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The titles have absolutely no bearing. If anything, it could give an edge to the team that hasn't been there before, versus the team that has.
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Couldn't disagree more. Winning a title seems to make a team mentally tougher and harder to knock off. Probably because they always feel like they're going to win. Seattle was scared s***less in that series after Denver tightened the noose.
Go back about 15 years and look at the teams that knocked off the champs.
1990 Pistons – lost to Jordan’s' Bulls
1993 Bulls – lost to the finals Knicks when Jordan retired
1995 Rockets – lost to the Sonics team that went to the Finals and took the Bulls to 6
1998 Bulls - Jordan retired
1999 Spurs -Lost in the first round but Duncan didn't play
2002 Lakers – lost to the Spurs team that won the title
2003 Spurs – lost to Lakers team that went to the finals
2004 Pistons – lost to the Spurs in the finals
I could go back further but the results would probably be the same. All things being equal I’ll always put my money on the players who know how to win over the hungry up and comers. In this case things aren’t equal because the Spurs are clearly better than the Lakers and the Kings.