A few months ago, well before the start of the Playoffs, many were predicting an NBA Final between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. New York on one side, LA on the other, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Anthony Davis… everything seemed to come together to have a battle of titans. Finally, we end up with a surprising Phoenix – Milwaukee which undoubtedly appeals to Adam Silver less, but which brings its dose of excitement and small stories. Sometimes it also feels good to see new faces, right?
The Suns on one side, the Bucks on the other. If we had been told before the start of the 2020-21 season that these two teams would be vying for the NBA title in July, we would probably have raised our eyebrows. Between a Phoenix franchise that spanned a decade in the Playoffs and Milwaukee’s franchise that built a reputation as a regular season team these last two years, as much to say that it seemed rather improbable like scenario. Certainly, the Suns brought in Chris Paul in the 2020 offseason to try to find the light, while the Bucks recruited Jrue Holiday while extending Giannis Antetokounmpo for the supermax. But from there to ending up in the NBA Finals ?! IN NBA FINALS ?! A few weeks ago, some were betting on a victory for the Lakers of LeBron James and Anthony Davis against the Suns in the first round of the Playoffs, while the latter finished in a surprising but very good second place in the West. In the other conference, the Big Three Nets were favorites, while the Sixers tackled the postseason in the costume of the leader of the East. And if the Bucks were also part of the heavyweights of their conf ‘, their successive failures in the Playoffs did not necessarily give confidence despite the adjustments made in the regular season. Yet here we are: Phoenix – Milwaukee, two small markets face to face, two franchises that find the NBA Finals for the third time only in their history, and after decades of absence.
The Suns ‘fantastic rise and the Bucks’ breakthrough after several big disappointments should give us a series that is as indecisive as it is intriguing. But above all, we will have the opportunity to see new faces on the biggest stage: Chris Paul (finally), Giannis Antetokounmpo (fingers crossed), Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton … a nice little skewer of ballers gathered on the same floor for a confrontation that promises. This time around, no LeBron James, no Stephen Curry, no Kawhi Leonard, no Kevin Durant. No, none of that. And while we still love to see these game monsters bumping into each other to try to win the title, the change can also be good sometimes. In the NBA, where superstars dominate, where the big markets tend to eat the small ones, where the parity is relative given the structure of the salary cap and where surprises are finally quite rare, it is not every day that we witness such a breath of fresh air. Since 2015, we have had the Warriors five times in the Finals, ditto for LeBron James with Cleveland and the Lakers. Between 2011 and 2014, the Heat of LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had participated four times in a row in the last series of the season, including twice in a row against the eternal Spurs of Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. All this to say that in the decade that we have just lived, we have rarely had the right to real surprises until obtaining an NBA Finals poster as unexpected as Phoenix – Milwaukee. Just as a reminder, the Suns had a record of 26 wins for 39 losses in March 2020, synonymous with thirteenth place in the West. And despite the very convincing performances in Mickey’s bubble last year and the arrival of Chris Paul, no one had seen such a rise coming. A return to the Playoffs? Yes. NBA Finals? Clearly not.
Over the past twenty years, we can still cite a few scenarios that we did not necessarily expect and which have upset the fate of the NBA season. Last year in Mickey’s bubble, le Heat had heated at the right time to take the controls of the East in his costume of seed # 5, eliminating the Bucks – best team of the regular season – during its run before losing to the Lakers of LeBron and Anthony Davis. If we want, we can quote the 2019 Raptors, who took a huge gamble with the transfer of Kawhi Leonard to finally win the ring on a one-shot after years of playoff disappointments. In 2015, the Warriors began to march on the League and then turn into a dynasty. But if their domination quickly became the norm, we had not really seen the arrival of such a steamroller after an exit in the first round of the 2014 Playoffs. gave several warnings about the hurricane that was about to hit the NBA from the Bay, but from there to becoming one of the best all-time teams, it was not too expected. We can also cite the magnificent title of Mavericks by Dirk Nowitzki in 2011 – against the Heat in the Big Three version in the NBA Finals please – after many cracks in the Playoffs, or the Riders of a young LeBron James in 2007 who released the experienced Detroit Pistons, regulars of the Conference Finals and winners of the 2004 title without a real superstar. And how can we not mention the surprise presence of Nets in the 2002 Finals against the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant? Just for the record, the New Jersey franchise went from one season to 26 wins – 56 losses in 2000-01 to champion the East the following year spurred on by the arrival of point guard Jason Kidd (well they took dear against Shaq and Kobe but let’s move on). Hey, it reminds a bit of Chris Paul’s Suns, doesn’t it? The qualification of Knicks for the 1999 Finals in the Round of 16 – a feat that had never happened before and hasn’t happened since – is obviously unmissable too, even though Latrell Sprewell and Co. ended up losing 4-1 to Tim’s Spurs Duncan and David Robinson.
For those who want to dig even deeper into the story, you can take a look at the 1995 and 1981 Houston Rockets, who made their way to the NBA Finals by being sixth in their conference. Big mention also for the Suns of 1976, finalists after having won only 42 games in the regular season. Definitely, these Cacti, they like to sting when you are not expecting them.
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