The Most Underrated Trait of a Contender? Familiarity
Star power gets you there, continuity gets you through
With Luka Dončić and the Lakers officially out of the playoffs (you can find my first reflections here), and the Mavericks eliminated long before that, it’s time to pivot to offseason mode.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be digging into team-building questions, draft fits, and free agency moves for both teams. I’m also still watching the playoffs closely and will be sharing observations and reflections, especially the ones that help us better understand where the Lakers and Mavs go from here.
Today’s highlights:
Same old faces in the second round
Traits of a contender: thousands of minutes, hundreds of games together
The Mavericks, the Lakers, and the constant reshuffling around Luka Dončić
1-Same old faces in the second round
Two of the most competitive first-round series, Nuggets vs. Clippers and Warriors vs. Rockets, both went to Game 7. And in each case, when it came down to a win-or-go-home moment, it was the more connected, more battle-tested team that delivered. The Nuggets blew out the Clippers in a game where, for most of the series, LA looked deeper, more balanced, and maybe even better. But Denver’s core — the same group that’s been together since 2021 and has gone through countless playoff battles, including their championship run in 2023 — stepped up with a level of confidence and cohesion that felt like a reminder. And I don’t have to tell you how many close games Steph Curry and Draymond Green have played in together over the last decade.
I’ve written about it before, especially after the Mavericks reshuffled their roster at the trade deadline to add P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. I’m talking about the underrated trait that keeps showing up in big moments and in playoff success: continuity.
Looking at the teams that made it to the second round this year, it’s not hard to spot the pattern. In the East, the exact same four teams that made it last year are back: Indiana, New York, Boston, and Cleveland. In the West, three of last season’s final four returned as well: Minnesota, Denver, and Oklahoma City. The only team from last year’s West second round that didn’t make it back is Dallas (more on their latest u-turn away from any sorts of continuity in one of my next points). In their place, the Warriors reached the second round for the third time in the last three seasons.
2-Traits of a contender: thousands of minutes, hundreds of games together
Here’s an overview of the last eight teams standing: their core players, the minutes logged by their top two-, three-, four-, and even five-man lineups, along with the tenure of their head coaches.
Denver Nuggets: Jokić and Murray, teammates since 2016, have played together longer than any other star duo still in the playoffs, except for Curry and Green. Nuggets’ core group of Jokić, Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. has logged more minutes together than any other four-man lineup based on my analysis. Denver surprisingly parted ways with head coach Michael Malone after 10 seasons, but aside from that, this is the team with the most continuity in the NBA.
Boston Celtics: If there’s a team that comes close to Denver in terms of stability, it’s Boston. No surprise these are the last two NBA champions. The star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been teammates since 2017 and has logged over 14,000 minutes on the court as a pair. Al Horford has been their veteran anchor for most of the journey, aside from a two-year stint in Philadelphia and Oklahoma City. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday just wrapped up their third and second seasons in Boston, and they are the best third and fourth options and glue guys any team could ask for. Joe Mazzulla is a young and relatively short-tenured head coach, but Brad Stevens ensured stability and a smooth transition.
Golden State: The Warriors, the last team to win a title before Boston and Denver, have been a dominant force in the NBA for years with a core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and, in their most recent run, Andrew Wiggins. The latter two are now gone, but Curry, Green, and head coach Steve Kerr — the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind Erik Spoelstra — remain the infrastructure that allows the Warriors to keep winning with their unique brand of basketball.
Minnesota: The first of last year’s Conference Finals teams, and despite their reputation as a young group, they’ve quietly built one of the more consistent rosters in the league. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels were both drafted in 2020, and along with Naz Reid, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent a year earlier, they form the foundation of Minnesota’s young core. They added two veterans, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, to their young core in the 2022–23 season, and Chris Finch has been the head coach since 2020–21. Swapping Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo was a major move, but beyond that, this has been one of the most stable situations in the league.
Indiana: The other Conference Finalist from last year, and another team with a core that has mostly been in place for over three seasons. They traded for Tyrese Haliburton in 2022 and drafted Andrew Nembhard later that year. Alongside Myles Turner, those two formed the foundation that the Pacers upgraded by acquiring Pascal Siakam at last season’s trade deadline. T.J. McConnell, a spark plug and key contributor off the bench, and Rick Carlisle, the steady coaching voice on the sideline, have been the two consistent veteran presences supporting the core.
Oklahoma City: The Thunder traded for their franchise player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in 2019, and he’s been playing alongside defensive ace Lu Dort ever since. A year later, they hired head coach Mark Daigneault. In 2022, they drafted both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, adding key pieces to their core. OKC is a young team, but one with lineup continuity and minutes that rival some of the league’s most stable veteran groups. Combined with their depth and talent, that foundation bodes well for their title chances this year.
Cleveland and New York: The last two teams on the list, and both added their centerpieces, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson, at the start of the 2022–23 season. Cleveland brought in Mitchell to join an already established core of Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. The only major change came this season with the hiring of Kenny Atkinson as head coach. New York has done more reshuffling around Brunson, surrounding him with Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns. But Tom Thibodeau has been in place throughout the process, and his short-rotation, high-minutes approach has expedited the group’s time on the court. Their Villanova connections have only helped accelerate the team’s chemistry.
3-The Mavericks, the Lakers, and the constant reshuffling around Luka Dončić
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