With the shocking the and the to the Conference Finals, the NBA's Final Four is set. The , , , and Timberwolves are the four teams still left vying for an NBA Championship, meaning there will be a unique champion for the sixth consecutive year. After 's dynastic repeated in 2017-18, the league transitioned into the era of parity and competitive balance with five straight different teams taking home the Larry O'Brien trophy.
The 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2022 Warriors, and 2023 Nuggets all won a ring in this span. Not only that, but there won't be a back-to-back conference champion for the sixth straight year in both conferences. There is no longer a single dominant team, rather four to eight squads in any given year that have legitimate title hopes battling it out in enthralling fashion.
This year's Western Conference was a perfect example of that. NBA fans have always hoped for a league where they didn't know the NBA Finals matchup before the season started. Now they have it.
Sixth Straight Year With a Unique NBA Champion The NBA has almost always been a league that is controlled by a few teams or players at any given time in its history. Bill Russell's Celtics dominated the 60s, 's Lakers and 's Celtics ran the 80s, 's Bulls had two three-peats in the 90s, 's Lakers and 's controlled the 2000s, and was the story of the 2010s. NBA Dynasties Celtics 1957-1969 11 12 Celtics, Lakers 1980-1989 8 13 Bulls 1991-1998 6 6 Lakers, Spurs 1999-2010 9 11 LeBron James 2011-2020 4 9 The lone e.