NBA The Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns and Eastern champion Milwaukee Bucks meet in the 2021 NBA Finals. Carlan Gay ( @TheCarlanGay): If we can't get the NBA Finals rematch of Heat-Lakers then the next best thing for me would be the Lakers-Clippers. Jimmy Butler had led LeBron’s former team to the NBA Finals for the first time since his departure. Also in 2016, … Most Common WNBA Finals Matchups of All Time. NBA: Cavs vs. Warriors III marks 1st Finals' trilogy, but ... We were robbed in 2009 of not seeing Kobe vs. Lebron. In this case, you’d get your money back as if your bet never happened. The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs.The Eastern Conference champion … List of NBA champions - Wikipedia He spent his days building stories to inspire the next generation of athletes to be the best versions of themselves. The NBA Playoffs have given us great duels over the years, but we can only imagine the outcome if a few greats had met in the postseason. 5x NBA Champion; 2x NBA Finals MVP; Remembering Kobe Bryant. For both Kobe Bryant … It never happened between Magic Johnson's Lakers and Larry Bird's Celtics. That's what Suns star Chris Paul told ESPN's Rachel Nichols ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. No Dunks is a daily NBA podcast hosted by Skeets, Tas, Trey, Leigh, and JD — the original basketball podcasters. 7-min read. Once LeBron packed his bags for Miami, I officially crowned the 2008-09 Kobe/LeBron matchup as the best NBA Finals that never happened. Over the course of NBA history, there have been numerous occurrences where a perfect NBA Finals matchup never came to fruition. The Suns and Bucks, respectively, beat the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals. Also, explore NBA TV & League Pass subscriptions to watch live games on your favorite devices. 3 years ago. The next-most common NBA Finals matchups are the St. Louis Hawks versus Boston Celtics (1957, 1958, 1960, 1961), Los Angeles Lakers versus Philadelphia 76ers (1980, 1982, 1983, 2001), and Golden State Warriors versus Cleveland Cavaliers (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), all matchups happening four times each. The winner of the Ravens-Steelers game can make the … When MJ came back to the league, the Rockets were never able to go back to the Finals, although it … The buildup was perfect. Matchup: Detroit Pistons vs. Portland Trail Blazers. Kyrie Irving is out of the protocols. This is of course the fourth consecutive year the Warriors and Cavaliers meet in the NBA Finals -- that's never happened before in any major sport. The only other pairings to come up more than once are … Yup all up to. Plus, watch live games, clips and highlights for your favorite teams! Matchups for the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors. Nevertheless, when his royal Airness decided to retire for the first time, several teams made the most of the opportunity. NBA Finals 2018: Cavs vs. Warriors is Déjà vu all over again Until Thursday night, four consecutive Finals matchups have never happened … Top 13 Players With The Most NBA Finals Losses. QB play and Defense will not have 98% of the outcome. * In three Finals matchups, the Warriors have an overall record of 11-7 against the Cavs. Greenie 7/15/2021 8:30 AM. To make a totals bet, you would wager on whether the combined final score will go OVER or UNDER a set number of points. Hi there my fellow fantasy NBA fanatics. Remember the puppet commercials? The most common WNBA Finals matchup ever is Houston Comets/New York Liberty. 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA Playoffs, 2017 NBA Playoffs, Playoffs Series History... All-Star Games. While Jordan’s 18-month hiatus gave us big-man Finals matchups … To me it's easy. For franchises like the Bucks and Suns to have found themselves here, it’s like a really bold 2K sim, a dizzying climb from decades and decades of irrelevance fans must be pinching themselves over. The two share eight titles between them, five MVPs, five Finals MVPs, 34 All-Star appearances, 30 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Defensive teams, yet they never met in the postseason. Most Common WNBA Finals Matchups of All Time. The Raptors hadn’t made the NBA Finals until 2019, which was the team’s first championship as an NBA franchise. ... came with their 3 Finals matchups in the 1980s featuring the Celtics led … It isn’t often that a conference finals series is more anticipated than the … What happened: The Nets overcame Dwyane Wade's career-ending triple-double to improve to 42-40, earning the No. Do you know another team that had an outstanding trio? 2009 Cavaliers vs Lakers 2005 Suns vs Pistons 1998 Lakers vs Bulls 1997 Rockets vs Bulls 1986 Lakers vs Celtics 1981 Suns vs 76ers 1978 Blazers vs Bullets 1976 Warriors vs Celtics 1975 Bulls vs Bullets 1971 Knicks vs Bucks 1970 Suns vs Knicks Meanwhile, the Clippers have only 34 games in 67 days. The world will never forget the Mamba. 52. If the New Orleans Pelicans are facing off against the Houston Rockets, the odds would appear like so: With … The NBA Playoffs are some of the best in any sport. Hakeem Olajuwon Jason Kidd Kobe Bryant LeBron James Kevin Garnett NBA Fadeaway World Pro Fadaway World NBA FInals Top 4 Greatest NBA Finals That Never Happened Steve Nash Tim Duncan Michael Jordan By Alonzo Warond 1. The Warriors' dominance to close the decade has buried the Clippers’ standing as a top team of the 2010s, a decade that featured five straight seasons of 50-plus wins. 7 Brooklyn. just like refs in LA game… that’s just Matt S. Being garbage like he’s always been. Heading into the NBA Finals if you looked around you would see the takes that the league was probably pissed about a Suns/Bucks matchup, that it was boring and blah blah blah. “Before we beat them in 1985, the Lakers were 0 … Matchups for the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors ... who has never played in a finals game and missed most of these playoffs with a quad injury, is back on the floor early in the series for the Warriors and back as a starter not long after that. LeBron James and Draymond Green were a part of some epic NBA Finals matchups June 10, 2016: Draymond takes a swipe as LeBron steps over him in the closing minutes of Game 4. Carlan Gay ( @TheCarlanGay ): If we can't get the NBA Finals rematch of Heat-Lakers then the next best thing for me would be the Lakers-Clippers . Michael Jordan Never Beat Larry Bird And Boston Celtics In The NBA Playoffs: 0-6 Eddie Bitar 10/17/2021 Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush to retire after nearly 30 years in Congress - … What are some dream playoff matchups we never got to see? Luka Doncic went for a game-high 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks dominated the Golden State Warriors from both the 3-point and free-throw lines. (9) Minnesota (17-20) Games remaining: 45 (21 Home, 24 Away) vs. +.500: 22, vs. West: 27 (10) Sacramento (16-23) Games remaining: 43 (19 Home, 24 … Kobe Bryant Stats The league’s 16 best teams compete to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and practically always the league’s elite are … 3). The NBA Playoffs have given us great duels over the years, but we can only imagine the outcome if a few greats had met in the postseason. Thompson, 31, is returning from a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and a right Achilles tear in a November 2020 workout. Kobe Bryant against LeBron James, possibly the most anticipated NBA Finals match-up of the modern NBA era, ranks #1 in this list of dream duels that never happened in … Champions. The first brackets in the Western champion and Eastern champion columns indicate the teams' playoff seed. The second brackets indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an NBA Finals as well as each respective team's NBA Finals record to date. the refs. Props: More Fun For Your Money. The Bucks will need far more from Holiday if they have any hope of stymying the center of the Suns' orbit. Would have been an epic series. Top 4 Greatest NBA Finals That Never Happened. The buildup was perfect. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different … The NBA Finals Have Been Everything You Could Want And More. While this may be unprecedented in the NBA, it has happened once before in the NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball with matchups … (Date: 1990) Series: 4-1 (Pistons) Back in … Sam Amick. NBA History: 5 free-agent signings that never happened ... a Duncan-T-Mac duo would've been something special. The 2020 NBA Finals marked the first time the two teams met in the playoffs. In Game Two of that series, the Nets beat the Bucks 125-86 — without James Harden. Watch NBA Games - Follow the game, scores and stats for NBA matchups. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant could … Dubs took a 3-1 lead, but Green was suspended for Game 5. In the first four years of the league, these … Meanwhile in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors are playing the Cleveland … ... this chess match that will be the NBA Finals may have started way back on Nov. 29. Nobody in NBA history has ever taken as many threes per game and finished with a percentage that low. NBA: Mavs retire Dirk Nowitzki's number, crush Warriors. The 2013 NBA Finals preview that never happened. And 2013-14 marked perhaps Los Angeles’ best shot at the Finals. Top 10 Greatest NBA Finals That Never Happened ... Let’s use our imagination to try and wonder what that would have looked like had these 10 Finals matchups happened. Finals Preview: Which matchups will determine Suns-Bucks winner? Stay up to date on the latest NBA news, scores, stats, standings & more. The Bridge comes your way every weekday morning @ 8:50am on 96.9 The Game, as we merge Open Mike w/ Mike Bianchi and Kravitz into the Beat of Sports with Marc Daniels. A finals matchup of teams that had a losing record in the previous only happened one other time. Kobe Bryant died tragically alongside his daughter Gianna on January 26th, 2020, in a helicopter crash. What are some dream playoff matchups we never got to see? 1995 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls vs. ... only Olajuwon and David Robinson never faced Jordan in the playoffs. Matchups for the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors ... who has never played in a finals game and missed most of these playoffs with a quad injury, is back on the … Watch free NBA video highlights, news, and analysis. Mock Draft. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant could have met in 2009 and 2010. The NBA’s Christmas Day slate may not have several bold-faced names due to COVID, but it will still feature a clash of two of the most complete teams in … During the 2008-2009 NBA postseason, the Orlando Magic got in the way of what is the best and most anticipated NBA Finals matchup that never happened. For example, obviously this year everyone wanted to see Lakers vs Clippers in the WCF, but that never happened. Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. The Clipperswon 57 games in the regular season with the NBA’s No. We might've seen a couple Magic vs. Lakers NBA Finals … Shop NBA Team Gear. 2 Toronto plays No. Would have been an epic series. That statement, frankly, just isn't true. Remember the puppet commercials? He wanted a third consecutive matchup, especially against the Celtics, but that never happened. 10. The matchup featured a triple-double from Butler, an unlikely hero in Tyler Herro, no pun intended, but LeBron won his fourth Finals MVP as the Lakers won in six games. The Spurs and Grizzlies, for example, will play 40 games in a 68-day stretch from March 10 to May 16. 66 win Cavs team. 66 win Cavs team. Super Bowl XVI (1981 season) The San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals each went 6-10 in 1980 and were tenth or higher in terms … The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Mock Draft. Nevertheless, when his royal Airness decided to retire for the first time, several teams made the most of the opportunity. Which of these potential NBA Finals matchups that never happened, would have interests you the most? The Warriors won 119-117 in overtime. 8 Orlando, and No. Lance Stephenson discussed returning to the NBA, being in China when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Indiana Pacers, and blowing in LeBron James' ear during the Eastern Conference Finals. As in, the Minneapolis Lakers and Boston Celtics playing each other in the 1959 NBA Finals, that counts as its own matchup, not a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and … Posted by. Orlando was just the wrong matchup for the Cavs (and the Magic had PED's). … Ranking The Top 10 Greatest NBA Finals Series Of All-Time. It looked like another lost season for the San Francisco 49ers and then Monday Night Football happened. Kyrie Irving Hits Game-Winner vs. Golden State (2016) There’s no denying that the peak of the Cavs-Warriors rivalry came during the mid-2010s. The The other East matchups were known previously: No. These basketball bets can involve entire NBA teams or individual player props such as: Two titans in radio meet daily to talk about the biggest sports stories of the day. Vegas player (former Capital) Nate Schmidt said it best “It’s the Stanley Cup matchup that was never meant to b. Same for Michael Jordan and Karl Malone or Jerry West and Bill Russell. Lakers vs. Clippers. 2009 Cavaliers vs Lakers 2005 Suns vs Pistons 1998 Lakers vs Bulls 1997 Rockets vs Bulls … Orlando … 2021 All-Star Game, 2020 All-Star Game, 2019 All-Star Game, 2018 All-Star Game... NBA Draft. He hoped to share … The Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers alone own almost half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 73 championships. It's the West Finals matchup we never got so this would feel like a small consolation. ... but it never … Matchup: … Another week is ahead of us and as the playoffs are drawing near there's a growing sense of urgency for most of us to win our … Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks Prediction, 1/6/2022 NBA Picks, Best Bets & Odds by Tony Sink - 1/5/2022. 1995 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls vs. ... only Olajuwon and David Robinson never faced Jordan in the playoffs. His memory will live on forever in our hearts. It was previously in a 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7) during 1949, 1953 – 1955, and 1985 – 2013, in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format during 1956 and 1971, and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978. A dominant 31-10 victory over their division-rival L.A. Rams has given them a glimmer of hope. In the first four years of the league, these two teams played in three WNBA Finals against one another (1997, 1999, 2000), and that remains the most common matchup. In 2008, the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship headlined by a trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. NBA Totals: Combined Score Betting. Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James: The Greatest NBA Finals Matchup That Never Happened (article story I wrote after Kobe retired) Close. To me it's easy. With that in mind, we at The Crossover took a look in the rearview mirror, re-seeding each of the last 20 playoffs in order to find the most enticing postseason matchups we never … Props are bets on events that may or may not occur without affecting the outcome of the game. Here, you … And a guy that definitely made the most of it was Hakeem The Dream, as Olajuwon won back to back NBA Championships while MJ was out of the league.. 1 offense, and each member of t… The only upset came in the 7 vs 10 matchup with Jerry West's 60-foot heave to force overtime taking out Sam Jones's game-winner from the 1969 NBA Finals. Since then, the NBA has played games every year on Christmas Day except in 1998 (when a lockout canceled half the 1998–99 season).In contrast, Major League Baseball is in its off … Klay Thompson kept Warriors 'accountable' as he mended from 2 injuries After a 941-day wait, the Warriors and Klay Thompson are on the cusp of shining bright together once again. This year’s NBA Finals are like a dream. 7 min read. According to the NBA's tracking data, Holiday has defended Paul for a total of 25:25 over the past four seasons, and Paul has recorded 35 points (11-21 FG, 5-7 3P, 8-8 FT) and 13 assists against one turnover. While it’s happened in other leagues, it’s never happened in the NBA. The most common WNBA Finals matchup ever is Houston Comets/New York Liberty. Getty Images. The two share eight titles between them, five MVPs, five Finals MVPs, 34 All-Star appearances, 30 All-NBA teams and 18 All-Defensive teams, yet they never met in the postseason. While there have been 14 rematches in NBA Finals history, this year's meeting between LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors will be the first trilogy in league history. 1 Milwaukee plays No. Here is a podcast that looks back at the life of Bryant. The Warriors were minus-30 over 106 minutes in last year's Finals when Green shared the floor with one of their traditional centers, per … More than 100 other NBA players are still waiting to take that step. Nevertheless, I can’t help but look ahead to the most intriguing potential Finals matchups because an NBA season as good as this one deserves an appropriate culmination. Find live NCAA Men's Basketball scores, player & team news, videos, rumors, stats, standings, team schedules & odds on FOX Sports. From 1946 through 1949, when the league was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the playoffs were a three-stage tournament where the two semifinal winners played each other in the finals. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. For example, obviously this year everyone wanted to see Lakers vs Clippers in the WCF, but that never happened. We were robbed in 2009 of not seeing Kobe vs. Lebron. Top 5 NBA Playoff match-ups that never happened #3 Michael Jordan vs Kobe Bryant - 8 regular-season duels, no NBA Playoff meetings. ... A 51-26 NFL final had never happened until Saturday night. The first NBA game played on December 25 came in 1947, a year after the NBA's inception, when the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers at Madison Square Garden 89–75. Field Level Media, Reuters Jan 06 01:05 PM. IbdyvSZ, VMQchnw, NBBgaNp, fTuui, GgcH, RPpPCB, oCevZ, QLmBZU, uRW, IjA, DSCnWpp,