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The most memorable NBA Finals rematches ever
Moses Malone won the 1983 NBA Finals MVP as the 76ers avenged their loss to the Lakers the year before. Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

The most memorable NBA Finals rematches ever

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are set to square off in an NBA Finals rematch from a year ago. Last time around, the Warriors won their second championship since moving to Oakland, defeating the Cavs, although Cleveland didn’t have two of its best players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love available to play past Game 1 of the series.

Fast-forward a year, and the Cavs are fully healthy, while the Warriors are an even better team than the year before. This year's Finals rematch has all the signs of a classic playoff series sure to leave a mark on viewers to join the pantheon of memorable NBA Finals rematches.

With that said, here are some memorable NBA Finals rematches that have come before this one.

1) Spurs vs. Heat, 2014

After some final-second heroics from Ray Allen, the Miami Heat was able to steal victory from the grasp of the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals. A year later, Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and company weren’t going to let that happen again.

Catalyzed by the emergence of star forward Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs won Games 3, 4 and 5 of the series by an average of 19 points per game, shutting down LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the process. Simply put, the Spurs were unstoppable, putting on a clinic on the offensive side of the floor that represented professional basketball at its best.

San Antonio got its revenge on Miami and won the fifth championship of the Duncan-Popovich Era

2) Bulls vs. Jazz, 1998

Upon going up three games to one in the series, it appeared the 1998 NBA Finals would not have the drama that the same matchup produced the previous year. Instead, that year’s Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz proved to have no shortage of dramatic moments.

After eking out a Game 5 win Chicago, the Jazz returned to Utah and had the Bulls on the ropes in Game 6. Down by one with about 30 seconds left, Bulls star Michael Jordan would make two plays that embody his legendary career.

After Jazz point guard John Stockton dumped the ball into power forward Karl Malone in the low post, Jordan doubled up Malone from the blindside and stole the ball away from him. M.J. then proceeded to take the ball down the floor and nail what appeared to be the final game-winner of his career. The Bulls won 87-86 and took home their sixth championship of the Jordan era.

3) Lakers vs. Celtics 1985

After Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics got the best of them the year before, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were intent on proving that the 1980s was their decade. However, after the Lakers lost Game 1 in Boston by the score of 148-114, it appeared history was about to repeat itself.

Instead, the Lakers picked up their play and won four of the next five games to defeat the rival Celtics for the first time ever in an NBA Finals. The 38-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the oldest player ever to win NBA Finals MVP for the Lakers, as he averaged 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and was a dominant force on the defensive side of the floor.

4) 76ers vs. Lakers, 1983

The difference between the 1982 and 1983 NBA Finals can summed about with one name: Moses Malone.

In 1982, the Philadelphia 76ers just didn’t have enough firepower on offense or a player strong enough in low post to defend aforementioned Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Offseason acquisition Moses Malone solved both of these problems.

The Lakers didn’t have an answer for the opposing Hall of Fame center, as Malone averaged 25.8 points, 18.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game on his way to winning Finals MVP. The 76ers swept the Lakers and won their third title in franchise history.

5) SuperSonics vs. Bullets, 1979

After losing the 1978 Finals in a painful seven-game series against the Washington Bullets, the Seattle SuperSonics weren’t going to let their 1979 Finals rematch with Washington have the same result. Lead by Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma, the Sonics righted all the wrongs from the previous and year and won their first ever NBA title in five games.

With averages of 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists, Dennis Johnson was named Finals MVP.

6) Knicks vs. Lakers, 1973

In an exact reversal from the previous year in which the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games, it was the Knicks defeating the Lakers in five games to win their second championship in franchise history. With Hall of Fame players Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe all in the primes of their careers, and with Lakers stars Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West coming out of theirs, the Knicks had a decisive edge over their West Coast counterparts.

Although every game in the series was within single digits, the Knicks had a little extra juice in their legs in crunch time and got the best of the Lakers. Willis Reed won his second NBA Finals MVP, averaging 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a night.

7) Celtics vs. Lakers, 1969

Led by legendary center Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics owned the 1960s in the NBA. However, in the 1969 Finals, the Celtics found themselves as underdogs against the rival Los Angeles Lakers.

Why was this? Well, the Lakers had added a new player to fold that season in Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain. With Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor spearheading their roster, the Lakers looked poised to defeat the Celtics and win their first championship in Los Angeles since moving to the city from Minneapolis in 1960.

After splitting the first six games of the series, the Celtics stunned the Lakers on their home floor in Game 7 by the score 108-106, becoming the first team in NBA history to win a Game 7 in the Finals on the road. Perhaps the most notable moment in the 1969 Finals came after the series ended, when Lakers guard Jerry West was named the first, and only, NBA Finals MVP in a losing effort.

That being said, West’s 38 points per game just weren’t enough for the Lakers, and the Celtics nabbed their ninth championship of the decade.

Can you name every team to have never won an NBA championship?

This quiz does not count teams who have won the Finals under a previous name or incarnation. The year given indicates when the team joined the NBA.

SCORE:
0/11
TIME:
2:00
1968
Phoenix Suns
1970
Los Angeles Clippers
1974
Utah Jazz
1976
Denver Nuggets
1976
Brooklyn Nets
1976
Indiana Pacers
1989
Orlando Magic
1989
Minnesota Timberwolves
1990
Charlotte Hornets
1995
Memphis Grizzlies
2002
New Orleans Pelicans

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