WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 Okay, let's unpack this. We are diving into something 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:07.459 today that is quite literally the peak of the 00:00:07.459 --> 00:00:09.580 mountain. The air is thinner up here, the pressure 00:00:09.580 --> 00:00:13.539 is higher, and the history is, well, it's heavy. 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.379 We are talking about the NBA Finals. The big 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:19.879 one. The series that defines legacies. It's where 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.600 ghosts are made and where immortality is earned. 00:00:23.899 --> 00:00:26.260 Exactly. And I know what you're thinking. Yeah. 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:28.980 I know the finals, seven games, shiny trophy, 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:31.339 confetti cannons. But we are going to go so much 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:33.299 deeper than that. Oh, yeah. Because we were recording 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:35.979 this in February 2026. We've just passed the 00:00:35.979 --> 00:00:38.060 All -Star break. We are steering down the barrel 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:40.259 of another postseason. And I think it is the 00:00:40.259 --> 00:00:42.320 perfect moment to just, you know, pause, take 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:44.759 a breath and look backward. For sure. Because 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:47.759 the landscape of this league has shifted so violently 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.240 in the last few years that if you blinked, you 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.719 might have missed the revolution. I mean, we 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:55.100 are living in a world where the Oklahoma City 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:57.740 Thunder are the defending champions. It really 00:00:57.740 --> 00:01:00.140 does feel like a completely new timeline, doesn't 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:03.570 it? That 2025 championship run by the Thunder, 00:01:03.710 --> 00:01:05.890 winning their second title as a franchise, but 00:01:05.890 --> 00:01:08.609 the first since moving to Oklahoma City, it felt 00:01:08.609 --> 00:01:10.969 like the final nail in the coffin of the old 00:01:10.969 --> 00:01:15.170 NBA. It sort of capped off this incredible, chaotic 00:01:15.170 --> 00:01:18.129 run of parody we've been seeing. It did. And 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:19.870 that is really our mission for this deep dive. 00:01:20.010 --> 00:01:22.810 We have a massive stack of history here, breakdowns 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:26.189 of specific series, records, financial data, 00:01:26.370 --> 00:01:29.069 and some great narrative deep dives from the 00:01:29.069 --> 00:01:31.510 archives. Right. We want to explore the history 00:01:31.510 --> 00:01:34.329 of the finals, not just as a list of team A beat 00:01:34.329 --> 00:01:37.849 team B, but as a study in eras. Because when 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:40.189 you actually look at the data, the history of 00:01:40.189 --> 00:01:42.469 the NBA finals reads like a geology textbook. 00:01:42.689 --> 00:01:44.730 I love that comparison. Geology is perfect because 00:01:44.730 --> 00:01:46.750 it's all about pressure and time. Right. You 00:01:46.750 --> 00:01:48.489 have these long, stable periods, the mountains. 00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:51.390 These are the dynasties that felt totally immovable. 00:01:51.510 --> 00:01:55.010 The Celtics, the Bulls, the early 2000s Lakers. 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:59.019 And then. Without warning, you have these earthquakes, 00:01:59.260 --> 00:02:02.120 these sudden chaotic periods of parity where 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:04.359 the ground shifts under everyone's feet. Yeah. 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:06.700 And you have no idea who is left standing. That 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:09.300 is so accurate. And usually when you dig into 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:11.340 why the earthquake happened, why the dynasty 00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:14.560 fell or why the chaos started, it tells you more 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:16.319 about the health of the sport, the economics 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:19.580 of the league and like the evolution of the game 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:22.120 than the box scores ever could. Exactly. The 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:24.520 chaos is where the innovation happens. So let's 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:26.020 set the base camp before we start the climb. 00:02:26.330 --> 00:02:28.729 When we talk about the finals, what are the actual 00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:32.629 stakes beyond, you know, the rings? At its core, 00:02:32.789 --> 00:02:35.050 strictly by the rulebook, it's a best of seven 00:02:35.050 --> 00:02:36.930 series between the Eastern Conference champion 00:02:36.930 --> 00:02:39.430 and the Western Conference champion. The winner 00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:41.469 gets the Larry O 'Brien championship trophy. 00:02:41.689 --> 00:02:43.949 The Larry O 'Brien. But I think people forget, 00:02:44.169 --> 00:02:47.129 or maybe never knew, that the trophy itself has 00:02:47.129 --> 00:02:49.409 a bit of an identity crisis in its history. Right. 00:02:49.469 --> 00:02:51.110 I saw in the notes it used to be the Walter Ray 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:53.719 Brown trophy. It was. Walter Brown was the owner 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:56.139 of the Boston Celtics and just a massive figure 00:02:56.139 --> 00:02:58.560 in the league's founding. They kept his name 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:01.599 on the trophy until 1984. Why, that late? Yeah. 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:05.400 But the actual design we know today, the gold 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.360 ball teetering over the net, which is actually 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.319 a really beautiful piece of art designed by Tiffany 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:13.080 & Co., that came in 1977. Before that, the trophy 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:14.819 looked very different, much more traditional. 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:17.060 It's iconic now, though. You see that silhouette 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.039 and you know exactly what it means. For sure. 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:21.599 But what I found more interesting than the hardware 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:26.319 was the format of the series itself. Because 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:29.900 as a fan today, sitting here in 2026, you just 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:31.939 assume it's always been 2 -2 -1 -1 -1. Right. 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:33.780 The higher seed gets two at home, then you go 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:35.539 away for two, then you alternate one game at 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:38.039 a time. It seems fair. It seems logical. It is 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.979 the fairest way to do it. But the NBA is a business, 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:42.919 and it is a travel -heavy business. You have 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:45.500 to remember, for a huge chunk of modern history, 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.080 from 1985 all the way to 2013, the league used 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.900 a 2 -3 -2 format. I remember this vividly from 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:54.240 watching old tapes. The middle three, it always 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:57.300 felt so weird. Right. The higher seed plays two 00:03:57.300 --> 00:03:59.800 at home, and then the lower seed, the road team, 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:02.400 gets three straight games in their building. 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:06.300 Why? Just to cut down on travel? Yeah, the league 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:08.259 did it to cut down on cross -country flights. 00:04:08.810 --> 00:04:12.129 Imagine Celtics versus Lakers in 1985. We aren't 00:04:12.129 --> 00:04:14.629 talking about private jets with live flat beds 00:04:14.629 --> 00:04:17.009 and caterers like today. No, this is commercial 00:04:17.009 --> 00:04:19.569 flights, middle seats. Exactly. Flying commercial 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:22.810 or early charter planes back and forth from Boston 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:26.470 to L .A. four times in 10 days is just brutal 00:04:26.470 --> 00:04:28.930 on the body. But competitively, that 2 -3 -2 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:31.850 format is, I mean, it feels like a trap. It was 00:04:31.850 --> 00:04:34.610 a massive psychological trap. Think about it 00:04:34.610 --> 00:04:37.170 from the perspective of the road team, the underdog. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:39.600 If you can steal one of those first two games 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:41.439 on the road. Then you go home for three straight. 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:43.860 Three games in a row. Exactly. You suddenly have 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:45.720 a chance to win the title games three, four, 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:47.660 and five without ever getting back on a plane. 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:50.699 It shifted the momentum so drastically toward 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.100 the middle of the series. The pressure on game 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:54.980 two for the home team must have been immense. 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:58.240 It was everything. There was a feeling that if 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:01.220 the home team didn't sweep the first two, they 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:03.319 were in big trouble. It really put a huge amount 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:06.350 of pressure on that second game. Kind of defeats 00:05:06.350 --> 00:05:08.310 the purpose of earning home court advantage during 00:05:08.310 --> 00:05:10.490 the regular season, right? You play 82 games 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:12.689 to get the advantage, and the format just hands 00:05:12.689 --> 00:05:14.769 the momentum to the other guys. Precisely. It 00:05:14.769 --> 00:05:17.269 felt like, congratulations on winning 60 games. 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:20.050 Now go survive a week in a hostile city without 00:05:20.050 --> 00:05:22.250 coming home. That's why they went back to the 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:25.870 2 -2 -1 -1 -1 format in 2014. It just rewards 00:05:25.870 --> 00:05:28.529 the higher seed more. Consistently. It's a fair 00:05:28.529 --> 00:05:30.430 fight. A much fairer fight. If it goes to a game 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:33.050 seven, you are at home, but you also break up 00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:35.310 that momentum in the middle. Okay, so we know 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:37.129 the rules. We know the format. We know the prize. 00:05:37.470 --> 00:05:40.569 Let's wind the clock back. We are going to the 00:05:40.569 --> 00:05:45.230 bedrock. The 1940s and 50s. The early giants. 00:05:45.410 --> 00:05:48.069 Got it. And I have to be honest, looking at the 00:05:48.069 --> 00:05:50.730 source material, my brain still refuses to accept 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:53.860 the geography of this era. The Los Angeles Lakers, 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.060 the glitz, the glamour, Jack Nicholson, the showtime 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:00.360 started out in Minnesota. It is the great irony 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.220 of the NBA branding, isn't it? The Lakers name 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:06.740 makes zero sense in Los Angeles. None. There 00:06:06.740 --> 00:06:09.759 are no lakes in downtown L .A. It refers to the 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:12.959 land of 10 ,000 lakes. But yes, the Minneapolis 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:15.939 Lakers were the first true dynasty. And they 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:17.600 weren't just winning. They were dominating five 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:19.600 of the first 10 titles in league history. That's 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:22.610 that's incredible. They were the benchmark. And 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:26.370 it was all driven by one man, George Mikan. We 00:06:26.370 --> 00:06:28.029 need to pause on Mikan because I don't think 00:06:28.029 --> 00:06:30.470 modern fans understand what he was. He wasn't 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:33.930 just tall. He was like a glitch in the system. 00:06:34.069 --> 00:06:35.459 How do you mean? What does that mean, a glitch? 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:37.600 Well, before Mikan, basketball was viewed as 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:40.699 a sport for average -sized, agile men. If you 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:42.720 were 6 '10", people thought you'd be too clumsy 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:44.959 to play or that you were a sideshow act. Right. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.040 Mikan was 6 '10", but he had soft hands, incredible 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.339 coordination, and a hook shot that was just unstoppable. 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:54.500 He literally forced the league to change the 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:57.240 rules. Oh, wow. They widened the lane, the paint 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.560 from 6 feet to 12 feet, just to push him further 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:02.079 away from the basket. It was called the Mikan 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:05.480 rule. So he was basically the shack. Effectively, 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:07.480 yes. He was the first player who made the league 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:10.300 realize, oh, being giant is actually a massive 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:12.560 advantage. And that Lakers team, they secured 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:16.360 the first three -peat from 1952 to 1954. They 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:18.800 established the template, get a dominant big 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.180 man, control the paint, win rings. But as dominant 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.879 as Mikan was, his dynasty feels almost like a 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.379 prologue compared to what came next. We have 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:31.860 to talk about the Boston Celtics. The Russell 00:07:31.860 --> 00:07:34.360 era. The unbreakable dynasty. It's not even an 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:36.279 exaggeration. I was looking at the numbers here 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:37.879 and I had to double check them to make sure there 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:41.759 wasn't a typo. Between 1956 and 1969, the Boston 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:44.600 Celtics won 11 titles in 13 seasons. It just 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:46.319 sounds like fan fiction. It doesn't sound real. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:48.279 It's a video game stat. And that includes eight 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:51.980 straight championships from 1959 to 1966. Eight 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:54.500 straight in a professional league. It is a record 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:56.519 that I feel very comfortable saying will never, 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.180 ever be broken. Mathematically, financially, 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:01.980 competitively. It is impossible now. So what 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:03.939 was it? What was the perfect storm? Well, you 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:07.040 had Red Auerbach, a genius coach and executive 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.740 who was light years ahead of everyone else on 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.079 scouting and roster construction. And you had 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.819 Bill Russell. This era really birthed the primary 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:18.699 narrative of the NBA, didn't it? The whole concept 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:21.220 of the team versus the individual. Because on 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:23.439 one side, you have Russell, whose stats weren't 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.660 eye -popping. He never averaged 20 points a game, 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:28.240 but he won. And on the other side, you had Wilt 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:31.410 Chamberlain. The Goliath. The individual. Wilt 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:34.529 was putting up numbers that are just alien. Averaging 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:37.929 50 points a season. Scoring 100 in a game. Rebounding 00:08:37.929 --> 00:08:39.990 numbers that looks like typos. So why didn't 00:08:39.990 --> 00:08:42.210 he win like Russell? Because Russell. Russell 00:08:42.210 --> 00:08:44.769 had the psychological edge. The Celtics played 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:47.549 as a cohesive unit. Russell understood that his 00:08:47.549 --> 00:08:49.950 job wasn't to score. It was to erase the other 00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:52.389 team's offense. He invented the blocked shot 00:08:52.389 --> 00:08:54.669 as a weapon of intimidation. He didn't just block 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:56.549 it out of bounds. He would tip it to his teammate 00:08:56.549 --> 00:08:58.919 to start the fast break. So Wilt was playing 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:01.059 a video game on rookie mode, and Russell was 00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:03.080 playing chess. That's a great way to put it. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:06.580 And nowhere is that clearer than in the 1969 00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:09.440 finals. This is one of my favorite stories in 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:11.080 the entire file. You got to hear about the balloon 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:13.240 game. Oh, this is cinema. Let's set the scene 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:15.039 for the listener because the context here is 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.240 everything. OK, so it's 1969. The Celtics dynasty 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:21.659 is on its last legs. They are ancient in basketball 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:24.960 years. Bill Russell is old. His knees hurt. And 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:26.980 he is actually the player coach at this point, 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:28.980 which is just insane to think about. He's coaching 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:31.450 himself. Coaching the team during timeouts while 00:09:31.450 --> 00:09:34.629 grabbing 20 rebounds, it's wild. And they finish 00:09:34.629 --> 00:09:37.029 fourth in the East. Nobody expects them to win. 00:09:37.190 --> 00:09:39.549 Meanwhile, the Lakers have finally assembled 00:09:39.549 --> 00:09:41.990 a super team. They have Jerry West, they have 00:09:41.990 --> 00:09:44.210 Elgin Baylor, and they actually traded for Will 00:09:44.210 --> 00:09:46.409 Chamberlain. Yeah. They have the star power. 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:48.509 They have the narrative. This is their year. 00:09:48.730 --> 00:09:51.700 Right. And the series goes seven games, a total 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:54.580 war. Game seven is in Los Angeles at the Forum. 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.320 And the Lakers owner, a guy named Jack Kent Cook, 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:00.720 looks at his roster, looks at the old tired Celtics, 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:03.879 and he thinks, it's over. We won. He was a little 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.600 too confident, wasn't he? He was incredibly arrogant. 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:09.740 He had thousands of balloons suspended in the 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:13.279 rafters of the arena in a net. Oh, yeah. The 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.659 plan was, the second the game ends, the balloons 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:18.340 drop, the USC marching band plays Happy Days 00:10:18.340 --> 00:10:21.820 Are Here Again, and the champagne flows. He even 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:23.980 had victory schedules printed out for the parade. 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:26.659 I can only imagine how Bill Russell reacted to 00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:28.879 seeing balloons in the rafters before the game 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:31.159 even started. Well, the story goes that Russell 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:33.679 saw the net up there during warm -ups and told 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:36.259 his team, those balloons are staying up there. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.250 Oh, he used it. He weaponized their arrogance. 00:10:39.529 --> 00:10:41.649 He told the Celtics, they think you're done. 00:10:41.809 --> 00:10:44.230 They think you're a stepping stone. The disrespect 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:47.070 was the fuel. And the game itself. It was a disaster 00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:49.409 for L .A. The Celtics came out running. They 00:10:49.409 --> 00:10:51.929 just caught the Lakers sleeping. And there was 00:10:51.929 --> 00:10:54.330 this one critical moment where Don Nelson, who 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:57.029 later became a famous coach, took a shot near 00:10:57.029 --> 00:10:58.730 the free throw line. I think I've seen this clip. 00:10:58.929 --> 00:11:01.950 It hits the back rim, bounces like five feet 00:11:01.950 --> 00:11:04.090 straight up in the air, and drops straight through. 00:11:04.190 --> 00:11:07.070 A total, complete lucky bounce. The basketball 00:11:07.070 --> 00:11:09.230 gods were wearing green that day. They were. 00:11:09.509 --> 00:11:13.710 The Celtics won 108 -106. In the forum. In game 00:11:13.710 --> 00:11:16.570 seven. Abloons. They never dropped. The Lakers 00:11:16.570 --> 00:11:18.269 eventually had to donate them to a children's 00:11:18.269 --> 00:11:20.429 hospital or something. It was the ultimate embarrassment. 00:11:21.009 --> 00:11:23.889 And Russell. He retired immediately after that 00:11:23.889 --> 00:11:26.830 game. He walked off the court with his 11th ring, 00:11:26.970 --> 00:11:29.350 having ruined the Lakers party, and just vanished 00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:31.309 into the sunset. Talk about a mic drop. That 00:11:31.309 --> 00:11:33.789 is the ultimate exit. Yeah. So Russell leaves. 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:36.600 And the league sort of exhales. The mountain 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:40.259 has crumbled. And we enter the 1970s. And looking 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:42.899 at this list of champions, it looks like a lottery. 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:46.159 The 1970s is known as the decade of parody. But 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:48.779 honestly, chaos might be a better word for it. 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:51.299 You had 10 different teams reach the finals in 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:54.080 the 70s. Eight different franchises won the title. 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:56.899 Eight champions in 10 years. That is just wild 00:11:56.899 --> 00:11:58.840 compared to what we just saw. It was a power 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:00.960 vacuum. The Celtics were rebuilding. The Lakers 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.159 were aging out. So suddenly the door was wide 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:05.779 open. You had the Knicks winning in 70 and 73 00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:08.820 with their smart team first ball. You had the 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:11.820 Bucs winning instantly with a young Kareem Abdul 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:14.399 -Jabbar. The Warriors, the Blazers, the Bullets. 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:17.620 The Supersonics. It was anyone's game. And you 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:20.409 had the Sunderella Suns. I love that nickname. 00:12:20.629 --> 00:12:24.830 1976. This is the peak of 70s chaos. The Phoenix 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:28.149 Suns were a .500 team. They had a losing record 00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:29.990 halfway through the season. They finished 42 00:12:29.990 --> 00:12:32.029 -40. They barely even made the playoffs. They 00:12:32.029 --> 00:12:35.350 got hot at the right time. They meet the Celtics 00:12:35.350 --> 00:12:37.929 in the finals. And that series gave us what many 00:12:37.929 --> 00:12:40.169 historians still call the greatest game ever 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:44.909 played. Game 5, 1976. Triple overtime. The Boston 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:48.669 Garden. It was pure mayhem. The fans were so 00:12:48.669 --> 00:12:51.149 rowdy they were storming the court thinking the 00:12:51.149 --> 00:12:53.350 game was over when there was still one second 00:12:53.350 --> 00:12:55.730 left on the clock. That sounds dangerous. It 00:12:55.730 --> 00:12:58.769 was. Players were fighting fans. The Suns hit 00:12:58.769 --> 00:13:01.669 a miracle shot to force the third overtime guard 00:13:01.669 --> 00:13:04.590 heard the shot heard around the world. It was 00:13:04.590 --> 00:13:06.529 just a mess. It sounds like a bar fight that 00:13:06.529 --> 00:13:08.190 broke out in the middle of a basketball game. 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.710 It kind of was. The Celtics eventually won 128 00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:13.970 -126 but it just showed how competitive the league 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:16.039 had become. There were no beatable Giants anymore. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.759 We also can't skip the iconic moment of 1970, 00:13:19.299 --> 00:13:22.399 Willis Reed. The definition of grit. The absolute 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.580 definition. This is the Knicks versus the Lakers. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.639 Game 7, Madison Square Garden, Willis Reed, the 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:32.100 Knicks captain and MVP, tears a muscle in his 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:35.299 thigh in Game 5. He doesn't play Game 6. Everyone 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.139 assumes he is out. I mean... He can barely walk. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:39.840 Right. And the Lakers are terrifying. They have 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:42.639 Wilt. They have Jerry West. The Knicks look demoralized 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:44.799 without their leader. And then just before tip 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:47.940 -off, Reed limps out of the tunnel. The crowd 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:51.120 reaction on the take is just... It's spine -tangling. 00:13:51.179 --> 00:13:53.279 It's not a cheer. It's a roar. It was nuclear. 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:56.179 And he couldn't really run. He was visibly dragging 00:13:56.179 --> 00:13:59.139 his leg. He hit his first two shots, these little 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:01.440 jump shots from the top of the key, and didn't 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:03.519 score again. He finished with four points, but 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.500 it didn't matter. It spooked the Lakers, didn't 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:07.879 it? It absolutely terrified them. They saw this 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:09.759 man willing to play on one leg, and the Knicks 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:11.879 just fed off that energy. They played like men 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.960 possessed. They blew the Lakers out. It's a reminder 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.519 that the finals isn't just about skill or tactics. 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:20.019 It's about narrative and emotion. But here's 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:22.659 the thing about the 70s. As exciting as the parody 00:14:22.659 --> 00:14:25.559 was, the league was hurting. I mean, financially, 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:28.019 ratings were down. There was a drug problem in 00:14:28.019 --> 00:14:30.279 the league. They needed a spark. They needed 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:32.799 a rivalry. And they got the best one in the history 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:36.559 of sports. The 1980s Magic vs. Bird. The Golden 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:39.220 Age. This is where the modern NBA really begins. 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:43.090 The TV deals, the global fame. Absolutely. You 00:14:43.090 --> 00:14:45.710 had the two most storied franchises, the Lakers 00:14:45.710 --> 00:14:48.649 and the Celtics, revitalized by two rookies who 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:50.470 hated losing more than they liked breathing. 00:14:50.870 --> 00:14:54.429 They met in the finals three times, 1984, 1985, 00:14:54.809 --> 00:14:57.450 and 1987. It was appointment viewing for the 00:14:57.450 --> 00:14:59.490 entire country. But the moment that launched 00:14:59.490 --> 00:15:01.690 the decade happened right at the start, Magic 00:15:01.690 --> 00:15:05.139 Johnson's rookie season, 1980. This is the story 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:07.259 I tell people when they ask why Magic is considered 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:09.919 a top five player ever. So it's the 1980 finals, 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.559 Lakers versus Sixers. The Lakers are up 3 -2. 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:15.340 But in game five, Kareem Abdul -Jabbar, the league 00:15:15.340 --> 00:15:17.940 MVP, the unstoppable force, severely sprains 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:20.179 his ankle. He's out. He doesn't even travel to 00:15:20.179 --> 00:15:22.460 Philadelphia for game six. So you are going into 00:15:22.460 --> 00:15:25.460 a closeout game on the road against Dr. J and 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:27.600 the Sixers without your center, without your 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:30.559 best player. And Magic Johnson, a 20 -year -old 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:33.539 rookie point guard. Gets on the team plane. He 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:36.460 sees everyone looking depressed, dejected. He 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:38.860 goes and sits in Kareem's seat, which was reserved, 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:42.500 and tells the team, never fear. Magic is here. 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:45.799 The audacity. Just the pure confidence of that. 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:47.960 And then the game starts. The coaches decide 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:51.080 to start Magic at center. A point guard jumping 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.500 center in the NBA Finals. Yes. And he didn't 00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:56.929 just stand there. He played every single position. 00:15:57.029 --> 00:15:59.309 He posted up. He ran the break. He rebounded. 00:15:59.309 --> 00:16:01.690 He finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven 00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:04.230 assists. They won the title and he became the 00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.110 first and still only rookie to win finals MVP. 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:09.350 It makes no sense. It's like a quarterback playing 00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:10.889 linebacker in the Super Bowl and getting a pick 00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:13.250 six. It's impossible. It set the tone for the 00:16:13.250 --> 00:16:16.909 Showtime Lakers. Fast, flashy, unbeatable. But 00:16:16.909 --> 00:16:19.870 the Celtics, they punched back. The 1984 finals 00:16:19.870 --> 00:16:21.750 was an absolute war. That was the heat game, 00:16:21.870 --> 00:16:25.120 right? Game five in Boston. The old Boston Garden 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.759 had no air conditioning. It was a heat wave in 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:30.940 June. It was reported to be 97 degrees inside 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:33.419 the arena. That sounds legitimately dangerous. 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:36.799 It was. The Lakers, who were used to that cool 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.639 L .A. climate, were just wilting. They were using 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:42.940 oxygen tanks on the sidelines. Kareem was gasping 00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:45.919 for air. The Celtics, who practiced in that humidity 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:48.610 and knew how to handle it. They just ground them 00:16:48.610 --> 00:16:50.690 down. They weaponized the heat. They did. They 00:16:50.690 --> 00:16:53.169 won the game and eventually the series. It wasn't 00:16:53.169 --> 00:16:55.549 just pretty passing in the 80s, though. By the 00:16:55.549 --> 00:16:59.190 end of the decade, a new force emerged. A team 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:01.909 that looked at Showtime and decided to punch 00:17:01.909 --> 00:17:04.269 it in the mouth. The Detroit Pistons. The bad 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:06.470 boys. They are the villains of the story, but 00:17:06.470 --> 00:17:08.609 they were necessary villains. They ended the 00:17:08.609 --> 00:17:11.309 Celtics era, and then they ended the Lakers era. 00:17:11.490 --> 00:17:14.269 They swept the Lakers in 1989. A clean sweep. 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:17.000 Four, no. They were physical, they were mean, 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.619 and they were defensive masterminds. Chuck Daly, 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:22.740 their coach, built a system based on pure intimidation. 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:25.359 They proved that you didn't need a generational 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:28.579 scorer like Bird or Magic if you had five guys 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:30.460 who were willing to protect the paint with their 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:34.019 lives. But their reign was short. They were kind 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:35.640 of the bridge, weren't they? A very important 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:37.660 bridge. Because something was rising in Chicago. 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:41.460 The 1990s. The Jordan Standard. Michael Jordan. 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:44.500 The Chicago Bulls. We have to unpack this because 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:46.259 it feels like two different movies. You have 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:49.500 the first three -peat from 91 to 93, and the 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:52.779 second three -peat from 96 to 98. Correct. And 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:56.140 the team around Jordan changed quite a bit, but 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:58.380 the inevitability didn't. That's the key word 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.920 for the 90s, inevitability. Let's start with 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.240 1991, Bulls versus Lakers. This was the passing 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:06.750 of the torch. Literally. You had Magic Johnson, 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:09.269 the king of the 80s, versus Jordan, the challenger. 00:18:09.529 --> 00:18:11.769 The Lakers actually won game one in Chicago. 00:18:12.089 --> 00:18:13.930 A lot of people forget that. Oh, wow. There was 00:18:13.930 --> 00:18:16.509 a moment of panic. Is Jordan a ball hog? Can 00:18:16.509 --> 00:18:19.829 he win? Is Magic too smart for him? But then 00:18:19.829 --> 00:18:22.670 Phil Jackson made the adjustment. He put Stoddy 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:24.970 Pippen on Magic Johnson. This is why Pippen is 00:18:24.970 --> 00:18:27.589 so crucial to the legend. He was long, fast, 00:18:27.769 --> 00:18:30.809 and relentless. He picked Magic up full court. 00:18:30.890 --> 00:18:33.250 It completely disrupted the entire Lakers offense. 00:18:33.509 --> 00:18:35.779 And that freed up Jordan. It freed up Jordan 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:38.599 to just score in Rome and be the killer he was. 00:18:38.940 --> 00:18:41.579 The Bulls swept the next four games. And then 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:44.119 they just kept winning. 1992 against the Blazers. 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:48.339 1993 against the Suns. That 93 series. I mean, 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:51.319 Jordan averaged 41 points per game. 41 points 00:18:51.319 --> 00:18:53.720 on the biggest stage. He dropped 55 in game four. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:56.720 He was just... Untouchable. But the series actually 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:59.819 ended with a pass. It did. Game six. The Bulls 00:18:59.819 --> 00:19:02.619 are down. Final seconds. The Suns' defense collapses 00:19:02.619 --> 00:19:05.339 on Jordan, because why wouldn't you? He drives, 00:19:05.539 --> 00:19:07.619 kicks it to Horace Grant, who makes one more 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:10.000 pass to John Paxson. The sharpshooter. Bang. 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:12.859 Three -pointer. Bulls win. Three -peat secured. 00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:15.799 It was perfect team basketball to cap off a run 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.480 of individual dominance. And then the intermission. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.920 Jordan retires. He goes to play baseball. And 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:22.519 I feel like in the documentary of history, we 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:24.960 just fast -forward this part. But we shouldn't, 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:27.640 because Hakeem Olajuwon was incredible. The Houston 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:29.640 Rockets, we have to give them their credit. While 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.259 Jordan was gone, Hakeem was the best player on 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:35.980 earth, period. In 1994, he won the MVP, the Defensive 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:38.519 Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP. The Triple 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.319 Crown. Nobody else has ever done that in a single 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.039 season. The Rockets went back -to -back. Hakeem 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:46.339 dominated Patrick Ewing, then he dominated a 00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:49.539 young Shaq. It proved that a dominant, skilled 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:52.440 center could still own the league. But then the 00:19:52.440 --> 00:19:55.630 facts came through. I'm back. He's back. Jordan 00:19:55.630 --> 00:20:00.509 returns. And the 1996 team, 72 wins and 10 losses. 00:20:00.730 --> 00:20:03.289 The greatest regular season team of that era. 00:20:03.329 --> 00:20:05.210 They were angry. They had lost in the playoffs 00:20:05.210 --> 00:20:07.230 the year before after Jordan came back late. 00:20:07.390 --> 00:20:09.589 They wanted to destroy everyone. They meet the 00:20:09.589 --> 00:20:12.329 Seattle Supersonics in the finals. Gary Payton 00:20:12.329 --> 00:20:14.589 and Sean Kemp. The glove and the rain man. A 00:20:14.589 --> 00:20:17.410 great team. But the Bulls went up 3 -0 instantly. 00:20:17.730 --> 00:20:19.910 It looked like a mismatch. But then George Carl, 00:20:20.089 --> 00:20:21.650 the Sonics coach, finally made the adjustment 00:20:21.650 --> 00:20:23.930 everyone was waiting for. He put Gary Payton 00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:26.089 on Jordan. And it worked. It worked better than 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:29.009 anyone expected. Payton was physical. He harassed 00:20:29.009 --> 00:20:31.470 Jordan. The Sonics actually won Game 4 and Game 00:20:31.470 --> 00:20:33.390 5. It was a little too little, too late to save 00:20:33.390 --> 00:20:35.430 the series. But it showed that even Jordan was 00:20:35.430 --> 00:20:37.029 human if you had the right defender. But the 00:20:37.029 --> 00:20:39.690 Bulls closed it out. And then the final two against 00:20:39.690 --> 00:20:43.109 the Utah Jazz, 1997 and 1998. The last dance. 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:46.180 The Jazz were so tough. Karl Malone and John 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:48.160 Stockton ran that take and roll to perfection 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:51.839 for years, but Jordan, he just had a sense for 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.460 the moment. 1998, game six. This is the moment 00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:58.539 everyone knows. The Bulls are down by one, less 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.019 than a minute left. Jordan steals the ball from 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:02.880 Karl Malone in the post -perfect timing, just 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:05.819 strips him clean. He brings the ball up, no timeout. 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:08.019 He wants the isolation. He drives right on Brian 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:10.160 Russell. He pushes off just a little bit, creates 00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:13.950 the space, pulls up. The pose. The follow through. 00:21:14.170 --> 00:21:16.990 Wish. It was the perfect ending. Six finals appearances. 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:19.950 Six rings. And here's the stat that always blows 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:22.829 my mind. The Chicago Bulls never played a game 00:21:22.829 --> 00:21:24.829 seven in the finals. You never even let it get 00:21:24.829 --> 00:21:27.750 to the edge. Not once. That is dominance. That 00:21:27.750 --> 00:21:29.930 is the standard. So Jordan walks away for good 00:21:29.930 --> 00:21:32.470 this time. The dynasty dissolves. And we enter 00:21:32.470 --> 00:21:35.559 the 2000s. And the geology shifts again. The 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:39.059 power moves west. Drastically. From 1999 to 2014, 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:41.839 the West was a war zone. Specifically, the Los 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:44.160 Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. They 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.240 combined for nine titles in that stretch. Let's 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.460 start with the Lakers. The Shaq and Kobe era. 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:51.319 The most dominant duo in history. I don't think 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.880 that's an exaggeration. You had Shaq, whose just 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:56.839 physically unguardable teams were signing backup 00:21:56.839 --> 00:21:59.180 centers just to have six extra fouls to use on 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:01.819 him. Hack a Shaq became a strategy. And you had 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:03.960 Kobe. And you had Kobe, who was evolving into 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:06.359 the most skilled perimeter player since Jordan. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:09.160 A carbon copy in a lot of ways. That 2001 run. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:12.900 15 -1 in the playoffs. It was a joke. They swept 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:15.859 the Blazers, swept the Kings, swept the Spurs. 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:18.160 They lost game one of the finals to Allen Iverson, 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:20.619 the famous step over game, and then woke up and 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:22.440 just crutched the Sixers. It was total destruction. 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:25.400 But the Spurs, they were the antidote. They were 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:28.240 the anti -showtime. The Spurs way. Nim Duncan 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:30.480 and Greg Popovich. They weren't flashy. They 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:32.839 didn't have the celebrity drama of Shaq and Kobe. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:35.440 But they were just perfect. They won in 99 -03 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:38.519 -05 -07. Can we talk about Tim Duncan in 2003? 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:40.920 Because that's a performance that gets lost to 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:44.400 history. Please. Game 6 against the Nets. Duncan 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:46.380 puts up a stat line that just looks like a typo. 00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:49.279 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:53.099 Two blocks away from a quadruple double. In a 00:22:53.099 --> 00:22:55.640 finals clincher. It is arguably the greatest 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:58.059 individual performance in Finals history, and 00:22:58.059 --> 00:23:00.119 nobody talks about it because Duncan didn't pound 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.880 his chest or scream at the camera. He just banked 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.339 it in and ran back on defense. But even Giants 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:08.799 fall. Okay. And the Shaq -Kobe era ended in a 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.420 very weird way. 2004. The Superteen failure. 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:15.420 The Lakers add Karl Malone and Gary Payton. They 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:17.180 have four Hall of Famers. Everyone assumes they 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:19.140 will walk to the title. And they run into the 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:22.319 Detroit Pistons. Again. The going -to -work Pistons. 00:23:22.970 --> 00:23:26.609 No superstars, no MVPs, just a perfectly constructed 00:23:26.609 --> 00:23:29.789 team. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:32.690 Rasheed Wallace. They just dismantled the Lakers. 00:23:32.869 --> 00:23:34.990 In five games. Beat them in five games. It proved 00:23:34.990 --> 00:23:36.970 that chemistry beats talent if the talent hates 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:39.109 each other. And that series ended the Shakobi 00:23:39.109 --> 00:23:42.329 marriage. Shaq was traded. And that opened the 00:23:42.329 --> 00:23:45.569 door for the next king, LeBron James. The 2010s 00:23:45.569 --> 00:23:47.589 are the LeBron era. It's that simple. Even when 00:23:47.589 --> 00:23:50.380 he didn't win, he was there. Eight straight finals 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:52.539 appearances between Miami and Cleveland. Just 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:54.519 think about the physical toll of playing into 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:57.200 June eight years in a row. The Miami Heat era 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.599 gave us maybe the most thrilling finals moments. 00:24:01.420 --> 00:24:05.079 2013 against the Spurs. Game six. The Spurs are 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.019 up 3 -2 in the series. They are up by five points 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:11.019 with 28 seconds left. The league officials were 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:13.480 literally bringing the yellow tape out to rope 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:15.720 off the court for the trophy presentation. The 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:17.079 fans were leaving the building. They thought 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:20.750 it was over. And then... Chaos. LeBron misses 00:24:20.750 --> 00:24:23.789 a three. Chris Bosh grabs the offensive rebound 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:26.230 of his life. He sees Ray Allen backpedaling to 00:24:26.230 --> 00:24:28.829 the corner. Rebound Bosh. Back out to Allen. 00:24:29.009 --> 00:24:32.869 His three -pointer. Bang. Tie game. The Heat 00:24:32.869 --> 00:24:36.500 win in overtime. They win game seven. broke the 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:39.339 Spurs hearts. It was absolute theft. But the 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:41.640 Spurs came back the next year and played the 00:24:41.640 --> 00:24:44.140 beautiful game. 2014, that was basketball perfection. 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:46.619 The passing was just dizzying. They ran the heat 00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:48.420 off the floor. It was total redemption. And then 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:51.359 LeBron goes home, Cleveland, and we get the quartet. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.799 The Cavs versus the Golden State Warriors. Four 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:56.759 years in a row. We had never seen two teams meet 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:58.359 four times straight. It was like Ollie versus 00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:01.660 Frazier, but every single year. And 2016. That 00:25:01.660 --> 00:25:04.279 has to be the crown jewel of the decade. Without 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:07.480 a doubt. The Warriors had won 73 games, breaking 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:09.579 the Bulls record. They were up 3 -1 in the finals. 00:25:09.720 --> 00:25:11.740 No team had ever come back from down 3 -1 in 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:13.740 the finals. It was over. And then the sequence 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:18.859 in Game 7. The block. It's a tie game. Minutes 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:21.619 to go. Andre Iguodala goes up for a layup on 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:24.700 a fast break. It looks like an easy two. LeBron 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:27.779 sprints from half court. Block by James. It's 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:29.980 an iconic call. He pins it against the backboard. 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.359 Then Kyrie Irving hits the three over Steph Curry. 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:35.599 Cleveland wins its first title in 52 years. It 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.779 was a movie. But the Warriors didn't stay down. 00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:40.319 They went nuclear. They added Kevin Durant. And 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:43.039 that changed the math. The 2017 and 2018 Warriors 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.359 with KD were arguably the most talented team 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:47.920 ever assembled. Steph, Klay, Draymond, and KD. 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:50.299 It just wasn't a fair fight. They went 16 -1 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:53.059 in the 2017 playoffs. It felt like that dynasty 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:55.380 would last a decade. But dynasties are fragile. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.359 Injuries, egos. contracts. And that brings us 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:00.319 to the era we are currently living in, or maybe 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:02.980 just emerging from, the second decade of parity. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:05.259 This is the part that is so striking when you 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:08.440 look at the list. Starting in 2019, the NBA had 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:10.980 like a nervous breakdown. We had seven different 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:13.140 champions in seven years. It's an unprecedented 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:15.140 run of chaos. Let's run through the list because 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:17.579 looking back from 2026, it is a crazy sequence 00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:20.500 of events. Go for it. 2019, Toronto Raptors, 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:23.380 Kawhi Leonard takes down the Warriors. 2020, 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:27.660 the bubble, Lakers win. LeBron's fourth ring. 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:32.079 Very strange year. 2021. Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:35.460 drops 50 in the closeout game. 2022, the Warriors 00:26:35.460 --> 00:26:38.019 have a last dance. Steph Curry finally gets his 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:41.680 finals MVP. 2023, Denver Nuggets, Jokic just 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:45.059 dominates. And 2024, the Boston Celtics. Jalen 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:46.759 Brown and Jason Tatum finally get over the hump. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:49.440 That was a huge moment. Their 18th title, breaking 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:51.480 the tie with the Lakers. A huge deal in Boston. 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:54.140 And then most recently, last year, 2025, the 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:56.079 Oklahoma City Thunder. The culmination of the 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:58.920 process, 2 .0. The Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:02.460 in seven games. That series was electric. It 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:04.960 was just so fast. You had Tyrese Halliburton 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:07.220 and Pascal Siakam for the Pacers running and 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:10.200 gunning. And you had Shai Gilgis -Alexander and 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:13.339 that young Thunder Corps just swarming everyone. 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:15.839 And Shai was incredible. But think about it. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:19.200 Seven years, seven different teams raising the 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:21.859 trophy. We haven't seen a repeat winner since 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:24.859 the Warriors in 2018. It's nuts. Why is this 00:27:24.859 --> 00:27:27.210 happening? Why can't anyone hold on to the trophy 00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.509 anymore? It is the second apron. That's the short 00:27:29.509 --> 00:27:32.609 answer. The salary cap rules. Exactly. The new 00:27:32.609 --> 00:27:34.349 collective bargaining agreements put in these 00:27:34.349 --> 00:27:36.829 massive, massive penalties for spending too much 00:27:36.829 --> 00:27:39.609 money. It makes it almost impossible to keep 00:27:39.609 --> 00:27:41.609 three superstars together for more than a few 00:27:41.609 --> 00:27:43.650 years. You have to trade guys. You have to let 00:27:43.650 --> 00:27:46.490 guys walk. It basically forces parity. But the 00:27:46.490 --> 00:27:48.509 talent pool is just deeper than ever, right? 00:27:48.569 --> 00:27:51.250 Oh, absolutely. Just look at the names we mentioned. 00:27:51.369 --> 00:27:54.369 Kawhi, LeBron, Giannis, Steph, Jokic, Tatum, 00:27:54.450 --> 00:27:57.369 Shai. The best players are coming from everywhere. 00:27:57.509 --> 00:28:00.289 Serbia, Greece, Canada, all over the world. The 00:28:00.289 --> 00:28:01.630 gap between the best team and the fifth best 00:28:01.630 --> 00:28:04.369 team is razor thin now. So the dynasty model 00:28:04.369 --> 00:28:06.690 is broken. Is that what we're saying? It is certainly 00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:09.329 on life support. To win back -to -back now, you 00:28:09.329 --> 00:28:11.710 need a perfect health, perfect drafting, and 00:28:11.710 --> 00:28:13.849 incredible management of your role players. It's 00:28:13.849 --> 00:28:16.789 so hard. Before we wrap up, I want to pivot to 00:28:16.789 --> 00:28:20.490 the dark side of the moon. The heartbreak. Because 00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:22.630 you can't have a winner without a loser. And 00:28:22.630 --> 00:28:26.750 nobody, I mean nobody, lost more than Jerry West. 00:28:26.970 --> 00:28:29.089 The Buffalo Bills of the NBA. You just have to 00:28:29.089 --> 00:28:31.769 feel for him. Jerry West. The logo. The actual 00:28:31.769 --> 00:28:34.130 silhouette on the NBA branding. He went to the 00:28:34.130 --> 00:28:37.150 finals nine times as a player. He lost eight 00:28:37.150 --> 00:28:40.029 times. Eight losses. That crushes a soul. It 00:28:40.029 --> 00:28:43.190 tortured him. In 1969, the balloon game we talked 00:28:43.190 --> 00:28:47.000 about, he was actually named finals MVP. He is 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.720 the only player in history to win MVP from the 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.920 losing team. I can't imagine he keeps that trophy 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:53.940 on the mantelpiece. No. He probably wanted to 00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:55.960 throw it through a window. He said he was disgusted 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:58.539 by it. And Elgin Baylor. Even more tragic, in 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:00.619 a way. He played his whole career for the Lakers, 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:04.440 lost in the final seven times. In the 1971 -72 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:07.059 season, his knees were just shot. He retired 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:09.299 nine games into the season. And let me guess. 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:12.299 The Lakers immediately went on a 33 -game winning 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:14.720 streak, still a record, and won the title that 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:16.880 year. He missed the ring by a few months. That 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:19.220 is physically painful to hear. What about the 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:20.960 teams that have never even been to the party? 00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:23.220 It is a shrinking list. But as of right now, 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:27.430 in 2026, The Clippers, Timberwolves, Hornets, 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:30.150 Grizzlies, and Pelicans have never reached the 00:29:30.150 --> 00:29:32.089 finals. The Timberwolves made the conference 00:29:32.089 --> 00:29:36.289 finals in 2024 and 2025, but fell short both 00:29:36.289 --> 00:29:38.650 times. It just shows how hard it is. You can 00:29:38.650 --> 00:29:41.390 be good for a decade and never even get to the 00:29:41.390 --> 00:29:43.569 final stage. Let's hit some active records before 00:29:43.569 --> 00:29:46.609 we go. We mentioned LeBron. He is second all 00:29:46.609 --> 00:29:49.430 -time in finals points behind Jerry West. But 00:29:49.430 --> 00:29:51.950 he also holds the record for most turnovers in 00:29:51.950 --> 00:29:53.930 finals history. Which makes sense, though, if 00:29:53.930 --> 00:29:55.950 you have the ball that much for that many years. 00:29:56.170 --> 00:29:58.910 It is a usage stat. It's a badge of honor in 00:29:58.910 --> 00:30:00.970 a way. You can't turn the ball over in June if 00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:03.690 you were on vacation in Cancun. Fair point. And 00:30:03.690 --> 00:30:07.069 then Steph Curry. The three -point record. 152 00:30:07.069 --> 00:30:09.630 made threes in the finals. That's a lot. And 00:30:09.630 --> 00:30:11.549 nobody is even close. That record is going to 00:30:11.549 --> 00:30:14.569 stand for a very, very long time. So we have 00:30:14.569 --> 00:30:16.789 covered the history. We have seen the Lakers 00:30:16.789 --> 00:30:19.869 and Celtics dominate, the Bulls fly, the Spurs 00:30:19.869 --> 00:30:22.789 execute, and the recent chaos of parity. Yeah. 00:30:23.109 --> 00:30:25.190 Here is where it gets really interesting for 00:30:25.190 --> 00:30:29.150 me. We're sitting here in 2026. The Thunder. 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:31.980 are the champs. They are young. They have draft 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:35.119 picks. They have a superstar in shy who is in 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:38.619 his prime. Are we looking at the end of the parody 00:30:38.619 --> 00:30:41.400 era? That is the billion dollar question, isn't 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:43.400 it? The Thunder are built differently. They didn't 00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:45.480 buy a super team. They grew it. They have the 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:47.660 cap space and the assets to keep this core together. 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:50.380 In theory, they could be the next Spurs or Warriors. 00:30:50.619 --> 00:30:52.509 There's always a but. But we said that about 00:30:52.509 --> 00:30:55.009 the Bucs in 2021. Giannis is young. They will 00:30:55.009 --> 00:30:56.829 win three or four. We said that about the Nuggets 00:30:56.829 --> 00:31:00.470 in 2023. Jokic is unstoppable. And both of them 00:31:00.470 --> 00:31:03.589 faced injuries, roster crunches, and early playoff 00:31:03.589 --> 00:31:05.549 exits. It feels like the margin for error is 00:31:05.549 --> 00:31:08.670 non -existent now. It is. In the 90s, the Bulls 00:31:08.670 --> 00:31:10.589 were significantly better than everyone else 00:31:10.589 --> 00:31:12.750 today. One rolled ankle in the second round, 00:31:12.910 --> 00:31:15.529 one cold shooting night in a Game 7, and you 00:31:15.529 --> 00:31:18.309 go home. So as a basketball fan, do you prefer 00:31:18.309 --> 00:31:21.049 the dynasties or the chaos? Oh, that's tough. 00:31:21.430 --> 00:31:23.869 I mean, there is something romantic about a dynasty, 00:31:24.029 --> 00:31:26.710 a villain to root against, a hero to chase. It 00:31:26.710 --> 00:31:29.630 creates a clear narrative. Right. But the chaos. 00:31:30.210 --> 00:31:32.250 Knowing that when the playoffs start in April, 00:31:32.390 --> 00:31:34.769 truly anyone, the one seed or the six seed could 00:31:34.769 --> 00:31:37.509 win. That is so exciting. It keeps every fan 00:31:37.509 --> 00:31:40.309 base engaged because hope is a powerful drug. 00:31:40.490 --> 00:31:43.059 I think I agree. Although. If I'm a fan of the 00:31:43.059 --> 00:31:44.920 Hornets or Pelicans, I'd take a little dynasty 00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:47.180 right about now. Fair point. A very fair point. 00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:49.180 So here is my final thought for you to chew on. 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:51.519 We talked about how the game has evolved from 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:55.680 Mikan's post play to Curry's three pointers with 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:57.940 the Thunder winning with a team of guys who are 00:31:57.940 --> 00:32:01.519 all like six foot six long arms can handle the 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:04.990 ball. Are we entering a finals era where positions 00:32:04.990 --> 00:32:07.630 truly don't exist anymore? Are we done with the 00:32:07.630 --> 00:32:09.450 point guard versus center narratives and moving 00:32:09.450 --> 00:32:11.569 into skill versus skill? That's a fascinating 00:32:11.569 --> 00:32:14.349 thought. If you look at the last few finals MVPs, 00:32:14.470 --> 00:32:17.109 Jalen Brown, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, Giannis, 00:32:17.210 --> 00:32:19.710 they play the game in completely different ways. 00:32:19.869 --> 00:32:22.869 There is no prototype anymore. The only requirement 00:32:22.869 --> 00:32:26.369 is high skill and high IQ. And maybe that is 00:32:26.369 --> 00:32:29.779 why it is so hard to repeat. Because every year, 00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:32.339 the puzzle you have to solve is completely different. 00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:34.880 Exactly. The test changes every year. You can't 00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:36.960 use last year's answers. Well, we will see what 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:39.859 the 2026 finals bring us in a few months. Maybe 00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:42.319 the Thunder repeat. Maybe we get an eighth new 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:45.799 champion. Either way, we will be watching. Thanks 00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:47.799 for taking this deep dive into history with us. 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:49.319 Always a pleasure. See you next time.