NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is delighted with the variety of teams in the NBA Finals over the last three years.
In his annual NBA Finals address, Adam Silver expressed his delight over the "parity of opportunity" in the tournament. After four years of the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers facing each other in the NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018, there has been a constant change in guard in the last few seasons. After four NBA Finals with the same two teams, there have been seven different finalists in the previous four finals. The Eastern Conference has seen five finalists in five seasons: Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Boston Celtics. It is the first five-year stretch that has happened since 1998 to 2002. The West has also seen three different conference champions in three years, the first time this happened since 2010-2013.
When asked about the parity and competition in the NBA, "Of course, I care about the platform that we're presenting and the competition itself. Anybody running a league wants to see not necessarily, in my mind, parity on the floor every year, but parity of opportunity. You also want a system where the best players, the best-managed teams, can excel."
ALSO READ: NBA 2022 Finals - Check out the vital numbers from Game 1 between Warriors and Celtics
"We do focus a lot on ensuring that teams, in essence, have the same fair opportunity to compete through the salary cap system. And that is something we're always looking at as part of our system, something we're constantly talking to the Players Association about. All 450 players presumably want an equal chance to win championships and be a part of a championship team. So, I'm pleased with where we are. I'm thrilled with the teams here in the finals," concluded Adam Silver.
