The Boston Celtics could not finish off a sweep against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics took the first three games of the series and had the chance to put their name on an elite list. However, the Mavericks came alive in Game 4, blowing out the Celtics for a 38-point win to extend the series.
Only nine teams have lifted the Larry O'Brien trophy after going 4-0 in a best-of-seven championship series.
The Celtics were the first franchise to do it in 1959. Sixty-five years ago, the Celtics swept the then-Minneapolis Lakers, the team they are currently tied with for most NBA trophies -- 17. The 1959 trophy was their second ever and the first of eight consecutive titles. The Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles before the 1960-61 season.
The last time a sweep happened in the Finals was six years ago when the Golden State Warriors were the hottest team in the league and put away the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. The Warriors pulled it off with a roster that had Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green playing at the top of their game. That 2018 title was their third in a four-year period.
The second-most recent team to go 4-0 in the Finals was Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs. They earned their 2007 title by sweeping the Cavs. That was their second title in a three-year period, and that team boasted Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker.
And in 2002? That was the Lakers' third consecutive title and they pulled off the sweep against the Brooklyn Nets with the help of the star duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Below is a full list of every team that has pulled off a Finals sweep.
