The best ever?
No doubt.
After the first overtime in Super Bowl history on Sunday night, the championship rounds in North America’s four major sports were never better than in the 2016 athletic year.
There were historic seven-game series in the NBA Finals and World Series, a taut six-game Stanley Cup Final and, finally, a rip-roaring Super Bowl. No year, not 1955—the only year with three championship seven-game series—’58, ’62 or 2011 could match the drama and historical significance of what took place in ’16 (and early ’17).
Going back to 1947, with what is considered the first NBA Finals, here are the 10 best years for championship rounds judged by competitive series and historic import.