What makes a great NBA playoff series? Intense rivalries, NBA superstars going head-to-head, game-winning buzzer-beaters, and seven-game series all come to mind. Well, this list of past Eastern Conference series truly has it all.

Whether it's Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, or LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference Finals have offered countless years of stunning basketball and jaw-dropping entertainment. So, these are the ten 10 greatest series to ever decide the Eastern Conference championship.

When is the Eastern Conference Finals?

The 2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals are set to begin on May 15. The series will determine the Eastern Conference team that advances to the NBA Finals, which open on June 1.

NBA Eastern Conference History

The Washington Bullets became the NBA’s first Eastern Conference champions in the 1970-71 season. Prior to that year, the league was broken up into the Eastern and Western Divisions. In renaming the divisions as conferences, the NBA made room for three expansion teams by splitting the league into four divisions – two in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western.

Since then, the conference has featured many great rivalries, including memorable matchups between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, and the current rivalry between the Celtics and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.

In 2022, the NBA began awarding Conference MVP awards to the most outstanding player on each side of the playoff bracket. Boston’s Jayson Tatum was the first Eastern Conference Finals MVP, winning the award for his performance against the Miami Heat. 

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest NBA Eastern Conference Finals Series of all time

10. 1995 Eastern Conference Finals: Orlando Magic vs Indiana Pacers

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Magic  

The Orlando Magic, led by the young duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, had just knocked off Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. They came up against a more experienced Pacers team, featuring Reggie Miller and Rik Smits, that had lost a seven-game series to the New York Knicks in the previous year’s conference finals.

The Magic took the first two games, as Shaq’s 39 points outscored Miller’s 37 in Game 2. Indiana claimed Game 3 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, and Game 4 turned out to be a rollercoaster with a spectacular finish. The lead changed hands four times in the game’s final 15 seconds, and the game ended on Smits’ buzzer-beater that tied the series 2-2.

Game 5 was an equally close contest, and the Magic survived for a 108-106 win to take the series lead. That didn’t last long, because Orlando was blown out by the Pacers in Game 6. Unfortunately, Game 7 was rather anticlimactic, as the Magic coasted to a 105-81 win on their way to the NBA Finals. Had Game 7 lived up to the earlier games, this could have been one of the top series in Eastern Conference Finals history.

9. 1990 Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Pistons

The defending champion Detroit Pistons had become a powerful force in the Eastern Conference during the 1980s and eventually developed an intense rivalry with the Chicago Bulls. A young Michael Jordan embarrassed Detroit on multiple occasions during those years, including a 59-point game on national TV and a 61-point performance in a Bulls’ OT victory.

When the teams met in the 1990 finals, players on both sides were hungry to win. The Pistons wanted to prove that Jordan was no match for their dominance, while Jordan wanted to show that none of the so-called “Bad Boys” (the Pistons’ nickname in that era) could guard him.

Detroit had reached the conference finals by sweeping both Boston and Milwaukee, while MJ and the Bulls had forced their way through Cleveland and New York as the East’s No. 6 seed.

During the series, the Pistons deployed what became known as the “Jordan Rules.” The rules were based around targeting Jordan individually and forcing other Bulls players to take shots instead. Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman formed a wall to keep Jordan from driving the paint. By making life difficult for him offensively, Detroit hoped to wear him down and make fatigue a factor in the series.

Jordan managed to score 47 points in Game 3 and 42 in Game 4 to level the series at 2-2 after Detroit had taken a 2-0 lead at home. Fatigue did become an issue, however, as the series went all the way to seven games.

Isiah Thomas had 21 points and 11 assists in Game 7, while playing hard against Jordan throughout, to help Detroit win the series 4-3 and advance to the NBA Finals. The Pistons would go on to beat Portland for their second NBA title in as many years.

8. 2012 Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Heat  

LeBron James had been heavily criticized for his performance in Miami’s 2011 NBA Finals loss to Dallas and faced immense pressure to deliver for the Heat in 2012. He got that chance when Miami met the Boston Celtics for a shot at returning to the NBA Finals.

The Heat took Game 1, but it was Game 2 that turned into a thriller for the ages. Rajon Rondo scored 44 points, Ray Allen hit a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game in the dying moments, and LeBron had a chance to close it out but missed as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter. The Heat pulled out the victory in overtime before heading to Boston, where the Celtics managed to tie the series at 2-2.

Returning to American Airlines Arena in Miami, the Celtics broke the deadlock with a road win that pushed the Heat to the brink of elimination. With so much on the line, James changed the narrative in Game 6 by turning in one of his greatest performances of all time. In addition to a stellar defensive effort, he scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and added five assists -- leading the Heat in all three statistical categories -- as Miami came away with a 98-79 win at TD Garden.

Returning to his home court, LeBron finished what he’d started up north by eliminating the Celtics with another 31-point performance. That put the Heat back in the NBA Finals, where they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.

7. 1987 Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Celtics 

The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA’s Eastern Conference for three years in a row, winning titles in 1984, 1985, and 1986, while also claiming the NBA championship in two of those seasons.

Led by superstar Larry Bird, Boston came into the 1987 playoffs as defending NBA champions. The Celtics awaited a worthy challenger, and any other Eastern team hoping for an NBA title knew it would have to take down the Boston dynasty first.

After the Detroit Pistons lost the first two games of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals at Boston Garden, it felt like the Celtics would dominate for another year. That was until Game 3 at Detroit, when the “Bad Boy” Pistons got under Bird’s skin.

Late in the game, with his team leading by 16 points, Detroit’s Bill Laimbeer took a cheap shot at Bird, dragging him to the ground under the basket as Bird went up for a shot. Bird lost his cool, and the two had to be pulled off each other before the Celtics star picked up the ball and threw it at Laimbeer's head.

The moment was pivotal. The Pistons knew they had the Celtics rattled. They played the game dirty and weren’t ashamed of it. Plus, it worked. Detroit crushed the Celtics in both Games 3 and 4.

With the momentum apparently having shifted in the Pistons’ favor, Game 5 at Boston Garden had everything riding on it, and Bird got his revenge at the perfect moment. In one of the best plays in NBA Conference Finals history, he stole Isiah Thomas’ inbound pass with less than five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing by a point. He then tossed it under Laimbeer’s flailing arm to Dennis Johnson, who laid it in for a Boston win. The Garden went crazy, knowing the Celtics had regained control of the series.

Boston would go on to win the series 4-3. Bird scored at least 35 points in each of the last three games of the series, and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals. The incredible momentum shifts made this playoff series one of the best in league history.

The 1987 NBA playoff matchup between Boston and Detroit was among the chippiest and most intense the NBA had ever seen. It’s no surprise that Bird and Laimbeer still very much dislike each other to this day.

6. 1994 Eastern Conference Finals: Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Knicks 

The 1994 Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers was a repeat of a first-round matchup from the previous year. During that series, Knicks guard John Starks had been ejected for head-butting Indiana’s Reggie Miller – a moment that helped create the rivalry that would last for years to come.

When they met the Knicks again in the 1994 conference finals, the Pacers were ready for some sweet revenge. The series started 2-2 after the home team won each of the first four games. Game 5 in New York would become Miller's moment to take center stage.

Miller scored 39 points at Madison Square Garden, including an outrageous 25 in the fourth quarter. He was in the zone – even jawing with courtside-seated Spike Lee -- as he hit multiple deep threes and took over the game. Miller’s performance helped the Pacers claim the upset at the Garden, and the Pacers returned to Indiana one game away from sending the Knicks home.

The Knicks fought back in Game 6 and evened the series at 3-3. That set up a big Game 7 back in New York, where future Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing put the series away with one of the best performances of his NBA career. In a 94-90 thriller, Ewing had 24 points, 22 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks to go with his late put-back dunk that stood up as the series winner.

5. 2007 Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons

Total Games: Six
Series Result: 4-2 Cavs 

The Detroit Pistons had eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the 2006 playoffs, so the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals offered a young LeBron James and Co. their shot at redemption.

The Pistons won each of the first two games 79-76, holding LeBron and the Cavs to low-scoring numbers as they edged out in front. Things looked shaky for Cleveland, which desperately hoped to avoid losing to Detroit in back-to-back years.

LeBron helped the Cavs even the series at 2-2, as they won both games at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland before heading back to Detroit. Game 5 would end up defining James’ career to that point, as he continued his rise to NBA superstar status by garnering worldwide attention.

In front of a hostile, sellout crowd at The Palace, LeBron scored 48 points and pushed the Cavs into a 3-2 series lead. He didn’t merely lead all scorers in the game. He also managed to score every single Cleveland point over the final seven minutes of regulation and both overtime periods. That included the game-winning shot for a 109-107 Cavaliers victory.

The NBA hasn’t seen anything like that performance since, which remains one of the most astounding feats ever accomplished in the Eastern Conference Finals -- or any league game, for that matter.

4. 1998 Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Bulls 

The Chicago Bulls’ stunning double three-peat in the 1990s ranks among sports’ all-time great stories. Michael Jordan asserted himself as one of the best athletes in history in 1998, walking away from the Bulls and the NBA with six championships in six trips to the Finals.

The second three-peat almost didn't happen, because the Indiana Pacers and their star, Reggie Miller, nearly prevented that historic Bulls triumph. Chicago had won back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997, but the Pacers were looking to end that run in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bulls won the first two games, which included Jordan’s 41-point performance in Game 2. They hoped to go up 3-0 by winning their first game at Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena, but the Pacers foiled their plans, taking the closely-contested Game 3 by a score of 107-105. Miller then won Game 4 for the Pacers by hitting a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining. That stunning shot -- one of the greatest moments in NBA postseason history -- tied the series at 2-2. 

The series went all the way to Game 7 in Chicago after the Pacers prevailed in another close one to take Game 6 at home. Indiana was in control for much of the seventh game, too -- getting out to an early lead and maintaining it for more than three quarters. A fourth-quarter surge from MJ and Scottie Pippen got Chicago back into the game, and the Bulls eventually claimed the series, surviving a very close call on the way to their second three-peat.

3. 1993 Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks

Total Games: Six
Series Result: 4-2 Bulls 

There was history to the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals between the Bulls and Knicks. By this point, Chicago had been dealing the Knicks playoff losses for too long – having eliminated them three times in the four playoff years prior to 1993. New York was desperate to silence Jordan and Co. on its fourth attempt.

The Knicks had won 60 games in 1992-93 and finally looked as if they might challenge Chicago in the playoffs. New York ran through the Charlotte Hornets 4-1 in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, while the Bulls swept the Cleveland Cavs to set up the showdown.

The series opened at Madison Square Garden, and everything seemed on track for the Knicks, who won the first two games at home. Chicago took Game 3 and trailed the series 2-1 when reports broke out that Jordan had been gambling in Atlantic City, N.J., between Games 1 and 2.

It was never a good idea to give MJ cause for anger. He was already upset that his team was trailing in the series, so it wouldn’t have taken much for him to erupt for 50 points against any opponent in that situation. The media fueled his fire even more, and he took his feelings out on the Knicks in Game 4 by scoring 54 points. Jordan’s performance set an NBA postseason record for single-game points against the Knicks. It also tied the series 2-2.

From that point on, New York struggled to get back into the series. Chicago took Game 5 at The Garden in a nail-biter that went right down to the wire. The Bulls then returned home to seal the series 4-2. The four consecutive wins quickly eliminated Jordan’s Atlantic City trip as the subject of conversation.

2. 1968 Eastern Division Finals: Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers 

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Celtics

The rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain will always be one of the greatest in NBA history, and their meeting in the 1968 Eastern Division Finals made for one of the best NBA playoff series of all time.

Wilt Chamberlain was a three-time MVP, and the Philadelphia 76ers had ended the Celtics’ reign as NBA champions one year before this series took place. Despite an aging roster, Russell and the Celtics wanted to prove they were still very much contenders.

Boston won Game 1 but quickly fell behind 3-1 in the series after the Sixers won three in a row. That included back-to-back Celtics losses at the Boston Garden. As Russell’s team headed to Philadelphia with its season on the line, a Boston Globe article suggested the series was already over and that Boston Garden crews “might as well have the floor taken up”

Russell, serving as his team’s player-coach, drew up a game plan that forced Wilt Chamberlain out of his comfort zone. The Sixers big man did not like coming out of the paint and was visibly frustrated whenever forced to do so. The Celtics drew him out with a pick-and-roll offense to win both Games 5 and 6. Boston also took advantage of Wilt’s foul trouble – repeatedly driving at him when he got close to fouling out of the game.

For Game 7, Russell changed his game plan again. This time, he had teammate Wayne Embry guard Wilt, while Bill took on Chet Walker, who had been a key to Philadelphia’s success by averaging over 20 points per game during the series. Russell’s defense proved too much for Walker, stifling his offensive prowess. The coaching move led to a Celtics win and a 4-3 series victory.

In beating Philadelphia, Boston became the first NBA team to overcome a 3-1 playoff deficit. Russell, meanwhile, went on to win his 10th NBA title after the Sixers had presented perhaps the most challenging series in Celtics playoff history to that point.

1. 1981 Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers 

Total Games: Seven
Series Result: 4-3 Celtics

The 1981 playoff series between Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and Julius Erving’s Philadelphia 76ers is undoubtedly one of the best series that NBA fans have ever seen. It also takes the top spot on this list as the best Eastern Conference Finals series in league history.

This series had it all. Joining Larry Bird and Dr. J were multiple Hall of Famers on either side, including Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Nate Archibald for the Celtics, along with Maurice Cheeks for the Sixers.

Bird was a star on the rise, and Erving was chasing his first NBA championship after having won two ABA titles prior to the leagues’ merger. The series was so closely contested that five of its seven games came down to a two-point winning margin.

The Sixers took a 3-1 series lead after stealing Game 1 at Boston Garden, 105-104, and winning both games in Philadelphia. They were suddenly in prime position for a trip to the NBA Finals.

With his team on the brink of elimination, Bird guided the Celtics to back-to-back wins that kept them alive and forced a phenomenal Game 7. In fact, Game 7 of that series between Boston and Philadelphia might be the greatest finale of any playoff series in NBA history.

In Game 7, the two sides traded blow for blow until Bird (of course) hit the game-winning jumper with a minute left to play. With the Sixers down by two, Cheeks had a chance to tie the game from the free-throw line, but he missed one of his two attempts, enabling Boston to win the series. Celtics fans blew the roof off the Garden and stormed onto the court in celebration as Bird jumped up and down with his hands on his head.

Next up were the NBA Finals, where Bird and the Celtics would go on to win the league championship with a 4-2 series victory over the Houston Rockets. That was another great moment for Boston, but the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals takes the cake as the most sensational series not only of that year, but of the entire decade.

Parameters for Ranking

These all-time NBA Eastern Conference Finals series have been ranked based on their entertainment level as well as the intensity of the rivalries involved at the time. Some series had so much more at stake than a trip to the NBA Finals, thanks to bitter rivalries and intense head-to-head matchups. Others made this list because they showcased consistently outstanding basketball for six or seven straight games.

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