Where Is the Parity in the NBA?

Is everyone excited about the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat re-match?

It should be a good series. Last year as you may recall, the Heat beat the Spurs in seven.

This year, I don't expect anything less. Despite that, though, I'm not that excited about this championship because of the lack of parity.

The NBA can claim they have it, but if you look back over the last 15 years, the short list of teams that have won the NBA title rarely changes.

Granted, last year, the same-old same-old did keep it interesting right down to the end:

Popular sentiment is saying that this was the most exciting first round in the NBA Playoffs history. True, a number of games had cliffhanger finishes, but best ever? No.  

What would have made it the best ever would have been if there were a litany of upsets like we saw in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, but we didn't. Upsets are also what make the NCAA tournament so compelling.

There aren't many upsets in the NBA, and in some seasons, there are none. If you look at the teams who have won an NBA championship, you will see mini-dynasties and/or outright periods of dominance throughout most of its history.

In fact, give it a try:

You'll notice that only three teams to have won the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 12 of the past 15 years: the LA Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. All three teams have multiple championships.

As you saw if you took the test, the only teams to break up the monopoly were the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and the Dallas Mavericks.

Where is the parity?

Compare that to the NFL, which has only had eight back-to-back champions in its existence. That may explain why the NFL is so popular. Well, that and the point spreads. Still, the NFL has parity. The NBA lacks it.

But that shouldn't surprise most people. The NBA popularized itself as a star-driven league, and if you have the right one or ones on your team, it's most likely your ring collection will be on a run.