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 Final 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.
As of the second round of the playoffs, three cities had a chance to send teams to both the NBA and NHL conference finals this season: New York, Boston and Dallas.
It’s the Lone Star State that still has multiple representatives.
The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars have a chance to become the latest teams from the same region to advance to their respective Finals in the same year. Both are set to compete in the Western Conference Finals, with the Mavericks taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Stars facing the Edmonton Oilers.
So, that puts both the Dallas duo 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 Boston Bruins
The two had a chance to run it back the very next season, with each team facing the same opponent. But this time, both lost, with the Celtics and Bruins both falling in six games.
The Timberwolves stunned the Denver Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history. Minnesota will face the Dallas Mavericks.
1972 – New York Knicks and New York Rangers
New York had its first chance at the double ring when the Knicks and Rangers both advanced to the Finals. The Knicks, two years after winning their first championship, fell to the Lakers in five games. The Rangers, making their first Finals appearance in 22 years, lost to the Bruins in six games.
1974 – Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins
Third time wasn’t a charm for Boston. The Celtics, after winning all but one NBA championship in the 1960s, captured their first of the 1970s by beating the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. The top-seeded Bruins, in the Finals for the third time in five years, were upset by a Philadelphia Flyers team that won its first Cup.
1980 – Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers
Two teams in the finals in the same year? How about four? This was the grand slam of Philly sports as all four of their major professional teams – the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles and Phillies – advanced to the finals of each sport. It began with the Sixers, who lost in six games to a Los Angeles Lakers team led by a rookie named Magic Johnson. The Flyers, who set a North American pro sports record with 35 straight games without a loss, were eliminated eight days later by a New York Islanders team that won the first of four straight Stanley Cups. In case you’re wondering, the Eagles lost 27-10 to the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl, and the Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in Game 6 of the World Series to win their first championship in the team’s near 100-year existence.
1992 – Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks
Michael Jordan and the Bulls were in the midst of the first of two three-peats, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games to win a second-straight championship. The Blackhawks were making their first Finals appearance since 1973, and seeking their first championship since 1961, but they were swept by a Pittsburgh Penguins team that won its second straight Cup.
1994 – New York Knicks and New York Rangers
There were nearly two championship parades down New York’s Canyon of Heroes in 1994. And it was the closest any city came to winning championships the same year in hockey and basketball. The Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years after beating the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14. The following day, in the same building, the Knicks evened the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets at 2-2. The Knicks then won Game 5, putting the team one victory away from its first title since 1973. But they lost Game 6 by two points and then fell by six in Game 7.
2003 – New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils
Since that 1994 loss, the closest the New York area has come to calling the Larry O’Brien Trophy home was in 2003…with the Nets. The Devils had already won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. The Nets, making a second straight trip to the Finals, came up two games short of having two 2003 championship banners raised at Continental Airlines Arena after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
2016 – Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks
2023 – Miami Heat and Florida Panthers
Yes, this happened just last season — although the arenas for the Heat and Panthers are roughly 35 miles from one another. It was simultaneous Cinderella runs in the South Beach area, as the pair of No. 8 seeds each made some stunning upsets en route to their respective Finals. Both teams, however, managed only one victory in the title round, with the Heat falling to the Denver Nuggets and the Panthers losing to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 losses.
