More than seven months after the NBA season began in October, only two teams remain standing. The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks have survived a grueling 82-game regular season and four rounds of playoff basketball to earn a spot on the sport's biggest stage: the NBA Finals.

Last week, baseball fans were treated to the best two words in sports: Game 7. For many, the end of this World Series didn't just sting. It rekindled memories of past pains and reopened the wounds of some of the greatest collapses in sports history. Because in sports, the agony lingers longer than the celebration. Sometimes the pain is about more than the final score, as one team's triumph is forever linked to another's heartbreak.