Throughout the decades, as generations of superstars have come and gone, two franchises have dominated the NBA Playoffs – the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
The Lakers and Celtics are the only two franchises to each rack up more than 400 playoff wins, with the Philadelphia 76ers trailing in third.
Below is a decade-by-decade look at the teams with most playoff wins in NBA history.
All-time playoff wins by an NBA team:
1. Lakers: 467
2. Celtics: 423
3. Sixers: 251
4. Spurs: 222
5. Warriors: 212
6. Knicks: 200
7. Pistons: 189
8. Bulls: 187
9. Thunder: 170
10. Hawks: 170
Playoff wins in 1950s and 1960s:
The Celtics earned 118 of those playoff wins in the 1950s and 1960s, led by the cast of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, Tom Heinsohn, Tom “Satch” Sanders, KC Jones, Bill Sharman and Don Nelson.
Under coach Red Auerbach and Russell, they won 11 titles in 13 years – 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969.
The Lakers, led by George Mikan, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, earned 113 playoff victories during the time period, and titles in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954.
1. Celtics: 118
2. Lakers: 113
3. Sixers: 76
4. Hawks: 66
5. Warriors: 41
Playoff wins in the 1970s:
The Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards), rivals of both the Celtics and Knicks in the Eastern Conference, won a league-best 55 playoff games in the 1970s. Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes led Washington to the 1978 NBA championship.
Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe and Dave DeBusschere spurred the Knicks, champions in 1970 and 1973, to the second-most playoff wins in the decade.
The Celtics added 47 more wins along with two titles in 1974 and 1976. John “Hondo” Havlicek was the team’s main star, joined by Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White and Paul Silas.
1. Bullets: 55
2. Knicks: 48
3. Celtics: 47
4. Lakers: 46
5. Bucks: 42
Playoff wins in the 1980s:
Lakers’ Magic Johnson and Celtics’ Larry Bird rose to fame in the 1980s, leading their teams to 111 and 91 wins, respectively, for the decade.
The Celtics won titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986; the Lakers won in 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1988.
As the league’s preeminent rivalry prompted a boom in popularity, stars like Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes and Bob McAdoo came and went.
The Sixers, led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, earned the 1982 championship and third place on the list. The ascendent Pistons and stalwart Bucks round out the top five.
1. Lakers: 111
2. Celtics: 91
3. Sixers: 63
4. Pistons: 47
5. Bucks: 42
Playoff wins in the 1990s:
The 1990s belonged to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Only two teams – the Jazz and Knicks – earned half as many playoff wins, with the Bulls taking home six rings over the course of eight years – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
1. Bulls: 111
2. Jazz: 68
3. Knicks: 65
4. Rockets: 52
5. Trail Blazers: 47
Playoff wins in the 2000s:
The Lakers had a dominant start to the new millennium, winning titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. They had 98 playoff wins in the decade as the power balance shifted to the Western Conference.
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli’s Spurs also made noise, winning championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
1. Lakers: 98
2. Spurs: 83
3. Pistons: 73
4. Mavericks: 47
5. Nets: 43
Playoff wins in the 2010s:
In the 2010s, the Celtics won 60 playoff games; the Lakers took home 25. But it was Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors who put their stamp on the decade, winning championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
LeBron James, both in Miami and Cleveland, was also a major force.
1. Warriors: 86
2. Spurs: 68
3. Heat: 68
4. Cavaliers: 61
5. Celtics: 60
Playoff wins in the 2020s:
Entering the 2024-25 season, the Celtics, led by the homegrown duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have earned 52 playoff victories and the 2024 NBA championship.
Jimmy Butler’s Heat reached two Finals; Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray earned the 2023 crown; Giannis and the Bucks took a ring home in 2020.
Which teams will rise over the course of the years to come?
1. Celtics: 52
2. Heat: 39
3. Nuggets: 37
4. Bucks: 31
T-5. Suns: 27
T-5. Lakers: 27
T-5. Mavericks: 27
