Latest news with #parity
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
NBA set to have 9th franchise win a title in Adam Silver's 12 seasons as commissioner. Parity reigns
OKLAHOMA CITY — In the entirety of David Stern's 30-year tenure as the NBA's commissioner, eight different franchises won a championship. Adam Silver is in Year 12 of his run overseeing the league — and a ninth different franchise is about to win a title on his watch. The parity era in the league is not new, and it most certainly lives on this year, with either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers set to become NBA champions. The winning team in these NBA Finals will be the seventh different champion in the last seven seasons, a run the likes of which the league has never experienced before. 'We set out to create a system that allowed for more competition around the league,' Silver said Thursday night in his annual news conference before Game 1 of the finals. 'The goal being to have 30 teams all in the position, if well managed, to compete for championships. And that's what we're seeing here.' In Stern's 30 years, the eight championship-winning franchises were the Los Angeles Lakers (eight times), Chicago (six), San Antonio (four), Boston (three), Miami (three), Detroit (three), Houston (twice) and Dallas (once). For Silver, the chart looks much different. Golden State has won four titles since he became commissioner, and Milwaukee, Cleveland, Boston, the Lakers, Denver, Toronto and San Antonio have one. Oklahoma City or Indiana will be the next entry on that list. 'David used to joke early on in his tenure as commissioner,' Silver said. 'He said his job was to go back and forth between Boston and L.A. handing out championship trophies.' And this run — seven champions in seven years — started in 2019, immediately after Cleveland and Golden State played in four consecutive finals and the league heard plenty of grumbling about a lack of unpredictability. In that seven-year span, 11 different franchises (out of a maximum of 14, obviously) have been to the finals at least once, with the Thunder and Pacers the newest names on that list. 'It's healthy for the league for all 30 teams to be constantly positioning,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'If you're good, you have to navigate being good. If you're not good, there's systematic things that can help you. I think generally that's good for the league. We're not focused on what's good for the league. We're focused on what's good for the Thunder. We're trying to operate within that environment.' In other matters covered by Silver on Thursday: There is a board of governors meeting in Las Vegas next month, and Silver thinks it's likely that those owners will decide at that time whether or not to take the next official step toward expanding the league in the coming years. Officially exploring the notion of adding teams seems likely. 'It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room,' Silver said. 'We have committees that are already talking about it, but my sense is at that meeting they're going to give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore.' That does not mean it will definitely happen, even though there are certain markets — Seattle and Las Vegas among them — that are known to want NBA teams. 'I'd say the current sense is we should be exploring it,' Silver said. 'I don't think it's automatic.' Silver said he and the league office have gotten numerous calls from groups about potential expansion, with the standard response — until now — being that the NBA appreciates the interest but isn't ready for any real talks. That's what will likely change, with the plan — if the owners give the go-ahead — set to include engagement with outside advisors evaluating market opportunities, media opportunities and other factors. Speaking on the topic of next year's All-Star Game for a second straight day, Silver said he hasn't given up on finding a formula that works. Silver revealed in an interview on FS1 on Wednesday that a U.S. vs. the world game is possible in some form for next year's All-Star Game, which will be aired in mid-February on NBC — smack in the middle of the Winter Olympics, also on NBC. So, the U.S. vs. World theme would fit perfectly with Olympic coverage. 'I think we're on to something,' Silver said. The idea — U.S. vs. World — has been bandied about for months, and top international players like San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo have said they would be intrigued by such an idea. 'We are looking at something that brings an international flavor into All-Star competition,' Silver said. 'We're still experimenting internally with different formats and talking with the players' association about that. I don't think straight-up U.S. vs. World makes sense, but that's not what they did in the NHL either.' Silver was referring to the 4 Nations Face-off, which was a smashing success during a stoppage during the NHL season this past February. After a postseason where injuries hit a number of top stars — Boston's Jayson Tatum, Golden State's Stephen Curry and Milwaukee's Damian Lillard among them — Silver said the league isn't looking at reducing the current 82-game regular season in an effort to lower workload on players. 'Money's part of it. There's no question about it. We're a business,' Silver said. 'But having said that, I don't really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. ... We have absolutely no data to suggest that.' ___ AP NBA:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
NBA set to have 9th franchise win a title in Adam Silver's 12 seasons as commissioner. Parity reigns
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — In the entirety of David Stern's 30-year tenure as the NBA's commissioner, eight different franchises won a championship. Adam Silver is in Year 12 of his run overseeing the league — and a ninth different franchise is about to win a title on his watch. The parity era in the league is not new, and it most certainly lives on this year, with either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers set to become NBA champions. The winning team in these NBA Finals will be the seventh different champion in the last seven seasons, a run the likes of which the league has never experienced before. 'We set out to create a system that allowed for more competition around the league,' Silver said Thursday night in his annual news conference before Game 1 of the finals. 'The goal being to have 30 teams all in the position, if well managed, to compete for championships. And that's what we're seeing here.' In Stern's 30 years, the eight championship-winning franchises were the Los Angeles Lakers (eight times), Chicago (six), San Antonio (four), Boston (three), Miami (three), Detroit (three), Houston (twice) and Dallas (once). For Silver, the chart looks much different. Golden State has won four titles since he became commissioner, and Milwaukee, Cleveland, Boston, the Lakers, Denver, Toronto and San Antonio have one. Oklahoma City or Indiana will be the next entry on that list. 'David used to joke early on in his tenure as commissioner,' Silver said. 'He said his job was to go back and forth between Boston and L.A. handing out championship trophies.' And this run — seven champions in seven years — started in 2019, immediately after Cleveland and Golden State played in four consecutive finals and the league heard plenty of grumbling about a lack of unpredictability. In that seven-year span, 11 different franchises (out of a maximum of 14, obviously) have been to the finals at least once, with the Thunder and Pacers the newest names on that list. 'It's healthy for the league for all 30 teams to be constantly positioning,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'If you're good, you have to navigate being good. If you're not good, there's systematic things that can help you. I think generally that's good for the league. We're not focused on what's good for the league. We're focused on what's good for the Thunder. We're trying to operate within that environment.' In other matters covered by Silver on Thursday: Expansion There is a board of governors meeting in Las Vegas next month, and Silver thinks it's likely that those owners will decide at that time whether or not to take the next official step toward expanding the league in the coming years. Officially exploring the notion of adding teams seems likely. 'It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room,' Silver said. 'We have committees that are already talking about it, but my sense is at that meeting they're going to give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore.' That does not mean it will definitely happen, even though there are certain markets — Seattle and Las Vegas among them — that are known to want NBA teams. 'I'd say the current sense is we should be exploring it,' Silver said. 'I don't think it's automatic.' ___ AP NBA:
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Parity has reached NBA playoffs; you should enjoy watching the new leading men on stage
Congrats to all the bean counters and attorneys who serve the NBA's corporate offices. You've won. Parity, or as close to parity as the NBA can get, has been achieved. The NBA will have a seventh straight different champion in 2025, the first time in league history. Two of the four remaining teams in the conference finals — Minnesota and Indiana — have never won an NBA title. The Oklahoma City Thunder were in Seattle and called the SuperSonics when they won their lone league championship in 1979; the Knicks haven't won one in 52 years, or since Spike Lee was sitting in the nosebleed seats at Madison Square Garden. Advertisement This is a good thing for the league and its fans. A very good thing. (You know what's not a good thing? The lottery. It's not doing what the league says it's designed to do: get the best young prospects to the teams that most need them. But, that's another column.) Look, I love dynasties. I love knowing what, or who, the standard is, and what you're gonna do to try and knock them/him/her off their perch. I love going to Yankee Stadium or Bell Centre in Montreal or TD Garden and seeing nothing but championship banners. The Yankees, Canadiens and Celtics don't do division championship banners or conference titles. Nothing but sustained excellence. Mike Tyson spent half a decade wearing nothing but a towel to the center of the boxing ring, letting his malevolent fists do the talking. (Is there a greatest fisherman of all time? I guess so.) But having new superstars get their moment in the spotlight is dope, too. And, so far, the ratings for the Thunder's, Pacers', Timberwolves' and Knicks' postseason triumphs have been just fine. The cliché that people along the East and West Coasts dismiss the rest of the United States as 'flyover country' is old, musty and untrue. Especially in sports. No one would argue that the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, or the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, aren't nationally known and supported franchises in the NFL or Major League Baseball. The Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have been among the most dominant franchises in the last 30-plus years of the NBA. Anyone who cares about the long-term health of any league understands that teams in the Midwest and Southwest need to thrive and be successful, too. The breakthroughs of the Wolves and Pacers to consecutive conference finals appearances, and the Thunder returning for the first time since the end of the Kevin Durant era in 2016, are hugely important for the league to be able to say with a straight face that it really is intentional — and, has been successful — in trying to level the playing field, and force talent to be spread more evenly around the league. I know Edwards doesn't want the job, but this is a chance for the Wolves' alpha to make an unequivocal case that he's not just the baddest man in the game, but the face of the league. So, too, can the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton, or the Knicks' Jalen Brunson. Each of them has national TV commercials, though Haliburton's profile is a little smaller nationally than the other three. But they're all telegenic guards with mesmerizing games, even though Edwards is the only one of the four who could be viewed as a high-flier. Advertisement Just look at the superstars whose teams didn't get out of the first round, or make the playoffs at all: LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Durant, Trae Young, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokić, Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown bid adieu in round two. That's 15 of the NBA's last 17 regular-season Most Valuable Players, and 12 of the last 13 finals MVPs, who are out of the mix before the conference finals. The ascension of OKC, Minnesota, Indiana and New York came via different routes. The Wolves have ridden winning the lottery twice, in 2015 and 2020, to build their team — first, around Karl-Anthony Towns, and then Edwards. The Thunder remade their team by trading Paul George to the Clippers in 2019, and not only getting SGA from Los Angeles, but a 2022 first-round pick in the trade that became All-Star forward Jalen Williams. Similarly, the Pacers retooled via a big deal, getting Haliburton from the Kings in 2022 for center Domantas Sabonis. The Knicks did it the old-fashioned way, convincing Brunson to come to New York via free agency from Dallas in 2022, then surrounding him via smart conventional trades (getting Josh Hart from Portland at the 2023 trade deadline, and OG Anunoby from Toronto for R.J. Barrett) and keeping their powder dry for several offseasons, retaining their bushel of future first-rounders available until using five of them to get Mikal Bridges from the Nets last summer. To be sure, each of the previous six champions also built smartly around their transcendent stars to create championship teams. But the superteam/player empowerment era looks to be over. At the least, up-and-coming teams such as Cleveland — the Thunder, Magic and others — are going to have incredibly difficult decisions to make in the next couple of years about what parts of their current rotations are most worth preserving. Combined with cap 'smoothing' — smaller, year-over-year increases in the cap, starting in 2023, rather than huge one-year jumps like in 2016 — the new collective bargaining agreement, with its draconian penalties for teams that exceed the second apron, has hit multiple contending teams between the eyes, and made it impossible for them to keep their superstars together. The Suns shopped Durant and Bradley Beal to no avail in February, less than two years after sending everything not nailed down to Brooklyn and Washington, respectively, to put KD and Beal next to Devin Booker. Advertisement But forget building around three superstars. A lot of teams can't even keep their most important role players. The Clippers (Paul George) and Nuggets (Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) have already had to contract their rotations because of second apron concerns, with Denver's uncertainty about its bench a key component in the dysfunction that led to the firing of Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth at the end of the regular season. Boston's controlling ownership group is selling what is arguably the league's most iconic franchise. Estate tax penalties play a big part, to be sure. However, the 2024 NBA champions are also facing an incoming financial tsunami after (correctly) giving supermax extensions to Tatum and Brown in the last 24 months. Those $300-plus million apiece deals put the Celtics way above the second apron, and in the crosshairs of a monster, nine-figure luxury tax bill as soon as 2026. It's a distinct possibility that Boston will have to move either Kristaps Porziņģis or Jrue Holiday, each a prime catalyst for the 2024 championship team, to get back under the second apron. And that big bill, governor Wyc Grousbeck told Boston radio station WEEI in March, isn't even the reason the Cs want to get under. 'It's basketball penalties now, and there's like nine of them that kick in if you stay in the second apron,' Grousbeck said. 'Like, you can't make trades anymore. It's very hard. You have to do one player for one. You can't add up guys. If you're trying to trade a player, you have to get the exact match on salaries, very close. You freeze your draft picks that go to the end of the first round. You basically can't trade them. So, you all of a sudden, even if you finish really poorly, you've got the 30th pick because of overspending.' The last time the NBA was this egalitarian was during the 1970s. That decade, seven different teams — New York, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Boston, Golden State, Portland, Washington and Seattle — won championships. But the league's myriad issues, from franchise stability to drug use to the racist trope that the league had become 'too Black' to be enjoyable for White patrons, made the NBA so unpopular at the time that its network TV partner, CBS, trying to protect its popular weeknight lineups, aired several of the league's postseason games, including the finals, on tape delay on the East Coast in the late '70s and early '80. Things are better now. And, someone's going to raise the Larry that's never done it before, or at least not in a good long while. Even if you loved, and love, watching Steph splash 3s, there are other people in the company who can take center stage, and make you come out of your seats by the end of the show. (Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)
National Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
The NBA's final 4 is set: Thunder, Knicks, Wolves and Pacers remain, and parity reigns again
Article content The parity era continues in the NBA. Article content Article content The New York Knicks haven't won an NBA championship since 1973. The Indiana Pacers won their most recent title that year — in the ABA. The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has one title in its history, that coming in 1979 when the team called Seattle home. And the Minnesota Timberwolves have never even been to the NBA Finals. Article content When Commissioner Adam Silver hands one of those teams the Larry O'Brien Trophy next month, it'll mark a league first — seven championship franchises in a seven-year span. Article content There hasn't been a back-to-back NBA champion since Golden State in 2017 and 2018. From there, the list of champions goes like this: Toronto in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023 and Boston last season. Article content It's the longest such run of different champions in NBA history; Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NFL have all had longer ones, and not too long ago, either. Article content But for the NBA, this is different. The league wanted unpredictability, especially after four consecutive Cleveland-vs.-Golden State title matchups from 2015 through 2018. Article content And things have been highly unpredictable since. No matter what the Finals matchup is this year, the NBA will be seeing 11 conference-champion franchises in the span of seven seasons. Article content 'We've still got eight more wins to achieve our ultimate goal,' Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. 'We've still got two more series. We're only halfway there.' Article content Article content The season is over for 26 of the NBA's 30 clubs. But the fun stuff is just starting. Article content The Western Conference finals — No. 6 seed Minnesota vs. No. 1 seed Oklahoma City — begin Tuesday night in Oklahoma. The Eastern Conference finals — No. 4 seed Indiana vs. No. 3 seed New York _ begin Wednesday night in Manhattan. The Wolves lost the West finals last year; the Pacers lost the East finals a year ago. Article content 'You've got to have big dreams,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'You don't know how often you're going to be in this position.' Article content Indeed, the championship window for teams doesn't seem to be staying open as long as it did in the past. Article content Boston was a huge favourite to win its second straight title; the Celtics didn't get out of Round 2, in part because they couldn't hold onto big leads and in part because Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in that series with the Knicks. Article content 'Upset or not, whatever it is, we beat a great team,' Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. 'They obviously lost a huge piece … but they're still a great team.'
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The NBA's final 4 is set: Thunder, Knicks, Wolves and Pacers remain, and parity reigns again
The parity era continues in the NBA. The New York Knicks haven't won an NBA championship since 1973. The Indiana Pacers won their most recent title that year — in the ABA. The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has one title in its history, that coming in 1979 when the team called Seattle home. And the Minnesota Timberwolves have never even been to the NBA Finals. Meet the NBA's final four. When Commissioner Adam Silver hands one of those teams the Larry O'Brien Trophy next month, it'll mark a league first — seven championship franchises in a seven-year span. There hasn't been a back-to-back NBA champion since Golden State in 2017 and 2018. From there, the list of champions goes like this: Toronto in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023 and Boston last season. It's the longest such run of different champions in NBA history; Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NFL have all had longer ones, and not too long ago, either. But for the NBA, this is different. The league wanted unpredictability, especially after four consecutive Cleveland-vs.-Golden State title matchups from 2015 through 2018. And things have been highly unpredictable since. No matter what the Finals matchup is this year, the NBA will be seeing 11 conference-champion franchises in the span of seven seasons. 'We've still got eight more wins to achieve our ultimate goal,' Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. 'We've still got two more series. We're only halfway there.' The season is over for 26 of the NBA's 30 clubs. But the fun stuff is just starting. Conference finals start Tuesday The Western Conference finals — No. 6 seed Minnesota vs. No. 1 seed Oklahoma City — begin Tuesday night in Oklahoma. The Eastern Conference finals — No. 4 seed Indiana vs. No. 3 seed New York — begin Wednesday night in Manhattan. The Wolves lost the West finals last year; the Pacers lost the East finals a year ago. 'You've got to have big dreams,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'You don't know how often you're going to be in this position.' Indeed, the championship window for teams doesn't seem to be staying open as long as it did in the past. Boston was a huge favorite to win its second straight title; the Celtics didn't get out of Round 2, in part because they couldn't hold onto big leads and in part because Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in that series with the Knicks. 'Upset or not, whatever it is, we beat a great team,' Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said. 'They obviously lost a huge piece ... but they're still a great team.' Damian Lillard tore an Achilles tendon in Round 1, ending Milwaukee's hopes. Cleveland, the top seed in the East, bowed out in Round 2 against Indiana after a slew of Cavs were dealing with health issues. Stephen Curry strained his hamstring; that was all it took to doom Golden State's chances in Round 2 against Minnesota. 'He's our sun,' Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. 'This is a solar system. He's our sun.' And now, the NBA solar system is about to see new star holding the trophy. The next one There is nobody left in these playoffs who has been an NBA Finals MVP. Not even close. In fact, there are only seven players left — Indiana's Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Thomas Bryant; Knicks teammates P.J. Tucker, Cam Payne and Mikal Bridges; and Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso — who have appeared in a Finals game. And most of those appearances didn't add up to much; Siakam is the only player left in these playoffs with more than 100 Finals points. So, who will the next Finals MVP be? Maybe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Canadian guard and likely MVP from the Thunder? The 'Mr. Clutch' award winner, Brunson from the Knicks? Anthony Edwards, the presumed next face of the league from the Timberwolves? Tyrese Haliburton, the dazzling guard and Olympic gold medalist who keeps getting overlooked by everyone outside of Indiana? None of them would be surprise choices. 'Our ultimate goal isn't just the Western Conference finals," Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'You've got to go through there to get there.' Who has the edge? If the NBA's final four was its own league this season, taking just the head-to-head results between those four clubs would suggest the Thunder are the clear favorite. Oklahoma City went 6-2 against the other three conference finalists, while New York and Indiana both went 3-4 and Minnesota went 3-5. The Thunder swept the Pacers and Knicks, and the Pacers swept the Timberwolves. As far as the head-to-heads going into the conference finals, Oklahoma City and Minnesota split four meetings — with the Timberwolves outscoring the Thunder 475-472 — while the Knicks went 2-1 against Indiana, with all three games decided by at least 11 points. 'You can feel good about it, feel however you want to feel about it,' Haliburton said of getting to this point. 'But at the end of the day, we're not done. We know we all have a bigger goal at mind. Our goal wasn't just to get to the Eastern Conference finals and be done. Our goal is to win a championship.' ___
