The NBL Canada Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). It is played between the winners of the Central Division and Atlantic Division. The first team to win four games in the series is declared NBL Canada champion. It has been played since the league's inaugural 2011–12 season. The London Lightning and Windsor Express are currently the only teams that have claimed the title, with the latter one winning the last two editions of the Finals. Only two coaches have won the championship so far.[1]

In the 2015 NBL Canada Finals, the Express won by default after the Halifax Rainmen forfeited Game 7 due to safety concerns following a pre-game brawl.[2] In the first two series in NBL history, head coach Micheal Ray Richardson led the London Lightning to back-to-back championships. Richardson was named Coach of the Year for both seasons. Bill Jones led Windsor to consecutive titles as well.

Finals MVP

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The player with the top performances in the NBL Finals is named Finals Most Valuable Player.[3] Its first two recipients, Gabe Freeman, who won the 2012 Finals with the Lightning, is the sole player to be named regular season MVP the same year.[1]

Season Player Position Team
2012   Gabe Freeman Forward London Lightning
2013   Marvin Phillips Forward London Lightning
2014   Stefan Bonneau Guard Windsor Express
2015   Kirk Williams Forward Windsor Express
2016   Justin Johnson Guard Halifax Hurricanes
2017   Ryan Anderson Forward London Lightning
2018   Garrett Williamson Forward London Lightning
2019   Trey Kell Guard Moncton Magic
2020

References

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  1. ^ a b "2014-15 NBL Canada Postseason Media Guide" (PDF). NBLCanada.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. ^ Sherman, Rodger. "Canadian basketball team forfeits Game 7 of finals after shootaround fight". SB Nation. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Canadian NBL Finals MVP Recipients". RealGM. Retrieved 10 May 2015.