Global InformationList of NBA game sevens information
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a game seven is the final game of a best-of-seven series in the NBA playoffs. Based on the playoffs format arrangement,[a] it is played in the venue of the team holding home-court advantage for the series. The necessity of a game seven is not known until the outcome of game six is determined, assuming that a series reaches that far. In other words, game seven is the only one in a series that is not guaranteed more than one game in advance. Due to the decisive nature of game sevens, they are often "played more conservatively" and receive more media and fan attention.[1]
The NBA Finals has always employed a best-of-seven series format. The Conference (or Division) Finals have used this format since 1958;[2] the Conference (or Division) Semifinals since 1968;[3] and the First Round since 2003.[4][5] During the 1947 and 1948 playoffs, in which teams from different divisions met each other in the opening rounds, the first-place teams from each division played a best-of-seven series against each other before one advanced to the league finals. The other teams in the playoffs competed against each other in three best-of-three series to determine the other spot in the finals.[6]
Since the inception of the NBA, 148 game sevens have been played. Of those, only six went into overtime, and one into double overtime. 37 game sevens have been won by the road team.[7] Every active NBA franchise has played in at least one game seven. There have been thirteen NBA playoff seasons in which no game seven was played: 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1972, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, and 1999. The 1994, the 2014 and the 2016 postseasons hold the record for most game sevens played, with five. In 1979, 1981, 1988, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2018 and 2020, four game sevens were played. The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks both hold the record for most game sevens played in a single postseason, having played three game sevens in 1988 and 1994, respectively, the maximum possible at that time.
- ^ McCallum, Jack (May 24, 2004). "It's That Time Again: Everything changes when you get to Game 7. The air is different. The noise is different. And there's so much weight". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- ^ Newmann, Peter (May 30, 2007). "Jazz–Spurs research notes". ESPN. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ Hickok, Ralph (February 18, 2009). "NBA 1967–68 Season". HickokSports.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ Abrams, Jonathan & Beck, Howard (May 2, 2009). "An Unforgettable Series, and They've Only Just Begun". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Corrie and Rob Reheuser, et al (2006). Sporting News Official 2006–2007 NBA Guide. Sporting News Books. ISBN 0-89204-854-9.
- ^ Rosen, Charley (2008). The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA. Mc-Graw Hill. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-07-148785-9.
- ^ "NBA serves up rare Game 7 feast". USA Today. May 21, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2009.