That’s still only ten teams over the past 36 seasons! And if the Warriors go back-to-back — or if the Spurs can surprise them in the semis and then finish off the weaker East finalist — that’ll make for ten repeats, with the 76ers (1983) and Mavericks (2011) the only teams to win one in the span.
As I did in 2011, let’s compare the NBA to other leagues over that period:
- MLB: 19 teams won the World Series (over 35 seasons, not 36, due to ’94 strike) — though that number hasn’t changed since 2011 due to there only being repeat winners
- NFL: 16 won the Super Bowl (over 37 seasons)
- NHL: 16 won the Stanley Cup (over 35 seasons, not 36, due to ’05 strike)
It seems that no matter the league, winning begets winning, even decades apart (see Lakers: five titles in the 80s, five in the 00s). I’m excited to see how the NBA and NHL playoffs unfold; will new teams get added to these lists? We’ll see.