| NBA Finals | |||||
| Year | Winner | Coach | Loser | Coach | Result |
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | Boston Celtics | Doc Rivers | 4-3 |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | Orlando Magic | Stan Van Gundy | 4-1 |
| 2008 | Boston Celtics | Doc Rivers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4-2 |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | Cleveland Cavaliers | Mike Brown | 4-0 |
| 2006 | Miami Heat | Pat Riley | Dallas Mavericks | Avery Johnson | 4-2 |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | Detroit Pistons | Larry Brown | 4-3 |
| 2004 | Detroit Pistons | Larry Brown | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | 4-1 |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | New Jersey Nets | Byron Scott | 4-2 |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | New Jersey Nets | Byron Scott | 4-0 |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | Philadelphia 76ers | Larry Brown | 4-1 |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | Indiana Pacers | Larry Bird | 4-2 |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs | Gregg Popovich | New York Knicks | Jeff Van Gundy | 4-1 |
| 1998 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan | 4-2 |
| 1997 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Utah Jazz | Jerry Sloan | 4-2 |
| 1996 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Seattle SuperSonics | George Karl | 4-2 |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | Rudy Tomjanovich | Orlando Magic | Brian Hill | 4-0 |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets | Rudy Tomjanovich | New York Knicks | Pat Riley | 4-3 |
| 1993 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Phoenix Suns | Paul Westphal | 4-2 |
| 1992 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Portland Trail Blazers | Rick Adelman | 4-2 |
| 1991 | Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Los Angeles Lakers | Mike Dunleavy | 4-1 |
| 1990 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | Portland Trail Blazers | Rick Adelman | 4-1 |
| 1989 | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4-0 |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | Detroit Pistons | Chuck Daly | 4-3 |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | Boston Celtics | K.C. Jones | 4-2 |
| 1986 | Boston Celtics | K.C. Jones | Houston Rockets | Bill Fitch | 4-2 |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | Boston Celtics | K.C. Jones | 4-2 |
| 1984 | Boston Celtics | K.C. Jones | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4-3 |
| 1983 | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | 4-0 |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers | Pat Riley | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | 4-2 |
| 1981 | Boston Celtics | Bill Fitch | Houston Rockets | Del Harris | 4-2 |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers | Paul Westhead | Philadelphia 76ers | Billy Cunningham | 4-2 |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens | Washington Bullets | Dick Motta | 4-1 |
| 1978 | Washington Wizards | Dick Motta | Seattle SuperSonics | Lenny Wilkens | 4-3 |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers | Jack Ramsay | Philadelphia 76ers | Gene Shue | 4-2 |
| 1976 | Boston Celtics | Tom Heinsohn | Phoenix Suns | John MacLeod | 4-2 |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors | Al Attles | Washington Bullets | K.C. Jones | 4-0 |
| 1974 | Boston Celtics | Tom Heinsohn | Milwaukee Bucks | Larry Costello | 4-3 |
| 1973 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Sharman | 4-1 |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Sharman | New York Knicks | Red Holzman | 4-1 |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks | Larry Costello | Baltimore Bullets | Gene Shue | 4-0 |
| 1970 | New York Knicks | Red Holzman | Los Angeles Lakers | Joe Mullaney | 4-3 |
| 1969 | Boston Celtics | Bill Russell | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill van Breda Kolff | 4-3 |
| 1968 | Boston Celtics | Bill Russell | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill van Breda Kolff | 4-2 |
| 1967 | Philadelphia 76ers | Alex Hannum | San Francisco Warriors | Bill Sharman | 4-2 |
| 1966 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Los Angeles Lakers | Fred Schaus | 4-3 |
| 1965 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Los Angeles Lakers | Fred Schaus | 4-1 |
| 1964 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | San Francisco Warriors | Alex Hannum | 4-1 |
| 1963 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Los Angeles Lakers | Fred Schaus | 4-2 |
| 1962 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Los Angeles Lakers | Fred Schaus | 4-3 |
| 1961 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | St. Louis Hawks | Paul Seymour | 4-1 |
| 1960 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | St. Louis Hawks | Ed Macauley | 4-3 |
| 1959 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Minnesapolis Lakers | John Kundla | 4-0 |
| 1958 | St. Louis Hawks | Alex Hannum | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | 4-2 |
| 1957 | Boston Celtics | Red Auerbach | Atlanta Hawks | Alex Hannum | 4-3 |
| 1956 | Philadelphia Warriors | George Senesky | Fort Wayne Pistons | Charles Eckman | 4-1 |
| 1955 | Syracuse Nationals | Al Cervi | Fort Wayne Pistons | Charles Eckman | 4-3 |
| 1954 | Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | Syracuse Nationals | Al Cervi | 4-3 |
| 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | New York Knicks | Joe Lapchik | 4-1 |
| 1952 | Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | New York Knicks | Joe Lapchik | 4-3 |
| 1951 | Rochester Royals | Lester Harrison | New York Knicks | Joe Lapchik | 4-3 |
| 1950 | Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | Syracuse Nationals | Al Cervi | 4-2 |
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | Washington Capitols | Red Auerbach | 4-2 |
| 1948 | Baltimore Bullets | Buddy Jeannette | Philadelphia Warriors | Ed Gottlieb | 4-2 |
| 1947 | Philadelphia Warriors | Ed Gottlieb | Chicago Stags | Harold Olsen | 4-1 |