These NBA, NHL teams made Finals in the same year

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NBA, NHL teams from same city that made Finals in same year originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Stanley Cup has never shared a city with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The NHL and NBA playoffs run simultaneously, with the Finals in each league often ending within days of one another in June. But never since the NBA began in 1947 has a city had its hockey team win the Stanley Cup Finals and basketball team win the NBA Finals in the same year.   

Some have come very close, with one team winning the title on the ice while the other lost in the Finals on hardwood, or vice versa. This could be the year that changes, and it would be a pair of No. 8 seeds from Florida that make it happen. 

The Florida Panthers and Miami Heat have a chance to become the latest teams from the same region to advance to their respective Finals in the same year. 

The Panthers stunned a Boston Bruins team that set the NHL record for most wins in a season, upset the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games and then swept the Carolina Hurricanes to reach their first Stanley Cup Final in 27 years.

The Heat, after suffering a loss in their first play-in game, upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, disposed of the No. 5 New York Knicks and eliminated the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. 

On the flip side, Boston became the first city to lose a home Game 7 to a No. 8 seed in both hockey and basketball in the same season.

So, that puts both the Heat and Panthers, whose arenas are a mere 35 miles from one another, a few victories away from raising banners for each sport.     

Here’s a look back at other times when NHL and NBA teams from the same city had a chance to do the same after advancing to the Finals in the same year…

1957 – Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins

The Celtics were making the first of 10 straight Finals appearances, giving the Bruins ample time to do their part. The Celtics captured their first NBA title by defeating the St. Louis Hawks in seven games, but the Bruins fell in five games to a Montreal Canadiens team in the midst of a dynasty in which they won five straight Cups.    

1958 – Boston Celtics and…

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Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2023-05-30 03:40:00

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