Once the field dwindles to four, the other 26 teams could be forgiven for moving their attention elsewhere. They can’t win the 2024-25 title, after all, and there are so many other events on the league’s calendar that warrant attention: the draft, free agency and management hiring season.
But there is still value to be gained from watching the conference finals — and learning from the examples set by the , , and . The NBA is a copycat league, and in terms of both on-court tactics and bigger-picture roster building, this quartet offers plenty of stratagems worth copying.
Here are seven reasons the 26 also-rans should watch the four conference finalists, and what they can take away from the experience.
Teams that could benefit: , , , ,
Among the top 30 qualified players in assist rate this season, the Thunder’s boasted the lowest turnover rate, the Pacers’ ranked second and the Knicks’ ranked third. It’s no coincidence that all three point guards led their teams to the conference finals.
Low-turnover players are often undervalued because it’s tricky to notice the turnovers that don’t happen but might otherwise occur if a less careful point guard made the decisions. But turnovers are crucial because they’re a double whammy of inefficiency: A team that commits a turnover squanders a chance to score and gives its opponent an easier scoring opportunity. According to an analysis of PBP Stats data, teams averaged 1.32 points off steals this season, versus 1.15 points per possession overall.
Consider the Pistons’ first-round series against the Knicks. In an impressive showing in his first postseason, All-Star averaged 8.7 assists over six games, versus 8.2 from Brunson. But Cunningham committed twice as many turnovers as Brunson, which equated to three or four “lost” points per game for his team. Given that the Knicks’ final three wins in that series came by six total points, the gap in the point guards’ ball security arguably made the difference.
Cunningham and the Hawks’ , the top two players in turnovers per game this season, would benefit from watching Gilgeous-Alexander, Haliburton and Brunson in the conference finals to see how they probe defenses and make plays while avoiding costly giveaways. That film would also be useful for younger promising point guards like Chicago’s , Portland’s and Utah’s , all of whom posted turnover rates more than twice as high as SGA’s this season.
Teams that could benefit: , , ,
It’s common knowledge that rotations shrink as stars play more in the playoffs. In the regular season, 76ers guard led all players with 37.7 minutes per game, but 20 players are averaging more than that this postseason.
One broad lesson of this postseason is the persistent importance of depth, however. The Pacers have regularly played 11 men for double-digit minutes in their playoff games. The Thunder used a consistent 10-man rotation until Game 7 against the Nuggets, when they finally shortened it to eight players. And while the Timberwolves typically go eight-deep, their three regular reserves are all starter-caliber contributors: , and .
Only the Knicks, who play and in addition to their five heavy-minutes starters, have a shallow rotation among the conference finalists. That contrasts with a host of shallow contenders that have already been eliminated, most recently the Nuggets, whose inferior bench couldn’t keep pace with the Thunder’s or compensate for injuries to and .
Stephen A. Smith says he isn’t surprised by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision and believes the Bucks aren’t going anywhere as a team.
Reigning MVP observed this pattern after Denver’s Game 7 loss in Oklahoma City. “We definitely need [more depth],” Jokic said. “It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, a longer bench, are the ones who are winning. Indiana. OKC. Minnesota.”
In addition to helping in the event of injuries, deep benches offer lineup and schematic flexibility, which is increasingly important in the modern NBA. Oklahoma City can play big, small or super small, as coach Mark Daigneault has enough trustworthy players to make all of those combinations work. Minnesota can close games with a steady hand in Mike Conley Jr., or it can bench the 37-year-old guard in favor of more quickness on the perimeter.
That’s not to say stars aren’t still the driving force behind these conference finalists — SGA is the likely MVP winner, and is averaging 39.9 minutes per game in the playoffs — but options are important, too. A big group of shallow, star-driven teams without enough talent in their supporting casts should take note, then spend their summers trying to improve this weakness.
Teams that could benefit: , Bucks, Pistons, , , , , Bulls (and basically every other East team with an eye on contending next year)
The combination of ‘s Achilles surgery and the ‘ coming financial reckoning has altered the Eastern Conference’s landscape for this season and next. For the past four seasons, Boston has lorded over the conference with last season’s title and another Finals appearance in 2022, but the East looks wide open next year.
The current conference finalists project as the best of the bunch then, too, as the Pacers and Knicks could very well end up in a rematch in 2026. But if other prospective Eastern contenders watch these conference finals and conclude that Indiana and New York are mere paper tigers, then they might be more incentivized to embrace a win-now mindset this offseason while taking advantage of the power vacuum atop the conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder look to take down Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in a marquee Western Conference finals matchup.
For instance, could the Bucks decide to keep rather than trade him, if the East looks winnable even with ‘s torn left Achilles? Might the Cavaliers decide to run it back, rather than make drastic changes to their core after another disappointing postseason? Would the Magic finally decide to push in some chips around and ? Or would the Pistons try to build off a successful season with a summer splash? Could the 76ers dangle their No. 3 pick for veteran help to rocket right back into the playoff field?
How hectic this summer of transactions grows could hinge on what rival contenders conclude about Indiana and New York, based on their analysis of this Eastern Conference finals.
Teams that could benefit: Cavaliers, Heat, Hawks, , 76ers, Lakers,
Staying in the East, one commonality between the Pacers and Knicks is both teams having a solid defense despite featuring an undersized point guard who presents a target for opposing offenses. While Haliburton and Brunson are nobody’s idea of lockdown defenders, their teams have assembled a trio of wings — , and for the Pacers; , and for the Knicks — who can take all the toughest assignments and rotate in coverage to support the weak links.
Mastering this tactic is crucial in the playoffs, which are increasingly about hunting individual matchups over the course of long series. According to GeniusIQ tracking, guards have defended screens on 20 plays per 100 possessions in the playoffs, up from 15 per 100 in the regular season. That playoff bump is in line with recent seasons.
Some guards can’t handle that pressure, which hurts their teams no matter how many points they score on the other end. During the Cavaliers’ first-round sweep of Miami, said the team’s strategy was to “pick on … pick on their weak defenders.” Herro fired back, “Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking, either.”
It’s no wonder then that the Heat had the worst defensive rating of any team in the first round, and the Cavaliers had the worst defensive rating of any team in the second round.
Many contending teams are built around dynamic guards like Herro and Garland. Some — like Atlanta, which has collected , and in support of Young — are already attempting the Pacers-Knicks model of assembling a two-way force. Others in the same situation should turn to the Eastern Finals to see how the Knicks’ and Pacers’ defenses move on a string behind Brunson and Haliburton.
Teams that could benefit: Nuggets, , Bulls, Bucks, Lakers
Out of 16 playoff teams, the four conference finalists rank 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th in opponent free throw rate in the postseason. The Thunder took exactly as many free throws as their opponents through two rounds, and the Timberwolves, Knicks and Pacers allowed more than they attempted.
Despite this deficit, these teams are still winning. One conclusion might be that too many fouls is bad, but not enough fouls is also bad, as it’s probably a sign of insufficient aggression — especially in the playoffs, when officials might be more inclined to swallow their whistles and “let the players play.” (See the Thunder’s defense against Jokic for a prime example.)
In other words, some extra fouls might just be the cost of playing strong, physical defense. But that’s a worthy tradeoff if it produces even more possessions that end with contested shots or steals.
This season, the Nuggets, Mavericks, Bulls, Bucks and Lakers all had average or worse defenses and ranked among the least foul-prone teams in the league. Perhaps they could learn from watching how the conference finalists defend with their bodies — and don’t relent even after a few whistles go against them.
Teams that could benefit: Any team that wants to win the West in the next half-decade
It’s not going out on a limb to suggest this won’t be the last time this Thunder core reaches the conference finals. The Thunder are already the most dominant team in the West, despite the youngest roster in the playoffs, with an average minutes-weighted age of just 24.6 years. (who turned 31 in February) is the only member of Oklahoma City’s playoff rotation older than 26.
Factor in the Thunder’s present-day talent, massive stash of draft picks and manageable cap sheet, and it’s clear that Oklahoma City will be the West’s team to beat for years to come.
So every other conference contender should take notes about what strategies prove to flummox the favorites — even if the Thunder end up advancing. For instance, the Nuggets’ zone presented plenty of problems for Oklahoma City in the second round, and Minnesota will likely mimic that technique in the conference finals. The Timberwolves played 52 zone possessions against the Thunder in the regular season (albeit with and missing those games), three times as many as they did against any other opponent.
Maybe Gobert’s rim protection gives the Thunder trouble; if so, teams like the Spurs (with ) and the (with ) might be encouraged that they could follow that example in future postseasons. Or maybe the Thunder struggle to defend Randle, who’s bigger than all their pesky perimeter defenders. If so, the likes of the Lakers (with ) and Pelicans (with ) could imagine success from their wings in potential playoff matchups with Oklahoma City down the line.
At this point, frankly, Oklahoma City is so loaded that it’s difficult to forecast any long-term weaknesses for the team. But rivals will need to look for clues wherever they can. A decade ago, West foes searched in vain but never found a way to beat Golden State, which reached five Finals in a row. It might take a group effort, starting now, to come up with enough ideas to prevent another dynasty.
Teams that could benefit: All 26 other teams!
A number of prized acquisitions populate the conference finalists’ rosters. Edwards was a No. 1 pick, and was a No. 2 selection. Brunson signed a nine-figure contract with the Knicks. Haliburton, Siakam, Gilgeous-Alexander, Randle, Gobert, Anunoby, Bridges and all joined their current teams in blockbuster trades.
Yet much of the conference finalists’ rotations arrived via the NBA’s fringes. Consider Indiana, which is in the conference finals in back-to-back years despite not having a top-5 draft pick since the 1980s. The Pacers successfully navigated a series of star transactions by trading for Victor Oladipo and , then trading Sabonis for Haliburton.
But they also struck gold on lower-profile acquisitions. Nesmith, the No. 14 pick in the 2020 draft, averaged 4.2 points in 12.7 minutes per game across two years in Boston, but broke out after going to Indiana in the trade. And , the No. 8 pick in 2020, never found consistent playing time in New York (ironically, because Randle was established in front of him) but blossomed after a trade to Indiana and is now a valuable reserve.
Out West, meanwhile, Reid, , Caruso and all started their NBA careers on two-way contracts. was waived before signing with the Thunder. Alexander-Walker, the No. 17 pick in 2019, had been traded three times in the span of a year before he became a vital two-way contributor for the Timberwolves.
And across his first three NBA seasons, averaged 4.1 points per game in limited playing time, and he was waived, traded and let go in free agency. Then he found a more consistent role with the Clippers, bounced to a bigger spotlight in New York and ultimately signed his first major contract with Oklahoma City last summer.
The commonality between all these success stories is that they ended up with the right situations. A select few stars might be able to succeed in any context, but most NBA players’ fortunes are dependent on their environment and role. Rivals should note, for instance, how the Pacers use Toppin, maximizing his skill set while mitigating his weaknesses, and how the Thunder have empowered their offensively limited wings to produce more than ever seemed possible.
These examples offer a useful pair with the depth lesson: Especially in the modern NBA’s cap environment, it’s paramount to find low-cost diamonds in the rough, either by rehabilitating ostensible draft busts in their second stops or by identifying and developing talented players who haven’t yet found a home.
This is an obvious lesson for top-heavy contenders looking for ways to improve their supporting casts, but it’s also a signal to noncontenders to use their rebuilding years wisely.
The Pacers weren’t a playoff team when they traded for Nesmith and Toppin. The Lakers were dreadful, in the pre-LeBron era, when they picked up Caruso off the scrap heap; he later helped them win a title before going on to Chicago and now Oklahoma City. The Thunder were in the nadir of their rebuild when they added Wiggins and Joe, and gave Dort space to develop as a two-way player.
So even though teams like the Wizards, Jazz and Nets remain years away from contention, they can still spend these down seasons developing the depth that — they hope — will support their stars of the future.
That’s ultimately the point of this exercise: While only four teams are still playing in the 2024-25 NBA season, the other 26 teams can learn from their examples. There’s something for everyone to take away from the final four’s success.
