Let's just put aside the Thunder for a moment. They are nice, but as of yet unproven in the play-offs.
Most teams who have won in the past decades had a superstar on the team and most where from big markets. The exceptions being San Antonio (small market) and Detroit (star-less, team oriented and focus on D).
I wonder if Dirk would have been called a superstar if not for last season's title, but I guess that is for another thread.
In every plan, some things are needed: a good owner, a good coach, good management, continuity, some luck. I think the biggest question here is Grant. The owner is good, so is the coach, and continuity is something that requires time. You can't control luck.
People are easy to dismiss the Pistons' strategy because it only happened once. But how many teams really strike gold with a superstar capable of carrying a team to a championship? A superstar who stays healthy, stays with the team etc? It has such a big luck factor, I wonder if that is a good model to work with.
The Detroit approach, however, is more doable. Create a team of guys willing to work hard, win the battle on the boards, share the ball and grind it out on D, while having enough firepower at 3 or 4 positions to score more points than your opponent. Strong defensive teams rarely have an off-night on D, while good offensive teams have plenty off-nights on O. It doesn't make you dependent on attracting stars to what isn't a prime location for FA's.
The only thing against this is that the current NBA rules seem to favor offensive teams a bit more than in the days of the Pistons championship, but still. In the post season, referees tend to swallow their whistles.
Would Dallas have won this last year without a dominating defensive presence in the post? Boston relies very much on their D, as did San Antonio. Defense still does win championships, and building a winning culture through defense is much more doable without getting acquiring that superstar.
I'm happy with coach Scott's emphasis on defense. I wonder what it will bring with this young group.