The 2021 NBA Finals officially tipped off on Tuesday night, as the Phoenix Suns hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns took Game 1 by the score of 118-105 to pull themselves within three wins of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in the franchise’s history.
Based on the play of both the Suns and the Bucks, many have drawn the conclusion that Phoenix will win the NBA title in four games. Of course, there are still plenty of games left in the Finals, so things can change. But for those of you wondering how many NBA Finals sweeps there were, we have you covered in the list below.
- 1959: Boston Celtics defeat Minneapolis Lakers
- 1971: Milwaukee Bucks defeat Baltimore Bullets
- 1975: Golden State Warriors defeat Washington Bullets
- 1983: Philadelphia 76ers defeat Los Angeles Lakers
- 1989: Detroit Pistons defeat Los Angeles Lakers
- 1995: Houston Rockets defeat Orlando Magic
- 1999: San Antonio Spurs defeat New York Knicks
- 2002: Los Angeles Lakers defeat New Jersey Nets
- 2007: San Antonio Spurs defeat Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2018: Golden State Warriors defeat Cleveland Cavaliers
There have been a grand total of 10 sweeps in the history of the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers were on the wrong end of sweeps, as they were eliminated in four games three times. As for most wins via sweeps, both the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have the most with two.
Chris Paul shined in Game 1, as he dropped 32 points while shooting 12-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from the three-point line. As for the Bucks, the returning Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a double-double by scoring 20 points (6-for-11 from the field, 7-for-12 from free throw line) and grabbing 17 rebounds.
Suns fans would love it for the team to have the 11th sweep in NBA Finals history. But, you can’t rule out the Bucks bouncing back in Game 2 on Thursday.