10 Revenge Championships in NBA History

Nothing beats the feeling of winning an NBA championship and especially if there's the revenge factor in play. It hasn't happened too often in NBA history because it's rare for two teams to face off in the Finals on multiple occasions.

When they have, however, it's resulted in some epic Finals encounters. For the purposes of this list, only those matchups would be counted where it's basically the same core group (except for one or two) facing off within a short period of time. So, the Dallas-Miami encounters of 2006 and 2011 won't be a part of it.

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1958 Finals: St. Louis Hawks 4-2 Boston Celtics

Bob Pettit completes a lay-up (Image: NBA)

1957 Finals: Boston Celtics 4-3 St. Louis Hawks

In 1957, the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks engaged in one of the most tightly contested Finals encounters ever. Four games were decided by 2 points including Game 7 which went to Double Overtime. In a 125-123 Celtics win, Bob Pettit missed a layup at the buzzer to tie it up and the Celtics won their 1st title, launching their dynasty.

The two teams easily made it to the Finals the following year and Boston were the overwhelming favorites. After the teams split the first two games, the balance tilted as Bill Russell went down with an injury in Game 3 which Boston ended up losing.

The Celtics, however, pulled off a shock win in St. Louis but surrendered home court in the very next game. Now they faced elimination, but Russell was back to give Boston hope. He ended up having minimal impact, perhaps still bothered by the injury but Boston still hung in there.

They did, however, ultimately fall to one of the greatest performances in Finals history as Pettit scored 50 points with 19 in the 4th quarter, and grabbed 19 Rebounds as the Hawks won 110-109. He exorcised the demons of the previous Finals as the Hawks handed Boston their only Finals defeat in the Bill Russell era.

1973 Finals: New York Knicks 4-1 Los Angeles Lakers

Image Courtesy: New York Times

1972 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 New York Knicks

Ah, the glory days for Knicks fans. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers met in three NBA Finals in four years between 1970-73. After an epic Knicks win in 7 Games in 1970, they were beaten by the Lakers in 1972 largely thanks to injuries.

With Willis Reed already out for the Finals, the Knicks were further hampered by Dave DeBusschere and Earl Monroe being limited due to injuries. They were no match for a healthy Lakers squad and were knocked off in five games.

In 1973, the Lakers regressed a bit but still won 60 games while the Knicks won 57. Both teams endured some scares in the playoffs, with the Bulls (in the West at the time) taking the Lakers to seven games and the Knicks beating the 68-win Celtics in seven to reach the Finals.

This time, the tables were turned. Led by Reed who would be crowned Finals MVP, the Knicks returned the favor and beat the Lakers in five games. After a close defeat in Game 1, they reeled off 4 in a row to win the franchise's last title to date. LA were the ones bit by the injury bug this time around, with Jerry West and Happy Hairston in particular missing time.

1979 Finals: Seattle Supersonics 4-1 Washington Bullets

Dennis Johnson (L)

1978 Finals: Washington Bullets 4-3 Seattle Supersonics

1978 sure had to sting for Sonics fans and especially Dennis Johnson. Johnson, an emerging star in that year's playoffs, had one of the worst playoff performances ever, going 0-14 in Game 7 as Seattle blew a 3-2 lead, losing 105-99 at home. Johnson admitted that he choked but vowed it wouldn't happen again. He sure didn't have to wait too long to prove it.

The two teams had to battle to get back, however, with the Sonics needing seven games to dispatch the Suns and the Bullets had it worse, needing seven games in both their playoff series. In the Finals, the Bullets continued where they'd left off and led by 18 in the 4th quarter of Game 1, but the Sonics fought back and ended up losing by just 2 points.

The comeback seemed to spark the Sonics who reeled off the next 4 games with Johnson, in particular, dominating the Bullets on both ends. His terrific showing throughout the series earned him Finals MVP honors, a remarkable turnaround from his no-show the previous year.

1983 Finals: Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 Los Angeles Lakers

Moses Malone (L) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (R) (Image Courtesy: NBA.com)

1982 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Philadelphia 76ers

It's safe to say the Philadelphia 76ers were quite pissed off, come 1982. They'd lost three NBA Finals in a six-year stretch and two in the last three years to the Lakers. A problem for the Sixers when they came up against LA was the inability to deal with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

So, how does one counter that? Well how about signing the reigning MVP Moses Malone eh. Can you imagine a stacked team signing an MVP caliber player just after losing an NBA Finals? Oh, wait...

Anyway, the two teams barely broke a sweat in getting back to the Finals and Malone proved to be the difference on the big stage. He dominated LA on the glass averaging 18 rebounds a game as the Sixers swept the Lakers in dominant fashion.

Malone was unsurprisingly named Finals MVP as he helped the Sixers finally get over the hump. The Lakers were missing Worthy and Norm Nixon but I doubt they'd have made much of a difference.

While a comparison can be drawn with Kevin Durant's move to Golden State, I'd say Philly really needed Malone to get past the Lakers. They'd come up short in the Finals all three times due to the lack of a dominant force in the paint and Moses provided that.

Of all the revenge titles on the list, this one probably meant the most to the team. Philly had come up short time and time again and it was a big relief to finally win one.

1985 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Boston Celtics

Magic Johnson (L) Larry Bird (R)

1984 Finals: Boston Celtics 4-3 Los Angeles Lakers

You'll often hear people say "No all-time great player has ever choked in the Finals like LeBron did back in 2011." Well, that's not true because a certain Magic Johnson did in 1984.

I could go on and on about the ways in which Magic and Worthy blew that Finals and it would take all day. In short, the Lakers should have won that Finals, but blew it at the end of Games 2 and 4 when they had a chance to go up 2-0 and 3-1 respectively.

Both teams didn't face much competition in getting back to the Finals and the Celtics made a statement in Game 1 by demolishing LA 148-114. The Lakers responded well and won the next two and looked to be in position yet again to go 3-1 up.

They were up 103-101 with a minute left but Boston responded and Dennis Johnson hit a shot at the buzzer to win Game 4. I'm sure some Lakers players got flashbacks of the previous Finals but they bounced back and won the next 2 Games relatively easily to win it in six.

Kareem would be crowned Finals MVP while Magic and Worthy atoned for their choke job with solid performances. The revenge angle is obviously elevated with the Laker-Celtic mystique and this one meant a whole lot more for the Lakers than the other titles. This was the first time in eight tries that the Lakers had beaten the Celtics in the Finals and victory probably never tasted sweeter.

1989 Finals: Detroit Pistons 4-0 Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson (L) Isiah Thomas (R) (Image Courtesy: Lakers Nation)

1988 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Detroit Pistons

In 1988, the Pistons finally got past the Celtics to get to their first NBA Finals in the Detroit incarnation to face the Lakers and boy did they put on a show. The physical brand of basketball played by Detroit helped them jump out to a 3-2 lead but it went downhill after that.

With Detroit down 70-64, Isiah Thomas badly rolled his ankle but came back and miraculously set the NBA playoff record for most points in a quarter with 25 in the third.

Inspired by Isiah, Detroit roared back into the game and led 102-101 with 27 seconds remaining and then came the controversy. A phantom foul called on Bill Laimbeer led to free throws which put the Lakers ahead and they won the game. With Isiah limited in Game 7, LA managed to sneak past Detroit 108-105.

The following season both teams coasted through the playoffs to get to the Finals but the balance of the series tilted before even a game was played. Byron Scott suffered a severe hamstring injury in practice and was out for the series.

Then, Magic Johnson went down with a hamstring problem in Game 2 and it was all over for LA. With their starting backcourt injured, the Lakers didn't stand a chance and got swept. Of all the entries on the list, this was really the only one where a refereeing decision played a role in deciding the outcome, so revenge must have felt pretty sweet.

2010 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Boston Celtics

Ray Allen (L) Kobe Bryant (R)

2008 Finals: Boston Celtics 4-2 Los Angeles Lakers

I know this didn't happen the very next season, but the revenge factor is pretty clear. The Lakers collapse in the 2008 Finals is well documented. They blew a 24-point lead in Game 4, which more or less handed the title to Boston and of course lost the deciding Game 6 by 39 points.

We were denied a rematch in 2009 with Orlando knocking out Boston but got it in 2010. Both teams made it to Finals relatively easily as neither was forced to play a Game 7.

Boston once again held a 3-2 series lead, but this time LA didn't flounder and won 89-67 and Bryant led the way with 26 Points. Game 7 proved to be a nailbiter and despite Bryant struggling somewhat, the rest of the Lakers squad made up for it in a come from behind 83-79 win.

Kobe was named Finals MVP and famously responded post game to a question on what the title meant to him by saying "I just got one more than Shaq". After meekly surrendering in Game 6 in 2008, it was a great show of resilience from the entire Lakers squad to survive two elimination games and get one over their eternal rivals.

2014 Finals: San Antonio Spurs 4-1 Miami Heat

Lebron James (L) Kawhi Leonard (R)

2013 NBA Finals: Miami Heat 4-3 San Antonio Spurs

I still to this date have no idea how the San Antonio Spurs didn't win it in 2013. Up 3-2 in the series, San Antonio led 93-89 with 28 seconds remaining and Manu Ginobili was at the line trying to ice the game.

Instead, he went 1 of 2 and left the door slightly ajar. Then after James missed a 3-pointer, the Heat got the rebound and James didn't miss from deep this time to cut the lead to 2.

San Antonio again had the chance to potentially ice it but Kawhi Leonard also went 1-2 from the line, which set the stage for that Ray Allen 3-pointer. From that point on there was really only going to be one winner. Heat won Game 6 in OT and won Game 7 to win the title.

The Spurs were pushed to the brink in Round 1 by the Dallas Mavericks the following year but escaped and made the Finals to face the Heat who'd cruised through the East. It was a no contest come Finals time.

The Heat managed to win Game 2 and that was pretty much it as Dwyane Wade was nowhere near his best. They got blown off the court in the other four games as the Spurs set the record for the largest average point differential (14.0) in Finals history. Kawhi won Finals MVP as the Spurs got their revenge and somewhat washed away the pain of blowing it in 2013.

2016 Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 Golden State Warriors

Andre Iguodala (L) LeBron James (R)

2015 Finals: Golden State Warriors 4-2 Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2015 Finals for me had some of the greatest performances of LeBron James's career. Despite Kevin Love being out for the Finals and Kyrie playing just one game, the Cleveland Cavaliers pushed Golden State Warriors to six games. James carried the team on his back but eventually ran out of gas as the Warriors wrapped up proceedings with relative ease.

With a lot of grumblings about an undeserved title for the Warriors with all the injuries, they went nuclear the following year to set the all-time record at 73 wins, while the Cavs won 57 games. Golden State bulldozed through the first two rounds but then had to play a grueling 7 game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which they won by the skin of their teeth while the Cavs coasted through the East.

In the Finals, the Warriors took a seemingly unassailable 3-1 lead, but the tables were about to turn pretty quickly. Draymond got suspended for Game 5, Bogut went down with a knee injury in Game 5 and Iguodala suffered back spasms in Game 6. On top of that of course, Curry was hampered by the MCL sprain he suffered in Round 1.

The Cavs couldn't care less of course as James and Irving led the historic comeback with Kyrie Irving hitting the shot of shots in the last minute of Game 7 to put the Cavs up for good. James would win Finals MVP, leading all players in every major statistical category in one of the greatest Finals performances we've ever seen.

2017 Finals: Golden State Warriors 4-1 Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James (L) Kevin Durant (R)

2016 Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 Golden State Warriors

After gloriously blowing a 3-1 lead in the Finals in 2016, the Warriors took things up a notch and taught the rest of the NBA a valuable lesson. Life isn't fair. Smarting from their loss at the hands of the Cavs, the Warriors recruited Kevin Durant to form the granddaddy of all superteams. That didn't stop anyone from taking shots, however.

Throughout the season, we had LeBron trolling Golden State, be it wearing the Ultimate Warrior shirt or the Curry and Klay tombstones and of course a poster of *that block* on Iguodala outside the visitors' locker room.

Both teams crushed the competition to get to the Finals and set up a record third consecutive Finals meeting. The Warriors won the first two games convincingly and Golden State nicked Game 3 with KD hitting the shot of his life over James.

A Cavs win in Game 4 led to talk about the Warriors blowing a 3-0 lead in the Finals, but they handled their business in Game 5 to wrap up the series. Kevin Durant won Finals MVP, which in many people's eyes vindicated his decision to go to Golden State. All in all, revenge was pretty sweet for the Warriors after all the jabs they took over the course of the season.