Playoff Series Meetings

Counts and weights the number of playoff series between the rival sides. More playoff meetings mean higher stakes encounters, which intensifies a rivalry. Conference Finals and Finals meetings are weighted more heavily.

49entities ranked

Used in:RII

Playoff Series Meetings Leaderboard

#	Entity	Score	Reasoning
	Celtics vs Lakers Rivalryrivalry	100	12 Finals meetings, the most between any two franchises. Multiple other playoff matchups throughout history.
	LeBron vs Warriorsplayer_rivalry	95	Four consecutive NBA Finals (2015-2018); no rivalry in modern NBA has this many consecutive championship-level meetings
	Wilt vs Russell Rivalryrivalry	90	8 playoff series in 10 years (1959-1969). Among the most frequent playoff matchups in NBA history.
4	Pacers vs Knicks Rivalryrivalry	85	Five playoff meetings in six years (1993-1999+). One of the most frequent playoff matchups of the 1990s.
4	Reggie Miller vs Knicksplayer_rivalry	85	Five playoff series between 1993-2000; almost annual postseason matchups throughout the 90s
4	Cavs vs Warriors Rivalryrivalry	85	4 consecutive NBA Finals meetings (2015-2018). Only Lakers/Celtics have more Finals meetings.
4	Steph vs LeBron Rivalryrivalry	85	4 consecutive Finals meetings (2015-2018). Equal to Cavs/Warriors as it is the same rivalry at individual level.
8	Knicks vs Heat Rivalryrivalry	82	Multiple playoff meetings: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2012. One of the most frequent 90s playoff matchups.
8	Magic vs Bird Rivalryrivalry	82	3 NBA Finals meetings (1984, 1985, 1987). Also 1979 NCAA Championship game that started it all.
8	Celtics vs 76ers Rivalryrivalry	82	Numerous playoff meetings across decades. 1960s Russell vs Wilt, 1980s Bird vs Dr J, 2010s Embiid vs Tatum.
8	Lakers vs Kingsteam_rivalry	82	Met in 2000, 2001, and 2002 playoffs; three consecutive years of postseason warfare
12	Bulls vs Pistons Rivalryrivalry	78	4 consecutive playoff meetings (1988-1991). Defined the Eastern Conference for that era.
12	Heat vs Celtics Rivalryrivalry	78	Multiple playoff series: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2020, 2022, 2023 ECFs. One of the most frequent modern playoff matchups.
12	Lakers vs Spurs Rivalryrivalry	78	Multiple WCF meetings: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013. Defined the Western Conference for a decade.
12	Jordan vs Isiah Rivalryrivalry	78	4 consecutive playoff meetings (1988-1991). Each one was brutal and physical. Defined late 1980s NBA.
16	Pistons vs Celtics Rivalryrivalry	75	1985, 1987, 1988, 1991 playoff meetings. Frequent Eastern Conference playoff opponents during the decade.
17	Suns vs Lakers Rivalryrivalry	72	Multiple playoff meetings across decades: 1970, 1993, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2021. Long playoff history.
17	Pierce vs LeBron Rivalryrivalry	72	2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 playoff meetings. Celtics vs LeBron (Cavs then Heat) was a defining Eastern Conference rivalry.
17	Spurs vs Suns Rivalryrivalry	72	2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 playoff meetings. One of the most frequent Western Conference matchups of the 2000s.
17	Jordan vs Reggie Rivalryrivalry	72	Multiple Eastern Conference playoff meetings in 1996, 1998. Bulls-Pacers was the key ECF matchup of the late 90s.
21	Jazz vs Rockets Rivalryrivalry	70	Multiple playoff meetings in 1990s including 1994 and 1995 first round/Conference Finals. Western Conference rivals.
22	Kareem vs Dr J Rivalryrivalry	68	Multiple playoff meetings including 1980 and 1982 NBA Finals. Lakers vs Sixers was the premier rivalry of the early 80s.
22	Malone vs Rodman Rivalryrivalry	68	1997 and 1998 NBA Finals Jazz vs Bulls. Rodman guarding Malone was a key matchup in both Finals.
22	Dirk vs Duncan Rivalryrivalry	68	Multiple playoff series including 2001, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2014. Texas rivals with frequent postseason meetings.
25	Heat vs Mavs Rivalryrivalry	65	2006 and 2011 NBA Finals are the two signature meetings. Limited other playoff encounters between the franchises.
25	Rockets vs Warriors Rivalryrivalry	65	2015, 2018, 2019 playoff meetings. 2018 WCF went 7 games and was arguably the real Finals that year.
27	Ewing vs Olajuwon Rivalryrivalry	62	1994 NBA Finals was the signature matchup. Also met in earlier playoff rounds. College rivalry at Houston vs Georgetown.
27	Nuggets vs Lakers Rivalryrivalry	62	2009 WCF (Lakers won), 2020 WCF (Lakers won), 2023 WCF (Nuggets swept). Growing playoff history.
27	Stockton vs Payton Rivalryrivalry	62	Jazz vs Sonics met multiple times in 1990s playoffs. Northwest Division rivals with frequent postseason matchups.
27	LeBron vs Durant Rivalryrivalry	62	3 playoff meetings: 2012 Finals (LeBron won), 2017-18 Finals (KD/Warriors won). Limited but high-profile.
27	Blazers vs Lakers Rivalryrivalry	62	Multiple playoff meetings across decades including 1991, 2000, 2001. Pacific Division rivalry.
27	Thunder vs Warriors Rivalryrivalry	62	2016 WCF is the signature meeting. Also 2012 playoff matchup and regular season battles with KD vs Steph narrative.
33	Kobe vs Shaq Rivalryrivalry	55	Only 1 direct playoff meeting (2004 Finals) but years of internal rivalry while teammates counts differently.
33	AI vs Kobe Rivalryrivalry	55	2001 NBA Finals was the signature matchup. Limited other playoff meetings between them.
35	Bucks vs Raptors Rivalryrivalry	48	2017 first round and 2019 ECF are the key playoff meetings. Relatively new playoff rivalry.
35	Russ vs Beverley Rivalryrivalry	48	2013 first round (Beverley injured Westbrooks knee), 2017 first round. Limited but intense playoff encounters.
37	KG vs Duncan Rivalryrivalry	45	Limited direct playoff meetings. KG was in the Western Conference but on weaker Wolves teams for most of his prime.
38	Kidd vs Nash Rivalryrivalry	42	Limited direct playoff meetings. Suns vs Nets never met in the Finals despite both reaching Finals in the 2000s.
38	Shaq vs Ewing Rivalryrivalry	42	Limited direct playoff meetings. 1999 Eastern Conference matchup was notable. Mostly regular season center battles.
38	Clippers vs Warriors Rivalryrivalry	42	2014 and 2019 first round playoff meetings. Limited playoff history between the two.
41	Nets vs Raptors Rivalryrivalry	38	2014 first round series is the key meeting. Limited overall playoff history between the two franchises.
42	Wade vs Kobe Rivalryrivalry	35	No direct playoff meetings despite both being top shooting guards. Conference separation prevented postseason matchups.
42	Barkley vs Oakley Rivalryrivalry	35	Limited direct playoff meetings. Mostly regular season physical battles in the 1990s.
44	CP3 vs Deron Rivalryrivalry	30	Limited direct playoff meetings. The rivalry was more about parallel careers than direct head-to-head battles.
44	Giannis vs Harden Rivalryrivalry	30	Limited direct playoff meetings. Rivalry built around MVP voting and style-of-play debates more than postseason battles.
46	Embiid vs Jokic Rivalryrivalry	28	No direct playoff meetings. The rivalry is MVP-race driven rather than head-to-head playoff battles.
47	Doncic vs Trae Rivalryrivalry	20	No direct playoff meetings as of yet. The rivalry is built on the draft trade narrative more than on-court battles.
48	Allen Iverson vs Tyronn Lueplayer_rivalry	15	One Finals series in 2001; no other meaningful head-to-head playoff matchups
49	Jordan vs LeBronplayer_rivalry	10	Zero playoff or regular season meetings. Different eras entirely. This is a legacy/debate rivalry only.