No team defending champions since 2018, there are new champion teams in every season in the new era

With the Boston Celtics losing to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2024-25, this also means that the NBA will not defend the NBA championship for the seventh consecutive season. Such a situation is rare. The last time the NBA did not defend its championship for a long time was in 1975-1984.

In this era of super teams, we are often optimistic about some teams and can build a championship dynasty that belongs to them. However, since the Toronto Raptors won the championship in 2019, no NBA championship team has been able to defend their title. In 2019, the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors and won the championship under the leadership of Leonard. Leonard left the Raptors as a free agent off the offseason, but the Toronto Raptors were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2020 playoffs.

In 2020, LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to the finals, defeated the Miami Heat and won the championship. In the 2021 playoffs, the Lakers were beaten out by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks, defeating the Phoenix Suns in the finals, and winning the 2021 championship.

In 2022, the Bucks entered the playoffs and were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round. The Celtics entered the finals and met the Golden State Warriors, but the Golden State Warriors defeated the Celtics and won the championship.

In the 2023 playoffs, the Golden State Warriors met the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs and were eliminated. As a result, the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and missed the opportunity to enter the finals. The Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in the finals and won the championship.

In the 2024 playoffs, the Denver Nuggets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, missing the opportunity to enter the Western Conference Finals and the Finals. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and missed the opportunity to enter the finals. Finally, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the finals and won the championship.

Now, in the 2025 playoff journey, the Boston Celtics lost to the Knicks in the series due to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Jason Tatum, and was unfortunately eliminated and stopped in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Next, the Knicks and the Pacers will compete for a place to enter the finals in the Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA has been in 7 consecutive seasons, and no team has completed a row of championships, which is a huge challenge. We are all curious about which team can break this deadlock and become a new team for consecutive championships in an era of crowded stars.