NBA
Which teams have played in the NBA Eastern Conference finals the most?
The Eastern Conference finals have yet to be decided this year. The Bucks will face the Nets, and the Hawks the Sixers in game seven this weekend.
The Boston Celtics are the franchise with the most Eastern Conference Finals with 20, winning 9. They are one of the most popular and successful franchises in the NBA. Their rivalry with the LA Lakers is legendary. The last time they won an Eastern Conference final and was in 2010, but they failed to win the championship that year.
Moreover, the Chicago Bulls are the other team in the East with the most finals under their belt, with 11 in total, although they've only won 6 of them. The Bulls have won the Conference Final only when they had Michael Jordan on the court. They have never won the finals without him.
The history behind the conferences
As the NBA grew in size and more teams joined the league, the number of games played per year became a concern for the governing body. The travel load and the fear of injuries for the star players made the league managers decided to split the conferences into two back in 1970, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.
The West Conference has a total of 34 NBA finals won from 9 different franchises, while the East has 38 championships with 10 different franchises. The LA Lakers hold 17 NBA Finals Championship titles tying for first place with the Boston Celtics. Interestingly both franchises represent one Conference each, the Lakers the West and the Celtics the East.
2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals
The Eastern Conference finals have yet to be decided this year as both semifinal series are going for game seven both of them. The Bucks will face the Nets, and the Hawks will do the same with the Sixers.