A story of NBA finals back-to-back rematches

Haven’t we been here before?

After Golden State’s doubtful — or wholly approaching — comeback array win after descending behind Oklahoma City 3 games to one, a Warriors are headed behind to a NBA Finals conflicting a Cleveland Cavaliers.

Again.

Just like final year, when a Warriors took a array in 6 games behind MVP Steph Curry.

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In NBA history, 13 championships have seen an accurate rematch of a prior year. Six of those have seen repeat results, including 4 true duplicates for a Celtics in a ‘60s.

Here’s how a back-to-back championships mangle down:

1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks

The 1952 NBA Finals saw Minneapolis with home-court advantage after going 40-26 in a unchanging season. The Lakers took Game 1 83-79 in overtime and a array went behind and onward by Game 7, that Minneapolis took 82-65.

The following year, a teams were behind in a most shorter array that a Lakers took again, this time 4 games to one, for their fifth pretension in 6 years.

1957-58 St. Louis Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

In 1957, Red Auerbach led a Boston Celtics to a 4-3 array win over a Hawks that enclosed a usually Game 7 in NBA story to be motionless in double-overtime.

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In 1958, a array looked accurately a same though Game 7 as a Hawks kick a Celtics in six.

1960-61 St. Louis Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

The 1960 finals were full of destiny Hall of Famers as a Celtics began a 15-year run of dominance. In a initial championships of a new decade, Boston took a array 4-3 after swapping wins.

A year later, a Hawks hardly transient a shutout when they scraped together a 124-120 win in Game 3 before losing a array 4-1.

1962-63 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Game 7 roughly finished a Celtics dynasty before it started when Laker Frank Selvy’s 12-foot diversion leader bounced off a edge with 5 seconds left in regulation. Instead, a diversion went to overtime and a Celtics won 110-107 and took a array 4-3.

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In 1963, a Celtics’ seventh true outing to a finals, Boston won simply 4-2 after holding a initial dual games of a seven-game series.

1965-66 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

The Celtics done their ninth uninterrupted championship after John Havlicek stole a round in a Eastern Division Finals and dominated a Lakers — who were though Elgin Baylor — in 5 games.

In 1966, Boston edged out a 95-93 Game 7 win in Red Auerbach final diversion as a coach, completing a win in front of their hometown fans during Boston Garden.

1968-69 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

After Auerbach retired, Bill Russell took over as player-coach and pennyless a strain of NBA titles in 1967. In 1968, they were behind to win their 10th championship in 12 seasons when they kick a Lakers in 6 games.

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In 1969, a Lakers came behind as complicated favorites, led by Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, while a aging Celtics had usually done a playoffs as a fourth place team. But nothing of that mattered, as Boston valid everybody wrong in a outrageous upset. The array was also a initial time in NBA story that Game 7 in a Finals was won by a highway team.

1972-73 Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

The 1972 Lakers won a then-record 69 unchanging deteriorate wins, including 33 in a row, and took a 4-1 win over a Knicks in a finals behind MVP Wilt Chamberlain.

A year later, both teams were behind and a Knicks done adult for a ‘72 finals when they kick a Lakers 4-1 after losing Game 1 and unconditional a rest of a series.

1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics vs. Washington Bullets

Seattle done a playoffs for a initial time in their brief story after a unsatisfactory 5-17 start to their deteriorate that incited around after Lenny Wilkens took over for Bob Hopkins. The Bullets had an easier highway and won in 7 games over 18 days, holding Game 7 on a road.

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In 1979, a SuperSonics and a Bullets matched adult again with a conflicting result: Seattle won in 4 as Gus Williams averaged 28.6 points per game.

1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Pat Riley led Magic Johnson and a Lakers to a playoffs in his initial deteriorate as coach, where they went 4-2 conflicting a 76ers.

The subsequent year, a Lakers and 76ers met again in a finals for a third time in 4 years. After L.A. took a initial dual series, Philadelphia came resounding behind and swept a Lakers.

1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Larry Bird led a Celtics to a seven-game win over a Lakers in 1984, averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds per diversion on his approach to an MVP award.

Boston couldn’t lift off a repeat, though, as they fell to a Lakers in 6 games.

1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons

After conduct manager Pat Riley betrothed a repeat championship during a Lakers march in 1987, he hold adult his finish of a agreement when Los Angeles took a array conflicting a Pistons in 7 games.

They couldn’t conduct a three-peat though, as Byron Scott missed a whole array and Magic Johnson pulled his hamstring during Game 2. The Pistons swept a Lakers easily.

1997-98 Utah Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls

The Utah Jazz done their initial NBA finals in 1997 behind destiny Hall of Famers John Stocketon and Karl Malone, though a Bulls diluted of them in 6 games as Michael Jordan was named MVP for a fifth time in as many finals appearances.

In 1998, a array went roughly accurately a same: a Bulls won in 6 and Michael Jordan won MVP — partly due to his 20-foot jumper that gave his group an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left — as Chicago won their sixth pretension in 8 years.

2013-14 San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat

The Miami Heat won their sixth uninterrupted championship in 2013 when Dwyane Wade and LeBron James led them to a win in Game 7 over Gregg Popovich and a Spurs.

San Antonio didn’t take their initial Finals better good and rebounded a subsequent year, taking a array in 5 games, floating Miami out in 4 of them.

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