Don’t take for granted how significant a task it is to repeat as an NBA champion. In fact, even getting back to the Finals is a big deal. If the Warriors or Cavs make it back, they will be the first since the 1982-85 Showtime Lakers to go to four straight finals. (Those Lakers were 2-2 by the way.) No team has gone to five straight finals since the 1957-66 Celtics (9-1), back when the league was much smaller and unbalanced.
This article is an update of a 2015 survey of past NBA champions and how difficult it was for them to repeat: How Hard Is It To Repeat As NBA Champions?