What Is The Secret To Winning A Championship

Tyrone Montgomery | Jun 6, 2024

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont accepts the trophy after winning the Western Conference Championship against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the moment we all have been waiting for has finally arrived. Tonight is the start of the NBA Finals. The winner of the best of seven games will be crowned NBA Champions for the 2023-24 season. This is the most anticipated and exciting moment of the entire year of the NBA season. This was everyone's goal. However, only two teams remain - the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.

There are moments in each season for every team when they know that they have what it takes to win it all. When that time comes, most teams tend to improve their team through free agency or the trade market to ensure their success as they get deeper into the playoffs.

That is just part of the secret to winning an NBA Championship. The other secret to winning a championship in the NBA is doing business with the Washington Wizards. Each season, the Wizards seem to be one of the few teams that is prepared to make magic happen with a trade. Player movement is a big thing in the NBA nowadays. The Washington Wizards are living proof of that. Did you know that every team to win a championship in the NBA since 2018 have traded or acquired a former Wizard?

In 2018, the Golden State Warriors won the championship when they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had former Wizards Shaun Livingston and Javale McGee on that team. In 2019, the Toronto Raptors were crowned NBA Champs. That was the year Kawhi Leonard delivered big time for them down the stretch after they opted to trade beloved DeMar DeRozan. During that championship run by the Raptors, former Wizard Jodie Meeks was on that team.

In 2020, that was the year of the NBA Bubble during the playoffs. That season, the Los Angeles Lakers won it all. Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they certainly had a good shot at winning. However, as good as they both were at that time, they needed assistance. They wouldn't have won the championship that year if it wasn't for former Wizards Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, and Markieff Morris.

That very next season was a coming out party for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks wen to to win a ring as they defeated former Wizard guard Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Bucks relied heavily on former Wizard Bobby Portis that entire run and still do to this day.

In 2022, the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics and added to the collection of rings they have acquired and won in this era of basketball. Former Wizards Otto Porter, Gary Payton ll, and Chris Chiozza were on that team. Last season, the Denver Nuggets left their mark as Nikola Jokic was crowned Finals MVP. However, he had some help from former Wizards Ish Smith, Thomas Bryant, and Jeff Green.

Tonight, the NBA Finals will be one to get your popcorn ready for. It remains to be seen who will be crowned NBA Champions this year. However, we do know that a former Wizard will be crowned a champion once more as the Celtics have acquired Kristaps Porzingis this past offseason and the Mavs acquired Daniel Gafford and already had Markieff Morris on their team. The key to winning a championship is doing business with the Wizards as they had some essential pieces to each team's puzzle as they desired to win a championship in the NBA.