Throughout this entire 2016-17 NBA season it seemed like the Warriors and Cavs were set on a collision course.
Many fans lamented that the regular season no longer mattered as it was just simply a matter of time before Golden State and Cleveland faced off in a third straight Finals. Fans talked about the lack of parity in the league, and that less contending teams took away from the usual excitement of the regular season and playoffs.
ESPN’s J.A. Adande told KNBR 1050’s The Audible Friday that having a few dominant teams running through the league is nothing new in the NBA.
“Since when has the NBA been like the NFL with a rotating cast of contenders and champions year in and year out?” Adande said. “In the 90s Michael Jordan won six [championships] out of eight times. In the 80s you had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird gobbling up most of the titles. Magic never played back-to-back seasons in the NBA without out going to the Finals. [In the 2000s] the Lakers won five championships in the span of ten years and Tim Duncan won most of he ones that they didn’t. This is what the NBA has been.”
Adande said that while the NBA hasn’t changed, the culture of the fans who watch it has.
“We’re a culture that has embraced average and doesn’t want the exceptional anymore,” Adande said. “The culture has changed more than the league has. The league has always been this way, about one or two dominant teams. It’s never been an egalitarian league.”
Listen to the full interview below. To listen to Adande’s comments on the Warriors-Cavs’ dominance, skip to the 1:55 mark.