Regardless of who wins the 2026 NBA Finals, there will have now been eight different championship teams in the last eight years. That leaves 22 other teams that hope that trend will continue next season.
Certainly, some of those 22 have next to no chance of winning a championship next year. One team that would be among the most likely to continue the streak would be the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have won five playoff series over the last three years.
Eight different champions in eight years Â
Right now, the Timberwolves likely wouldn’t be amongst the top five favorites to win the 2027 NBA Finals. Of course, it would be silly to think too much about that when there’s a whole offseason for all 30 NBA teams where roster changes will be aplenty.
The expectation is that Minnesota will go looking for a co-star alongside Anthony Edwards and also trade from their current core, with Julius Randle being the most likely to be dealt.
So a lot could happen, and with the NBA playoffs often being a war of attrition, perhaps Minnesota can find a way to be the last one standing next year. They will probably have better odds to win it all in 2027 than the San Antonio Spurs did to win a title this year, prior to the regular season beginning.
As mentioned, we will have an eighth different NBA champion in the last eight years. That’s the longest such streak in league history.
Since 2019, the teams that have won it all are the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Either the Spurs or the New York Knicks will be the most recent champ sometime in June.
Minnesota will have competition amongst teams that haven’t won a title since 2019. The loser of Spurs/Knicks won’t fade into obscurity. The Detroit Pistons had the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference this year -- the previous year, it was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who reached the Eastern Conference finals this season. The Indiana Pacers made the NBA finals last year and will have a returning Tyrese Haliburton as well as a full season of Ivica Zubac.
Regardless of whether Minnesota is the team to extend the streak, it’s been fun seeing so many different franchises get to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Tim Connelly is known for taking risks, and he will do whatever he believes will help the Wolves reach the mountaintop.
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