It had become an annual occurrence in recent years to just pencil in the Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs to make the finals. Then LeBron came to the Lakers and they won the whole thing in The Bubble in 2020.

Before the Warriors dynasty, the Spurs and those Kobe led Lakers teams reigned supreme in the Western Conference. The Mavericks sprinkled in a couple of title appearances and won one, and the Thunder made the grand stage in 2012. But in large part, the NBA playoffs have been wildly predictable for decades now with the same teams making it over and over again. Until this year.

The Mavericks – Clippers series is the only outstanding series remaining in round one in the NBA playoffs. Regardless of who advances between the two, it offers a change of pace in the makeup of the West. If it's the Clippers, it's a franchise moving on that has never won an NBA title before. Sure, the preseason expectations were hefty and LA was a favorite by many and viewed as a juggernaut by all. Yet, it's still a franchise starving for their first championship.

If it's the Mavericks, it will be a Western Conference second round that has no LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Stephen Curry. Who could've possibly predicted that at the outset of the season? The Mavericks won a title with Dirk Nowitzki back in 2011, but the success on the big stage for Dallas' franchise has been minimal.

Elsewhere, the Jazz, Suns and Nuggets have all advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs. What do they all have in common? None have won an NBA Finals.

It has become so routine to see the same teams win the West that it was easy to pencil in the Lakers at the beginning of the year. The reality paints a far different picture.

Dating back all the way to 2000, here are the list of teams to advance in the NBA playoffs all the way to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers (8 times), San Antonio Spurs (5 times), Golden State Warriors (5 times), Dallas Mavericks (twice), Oklahoma City Thunder (once). That's 21 years and only five different teams that have made the NBA Finals out of the West.

Even if the Mavericks advance past the Clippers, they weren't a title favorite entering the regular season, and many expected them to fold over against the Clippers in round one. It differed from those Dirk led Mavericks teams that made two NBA Finals during his time.

This year is set to cast a way different set of circumstances in the NBA playoffs the rest of the way in the Western Conference. To think that just after round one the Jazz, Suns and Nuggets are the three most likely teams to emerge from the West is still surprising. Yet, here we are.

While the ratings may take a hit with no Warriors and no LeBron James, the parity is great for the league. Small market teams like the Jazz could be on the big boy stage with an emerging superstar like Donovan Mitchell. Teams that have gotten overlooked for years like the Phoenix Suns are now squarely in the picture led by Devin Booker. And the Denver Nuggets, who have gotten close but never over the hump now have a genuine chance to do so with the likely MVP in Nikola Jokic.

The parity in the Western Conference this year is the exact shot in the arm the league needed.