The NBA has been one of the more unpredictable sports to try and call when looking at who could be that season’s potential champion.
Although all professional sports can have different champions from season to season, there are some that can feature teams that dominate the competition more than others.
Soccer has seen Manchester City dominate the Premier League over the last decade, with the team having won four of the last titles. At the same time, the NFL has been dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs, with the franchise winning three of the last five and appearing in four games.
For the NBA, it’s been a completely different story.
Since the 2019 NBA Finals, when the Golden State Warriors failed to make it three wins in a row, there have been six different winners in six Finals to have been played. Of the teams that have been involved, only three in total have returned on more than one occasion. GSW, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are those who have.
A list of how the previous finals and the winner has looked can be found below…
2019 - Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors (Champion) and a 2-4 scoreline
2020 - Los Angeles Lakers (Champion) vs Miami Heat and a 4-2 scoreline
2021 - Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks (Champion) and a 2-4 scoreline
2022 - GSW (Champion) vs Boston Celtics with a 4-2 scoreline
2023 - Denver Nuggets (Champion) vs Miami Heat with a scoreline of 4-1
2024 - Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics (Champion) with a scoreline of 4-1
As can be seen, there has been a number of patterns to have been experienced, which also makes trying to predict who might be the next NBA Finals Champion all the more difficult.
Over the last six years, the East and West have shared winners with three apiece. At the same time, a winner has typically been declared once the sixth game of the series has been played. In the last two years, only five games have been required to take place.
Interestingly, there hasn’t been a clean sweep in any of them, which keeps things interesting and entertaining for fans looking to watch as much competitive basketball as they can.
As stressed already, it can be very difficult to know who will win this year’s NBA season. With six different teams having won in the last six years, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw the trend continue. However, at the same time, it wouldn’t be impossible to see one of those teams win it again.
As per the latest betting odds, it does seem the bookies are favoring a past winner. With the sportsbook that provides the best NBA odds in Australia, the Celtics have been highlighted as the favorite to win the title. They have been priced at 3.50, with the Oklahoma City Thunder just behind them on 5.50.
The Celtics are currently enjoying a solid start to the season, going 9-3 in their first 12 games. Three in the West are on 9-2 (GSW, Suns, and Thunder), while only the Cavs better them after 12, as they sit with an unblemished 12-0 record. Interestingly, the Cavs are expected to fade away and don’t appear to be in contention for the title, as they sit at 17.00 in the odds.
If the Celtics were to return to the NBA Finals and win, it would be the first time a team has done so since the 2018 season. The Golden State Warriors were back-to-back champions in 2017 and ‘18, during a period in which they dominated the Western Conference. They made five consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics would feature for the third time in four years if they were to make it. Having won the championship last season, they were beaten by the Warriors in 2022.
As we’ve witnessed over the last six years (and beyond), almost anything can happen in the NBA.
It’s a sport that has since seen one team's dominance appear to come to an end for a period of time. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it can’t happen again, but with a bit of variety having been experienced, fans will have enjoyed it and will hope it continues.
Come the end of this year's NBA Finals, perhaps we’ll have a seventh different champion in seven years.
