Who have been NBA champions over last 5 years? Finals MVPs, their standout performances, and more
Who have been NBA champions over last 5 years? Finals MVPs, their standout performances, and more (Image Credit: Getty Images)
The NBA champion for the 2025 season is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team won it after a huge gap of 56 years. It was in 1979 when they last won the championship, but they were known as the Seattle Supersonics at that time.
After their move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the 2025 NBA title will be their first. There has never been the same name on the NBA championship winners' list in the last five years.
Here are the year-wise winners of the NBA championship over the last 5 years, and some of the interesting facts about the Finals MVPs.
2023-2024: Boston Celtics defeated Dallas Mavericks 4-1
The Boston Celtics were crowned the NBA champions for the 2023-2024 season. A 4-1 win over the Dallas Mavericks earned them the coveted title.
ESPN's records reveal that Jaylen Brown was voted the Finals MVP, averaging 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 5.0 APG. He stood out both offensively as well as defensively to earn the recognition.
The Celtics attributed their winning performance to impregnable defense, which restricted Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving from making shots.
2022-23: Denver Nuggets overpowered Miami Heat 4-1
The Denver Nuggets took only five games to prove their candidature for the 2022-23 NBA Championship trophy.
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It was the Nuggets' first-ever NBA title.
The Finals MVP award was won by Nikola Jokic, who knocked down the opponents with versatile performance in terms of points, rebounds, and assists. Jokic's impressive run in the season averaged ~30PPG, as per NBA's records.
Jokic became the first player to lead the playoffs in all statistics. His Game 5 performance's highlight was 28 points and 16 rebounds.
2021-22: Golden State Warriors became NBA champions, beating Boston Celtics 4-2
The 2021-22 season found its NBA champion in six games.
The Golden State Warriors crushed the Boston Celtics 4-2 to acquire the title.
Stephen Curry won the Finals MVP award that year. Though he won three championships previously (2015, 2017, and 2018), it was his first Finals MVP award.
Curry's standout performance was in Game 4, in which he scored 43 points, driving the momentum in the team's favor. After Game 4, the results stood 2-2, which ignited hopes among the team.
2020-21: Milwaukee Bucks defeated Phoenix Suns 4-2 to win NBA championship
The 2020-21 NBA Champions were the Milwaukee Bucks. They dominated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 to prove their supremacy. The win ended the drought of 50 years for Bucks with this title. They had won the title before that in 1971.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was voted the Finals MVP award. He stood out brilliantly with a chase-down block in Game 4 and an alley-oop dunk in Game 5. His rewarding statistics read 35.2/13.2/5.0/1.8.
The final Game 6 saw Giannis deliver the standout performance of 50 points.
It was the most brilliant closeout performance ever witnessed.
2019-2020: Los Angeles Lakers defeated Miami Heat 4-2
Amidst the tough conditions offered by COVID-19, the 2019-20 finals were played inside the bubble, with the Los Angeles Lakers taking the lead. Los Angeles Lakers defeated Miami Heat 4-2
Legendary LeBron James won his 4th Finals MVP title. It was his 4th NBA title as well.
The sixth game proved decisive in announcing the worthy winner of the championship.
In that game, LeBron exhibited triple-double dominance. Overall, he led the Lakers in every category.
Also Read:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA Finals MVP after powering Oklahoma City Thunder to historic Game 7 win
Considering the last five years' records, the 2024-25 season is different as it required playing all seven games of the best-of-seven Finals series to determine the winner. It underscores the tough fight the Indiana Pacers gave to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won the championship with young talent.
For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the
India vs England Test match here
.
Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
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