The New York Knicks enter the 2026-27 season as the surprising yet deserving NBA champions. It's now been three straight seasons in which the Eastern Conference has legitimately challenged, if not outright won, the NBA Finals over the Western Conference.
The last time the West truly dominated was 2022-23, with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets defeating the Miami Heat in a predictably short 4-1 series. Boston defeated Dallas the following year. Then the underdog Pacers famously took the historic OKC Thunder to seven games, only to fall short with the inability to overcome a brutal Achilles tear suffered by superstar Tyrese Haliburton. New York was finally able to get back over the hump to represent the East, though it's fair to question how long they'll be able to maintain the throne.
Parity may be back alive in the league, especially with the amount of stars that have found their way from the West to the East this offseason. However, it's still the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs as the top two teams heading into the season. And given how young their respective cores are, it's likely to remain that way for the next years to come. That's a huge hurdle for every team in the league, but especially the Portland Trail Blazers.
Spurs and Thunder dynasties pose major hurdles for up-and-coming Blazers
It's not like they're the Memphis Grizzlies or Minnesota Timberwolves, teams that can try to escape these dynasties by moving to the East following NBA expansion. The Blazers are stuck in the Pacific Northwest, which has its perks outside of basketball but also makes them frequently one of the most traveled teams in the NBA. For better or worse, this team is stuck in the West, and the only viable path to contention means earning their way to the Finals against one or even both of these dynasties.
They appear to be on a collision course with one another, but Portland hopes to change that outcome with an up-and-coming roster finally ready to accelerate its rebuild. Their young core already led the way to a playoff appearance last season, securing a seven seed with a 42-win season. Between continued internal improvements and the return of Damian Lillard, they were already well on track to be even better in 2026-27.
Still, their ceiling was in question. Portland doesn't know to what extent Lillard will truly return to form following his Achilles tear. Even if he was that nine-time NBA All-Star, it still wouldn't be enough talent on this roster to genuinely have a good shot at beating the Spurs or Thunder four times out of seven.
That's where they hope Ja Morant comes in, taking a low-risk flyer on a former two-time All-Star to help close the gap in star power.
Blazers are on the right path to contention after Ja Morant trade
Similarly to Lillard, there are questions about whether Morant can return to that All-Star form. Still, it's already apparent that Morant brings significantly more talent to this roster than Jerami Grant and Kris Murray ever did. Most importantly, the guard-heavy Blazers are making the backcourt logjam work far better than expected early on.
Shaedon Sharpe's injury frees up 30 minutes a night, which gives Micah Nori enough minutes to allocate between each of their healthy guards. Jrue Holiday's versatility is also a key reason why that's able to work, with Portland planning to utilize him more at small forward compared to last season.
The Spurs plan to implement a three-guard starting lineup consisting of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper in their season opener against the Thunder. That's in a potential Western Conference Finals preview, meaning teams like Portland should use that as a blueprint to elevate their own ceilings.
Fortunately for the Blazers, it's a positive sign that both teams have so many ball handlers and playmakers on the court at all times.
Blazers follow the guard-heavy model of Spurs and Thunder
That's something Portland lacked last season, with an offense that struggled with turnovers and stalled far too frequently when defenses honed in on Deni Avdija. Now they have multiple offensive weapons that teams need to pay attention to, which has quickly gone from a weakness to a strength thanks to the bold trade for Morant.
If you asked me to sum up the Spurs and the Thunder, it would be defense and guard play. San Antonio, of course, has the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, Victor Wembanyama, to help clean up any defensive limitations that come from their guard-heavy lineup. Portland is hoping to follow a similar blueprint this season, with the center rotation of Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III offering elite rim protection as cover.
The Blazers still haven't earned their spot in that tier of Western Conference contenders, but it's a promising sign that they're trending in the right direction as far as roster construction goes to building a contender in the modern NBA.
They ignored their wing/forward depth in favor of guards and centers, and while that looks questionable on the surface, it becomes far easier to understand the vision behind GM Joe Cronin when looking at the success the Spurs and Thunder have had with unconventional rosters of their own.
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