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Western and Eastern Conference Finals logos used since 2007.
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the NBA. The Conference Finals are best-of-seven series like the NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals. The two series are played in late May each year after the first and second rounds of the Playoffs and before the Finals. The final two teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference face off. The series are the conference equivalents of the NBA Finals. At the conclusion of the Conference Finals winners are presented with a silver trophy, caps, and t-shirts, and advance to the NBA Finals.
The division finals was a best-of-three series from 1949 to 1950; a best-of-five series from 1951 to 1957, and a best-of-seven series since 1957. Starting with the 1970-1971 season, the NBA realigned itself into two conferences with two divisions from the original two divisions (there were three divisions in the 1950–51 season) which led to the renaming as "Conference Finals". The 1970 New York-Milwaukee and Los Angeles-Atlanta series were the last "divisional championships"; the 1971 New York-Baltimore and Los Angeles-Milwaukee series were the first "conference championships."
Eastern Division/Conference
Divisional Finals
Conference Finals
Western Division/Conference
Divisional Finals
Conference Finals
Central Division
Divisional Finals
Notes
- ^ The winner of the Western and Central Division Finals met in the NBA Semi-Finals in order to determine who would face the Eastern Division champion Syracuse Nationals in the NBA Finals. The Minneapolis Lakers defeated the Anderson Packers in the best-of-three series, 2-0 to advance to the Finals against the Syracuse Nationals.
References