Ranking Championship Rematches Based on How They Went Down
Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of last year's championship round, which the Warriors won in six games. Will this year be any different? Only time will tell.
For every basketball fan watching, one thing that can be agreed upon is that we all hope for an entertaining series, reminding us why these are the last two teams standing.
Looking back at history, there have been a few other championship rematches across various sports. Check out which ones were the best and which ones fell flat on their face.
10. Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys (1993, 1994)
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In the history of championship rematches, there really wasn't one more dreadful than the back-to-back Super Bowls played between the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.
While both teams had Hall of Fame talent—and the Bills proved to be one of the most historic teams in NFL history by going to the Big Game four-straight seasons—Dallas was too strong, too fast and too great for Buffalo to even compete.
Winning by a combined score of 82-30 in their two meetings, the Cowboys showed why they were the team of the decade by blowing out the helpless Bills.
The rematch in Super Bowl XXVIII was at least more competitive—as the Bills held a halftime lead—but Dallas ended any hope for the Bills to circle the wagons and lift the Lombardi Trophy.
9. Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs (2013, 2014)
2 of 10Let's face it, after the Miami Heat pulled themselves from the jaws of elimination in 2013 with one of the most classic NBA Finals in history, the 2014 rematch with the San Antonio Spurs had lofty expectations.
In fact, the 2014 Finals is best known as the end of the Heat's Big Three era of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh more than anything else, as the Spurs stymied Miami by winning the title in five games in a classic revenge series.
Sure, there was legendary hype entering this 2014 rematch, but, when all was said and done, nothing could surpass the 2013 Finals that saw Miami go from the brink of elimination to eventual NBA champion.
8. U.S. Women's Soccer and Japan Women's Soccer (2011, 2015)
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Much like the 2014 NBA Finals between the Heat and the Spurs, the 2015 Women's World Cup Final between the USA and Japan had lofty expectations to live up to.
After the 2011 final between the teams went to penalty kicks—with Japan prevailing—2015 lacked drama from the very beginning, as the U.S. raced out to an unthinkable 4-0 lead just 16 minutes into the game.
Eventually going on to win 5-2, the Americans got their revenge in an offensive onslaught never before seen in a Women's World Cup Final.
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7. Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers (1988, 1989)
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After going the full seven games during the 1988 NBA Finals—in which Detroit Pistons' point guard Isiah Thomas' gutsy Game 6 performance stands out—the 1989 rematch between Detroit and the Los Angeles Lakers fell flat.
While the Lakers won the '88 showdown, the Pistons copped some revenge by sweeping L.A. the following year—who were without guards Byron Scott and Magic Johnson due to injuries for either the entire or parts of the series.
Without two of their core members, the Lakers didn't have a shot at pulling a three-peat as the series lost its luster and lacked much drama.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees (1977, 1978)
5 of 10The 1977 World Series became the coming out party for New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson, who belted three home runs during Game 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to etch his name in postseason lore and guide the Yanks to a title as Mr. October.
Naturally, it would be difficult to outdo that kind of performance.
In the rematch with the Dodgers in '78, the Yanks made things dramatic, overcoming a 2-0 series deficit to win the next four games to capture a second-straight championship.
While there weren't many memorable moments from the Fall Classic in 1978, the fact that New York was able to claw its way out of that two-game deficit makes this a championship rematch that at least had some drama to it.
5. United States Men's Basketball and Spain Men's Basketball (2008, 2012)
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The U.S.-Spain men's hoops rivalry is one of the premier showdowns in the world of sports, and what has made it so great is that the players are so familiar with one another because most of them play in the NBA.
And with both teams playing in the past two Olympic gold medal games in 2008 and 2012, hoops fans witnessed some great basketball.
In 2008, the U.S. needed a vintage Dwyane Wade performance to take the gold, winning 118-107 as D-Wade dropped 27 points in the victory.
The rematch four years later was much more tense as the Americans held just a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter—when LeBron James and Kevin Durant raised their games to defeat a stubborn Spanish side, 107-100.
It might not be for an NBA championship, but it's awesome to see superstar ballers give their all for the pride of their country.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators (2008, 2009)
7 of 10No. 1 versus No. 2 for all the marbles. That's how the 2008 and 2009 SEC Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators looked.
Coming off winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and a national championship campaign in 2008, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow looked to pull off the unprecedented move of winning three-straight conference titles during his college career.
Alabama wasn't going to let it happen in 2009, though.
After leading by just six at halftime, 19-13, Bama pulled away from the Gators in the second half and won in a romp, 32-13, to remain No. 1 in the country and play for its own national title—which it won a month later.
The lasting image from this game might have been Tebow's tearful reaction from the sideline as his second to last collegiate game came to an end.
3. Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders (1983, 1984)
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In what was Wayne Gretzky's first Stanley Cup Finals experience, the New York Islanders showed the eventual Great One that hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup had to be earned, as the Isles did for a fourth-straight time in 1983 by sweeping the Edmonton Oilers.
Things were different in 1984, though.
After netting just two goals in the first two games of the 1984 rematch and entering Game 3 with the series tied 1-1, the Oilers exploded in the remaining three games, scoring a total of 19 goals to capture Gretzky's first championship.
The series represented a changing of the guard, too, as the Oilers replaced the Islanders as the dominant team in the NHL during the '80s, winning four of the next six Cups.
2. Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali (1971, 1974, 1975)
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One could make a very solid argument that the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier rematch in 1974 set up the greatest rivalry in the history of boxing.
Billed as Super Fight II—as it was sandwiched between The Fight of the Century in 1971 and The Thrilla in Manila in 1975—the bout went the full 12 rounds, with Ali winning by unanimous decision to avenge his loss in the first meeting between the two.
While the fight didn't have a championship belt on the line—Frazier lost his heavyweight title to George Foreman in 1973—it still became a teaser for their epic showdown in Manila a year later.
1. Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz (1997, 1998)
10 of 10With a total of five Hall of Famers—Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone and John Stockton—the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz proved to be a star-studded affair.
And both included unforgettable finishes.
While neither series went the full seven games, the Bulls needed a last-second shot by Steve Kerr in Game 6 of the '97 Finals to finish the deal at home, and then needed Jordan to bury the Jazz in heartbreaking fashion with, arguably, his most famous shot during Game 6 in 1998.
By winning both championships, the Bulls completed their second three-peat during the '90s, making them the team of the decade.
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