As the NBA’s final four which pits the usual suspects vs. contenders to the conference thrones. It’s about the same every year where there’s approximately 6 teams that are in contention for the NBA Championship trophy — usually pitting a team that’s been there and a team that hasn’t and has been chasing it for years — it’s no different in this year’s NBA Playoffs.

On both sides of the conference, either a legacy will be built upon or a team of the future will unseat the current royalty (at least, temporarily).

LeBron’s Legacy and a Golden Dynasty

Even the most casual of professional basketball fans could very likely tell you which teams were the favorites to advance to the NBA Finals this year. Their answer would have been the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East and coming out of the west were going to be the Golden State Warriors in the West. And if both teams make it to the championship series again, another jewel will be placed on their already-filled, heavy crowns.

If the Dubs-Cavs scenario happens, then that means Lebron James would have advanced to eight consecutive NBA Finals. It would also mean he led Cleveland to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals series and gives LBJ an opportunity at his fourth NBA championship. That’s all to say that LeBron has catapulted himself into serious G.O.A.T. conversations.

The Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals also sounds very familiar as the team will be chasing their third NBA championship in four years and if they win it, it will be hard for any NBA fan to argue whether the team is a dynasty.

Boston Strong and Houston’s Huge Two

LeBron’s and the Warriors’ opponents were also voted “Most-Likely to make the NBA Conference Finals”. They weren’t exactly NBA Cinderellas either.

Coming into the season,, most NBA analysts predicted the Boston Celtics to be the biggest threat to Lebron’s legacy and Cleveland. In October, no one would have been shocked to hear that the Celtics made the Eastern Conference Finals, but if you said that they would have moved on without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, you certainly wouldn’t have gotten as many nods of agreement.

No one could have predicted that they both would end up missing the NBA playoffs due to injury. That’s built up a pleasant surprise in Boston. We watched the young and hungry Celtics being led by second-year player Jaylen Brown, third-year player Terry Rozier, rookie Jayson Tatum, and veteran Al Horford. Add to that the extremely-valuable and feisty pitbulls in the two Marcuses (Smart and Morris).

Without an established superstar leading them only bodes well for the Boston going forward when they get Irving and Hayward back next season. In this case, ignorance is bliss. Boston’s young core don’t really know that this isn’t how it usually goes, and that has been a benefit because their exceptionally mature. That most all championship-caliber teams need to have at least a couple seasons of heartache and experience before going that next level. Ask the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers from last season.

In the West, the Houston Rockets have benefited from the Clipper’s inability to advance. They added an additional play maker when they traded for Chris Paul during the off-season, so Houston’s success no longer solely rides on how well James Harden is scoring and performing. The Rockets have built out a team that could break Golden State’s run and this year’s roster is the closest to that idea.

Speaking of roster, surrounding Harden and Paul are strong and talented role players that put in 100% effort every game in Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela and P.J. Tucker. One of Houston’s strengths is also their weaknesses. Their roster has an increasingly short bench. The six players we just named are the players in their regular rotation in their series against the Warriors.

Minutes haven’t translated to the Playoffs for players that contributed and got minutes in the regular season. Nene, Gerald Green, and Luc Mbah a Moute haven’t seen important, consistent playing time in the playoffs. Nene and Mbah a Moute played in earlier series, but have seen their minutes fall off completely against the Warriors. That isn’t sustainable.

What Happens To Each Team After 2018 NBA Playoffs

Who knows what happens to Cleveland, Golden State, Boston or Houston if they don’t make the NBA Finals this season? No one really knows, but we have  opinions.

Golden State will be a year older, but their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant are still relatively young / in their prime.

No matter where Houston ends up, they’ll need to add a couple more players that can play their brand of ball at a high level so their not running their main players for 40 minutes a game in a seven game series.

The most at-risk seems to be Cleveland — that’s very much connected to the composition of Boston’s team. With Tatum, Brown and Rozier proving they can be handle a significant load coupled with the 33-year old LeBron’s lack of help this off-season — it doesn’t bode that well for Lebron’s legacy or Cleveland.

At least not in the East. If Boston can keep their stars and role players healthy, (they have Rozier, Tatum and Brown locked in for at another season), they’re going to be beasts and favorites for years to come.