The NBA is essentially a two-team league. Since 1950, the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have won 32 NBA titles. 32! Moreover, at least one of those two teams have been represented in 38 finals. Staggering. I don’t have a calculator handy but that’s like, 65% of the time.
To see something similar one need only look at European soccer where anywhere between two and four teams generally dominate the top leagues in Italy, England and Spain.
The media did its best to try and convince people the 2010 NBA playoffs would be exciting what with the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns all posing as contenders while the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks were treated as dark horses.
The NBA doesn’t do dark horses in case anyone has noticed recently. And the Suns and Magic have hardly put up a fight in their first games against the Lakers and Celtics respectively.
I don’t know why this is so. It always seems to be the same two teams with spatters of other teams sprinkled here and there. For instance, your Bulls, Spurs, Rockets, Pistons and 76ers of the basketball world.
Did I say 32 titles and 38 finals? Looks like it may be 33 and 39 now.
