“Every NBA champion has had a top-5 offense or defense before the All-Star break”: Unbelievable stat showcases how far LeBron James and co are from 2022 NBA title

The majority of the NBA finals since the 1996-97 season has comprised of teams ranking in the top 5 for the defensive and offensive rating before the All-star break kick’s off.

With the exception of just three instances, it does not come as a surprise that the statistically best teams have made the NBA Finals every year. The NBA finals have majorly been contested between some of the best offensively and defensively ranked teams in the NBA for each season.

Also Read – “The Utah Jazz is still the same team, Rudy Gobert protects all of them”: Marcus Morris Sr. believes the three-time DPOY blankets the poor defense of his Jazz teammates

The Milwaukee Bucks were named NBA Champions for only the second time in their history last season as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 to claim their first title in 50 years. The Bucks claimed a historic win in game 6 of the NBA finals in July earlier this year on the back of a 50 piece performance by their Greek star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Every NBA Champion has been top 5 in either Offensive or Defensive rating before the All-Star break

The Milwaukee Bucks faced off against the Chris Paul-led Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Championship and walked away with the title on an emotional night for the city of Milwaukee. The Wisconsin-based team beat the Suns 4-2 to clinch the title in a final which did not feature either LeBron James or Stephen Curry for the first time in nearly a decade

Since the NBA started accounting for Offensive and defensive rating in the 1996-97 season only three teams have failed to start the All-star break without being in the top 5 for neither offensive nor defensive rating leading up to the All-star break.

Also Read – “There will never be another Michael Jordan”: When the Bulls legend spoke about him, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird being the standard measurement for comparisons in the NBA

This stat shows the quality and also the consistency of the teams who have reached the finals by constantly putting up league-high numbers and maintaining that level of consistency for a majority of the season.

The Bucks who are the defending NBA champions were second in the league for offensive rating while the losing finalists, The Phoenix suns were third in defensive rating.

This year the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns not only have the two best records in the NBA this season but also feature in the top 5 for both offensive and defensive ratings. The importance of this stat highlights the contenders for the title when the all-star break comes into action.

The regular season is not regarded as important as the postseason. But crunching the numbers leads us to believe that strong performances on both ends of the pitch, good load management, and strict consistency play a major factor in teams making a deep run in the playoffs.