The final four in the NBA playoffs are the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks in the east and the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers in the west.
The rise of the Hawks and the Suns along with the presence of Milwaukee gives an indication that small-market teams are more relevant and there is more parity this season than normal.
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who was asked about this idea during a press conference held around the time that both series were starting, said he needs a little more evidence before he would say there’s parity in the league.
“Parity is not something that shows up one year. That’s not really parity,” Presti said. “It would be awesome if we saw a diversity of conference finalists over a period of years, then you could really say, ‘OK, we have parity here.’ But irrespective, I think it’s a great example of teams seizing the moment.”
This is the first season since 2010 that neither LeBron James nor Steph Curry will participate in the Finals. The decade before that was similarly centered around a handful of stars, with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan playing in every championship series from 1999-2010. The same trend continues into the 90s, 80s and beyond.
Since the 2019 free agency, when more teams became two-star-centric instead of three, it has seemed like there is more parity. Yet James and the Los Angeles Lakers again were crowned champions.
This year, it will be a team that hasn’t won in decades, if ever.
Presti doesn’t think that’s parity yet — after all, it’s only one season. Next year, the Brooklyn Nets will be back with their three stars. The Lakers should be healthier and ready for another run. Usual contenders like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors are hoping to improve and be back in the thick of it, and the Bucks themselves have now been among Finals favorites for three seasons.
But Presti, who was asked specifically about the Hawks and Suns, said that the emergence of those two teams is good.
It’s a good sign for the Thunder, another small-market team, one that is turning to the draft after enormous success over a decade.
‘I think it’s great that there’s diversity,” Presti said. “I think that’s important for the future of the league.”
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