By Cleavon Steele
The National Basketball Association playoffs are finally here, and I couldn’t be happier. It is my favorite time of the year. Unlike other sports which are single elimination tournaments or a win-or-go-home playoff format, the NBA playoffs are the best of seven series in each round to determine who the ultimate champion will be. It is when embellished storylines and false narratives created throughout the regular season get laid to rest, and the crème rises to the top.
What happened in the regular season becomes inconsequential for several reasons. First off there are several hypothetical scenarios created by the media to capture the attention of NBA fans. Often storylines that imply only random teams have the potential to win an NBA championship are nothing more than marketing techniques to entice viewers and readers into thinking their favorite team has a chance to do something great.
Secondly, the NBA regular season schedule tends to give teams a false sense of security. Winning games against the defending champions in October, or victories against sub .500 teams in April is not an accurate barometer of future playoff success.
Lastly, playoff intensity cannot be replicated during the NBA regular season. Pulling off a win against a championship contender in December is not the same as trying to win game five of the conference finals.
The NBA playoffs are always comprised of teams that have star players who fit into one of four categories:
Category I
The newcomers. These players are good, perhaps even all-stars, and have led their team to the NBA playoffs for the first time in their career. Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic is a notable example for the 2024 playoffs.
Category II
The usual suspects. These are players who have multiple playoff appearances but have never shown the ability to carry their team to an NBA finals. Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks are notable examples for the 2024 playoffs:
Category III
The Basketball Legends. These players have led their teams to the brink of an NBA championship but have always found a way to come up short. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat are notable examples for the 2024 playoffs:
Category IV
The Basketball god. These are those players who can single-handedly put a team on their backs and carry them to the promised land. These players hang banners, win MVPs, and are considered basketball royalty. In other words, “THAT DUDE!” Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets are notable examples for the 2024 playoffs.
Now that we have established the categories for the playoff participants, we have some bad news for over 60% of the teams in the playoffs. You cannot win an NBA championship without a basketball god on your team. As unfair and implausible as that statement may sound, it’s the absolute truth. With the risk of boring my readers and fans with statistics to support my hypotheses, I must point out a few stats.
Every team to win the championship since 1990 (Except the 2004 Detroit Pistons) has one of the 75 greatest players of all time on their roster. Every team except the 1990 Detroit Pistons and the 2019 Toronto Raptors had a player who has been the NBA’s most valuable player.
Michael Jordan (6), Kobe Bryant (5), Tim Duncan (5), LeBron James (4), Steph Curry (4), and Hakeem Olajuwon (2) have a combined 26 championships during that time frame. Another way of saying this is that only six players who are arguably top 20 all-time won nearly 80% of the championships.
The other teams to win a championship during that time frame:
1990 Detroit Pistons (Isaiah Thomas)
2006 Miami Heat (Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade)
2008 Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen)
2011 Dallas Mavericks (Dirk Nowitzki)
2019 Toronto Raptors (Kawhi Leonard)
2021 Milwaukee Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo)
2023 Denver Nuggets (Nikola Jokic)
This article intends to point out and make a critical distinction between the NBA and all the other major North American sports leagues. Good players don’t win NBA Championships. Great players don’t win NBA championships. Not even immortals win NBA championships. NBA championships are won by basketball gods, exclusively.
With this iron-clad criterion for winning an NBA championship, my condolences to the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Sacramento Kings. Your participation in the 2024 NBA playoffs is an exercise in futility, concerning winning an NBA championship, as you will not win an NBA championship, this season.
As co-host of the Voice of the Fans podcast (which airs weekly on YouTube and your favorite streaming apps), I have been trying to educate our host, Mr. Cameron Buford, on the criteria to win an NBA championship. Buford believes such frivolous things as coaching, depth, hustle plays (diving on the ground for loose balls), defensive schemes, and homecourt advantage are more critical to winning than superstar dominance. I hope this article serves as an educational tool, explaining this is not the case. Should anyone else disagree with my theory on what it takes to win an NBA championship? You can reach me on X (formerly Twitter) @cleaviewonder.
