Once the NBA playoff field dwindles to four, the other 26 teams could be forgiven for moving their attention elsewhere. They can't win the 2024-25 title, after all, and there are so many other events on the league's calendar that warrant attention: the draft, free agency and management hiring season.
But there is still value to be gained from watching the conference finals -- and learning from the examples set by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. The NBA is a copycat league, and in terms of both on-court tactics and bigger-picture roster building, this quartet offers plenty of stratagems worth copying.