It's been a while since a team has done what the Warriors did Monday.
Golden State advanced to its fifth straight appearance in the NBA Finals after clinching a sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. The Warriors dispatched the Blazers 119-117 in overtime and became the first professional sports team on the continent to appear in five straight championships since 1984, when the New York Islanders appeared in a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
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In all, only six franchises have made at least five straight championship appearances. All but four of those teams made those appearances before 1970. One was the Boston Celtics, the last NBA franchise to accomplish the feat.
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The Warriors surely hope their season ends more like the '66 Celtics than the '84 Isles. Boston won its ninth championship in 10 seasons in 1966, while the Islanders' dynastic run ended with a loss to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers in the Final.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State will try to avoid a similar passing of the torch on May 30 when the NBA Finals begin on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors. As of this writing, Milwaukee holds a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.