Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Saturday 5 January 2019
Clemson-Alabama IV has precedents in other sports

co Harris' 60-yard TD on the
Immaculate Reception led
the Steelers to a 13-7 win.
The Raiders got revenge
the following year before
Pittsburgh beat Oakland
in two straight AFC title
games on the way to Super
Bowl wins. The run ended
with Oakland winning 24-7
in the 1976 AFC champi-
onship on the way to the
Raiders' first Super Bowl win.
KINGS OF THE COURT: There
have been several NBA ri-
valries that featured four
straight playoff meetings,
including when Bill Russell's
Celtics took three out of
four Eastern Conference fi-
nals from Wilt Chamberlain
and the 76ers from 1965-68.
The Knicks and Bulls squared
off each year from 1991-94
with Michael Jordan and
Chicago taking the first
three and Patrick Ewing
and New York winning the
fourth when Jordan was
playing baseball.
The Knicks went to the limit
four straight times against
Miami starting in 1997, with
In this Jan. 10, 2016, file photo, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, left, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney pose for a picture the Knicks winning three
during a news conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game, in Glendale, Ariz. The Tigers are set to square of the series that featured
off against the Crimson Tide for the fourth straight year in the College Football Playoff in Monday night's, Jan. 7, 2019, title game.
While most of the players have changed since Alabama won the first meeting for the championship in January 2016, the coaches fights, suspensions and
have remained the same.(AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File) plenty of bad blood.
Associated Press The Lakers and Spurs then
traded dominance in the
By JOSH DUBOW won the championship the beat St. Thomas of Minne- French Open that Serena Western Conference with
AP Sports Writer first year before Clemson's sota in 2012. won in straight sets for her four straight meetings in
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Dabo Sweeney got his first The Raiders then resumed second career grand slam 2001-04 between teams
— LeBron vs. Steph in the championship a year later. the rivalry with Whitewater title. Serena followed that featuring Shaquille O'Neal
spring, Dabo vs. Nick in the The Tide won in the semifi- the following year with the by beating her big sister and Kobe Bryant in Los An-
winter. nals last season and now younger Kehres as head in the final at Wimbledon, geles and Tim Duncan in
As much as Cleveland and the teams are set to meet coach, but Whitewater the U.S. Open and the 2003 San Antonio.
Golden State became an- again. won those two meetings as Australian Open, winning QUEENS OF THE COURT:
nual opponents in the NBA "There are going to be a well. the first of her two career Connecticut and Notre
Finals before James left the lot of similarities as far as "You're certainly more pre- Serena Slams. The sisters Dame have been the dom-
Cavaliers last summer to the blueprint of the game pared for the fact that have met 30 times in all on inant powers in women's
join the Los Angeles Lak- plan because the head you may play them based the court, with Serena win- college basketball this de-
ers after losing the title for coaches are the same," on the fact that you have ning 18, including seven of cade with the rivalry that
the third time in four years said Mount Union coach played them so many nine meetings in slam finals. began when both were in
to Curry and the Warriors, Vince Kehres. times," Vince Kehres said. GRIDIRON GREATS: Few ri- the Big East. The Irish won
Clemson and Alabama If anyone knows what Ala- "As soon as you know it's a valries were as heated as semifinal matchups in 2011
have squared off in the bama and Clemson are done deal that game plan the one between the Pitts- and '12 before Geno Au-
winter to help determine going through this week is already kind of set. Then burgh Steelers and Oak- riemma and the Huskies got
college football's cham- it would be the staffs that you're just tweaking as you land Raiders in the 1970s. revenge with three straight
pion. were at Mount Union and get those tapes and you The games were physical, wins from 2013-15. The last
The Tigers are set to square Wisconsin-Whitewater look at the most recent memorable and often im- two came in the title game.
off against the Crimson when they played for the days." Here are some other pacted the championship. SOCCER POWERHOUSES:
Tide for the fourth straight Division III championship noteworthy matchups that It got so intense that Pitts- Spanish soccer rivals Real
year in the College Football seven straight years from happened in four straight burgh coach Chuck Noll Madrid and Atletico Ma-
Playoff in Monday night's 2005-11. postseasons from around referred to Raiders safety drid squared off for four
title game. While most of Kehres was defensive co- the sports world: George Atkinson as part straight years in the knock-
the players have changed ordinator under his father, SIBLING RIVALRY: While of the "criminal element" in out stage of the Champi-
since Alabama won the first Larry, during that run when it doesn't quite count as football, leading to an un- ons League. Ronaldo and
meeting for the champion- Mount Union won the first postseason matchups, Ve- successful defamation suit. Real Madrid won each
ship in January 2016, the two meetings and three nus and Serena Williams The teams played in five time, including the finals in
coaches have remained of the first four. Whitewater squared off for the title at straight postseasons start- 2014 and '16, the quarterfi-
the same. then took the next three four straight tennis ma- ing with the most memora- nals in 2015 and the semifi-
Alabama's Nick Saban titles before Mount Union jors starting with the 2002 ble one in 1972 when Fran- nals in 2017.q