Data story · NBA Playoffs

Every NBA Finals Game 7 since 2011.

Only four of the 91 NBA Finals games from 2011 to 2026 never had a lead bigger than 7 at any minute mark, and two of them are Game 7s. Three Finals went the distance; here they are, with the Game 6s that forced two of them.

Every strip on this page is a real NBA Playoffs strip from the Huezle app, drawn by the app’s own code. More about NBA Playoffs.

How to read the strips

Each strip is one game, tip-off on the left and the final buzzer on the right, one band per minute. A band is purple when the away team led at the end of that minute, gold when the home team led, and pale when it was close or tied. A band reaches full colour at an 18-point lead, so a pale strip is a close game.

  • 2013 · MIA 95–88
  • 2016 · CLE 93–89
  • 2025 · OKC 103–91
Tip-offFinal Buzzer
  • Away Leading
  • Tied
  • Home Leading
The three NBA Finals Game 7s from 2011 to 2026. Home teams: Miami (2013), Golden State (2016), Oklahoma City (2025).

Look how pale the first two are. In 2013 the score was within 3 points at 33 of the 48 minute marks; in 2016 it was within 3 at 38, more than in any other Finals game in the data. The 2025 strip is the odd one out: pale for a half, then decided by a single quarter.

2013: saved the night before

2013 Game 6: Miami wins 103–100 in overtimePurple through the third quarter, when San Antonio led by 12; then the Heat climb back, level at the end of regulation, and five overtime bands.
Tip-offFinal Buzzer
  • Away Leading
  • Tied
  • Home Leading

San Antonio led the series 3–2 and was up 10 after three quarters of Game 6 in Miami. Ray Allen’s corner three in the last seconds sent it to overtime, though a strip only samples the score at the end of each minute, so that swing hides inside the 48th band. Game 7 was close and steady: tied at nine minute marks, Miami ahead for good from the 36th minute but never by more than 7.

2016: the most even strip of all

Cleveland had trailed the series 3–1. In Game 7 in Oakland the lead changed hands at least 12 times at minute marks, more than in any other Finals game since 2011, and the score was tied at four straight minute marks late in the fourth quarter until Kyrie Irving’s three in the final minute. The whole series is in the 2016 Finals game by game.

2025: one bad half

2025 Game 6: Indiana wins 108–91 at homeA long block of deep gold through the middle: Indiana up 30 after three quarters.
Tip-offFinal Buzzer
  • Away Leading
  • Tied
  • Home Leading

Indiana forced Game 7 by leading Game 6 by 30 after three quarters. Game 7 in Oklahoma City was even for a half, with Indiana up 1 at the break, and Tyrese Haliburton was hurt in the first quarter and did not return. The Thunder led by 13 after three and by 21 in the fourth. More in the 2025 Finals game by game.

Game 7ResultAt halftimeAfter three quarters
2013Heat 95–88 SpursHeat by 2Heat by 1
2016Cavaliers 93–89 WarriorsWarriors by 7Warriors by 1
2025Thunder 103–91 PacersPacers by 1Thunder by 13

Home court went two for three. Miami and Oklahoma City won at home; Cleveland won on the road. In two of the three, the team behind at halftime won.

For Game 7s from every round, see NBA playoff Game 7s.

Huezle shows you one playoff strip at a time and asks which game it was. Could you tell these three apart?

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Questions

How many NBA Finals have gone to Game 7 since 2011?

Three of the sixteen from 2011 to 2026: 2013 (Heat over Spurs), 2016 (Cavaliers over Warriors) and 2025 (Thunder over Pacers).

Has a road team won an NBA Finals Game 7 recently?

Yes. In 2016 the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 7 93–89 in Oakland, after trailing the series 3–1.

What was the closest NBA Finals Game 7 since 2011?

By final score, 2016: Cleveland won by 4. By the strips, 2013 and 2016 were equally tight: neither team led by more than 7 at any minute mark in either game.

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