It was a few minutes after Denver’s reign as NBA champion had come to an end last spring. The Minnesota Timberwolves were celebrating, their music and screams loud enough to be heard inside the room where Nuggets coach Michael Malone was somberly going through his final postgame news conference of the season.

Last year, the Boston Celtics became the sixth different team to win a championship in the past six seasons. Is the era of parity upon us?

Toronto, the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee, Golden State, Denver and now Boston. That’s six different title-winning franchises in six seasons, a run of parity that the league has seen only once before — nearly a half-century ago.