OAKLAND, CA - MAY 26: Klay Thompson #11, Kevin Durant #35 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after a play against the Houston Rockets during Game Six of the Western Conference Finals in the 2018 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 26, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

NBA Conference Finals Matchups Both Go 7 Games for 1st Time Since 1979

Kyle NewportMay 26, 2018

The NBA is getting a rare double-dose of the two best words in sports: Game Seven.

On Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided elimination with a 109-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors followed suit on Saturday night by forcing a winner-take-all battle on Monday night with a 115-86 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 6.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, this is the first time since 1979 that both conference finals series went the full seven games. The home teams (the Seattle SuperSonics and the Washington Bullets) won both of those do-or-die matchups, respectively.

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Of course, even with home-court advantage, both Houston and Boston are facing daunting challenges. Golden State and Cleveland have won their respective conferences in each of the past three seasons. Both the Warriors (twice) and the Cavs (once) have won NBA titles during that span.

Regardless of who makes it to the 2018 NBA Finals, the NBA could not have asked for much better series in the conference finals.