"Framed" Again

A day after the Grizzlies eliminated the Spurs, the Miami Heat eliminated the Pacers. And so, following last year, the Grizzlies and Heat met again in the height of summer.

This was the first time since the Bulls and Jazz in 1997-98 that two NBA teams had met in the Finals for two consecutive years.

There had not been many instances in NBA history of two teams meeting in the Finals for two straight years. Over the past thirty years, it had only happened four times. The Heat and Grizzlies made the fifth.

In the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, the Showtime Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Jabbar, faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals for two consecutive years. The Lakers struck first and won a title, but the Philadelphia 76ers got their revenge the following year. The two sides were even.

Later, the Showtime Lakers established their dynasty through five championships in nine years, not through their two matchups with the Philadelphia 76ers.

After that came the classic era of black-and-white rivalry. In the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons, the Celtics and Lakers also met in the Finals for two straight years. Magic Johnson versus Bird was the brightest sight in the NBA during that era. Before Jordan emerged, it was the clash between the two greatest superstars.

The final result was the same: the Lakers and Celtics each won once. Of course, the Lakers met the Celtics in the Finals again in the 1986-87 season and crushed them. But because a year separated those matchups, they did not set a record by meeting in the Finals for three consecutive years.

Afterward, the Lakers and the Bad Boys Pistons divided the league between them. The result was still the same: the Pistons and Lakers each won a championship.

Finally came