The Western Conference Finals has commenced. The lingering belief is that this is the de facto NBA Finals, simply because the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder has placed themselves in a level high above every other team.
It would make a great narrative if a team like the New York Knicks, with the biggest market and a 50-year title drought could overcome the odds and beat the West behemoths. Commissioner Adam Silver would rub a thousand lamps to find a genie to grant that wish.
However, Game 1 may have prematurely squashed any hope for a David and Goliath story. It was truly a clash of the titans, a double overtime bloodbath. Those teams were evenly matched: the MVP vs the Defensive Player of the Year. They will be bitter rivals for years to come, as they are both scarily mighty, and unfairly young.
All the Western teams are left standing in awe. The Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers are left to contemplate their team building strategy. The window for assembling a superteam for short term success has closed. The Spurs have a Big Three of a rookie, sophomore, and an alien junior. OKC keeps pulling talent out of the woodwork (Ajay Mitchell, for one).
So yes, MVP candidates like Luka, Joker, Ant, and Kawhi will be watching from the sidelines in envy–for at least two more years.
Beast from the East?
Does this automatically mean that the Western Conference Finals will be the real boss battle? Not necessarily. There are candidates from the East that can provide a challenge. The team has to be talented, young, and deep–a standard the Thunder and Spurs have established.
The Detroit Pistons have the only American and Eastern player in the top five of MVP voting. They also have a young stud in Jalen Duren with a mix of veterans and young talent. The Pistons had the third best overall record, and after floundering in the first round, they took the Cavs all the way to Game 7. They have learned a lot in two seven-game series.
The team has the pieces, they lost to playoff veterans. The experience has now been added.
Tankers to Rankers
Just how much of a difference will a top four pick in the 2026 NBA Draft make?
Two teams will have a diverging path. Two tankers: one gets number one, the other gets none.
The Washington Wizards have acquired star veteran talent. Anthony Davis and Trae Young had teams give up on them for various reasons. Talent is currency in the NBA, and they have that. Now they have a team to lead, future stars to mentor.
If projections pan out, the first overall pick could impact as much as Cooper Flagg or Kon Knueppel. The Mavericks are still a mess, but the Charlotte Hornets were steps ahead of their development, The Wizards could end up being one or the other.
It’s less a matter of who they pick, but more of how Anthony Davis, Trae Young, even D’Angelo Russell turn out. Contenders or a circus. They are a team to watch.
The Indiana Pacers took a gamble, and it ended the worst possible way. A Finals run falling short, not just because Tyrese Haliburton got hurt in Game 7, but because Myles Turner decided to spiral his career.
The Pacers are famous for not tanking, but they had a valid excuse now. They swung for the fences– young star talent and a big man upgrade, but the basketball gods could only give one.
Falling three places, they lost their lottery pick in reaching for Zubac. But they have Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and key pieces of their Finalist team. If Haliburton returns as good as, or better than before, the Pacers will still be a force.
PBA Final Four Fearless
It’s prediction time at the PBA. WIll TNT really trample on their more successful (elimination round) sisters? They knocked off the top seed NLEX and now, they have Meralco. They need a win to justify their investment in Bol Bol. Meanwhile, the PBA still can’t afford an SMC-less Finals.
