Pacers and Oilers looking to give NBA and NHL fans a rare pair of Game 7s originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The greatest two words in sports are “Game 7,” but fans could be in for three even better words this year: two Game 7s.
The NBA Finals and NHL’s Stanley Cup Final are both heading into Game 6 this week with teams on the cusp of a championship.
In the NBA, the Thunder hold a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers after winning Game 5 in Oklahoma City on Monday. In the NHL, the Florida Panthers hold a 3-2 advantage over the Edmonton Oilers with a chance to repeat as champions on home ice Tuesday night.
There have been dozens of Game 7s between the two leagues over the last 80 years, but they have rarely coincided in the same year.
With both championship series on the verge of going the distance, let’s look back at the times where the NBA and NHL have seen their titles decided by a Game 7 in the same year.
How many times have the NBA and NHL had championship Game 7s in the same year?
The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final have only had a Game 7 in the same year twice.
The first came in 1954. The Minneapolis Lakers won Game 7 on their home court on April 12 with a 87-80 victory over the Syracuse Nationals to win the NBA title. Four days later, Tony Leswick scored an overtime winner for the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.
The only other NBA-NHL Game 7 crossover came in 1994. The New York Rangers lifted the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14. The NBA Finals wrapped up on June 22 when the Houston Rockets earned a Game 7 victory over the Rangers’ MSG co-tenants, the New York Knicks, although that deciding game was played in Texas.
NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final Game 7 schedule
Should the Pacers and Oilers win their respective Game 6s, the NBA and NHL championships would be decided within two days of each other.
If necessary, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final would be slated for Friday, June 20, in Edmonton, while Game 7 of the NBA Finals would be scheduled for Sunday, June 22, in Oklahoma City.
NBA Finals Game 7s
The NBA Finals have gone to a Game 7 19 times, with the home team holding a 15-4 record.
- 1951: Rochester Royals 79, New York Knicks 75
- 1952: Minneapolis Lakers 82, New York Knicks 65
- 1954: Minneapolis Lakers 87, Syracuse Nationals 80
- 1955: Syracuse Nationals 92, Fort Wayne Pistons 91
- 1957: Boston Celtics 125, St. Louis Hawks 123 (2OT)
- 1960: Boston Celtics 122, St. Louis Hawks 103
- 1962: Boston Celtics 110, Los Angeles Lakers 107 (OT)
- 1966: Boston Celtics 95, Los Angeles Lakers 93
- 1969: Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 106
- 1970: New York Knicks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 99
- 1974: Boston Celtics 102, Milwaukee Bucks 87
- 1978: Washington Bullets 105, Seattle SuperSonics 99
- 1984: Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 102
- 1988: Los Angeles Lakers 108, Detroit Pistons 105
- 1994: Houston Rockets 90, New York Knicks 84
- 2005: San Antonio Spurs 81, Detroit Pistons 74
- 2010: Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston Celtics 79
- 2013: Miami Heat 95, San Antonio Spurs 88
- 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Golden State Warriors 89
Stanley Cup Final Game 7s
The Stanley Cup Final has gone to a Game 7 18 times with the home team holding a 13-5 record.
- 1942: Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Detroit Red Wings 1
- 1945: Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
- 1950: Detroit Red Wings 4, New York Rangers 3 (2OT)
- 1954: Detroit Red Wings 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 (OT)
- 1955: Detroit Red Wings 3, Montreal Canadiens 1
- 1964: Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Detroit Red Wings 0
- 1965: Montreal Canadiens 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0
- 1971: Montreal Canadiens 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2
- 1987: Edmonton Oilers 3, Philadelphia Flyers 1
- 1994: New York Rangers 3, Vancouver Canucks 2
- 2001: Colorado Avalanche 3, New Jersey Devils 1
- 2003: New Jersey Devils 3, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0
- 2004: Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Calgary Flames 1
- 2006: Carolina Hurricanes 3, Edmonton Oilers 1
- 2009: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
- 2011: Boston Bruins 4, Vancouver Canucks 0
- 2019: St. Louis Blues 4, Boston Bruins 1
- 2024: Florida Panthers 2, Edmonton Oilers 1