With the 2007 NBA Finals upon us, the tome of basketball history is about to seal another chapter. This year's section will include Kobe Bryant’s dazzling streak of four consecutive games with 50 points or more, the Philadelphia 76ers trading of superstar Allen Iverson and the 67-win Dallas Mavericks becoming victim to one of the biggest upsets in NBA Playoff history.

But before the page is turned on this magical season, let’s flip back in history and relive the top 10 NBA Finals matchups in preparation for this year’s championship round.

Number 10
Golden State Warriors defeat Washington Bullets (4-0)
1975
If you thought the 2007 NBA Playoffs were the first time the Golden State Warriors pulled off an improbable playoff upset, you need to add some “thoughts” to your database. Specifically, Golden State upended another 60-win team in what is considered to be a much more important win for the franchise.

The Warriors faced the Washington Bullets in the 1975 finals, and prognosticators had this one pegged as one-sided affair. They were right, only they predicted the champ and challenger backwards. The Bullets were heavily favored, but to everyone’s surprise, it was the Rick Barry-led Warriors who triumphed in four close games -- even though the Bullets led at the halftime in each contest. It was only the third sweep in the 29-year history of the NBA Finals and the Warriors second NBA Championship to date.

Number 9
Portland Trail Blazers defeat Philadelphia 76ers (4-2)
1977
In 1977, the Portland Trail Blazers were, in fact, blazing new trails as they not only made their franchise playoff debut, but swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals en route to their first finals appearance. With Julius “Dr. J.” Erving and George McGinnis, the 76ers had more skilled and talented players, but it was the Trail Blazers who were the cohesive team functioning in harmony.

Portland started the series half asleep and fell into a 2-0 gap. But a brawl in the waning moments of Game 2 that included players, coaches, security guards, and fans, finally ignited the Blazers. They made a turnaround of epic proportions, mostly sparked by owning the paint. The Blazers won three straight, igniting “Blazermania,” the name for the fever that was making rounds in Portland. Led by Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas, the Blazers made the full comeback. Walton notched 20 points, 23 rebounds eight assists and seven blocks in Game 6, leading the Blazers to their first and only Championship to date.

Number 8
Chicago Bulls defeat Utah Jazz (4-2)
1998
As the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz battled towards a rematch of the 1997 finals, many pundits felt that the Jazz, who had home-court advantage this time around, were in a better position to compete against the team that reigned champion in five of the previous seven seasons. But after the Jazz mustered only 54 points in Game 3 -- a new low for an NBA Finals contest -- and fell into a daunting 3-1 series hole after a loss in Game 4, the Jazz looked cooked.

But Utah caught a break in Game 5 as Michael Jordan missed the potential game-winning shot and another in Game 6, as Scottie Pippen injured his back early in the first quarter. But the dream turned into a nightmare for Utah as a shot clock malfunction would later take a three-point basket away, which should have counted. Then came Michael Jordan’s havoc in the last minute of the fourth quarter -- scoring a layup, stripping Karl Malone and then crossing up Bryon Russell and nailing the game-winning shot -- has haunted the Jazz ever since. The win would complete the Bulls’ second three-peat of the 1990s.

Next >>