With the Golden State Warriors set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight year in the NBA Finals, it only becomes appropriate that we take a look at recent rematches in NBA Finals history.
You don't have to look too far back for the most recent back-to-back NBA Finals rematch. It took place in 2014 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. After an epic seven-game series which saw the Heat come back from a 3-2 deficit to win it all in 2013, the Spurs came back with a vengeance the following year. During the 2014 Finals, San Antonio easily defeated Miami in five games. That series loss led to the breakup of the Heat's “Big Three” as LeBron James went back to Cleveland that offseason.
Prior to that, the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls clashed in two six-game Finals series in 1997 and 1998. The Bulls won both titles in dramatic fashion, as Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan each hit series-winning shots, with Kerr doing so in '97 and Jordan doing the same thing in '98. It has been often said that a main component of Jordan's motivation to win those Finals was the fact that the Jazz's Karl Malone had won the 1996-97 MVP award.
During the 1980's, the Los Angeles Lakers were involved in three different rematches in back-to-back seasons. They had one such rivalry with the Detroit Pistons in the late 80's and another with the Boston Celtics in the middle part of the decade. They also had one with the Philadelphia 76ers in the early 80's. In all three rivalries, each team split championships during their Finals sets.
As we look toward the upcoming 2016 NBA Finals matchup, what can we learn from past Finals rematches?
Seven of 13 previous instances had the team that lost the first meeting come back to win the second one. That fact bodes well for the Cavaliers as they lost the 2015 version to the Warriors.
Another fact to gather is that of the Finals rematches that occurred since the 80's, the losing team in the first Finals went on to win the second time around in four of the five instances.
Does that mean that Cleveland is destined to be 2016 NBA champions?
Not necessarily. But with both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love healthy, the Cavaliers should have a better chance versus the Warriors than they did last season.
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