but none have been able to match the feat of the Celtics. The most recent team to come close was the Golden State Warriors, who won the first three games of the 2017 Finals before losing Game 4 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Los Angeles Lakers in 2000
The Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 are the most recent team to date to sweep the NBA Finals. The Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers four games to zero. Shaquille O’Neal was named Finals MVP.
The San Antonio Spurs in 2007
The San Antonio Spurs were the last team to sweep the NBA Finals, doing so in 2007 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs won the series 4-0, with all four games being decided by double digits. It was also the first time that a team had swept the Finals since 1999, when the Spurs did it against the New York Knicks.
The Miami Heat in 2012
The Miami Heat in 2012 are the most recent team to have swept the NBA Finals. They did so against the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning the series 4-0. It was the first time in NBA history that a team had swept the Finals after losing the first two games of the series.
The Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018
In 2017, the Golden State Warriors became the first team in NBA history to finish the playoffs with a perfect 16-0 record. They then went on to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.
The Warriors repeated as champions in 2018, and again swept the Cavaliers in the Finals. With that victory, they became the first team in NBA history to win three titles in four years.
