FAKE RONJAN!!A look at recent championship rematches
Well, it’s been a year since the worst sports moment of my life, and it’s come down to a rematch.
I couldn’t be happier. Not only do I appreciate this as a bitter Spurs fan who’s hoping for redemption, but I love title game rematches in general. You can keep your parity and your serendipity – I want to see bitter rivalries, legends competing against legends, and dynasties.
So I figured, why don’t we take a quick look back at some of the championship rematches in recent history?
Now, the back-to-back rematch is extremely rare. In fact, it hasn’t happened in the NBA since 1997-1998 (Bulls-Jazz), the NFL since 1992-1993 (Bills-Cowboys), and MLB since 1977-1978 (Dodgers-Yankees)!
But rematches can still be compelling, impactful, and memorable even if they don’t happen in consecutive seasons. So I’m going to define a championship rematch as a contest between the same two teams within a 5 season window. Keep it simple, right? Even with this expanded criteria, there have been only six examples since 1990 in baseball, basketball, and football. Here they are, as I remember them:
- Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys (1992, 1993): I don’t know if this one is more memorable for the rise of the brash Cowboys or the absurd resiliency of the Bills, who kept showing up in Super Bowls that no one wanted them in. The Cowboys, of course, destroyed the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII by a score of 52-17, with the most memorable moment being the one touchdown Dallas didn't score. The Bills blew a halftime lead in the rematch the following season and ended up losing, 30-13. I rooted in horror for the Bills both times.
- Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (1997, 1998): I bitterly watched these matchups as a "hater" of both teams. I had started rooting against the Bulls, as it's always more fun to root against a dynasty than to be a frontrunner. And I despised the Jazz, as I wanted to see the Houston Rockets go back to the NBA Finals. Of course, the Bulls won both series, 4-2, and these NBA Finals are responsible for two of the most iconic Michael Jordan games -- the flu game and his "last shot".
- Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees (1996, 1999): In 1996, I was sick of the Braves, so I was extremely happy that the Yankees came back to win the last four games to win the World Series, 4-2. By 1999, I was sick of the Yankees and the Braves so I didn't watch at all, as the Yankees cruised to a sweep. I have no clip worth presenting.
- Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (2008, 2010): I hate the Lakers, so by default I was rooting for the Celtics. I was thrilled to see Boston win the first matchup, 4-2, and horrified to see Los Angeles take the rematch in seven games. My favorite clip from this rivalry is still Shaq's freestyle after the Lakers lost in 2008. It's too bad Kobe won the next two championships, rendering the content inaccurate.
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat (2006, 2011): This is the only rematch where I switched sides. In 2006, supremely bitter about the Mavericks' victory over the Spurs to get to the NBA Finals, I heavily rooted for Miami to win the championship. They did just that in six games. Five years later, in LeBron's first season in Miami, I was all-in on the Dirk Nowitzki redemption story. The Mavs delivered, getting their revenge in six games. The game 2 comeback from that series is legendary.
- New England Patriots vs. New York Giants (2007, 2011): Super Bowl XLII is of course legendary, as the upstart Giants upset the undefeated, three-time champion Patriots. Beyond the historical significant, the tense finish saw three fourth-quarter lead changes and one of the greatest catches in NFL history by David Tyree (who never caught another pass in his career). The rematch four years later wasn't quite as historic, but the outcome was the same. I regret that I rooted strongly for the Giants in both cases -- looking back, it doesn't seem right that Eli Manning has more Super Bowl titles than his older brother!
There are no lessons to be learned or patterns to be picked up here. My only takeaway is that I enjoy watching rematches, and I'm looking forward to the latest one that starts tonight.
Go, Spurs, Go.
-rj