The Miami Heat and the Nuggets will meet in Denver on Thursday in a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals.

In June, Denver won its first NBA title after overcoming Miami in five games. Given that the Nuggets are third in the West and the Heat are fifth in the East, a rematch in the NBA Finals of 2024 is not totally out of the question.

Even though it’s hard to duplicate the excitement of an NBA Finals meeting during the regular season, some title rematches can get media attention.

A look back at a few noteworthy ones over the years

In the 1980s, the Lakers and Celtics faced off three times in the NBA Finals. Still, this rematch from the regular season ranks among the two teams’ greatest matches of that decade.

With less than a minute left, the Celtics led by three points, but Michael Cooper’s three-pointer on the next play gave the Lakers a point.

With three seconds left, Danny Ainge was fouled and split the free throws, but the score stayed knotted. The Boston Garden audience was stunned as Magic Johnson then sank a fading deep 2-pointer to give Los Angeles a historic victory.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar contributed 23 points and eight rebounds, while Johnson finished with 18 points, 17 assists, and eight rebounds. In addition to his game-high 35 points and five steals, Larry Bird also had nine

As two of the best teams in the NBA, the Bulls and SuperSonics faced up in a rematch of the Finals from the previous season. Chicago was riding an eight-game winning streak, and Seattle had just had two losses in the previous month.

Similar to the NBA Finals, the Bulls emerged victorious, dominating the game for the most part after taking an early 27-15 lead. Michael Jordan scored 45 points and pulled down seven rebounds, becoming the only player from Chicago to score in double figures. With 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, Gary Payton was quite productive.

Later in the season, the two clubs squared off again, with the Bulls emerging victorious in overtime.

Before reuniting in January 2011, these bitter adversaries battled it out in an epic series that Paul Pierce described as emotionally charged.

Behind a solid second half, Boston, which added Shaquille O’Neal in the offseason, easily won.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Pierce together accounted for 81 points for the Celtics big four. In addition to his 10 points, Rondo had 16 assists, and Garnett had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. The Lakers suffered their fourth defeat in seven games despite a game-high 41 points from Kobe Bryant, who was followed in scoring by no other player with more than 20 points.

In an away game on February 10, Los Angeles prevailed via retaliation, but these two teams

A thrilling Christmas Day game between two of the best teams in the NBA included five technical fouls, eight lead changes, and nine ties.

With 15 seconds left, the Thunder trailed by three points and had two chances to tie the game: a Durant 3-pointer and an attempt by Russell Westbrook. They both missed, and the Heat won the game by grabbing the rebound. After his miss, Westbrook banged the scorer’s table in exasperation.

Westbrook contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Durant scored a game-high 33 points. With his signature stat line of 29 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, LeBron James led Miami. In addition to his 21 points, Dwyane Wade pulled down five rebounds.

After the game, James offered a succinct statement that perfectly captured the tough matchup: “I’m tired as hell right now.”

It was maybe the best rematch between opponents in the next season, following a historic NBA Finals comeback. On a team that finished 73-9 the previous season, the Warriors added Kevin Durant in the offseason to add star power.

However, it was in vain, as Cleveland managed to pull off another upset. With 1:05 left, the Cavaliers were behind by three, but they managed to hold the Warriors scoreless, and Kyrie Irving’s jump shot with three seconds remaining sealed the victory.

James finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds, while Durant had a game-high 36 points and 15 rebounds. Irving added a then-career-high seven steals, 10 assists, and 25 points.

In the NBA Finals of 2017 and 2018, they squared off once more.