The Champions of the Rings

A lot of fans think it is very easy to be a GM or an NBA team coach and that a champion team could be made in a few years, just like Celtics did (Pierce, Garnett and Allen), or Lakers (Kobe, Gasol and Bynum) or like Miami did (first with O’Neal, then with LeBron and Bosh). That scenario rarely happens though.

Many teams lose seasons in order to take the first pick who will reverse the franchise and bring a new title. Have they managed to do that? A lot of teams go for all or nothing when they are trading to get the best players. They clean salary caps to sign superstars. How many of them have actually managed to make a team worthy of the championship title?

How difficult is it really to win the NBA championship? Why don’t they all succeed in that? How difficult is it to win 16 games in the playoff in order to win the title?

L et’s start with the modern era when Michael Jordan entered the NBA league, exactly 30 years ago. Fans who were then 15 years old and who saw flying Michael for the first time are now 45 and probably have their own children who are 15. Some of them have been lucky enough to watch their teams win the title, while the rest of them have been waiting for that title for decades. It is questionable when or if they will ever win it.

In the last 30 years there have been a few eras, a few legendary teams and several best top ten players of all times. Years go by and a certain number of teams still wins titles, while the rest of them watch and try to enter this elite group.

In 30 NBA seasons, only eight teams have managed to win the NBA championship. Out of these eight teams, only Dallas won the championship once, while the remaining seven teams have won the title twice or more times. Who were the winners in the last thirty seasons?

L akers have won eight championships in this period. This means they won the title almost every three seasons. Chicago is in the second place with Jordan (six titles), although sixteen seasons have passed since then. The Spurs, with Greg, are in the third place with five championships. Detroit and Miami have three titles each, Houston and Boston have two, while Dallas won only one title.

* Dallas is the only team which managed to win the title only once in the last thirty years.

What are the chances for the other teams which have not won the title in the last thirty years to become champions this season? Does LeBron with the Cavs have the biggest chance to enter this elite champions’ group which has won the titles in the last three decades? LeBron was born in 1984, and it was exactly this season (1984/85) that Michael Jordan started his NBA career and the modern era of NBA basketball began. Is LeBron the one who will win the title, although he is not in one of these eight teams?

Out of 30 titles, 19 were defended (back-to-back or three-peats) and only 11 were won without being defended in the next season. Chicago had two three-peats, Lakers had one. Lakers are the only team which has two back-to-back titles. Detroit, Houston and Miami all had one back-to-back title. Out of the remaining eleven titles, the Spurs have won five, but never back-to-back. Boston won two more titles which were not back-to-back (‘86 and ’08), while Lakers, Detroit, Miami and Dallas all have one title (each) which was not defended.

What is the situation with these eight teams this season?

• Lakers, Miami and Detroit are without chances for the playoffs. Who else is there?
• Boston is not serious contender this season.
• Chicago, without Rose healthy, has not managed to get to the NBA finals so far. Can Rose fully recover and lead the Bulls to the title?
• Houston with Howard and Harden is contender, but who in the wild, wild West can guarantee they will even get through the first round of the playoff?
• Dallas, with Chandler back in the team and Parsons who is a big addition, has a variety in attack and they are the only team which managed to beat the Spurs three times in the playoff last year. With Rondo, they have a strong core and the starting lineup, but Mavs are unpredictable team right now.
• San Antonio Spurs. They have never won a back-to-back title. They have a healthy system led by Greg Popovic. With Leonard, healthy Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, the Spurs are the main favorites to win the 2014/2015 NBA title.

Who can stop San Antonio apart from these teams? We have a list of the contenders.

• Lebron and Cleveland.
• Atlanta Hawwwwwwwwks. Ready for the "share the ball" system?
• Are Golden State Warriors with Stephen Curry the ones?
• Or the Clippers who have never played the finals in the West Conference?
• Can Memphis surprise us?
• Oklahoma Thunders, without Durant?
• Rip City, Rise Up?
• Toronto Raptors. Play like a team.
• One Wizard is enough to be a contender?

Every season has different contenders, but in the last 30 years we watched NBA movie - The Champions of the Rings.