Life is full of circular moments. Whether it's the recurrence of the cicada, the anticipation of a celestial comet, or the anxiety of income tax filing, we experience cycles all the time. In terms of the NBA postseason, those cyclical questions show up annually. As the early portion of this revolution turns, the candidates are making themselves known.
The Cycle of the Unproven Talent
It doesn't matter if it comes in the form of a surprise or a surge. Young guns are always striving to make a mark. This time around, the most prevalent examples come in the form of Houston and Detroit.
The Rockets made a bit of noise last season with a positive finish. From October 2024 to now, this squad made a large leap, getting off to a great start, then shedding a mid-season swoon to grab the 2-seed in the West. Yes, Fred VanVleet is a vet and a champ. The rest of the roster, though, is in completely new territory.
The Pistons are this season's other surprise, coming from the clear depths of irrelevant and leaping to a playoff spot (completely bypassing the Play-In step). They proved their worth over 82 games, sweeping the Lakers (pre-Luca) and gaining wins over Boston and Cleveland. Oh, and that Monday win over their first-round opponent ... that was the fourth over the Knicks this season.
The Cycle of Not Quite There Yet
Except in rare cases, the NBA is a "take your lumps" league. Unless you're Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, or Tim Duncan, you need to grind for many years to earn both All-Star and champion status. Just look at the defending champs. How many years did Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown toil before finally reaching the mountaintop last year?
For current stars including Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and Anthony Edwards, the goal is singular: the ring. Do their respective rosters have the talent to make deep runs? Yes. Can they get past all of the favorites? Jury's still out on that.
The Cycle of One More Run to Glory
There are young pieces that litter the rosters of the Lakers and Warriors. In actuality, though, the major players are on the tail end of their careers. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green hope the wind down their playing days with one more piece of bling. Problem is, there are a lot of young and starving ballers trying to shine on their own accord. We'll see if crafty wisdom can counterbalance the waning stamina needed to lift the Larry O'Brien.
The Cycle of the Burgeoning Contender
The top seeds in each conference have been coming for, at least, a little while. Cleveland and Oklahoma City have been building their caches for a few years. Now, both franchises have young, emboldened rosters with something to prove.
The Cavaliers added premier scorer Donovan Mitchell three summers ago to provide that final spark to rule the East. It kicked in this season, with 64 wins and a top seed to show for it. After earning the West's No. 1 seed last year, the Thunder tweaked the roster to enhance their title potential. The result was the best record I'm the Association and homecourt as long as they're alive. So, can one of these squads go the distance and continue a more recent trend.
The Cycle of the Revolving Champion
This is an unusual time in the league's history. Since the formation of the Basketball Association of America in 1946, the organization has been defined by dynastic winners. In those nearly 80 seasons of play, franchises have won multiple (2 or more) consecutive championships 11 times. Once a team gets in a groove, the perpetual motion sustains itself for a while. This means a lot less variety ... until now.
For the first time in the league's history, different franchises have won it all over a six-season stretch (there were a couple of periods with five different winners over five seasons). To me, it's a sign that the league has been lifted, with the spread of talent reaching more organizations at a single concurrent moment. But make no mistake, a new dynasty seems to be just around the corner (if Victor Wembanyama gets healthy again, you may want to look out). For the moment, just sit back and enjoy the rare parity of the hoops postseason.
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