Since then, though, the Lakers have struggled to get back to the mountaintop, though there’s optimism that the team is heading in the right direction now that Luka Doncic is on the team. However, even with Doncic on board to lead the way, Los Angeles will find it even harder to win a championship as the Western Conference continues to grow more difficult each passing year.

Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves are set to battle it out in the Western Conference Finals in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and are expected to be mainstays for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, there are budding young teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets who are expected to join the inner circle of contenders sooner than later.

The league’s new CBA has created the parity that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has sought for years. Following the conclusion of the playoffs, the NBA will have seven different champions in seven years for the first time in history, via StatMuse:

For the first time in history, there are 7 different champions in 7 NBA seasons.

Parity, baby. pic.twitter.com/wctqSoe3rE

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 18, 2025

The last team to win back-to-back titles was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, but since then there has been an evening of the playing field. The Toronto Raptors, Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics won the subsequent titles but this the 2025 championship will go to either the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Thunder or Timberwolves.

Parity is hard to come in the NBA as it’s often considered the most predictable out of the professional sports leagues in the U.S. due to the seven-game series format. Oftentimes, the higher seed typically comes out of a series victorious but this year’s group features multiple lower seeds that took advantage of their matchups.

With the talent pool of players becoming deeper and deeper plus a CBA that restricts teams from keeping their championship cores together for long, it feels like this is the new trend the NBA is heading toward.

Tyrese Haliburton says it was super cool to get a shoutout from Lakers’ LeBron James

Tyrese Haliburton has the Pacers in good position to once again make the NBA Finals and the young star acknowledged it was super cool to get a shoutout from Lakers star LeBron James.

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The Thunder were able to dispatch the Denver Nuggets in seven games this past weekend, while the Timberwolves have been resting since they eliminated the Golden State Warriors in five. In the Eastern Conference, the Knicks knocked off the defending champions the Boston Celtics in six games while the Pacers upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in five.

This sets up an intriguing Conference Finals round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs where some of the game’s youngest stars will be in line to win their first NBA championship. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton have each done well to lead their respective teams up to this point but there is still a lot of work left to be done in the postseason.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James stressed teams, not individuals win championships, and the remaining four have played complementary basketball on both ends of the floor so far. Oklahoma City and Minnesota have the requisite size, length and defense to win a title while New York and Indiana have managed to come up in clutch situations to pull off improbable victories.

While the modern NBA has heavily emphasized 3-point shooting and shots at the rim, the remaining teams in the playoffs also do well in the mid-range areas of the floor. In the 2025 NBA Playoffs, getting a quality shot is hard to come by so sometimes teams will need to take what defenses give them.

The Knicks are the lone team remaining that have a championship, but the Thunder, Timberwolves and Pacers will be looking for their respective franchise’s first. It will be exciting to see who out of the four teams will make it to the NBA Finals and for the seventh time in seven years, the NBA Playoffs will crown a new champion.

2025 NBA Playoffs Conference Finals Info

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #6 Minnesota Timberwolves

Game 1: May 20 @ Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 2: May 22 @ Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 3: May 24 @ Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. PT, ABC
Game 4: May 26 @ Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 5 (if necessary): May 28 @ Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 6 (if necessary): May 30 @ Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 7 (if necessary): June 1 @ Oklahoma City, 5:00 p.m. PT, ESPN

#3 New York Knicks vs. #4 Indiana Pacers

Game 1: May 21 @ New York, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 2: May 23 @ New York, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 3: May 25 @ Indiana, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 4: May 27 @ Indiana, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary): May 29 @ New York, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 6 (if necessary): May 31 @ Indiana, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT
Game 7 (if necessary): June 2 @ New York, 5:00 p.m. PT, TNT

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The Play-In Tournament has added extra excitement to the postseason, though the NBA Cup seemingly took a step back in terms of ratings this past year after a successful inaugural season when the Los Angeles Lakers won the tournament. Silver has drawn some criticism for constantly tweaking the NBA and its events, though it’s all with the league’s long-term future in mind.

Fortunately for Silver and basketball fans, the 2025 NBA Playoffs have been one of the best postseasons in recent memory because it’s produced several thrilling moments that fans will remember forever. The mix of teams still in the mix for a championship coupled with down-to-the-wire matchups has made for a fun playoffs so far.

Adding to the excitement levels is the increased physicality teams have been allowed to play with. Silver acknowledged he’s loved watching the games and believes this is the kind of postseason basketball fans want, via NBA on ESPN:

“Excellent. It’s throwback playoffs in a way. I love the increased physicality. I mean, It’s not by accident. Credit to Joe Dumars who just stepped down as our head of basketball operations to go to the Pelicans, but also with some influence that fans may not know from Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski who’s been an advisor to the league office over the last few years who pointed out that fans like defense too. We’re not quite back to the ‘Bad Boys.’ I’m not sure we want to be there but I think that the physicality, to your point, on top of the increased parity it seems in a positive way, not correlating to market size or anything else, just great competition from around the league. Emerging teams that haven’t been competitive for several reasons, traditional teams hanging in there, and also the competition’s been terrific in terms of buzzer-beaters, close games. Not every game has been perfect, but I’ve loved it. I’ve loved it as a fan and on behalf of the league it’s the kind of basketball I think the people love.”

Ratings have been a constant conversation for the league the past few years, though things like this year’s physical playoffs and the Luka Doncic trade surely help in that regard. With the games becoming more and more high stakes, the increased physicality on the floor will likely pick up and that could result in more tough battles between the remaining teams.

Adam Silver considering international competition for 2026 NBA All-Star Game

Adam Silver has tried for years to create more buzz about the All-Star Game, though last year’s format fell flat. However, now Silver is considering an international competition for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

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However, the Lakers drew the Minnesota Timberwolves who ended the 2024-25 season as arguably the hottest team in the league. While Los Angeles was favored in the series, Minnesota wound up proving to be a terrible matchup for them as they stifled their offense and wore down their defense with their size and physicality.

The Lakers were eliminated in five games, a disappointing result for a team that felt like it had a real chance to compete for a title. Now, Minnesota will advance to the next round while the purple and gold will get a head start on preparing for the draft and free agency.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson was disappointed to see his former team lose in the playoffs, but still congratulated the Timberwolves organization for advancing in the postseason, via his personal X account:

Congratulations to my good friend Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, superstar Anthony Edwards and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves team for beating my Lakers and advancing to the next round. The reason the Lakers lost was because they played awful on defense, they…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 1, 2025

Johnson’s reaction echoes the sentiments from the Lakers’ fanbase as it was clear throughout the series that they didn’t have the personnel to hang with the Timberwolves. Minnesota’s collective size across every position presented problems for Los Angeles and the latter had no answers given the roster construction.

The Lakers had to figure things out on the fly following the Doncic trade, but president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has already said the team will look to add more size at the center position this offseason. He also said the team would be aggressive trying to add to their defensive core of wings, encouraging statements and appropriate responses to their playoff exit.

It’ll be difficult to find players who address all the needs on the roster, but Los Angeles needs to turn over every stone as their window to compete for a title with LeBron James is quickly closing. The Lakers are heading toward another eventful summer and it’ll be interesting to see what happens.

JJ Redick says Lakers need to get in championship shape

Head coach JJ Redick didn’t take any moral victories after his first year on the sidelines. Instead, Redick immediately emphasized the Lakers need to get in championship shape this summer to get to where they want to go.

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The 2024-25 season marks LeBron’s 18th trip to the postseason. Of his first 17 years, he has gotten out of the first round 15 times and has gotten to the NBA Finals 10 times. What he has accomplished over two decades is unprecedented, and he is fully aware of that fact.

James spoke about getting ready for the postseason and how good the switch from regular season to playoff intensity is for the sport.

“Obviously it’s an exciting time for all basketball fans and all the players that are a part of the postseason. It’s a great time for basketball, the competition ramps up. It’s always fun,” he said.

For the first time since the 2019-20 championship season, James got a full week off before the playoffs and did not have to play in the Play-In Tournament. He took advantage of the time both physically and mentally.

“Worked on my body, kept my mind fresh and focused on the opponent at hand,” James said of how he spent the last week.

The Lakers superstar was asked what the postseason demands of him, and he spoke at length about what playoff basketball means in his mind.

“Everything. Playoffs demand everything from me,” James said. “Mentally, obviously the physical toll that it’s gonna take because as the games ramp up, the intensity ramps up, the physicality ramps up, the referees in the league allow us to play more physical in the postseason so your body takes a toll. But mentally, being able to have that mind sharp throughout the course of a series no matter if it’s going good or going bad. You always gotta try to stay even-keeled throughout the course of the postseason in each series if you’re able to advance.”

And knowing that he is facing an unprecedented situation being in the playoffs in his 22nd season, LeBron made sure to point out that he’s fortunate to be in the position he’s in.

“It’s a blessing, I don’t take it for granted to be able to play in the postseason at my age and how many years I’ve played this game,” James said. “To be one of 16 teams, to go in with this team and know what we’re capable of, all you can do is ask for a chance to be able to compete at the highest level and be able to compete for the ultimate thing and that’s the Larry O’Brien Trophy. You just don’t take it for granted.”

All season, LeBron has shown a huge appreciation for being able to still do what he does at a high level at his age. Guys like him, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant all acknowledge that they are nearing the end of the era that those three players defined, and it’s led to some incredible self-reflection from all three.

For James and Curry, they get to chase a Larry O’Brien trophy this season, and potentially add to a collection of accolades that is nearly unmatched in league history.

LeBron James praises Anthony Edwards

One of the ways that LeBron James has most shown appreciation for where he’s at is his willingness to praise the next generation of stars, something previous generations before him have often struggled to do.

He spoke highly of the opposing superstar in the Lakers’ first-round matchup, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.

“Ant is amazing,” James said ahead of this first round matchup. “Unbelievable basketball junkie, loves to play the game of basketball, great kid. And all the success he’s gotten throughout his young career has been awesome to see, he’s put the work in.”

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