When the Boston Celtics have been eradicated by the New York Knicks on Friday, 2025 turned the sixth straight NBA postseason wherein the defending champ has didn’t advance previous the second spherical. It was the most recent bullet level within the present examine that’s NBA parity, elevating questions on the way it’s taking place and whether or not it is good for a league that has historically been dominated by extra dynastic establishments. 

Now we’ve got one other bullet level: With the Denver Nuggets’ Recreation 7 elimination by the hands of the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Sunday, the NBA will formally crown seven totally different champions over a seven-year span for the primary time within the historical past of the league, which dates again to 1946. 

That is totally different than simply no back-to-back champs because the Warriors in 2018. Because of this no workforce that has gained a title within the final six years has managed to win a second one since. That record contains the Raptors (2019), Lakers (2020), Bucks (2021), Warriors (2022), Nuggets (2023) and Celtics (2024). 

There are myriad causes for this, every of which might feed a multi-layered dialog, however the backside line is the margins between all NBA groups, and positively those on the prime of the meals chain, have turn into so small that just about something — matchups, relaxation, teaching or actually accidents — can swing a sequence. 

That is what parity is — no workforce standing head and shoulders above anybody else, and an entire heap of groups able to problem for a title beneath the precise circumstances. Being fortunate sufficient for all of those circumstances to interrupt your method even as soon as, given the depth of competitors each workforce is going through today, is already asking loads. To have it break your method twice, a minimum of during the last seven years, has turn into not possible. 

The brand new CBA, particularly the first- and second-apron wage designations, are probably solely going to additional this pattern. It has, for many house owners’ style, turn into too punitive — from each a monetary and roster-construction standpoint — to maintain a top-end workforce collectively for lengthy. 

The Celtics have been probably headed for a breakup this summer time even earlier than Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles. The Nuggets misplaced to Oklahoma Metropolis partially as a result of they lack depth, as a result of it is too costly to signal a number of high quality bench gamers when your starters are making a lot cash. Superteams that may simply preserve rolling over the league aren’t a actuality anymore. 

Is that this a very good factor? That is a matter of style. I’ll say, personally, that I get pleasure from not having having to look at motion pictures to which I have already got a reasonably good concept of the ending. Suspense sells. Not everybody agrees on this, and sure, I do get the draw of getting one or two monsters on the finish of the online game that everybody is attempting to knock off. 

However I simply assume that is higher, for a similar motive that I feel March Insanity is such a preferred product. Anybody with a hat within the ring can win, whether or not you are speaking a couple of sport, a sequence, or a championship. And in the long run, whether or not you prefer it or not, we’re going to proceed to see this in pattern within the NBA.