Which NBA teams have won the most conference finals? East, West, overall…

The 2024 NBA Playoffs are reaching their conclusion, with four teams still in with a chance of being crowned conference and NBA champions. Hot favourites the Boston Celtics will take on surprise package the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Dallas Mavericks will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West.

How many Eastern Conference titles have the Celtics won?

Of the teams remaining, the Celtics are by far and away the most successful in terms of previous conference titles. Their 10 victories make them the most decorated team in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Miami Heat (seven) and the Chicago Bulls (six).

Boston have won 17 NBA Championships, although only one - in 2008 - since the current 15-team conference format was introduced in 2004.

The Pacers, meanwhile, have only one conference title to their name, defeating the New York Knicks as top seed in 2000. They went on to lose to the Shaquille O’Neal-inspired LA Lakers in that year’s NBA Finals.

LA Lakers’ Western Conference dominance

Over in the Western Conference, there is one team that stands tall above every other. The Lakers have won a whopping 19 conference titles, putting them well ahead of the Golden State Warriors (seven) and the San Antonio Spurs (six). Remember, that’s almost twice as many victories as the Celtics, who have the next best conference record.

The Lakers and Boston are, of course, also the two most successful teams in terms of NBA championships, with 17 wins apiece.

Timberwolves chasing first conference title

As for this year’s pretenders in the West, the Mavericks won two conference titles, the most recent of which came in 2011, the year they also won their only NBA Championship.

The Timberwolves are still looking for their first conference victory and, as a result, NBA Finals triumph, although their record is hampered by the fact they were only founded in 1989, which makes them the fourth youngest franchise in the league.

Minnesota won their only division title in 2004, which was when they made their sole appearance in the Western Conference Finals prior to this year. On that occasion, they were beaten by the Lakers. Can they go one better this year?