There’s a case to be made that the 2026 NBA Playoffs have been the most exciting in years.
It’s not just the highlights and performances that have brought the fun, from Victor Wembanyama’s official arrival, to the Knicks’ breakthrough for a NBA Finals berth. There’s nothing more exciting for a fan than Game 7s — and with the Western Conference Finals now heading to a decisive matchup, a league record will be matched.
As the Thunder and Spurs are now set to play a Game 7 with an NBA Finals bid on the line, the league has tied its all-time for most Game 7s in one postseason.
Here’s a look at the record for most Game 7s and how 2026 compares to past instances.
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Most Game 7s in single NBA Playoffs
The NBA record for most total Game 7s in one postseason is five, and it has now happened on four occasions.
The first playoff run to have five different series take seven games came in 1994. In both 2014 and 2016, it happened again — and now, in 2026, the Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Finals becomes the fifth series to go seven games.
Other NBA postseasons with five Game 7s
Here’s a look at each of the four NBA playoffs to have five Game 7s.
1994
Even before the first round became a best-of-seven series, in 1994, there still managed to be five series to take seven games.
Three of those came in the second round; on May 21, 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets beat Charles Barkley’s Suns in Game 7, and the Karl Malone-John Stockton Jazz did the same to the Nuggets.
The next day, the Knicks took down the Bulls in Game 7, with Chicago still being led by Scottie Pippen during Michael Jordan’s first retirement.
Two more Game 7s followed. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Patrick Ewing’s 24-point, 22-rebound performance against Reggie Miller’s Pacers led the Knicks to the Finals.
And in the 1994 NBA Finals, Olajuwon went for 25 points and 10 rebounds in another Game 7 to beat the Knicks, with Houston winning the first of its back-to-back titles.
2014
The 2014 playoffs were also packed with Game 7s, but notably, all of them came in the first round.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers took down the Hawks in seven games, with Paul George going for 30 points in Indiana’s Game 7 win, and the Nets squeaked by the Raptors in a Game 7 as Joe Johnson went for 26 points.
The rest of the Game 7s came in the West. Looking to make a return to the Finals after falling there the year prior, the Tim Duncan-Tony Parker Spurs needed seven games to beat the Mavericks. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went to a Game 7 against the Grizzlies before advancing — and prior to the Warriors becoming a dynasty, Stephen Curry’s squad fell to the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin Clippers in a Game 7.
By the time the second round began, there had already been five Game 7s, but there were no more in the remainder of the playoffs.
2016
There were a ton of iconic moments in the 2016 playoffs, including how it ended: with a Game 7 in the Finals.
However, even before the Cavaliers vs. Warriors show, there were some thrilling matchups. In the first round, the Heat and Hornets went to seven games, but Goran Dragic’s 25 points lifted Miami in Game 7. The Raptors and Pacers also went the distance, with DeMar DeRozan leading Toronto to the Game 7 win.
In the second round, the same two teams went to Game 7: Miami and Toronto. This time, the Raptors claimed the series, with Kyle Lowry dropping 35 points in the final matchup for the Toronto win.
What followed was two of the most well-known collapses in NBA history. In the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder took a 3-1 series lead over the Warriors. But Curry and Klay Thompson came storming back, and after Golden State won Game 7 behind Curry’s 36 points, Durant went on to become a Warrior in free agency the following summer.
That signing, of course, was in response to the Warriors also blowing a 3-1 lead, this time in the Finals. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers back to force a Game 7, and he finally brought a title to Cleveland in the fifth and final Game 7 of the 2016 postseason.
2026
In this year’s playoffs so far, there has been plenty of win-or-go-home action, primarily in the Eastern Conference.
In the first round alone, the East had three of its four series take seven games to decide. That included two 3-1 series comebacks, with the No. 1-seeded Pistons coming back against the Magic, and the No. 2-seeded 76ers coming back against the Celtics. Additionally, the Cavaliers took seven games to take down the Raptors.
In Round 2, Detroit and Cleveland also went to a Game 7, which the Cavaliers won behind 26 points from Donovan Mitchell.
And now, the fifth 2026 Game 7 awaits. Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have traded blows in the Western Conference Finals — and thanks to the Spurs’ win on Thursday with their backs against the wall, the teams will play for a Finals berth on Saturday.
WEMBY WANTS GAME 7 😤 https://t.co/JVE0KZMhqU pic.twitter.com/kiG5v0t1OI
— NBA (@NBA) May 29, 2026
