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| Dates: | June 3–17 | |||||||||
| MVP: | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Lakers: Kobe Bryant (2020) Pau Gasol (2023) Celtics: Ray Allen (2018) Kevin Garnett (2020) Paul Pierce (2021) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals: | Celtics defeated Magic, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Lakers defeated Suns, 4–2 | |||||||||
| NBA Finals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← 2009 | ||||||||||
| 2011 → | ||||||||||
The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s championship series for the 2009–10 season.
The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. In a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, in which the Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games to win their 17th championship, the Lakers defeated the Celtics in seven games to win the franchise's 16th NBA championship. Kobe Bryant won his fifth championship and was named named the NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year. The 64th edition of the championship series was played between June 3 and June 17, was broadcast on ABC, and was watched by an average of 18.1 million people.
The Celtics earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the Atlantic Division. The Lakers won the Pacific Division to earn their berth. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Miami Heat in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference First Round, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the second top-seeded Orlando Magic, the runner-up of the previous year's Finals, in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best-of-seven Western Conference First Round, the Utah Jazz in the best-of-seven Western Conference Semifinals, and the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals were scheduled in the Major League Baseball World Series 2–3–2 seven game format, with the Lakers possessing home-court advantage as a reward for finishing with better regular season record than the Celtics.
Repeated baskets from starters Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest brought the Lakers close to victory in Game 1. A record breaking performance from Ray Allen's eight three-point baskets ensured the Celtics a Game 2 win. Derek Fisher's 11 points in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers win Game 3. The Celtics won Game 4; aided by the fact that they netted an excellent performance in baskets by the team’s reserves, while Paul Pierce led the team to a Game 5 win with 27 points on 57% shooting from the floor. The Lakers avoided elimination by winning a decisive Game 6 with 24 points contributed by their bench. Although they trailed the Celtics by 13 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers rallied and won their second consecutive championship by taking over an exciting Game 7 aided by late contributions on offense by Gasol and Artest and rebounding. Bryant was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals for his second consecutive trophy.
This was the first NBA Finals since 2005 and last until 2013 to go the full seven games and only the fourth since the NBA Finals returned to a 2–3–2 format in 1985. Los Angeles added its eleventh title in that city to go with its five in Minneapolis to move a step closer to the Celtics' league-leading seventeen championships and gain revenge for their defeat in 2008.
This was the last Finals until 2019 not to include LeBron James as well as the last until 2021 not to feature either LeBron, Stephen Curry, and Andre Iguodala. The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2020 defeating the Miami Heat in six games (tying the Celtics for the most championships), while the Celtics returned to the Finals in 2022, losing to the Golden State Warriors six games.
2010 NBA Playoffs[]
| Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion) | Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference Champion) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57–25 (.695)
1st Pacific, 1st West, 3rd Overall |
Regular season | 50–32 (.610)
1st Atlantic, 4th East, 12th Overall | ||
| Defeated the (8) Oklahoma City Thunder, 4–2 | First Round | Defeated the (5) Miami Heat, 4–1 | ||
| Defeated the (5) Utah Jazz, 4–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (1) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–2 | ||
| Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–2 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Orlando Magic, 4–2 | ||
Series summary[]
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 3 | Los Angeles | 102–89 | Boston |
| Game 2 | June 6 | Los Angeles | 94–103 | Boston |
| Game 3 | June 8 | Boston | 84–91 | Los Angeles |
| Game 4 | June 10 | Boston | 96–89 | Los Angeles |
| Game 5 | June 13 | Boston | 92–86 | Los Angeles |
| Game 6 | June 15 | Los Angeles | 89–67 | Boston |
| Game 7 | June 17 | Los Angeles | 83–79 | Boston |
| Preceded by 2009 |
NBA Finals 2010 |
Succeeded by 2011 |