If the Magic can turn it around this quickly, surely Jeff Foster and the Pacers can too right? Right?

For the third consecutive season, the NBA has a new contender in the Finals.

Last year it was the Celtics, who won 24 games the year before their title run. The year before it was the Cavaliers, a team that was a perenial cellar dweller not long before their Finals’ apperance.

Now it’s the Magic. Did you know the Magic were the worst team in the NBA in 2004? In fact, from 04-06 they weren’t even close to the .500 mark. And here they are.

Maybe times are changing in the NBA. For the fourth consecutive year there will be a new NBA champion. The last time that happened was from 1978-81.

Check out this stat. Prior to the Heat breaking through and winning it all in 2006, there had been only five different NBA champions over the previous 19 years. Not cool unless you are a fan of the Bulls (6 titles), Lakers (5), Spurs (3), Pistons (3), or Rockets (2).

I’m not sure what the point here is … maybe that there is hope for all you Golden State, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies fans? Alright, there’s probably not. The teams mentioned before either drafted a megastar (Lebron James, Dwight Howard), or in the Celtics’ case pulled off the moves of the decade (acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett).