NBA League Division Finals History: Winners, Records and Statistics Keepers

The National Basketball Association, originally known as the American Basketball Association, was founded in 1946. It was first readjusted to two leagues—the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference—before the 1970-71 season. Since then, the league finals have been the penultimate round of the NBA playoffs.

Two two-win series in seven games will determine the championships of the two respective leagues. The NBA first presented the league championship trophy in 2001. In 2022, both trophys were redesigned and named the Eastern Conference Bob Cusey Trophy and the Western Conference Oscar Robertson Trophy to honor two players who played a key role in developing the National Basketball Players Association.

Also in 2022, the NBA began awarding the League Finals Most Valuable Player Award. The Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award and Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Award are presented to the best performers in each league final series. The award is named after two players who took the league to new heights in the 1980s.

Eastern Finals Winner vs. Western Conference Finals Winners will compete for the NBA Championship in the NBA Finals.

In 2025, the Indiana Pacers will play against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Oklahoma City Thunder will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals