Looking at the few NBA teams still fighting for the crown, one could easily argue that they are not at all similar to who the fans are used to seeing so far in the postseason.
With the elimination of the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, the only teams remaining to compete for the NBA title are the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns of the Western Conference, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks of the Eastern (winners of Eastern semifinals unknown as of the morning of June 20).
Looking back to when all of these organizations won their last championships would take a little while, as the most recent was way back in 1983 when the Sixers swept the Lakers. Before that, the Bucks and Hawks were only victorious in 1971 and 1958, respectively.
As for the Suns and Clippers, they are both yet to claim just one title. Phoenix has not appeared in an NBA Finals since 1993, while LA has failed to even make it that far.
Upon toppling Utah to make this year’s WCF series, the Clips had officially made it further than they ever had before in the playoff bracket.
Is this the NBA parity people wanted to see?
With these unfamiliar faces sticking around so far into the postseason, that also means that the “typical contenders” (A.K.A. LeBron James, Golden State, etc.) are nowhere to be found. Does that mean that the NBA has finally found the parity that almost everyone asks for?
It just might, as there are multiple players still in the hunt that the bulk of basketball fanatics want to see succeed, such as Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and especially the veteran point guard Chris Paul.
However, how will the eventual NBA Finals matchup fare in regards to viewership prowess? It’s common knowledge that the remaining franchises are not the most revered amongst spectators, at least not when compared to the commercial size of the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, and so on.
Assuming that the Larry O’Brien Trophy comes down between the Suns and Hawks, that battle is not exactly going to break any ratings records.
Ultimately, the number of television screens on is an irrelevant statistic when it comes to NBA viewers. Many of them wanted a change of pace and are practically guaranteed to get one, as this will be the first NBA Finals with neither LeBron James nor Steph Curry in over a decade. It looks as if 2021 is the year of the underdog.