🔁 No Repeat, Just Rewrites: ✍️ The New Powers of Year 10 🏆
As we enter Year 10 of our alternate universe, we’ve just witnessed history ReWritten. In this timeline, Scottie Pippen — a perennial All-Star too often overshadowed by real-world legends — has led his Chicago Bulls to a championship.
He doesn’t have Michael Jordan, but he does have two All-Star companions in Chris Mullin and Larry Johnson, and together, they finally pushed Chicago to the top. The big question now is: Can Pippen, Mullin, and Johnson repeat in Year 10? Only time will tell.
But before diving into the season and playoff results, let’s rewind to where the shift truly began — the 1993 NBA Draft. Both the first and third overall picks, Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway, never played for the teams that originally drafted them. Webber landed in Golden State, while Penny found his way to Orlando.
In this universe, one guiding rule remains: every player stays with the team that drafted them until their first real-life move, including draft-day trades. While Webber and Penny still ended up where they did in reality, many other prospects found new homes, altering the landscape of the league as we know it.
The #2 overall pick, Shawn Bradley, went to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jamal Mashburn headed to Denver. Isaiah Rider brought his scoring to Seattle, and Vin Baker took his game to New Jersey. While several other rookies made appearances during the season, these four had the most significant impact in their debut year.
Now let’s shift to the Eastern Conference, where for the second year in a row, the Atlanta Hawks (59–23) finish atop the standings. But this isn’t the same squad that lost to the Bulls last year in the Conference Semifinals.
Dominique Wilkins is gone, and Danny Manning has stepped into his role. Manning is a solid contributor, but he’s not the alpha. This team now belongs to a trio of All-Stars — Mookie Blaylock, Derrick Coleman, and Brad Daugherty — who have taken control of Atlanta’s identity and are determined to finish what they started last season.
In the #2 spot, we once again find the Miami Heat (49–33). Last year, this young and talented squad was stunned in the first round, but now they’re back with a hunger for redemption. Shaquille O’Neal, now in just his second season, is already the undisputed leader and face of the franchise.
Coming in at #3 are the defending champion Chicago Bulls (53–29). Larry Johnson is no longer an All-Star, but still plays at a consistently high level.
The leadership now clearly falls on the shoulders of Chris Mullin and Scottie Pippen, the stars of a team aiming to run it back and defend their crown.
At #4, the Milwaukee Bucks (50–32) are looking to avenge last year’s disappointing first-round upset as a 3-seed. Now led by second-year All-Star Tom Gugliotta, this is a retooled, energized Bucks squad hungry for redemption.
The rest of the Eastern Conference playoff picture rounds out with the #5 Orlando Magic, #6 New York Knicks, #7 Charlotte Hornets, and #8 Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Magic are making their postseason debut, headlined by dynamic rookie Penny Hardaway. Likewise, the Hornets are also stepping into the playoffs for the first time, with Muggsy Bogues and Christian Laettner leading the charge.
The Knicks make a modest jump from last year’s #7 seed, where they pulled off a first-round upset, to a more stable 6-seed this time around. And after missing the playoffs last season, the Cavaliers return as the East’s 8-seed.
Interestingly, this alternate timeline still echoes real history in subtle ways: six of the eight teams — the Bulls, Magic, Knicks, Heat, Cavs, and Hawks — also made the real 1994 postseason. But here, the road ahead is anything but familiar.
Out West, we see yet another new contender rise to the top. With the Dallas Mavericks’ reign now in the rearview, the Western Conference remains wide open for a second consecutive season.
And this time, it's the Phoenix Suns (55–27) who emerge as the team to beat. Charles Barkley, already a four-time champion in this timeline, is aiming to make history with title number five.
Last season, the Suns made it to the Conference Finals as a 4-seed, only to fall short against the Blazers. This year, they enter with the best record in the West.
The #2 Houston Rockets (47–35) benefit from the Mavericks' decline, as Hakeem Olajuwon and company seize control of their division. Thanks to era-specific rules, the Rockets claim the second seed despite holding only the sixth-best record in the conference.
That leaves last year's #1 seed Sacramento Kings (54–28) entering as the #3 seed. After being upset by the Suns in last year's playoffs, Sacramento is out for revenge.
Just behind them, the #4 Golden State Warriors (51–31) are enjoying their best finish in the Dikembe Mutombo era, with the third-year center anchoring both ends of the floor.
The lower half of the Western bracket features some intriguing storylines. The LA Clippers claim the #5 seed, boosted by the addition of Dominique Wilkins, who brings veteran scoring and leadership.
The Portland Trail Blazers drop to the #6 seed despite finishing with the same record as last season, highlighting the West’s deeper competition.
At #7, the Utah Jazz remain a serious threat thanks to David Robinson, who delivered an MVP-caliber campaign. Rounding out the bracket are the Minnesota Timberwolves at #8 — while they return four starters from last year’s team, they’ve taken a step back, losing eight more games and sliding into the final playoff spot.
In terms of real-world comparison, the West features five teams — the Suns, Blazers, Warriors, Jazz, and Rockets — who also made the actual 1994 playoffs. But in this version of history, the narratives are very different, and legacies continue to be rewritten.
Let’s dive into the Eastern Conference First Round, where familiar rivals and rising contenders clashed — and where legacies continued to shift in this Jordan-less universe.
We begin at the top, where the #1 seed Atlanta Hawks once again faced the #8 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. These two franchises have history — most notably the 1989 Conference Finals, where the top-seeded Hawks advanced to their first NBA Finals in our timeline.
Now, five years later, both rosters have evolved. The Hawks edged out a tight 7-game series back then, but today’s group looks different. Brad Daugherty is the only remaining All-Star from that ’89 Atlanta squad, now flanked by Mookie Blaylock and Derrick Coleman. Meanwhile, the Cavs — who once boasted three All-Stars — entered this series without a single one.
The Hawks’ All-Star trio took care of business early, winning Games 1 and 2 at home. Cleveland responded with pride in Game 3, but Game 4 was all Atlanta. The Hawks came out firing and closed out the series 3–1. Blaylock left no doubt — he was the best guard on the court.
Next up was the #4 vs #5 matchup, the Milwaukee Bucks against the upstart Orlando Magic. The Bucks were a top seed for the second year in a row — last season they were upset by the #6 seed Pistons and Isiah Thomas.
This time, they were matched with an unproven expansion team. The Magic were making their first playoff appearance. Could the Bucks avenge last year's heartbreaking upset?
It was a hard-fought series. The Bucks had the experience of being here before, but the Magic had star power in Kenny Anderson and Penny Hardaway, both All-Stars.
The Magic forced a Game 5, and in that deciding game, it was the Magic’s young, talented guard combo that made the difference. The Bucks, once again, lost a series at home.
Over in Miami, the #2 seed Heat were looking to avenge their own upset loss from a year ago. Like the Bucks, they had fallen to a veteran team last season — the New York Knicks — and now they were up against a franchise making its playoff debut. The Charlotte Hornets, led by second-year player Christian Laettner, were in the postseason for the first time.
This matchup featured a highly anticipated showdown: the #1 pick Shaquille O’Neal vs. the #3 pick Laettner from last year’s draft.
The Heat got to Game 5 at home, something the Knicks didn’t allow a year ago, winning in 4. At home in front of his crowd, Shaquille O’Neal shined, and the Heat advanced for the first time in their short history.
Finally, the defending champs Chicago Bulls are our 3 seed, and their opponent is the 6 seed New York Knicks. Ever since Patrick Ewing has come into the league, he has been a force, but he has never gotten enough support to make a playoff run.
The furthest the Knicks have gotten in our world is the second round. With the Bulls in their way, it is a difficult road just to get there. Ewing and the Knicks give it their all.
The series goes 5, but in Chicago in a closeout game, the champs get the job done. Scottie Pippen and Chris Mullin lead the way as the Bulls win going away, by 10.
When the dust settled, two of the six real-world playoff teams from the East remained alive in both timelines — the Hawks and Bulls advanced.
Now let’s head out West, where the drama was just as thick and the stars just as hungry.
At the top of the bracket, we had the #1 seed Phoenix Suns — in this position for the very first time — taking on the 8th seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Wolves were a Cinderella story only a few years ago when they made it all the way to the NBA Finals, upsetting a Charles Barkley–led team in the Conference Finals. Now, once again, they faced a Barkley-led squad — but this time, it was the #1 seed Phoenix Suns, making their first-ever appearance at the top of the West. Unlike that memorable run, this year’s Timberwolves team didn’t have the same spark. Back then, they had the second-best record in the West. Now? They were far from it.
Minnesota managed to win Game 3, but that was all they could muster. Barkley and Kevin Johnson responded with authority in Game 4, closing out the series and sending the Suns on to the next round.
The #4 vs. #5 matchup featured two teams having their best seasons in years: the Golden State Warriors, bolstered by rookie Chris Webber and All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo, and the LA Clippers, who hadn’t seen this kind of success since 1990. The Clippers made a major midseason move by adding veteran scorer Dominique Wilkins to support their own All-Star, Ron Harper.
In the end, it was the Clippers’ balance of talent and veteran leadership that made the difference. With a 2-1 series lead, LA stepped into Game 4 ready to close the door — and they did exactly that, knocking out the higher-seeded Warriors in a statement win.
The #2 seed Houston Rockets, led by reigning MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, found themselves in a surprising battle with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz featured former MVP David Robinson, and not too long ago, his 7-seed Jazz upset the 2-seed Blazers—could they do it again?
Between Olajuwon and Robinson, these two superstars had won a combined six MVP awards (Olajuwon four, Robinson two). In fact, the last player besides them to win MVP was Larry Bird back in 1988. This year’s race was the tightest yet, with Robinson putting up numbers nearly matching The Dream’s.
With a chip on his shoulder, the Admiral willed his team to a Game 5 in Houston, where he outperformed Olajuwon and eliminated the reigning MVP. If there was any doubt before about who truly deserved MVP honors, there was none afterward.
Meanwhile, the #3 vs. #6 matchup featured , the Sacramento Kings, squaring off against last year’s Western Conference champions the Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings had slipped from #1 to #3, while the Blazers fell from #3 to #6, setting the stage for a clash of youth versus experience.
Unlike the Clippers vs. Warriors series, this one showcased the Blazers’ experience and talent against the young, talented Kings squad, who were seeking redemption after last year’s second-round upset.
The Blazers managed to defend home court after dropping the first two games in California. Heading into Game 5 back in Sacramento, momentum seemed to favor the defending Western champions.
But it was Shawn Kemp and Latrell Sprewell, fueled by the roaring home crowd, who carried the Kings to victory, eliminating the Blazers. Though the Kings were the higher seed, the result felt like an upset.
When all was said and done, of the five Western Conference teams that also made the real-world 1994 playoffs, only the Suns and Jazz survived in both timelines. With the first round behind us, we move into the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where legacies continue to be tested and rewritten.
First up, the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks faced the #5 seed Orlando Magic. The Hawks hadn’t forgotten that just last year, as the #1 seed, their season ended in this very round at the hands of the eventual champion Bulls.
Meanwhile, the Magic were riding high after their playoff debut and an upset series victory in round one. Could they continue their magical run and follow in the Timberwolves’ footsteps?
The Timberwolves’ own playoff debut had been historic — a Cinderella season that ended in the NBA Finals, only falling short to the Boston Celtics.
Unfortunately for Orlando, they wouldn’t share that luck this year. The Hawks remembered all too well what happened last season, and they were not about to let it happen again, cruising to a decisive 4-1 series victory.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, the #2 seed Miami Heat faced off against the defending champion Chicago Bulls, seeded third. Despite being the lower seed, the Bulls held homecourt advantage.
The Heat had been a #2 seed the previous year but were upset in their playoff debut. Now back and stronger, they advanced past the first round for the first time — but could they keep the momentum going?
Their challenge was steep: not only did they have to knock off the defending champs, but they had to do it on the road. The Heat defended their home court in Games 3 and 4, but the Bulls took Game 6 on the road and ultimately closed out the series winning 4-2 to advance.
Over in the Western Conference Semifinals, the top-seeded Phoenix Suns aimed to reach back-to-back Conference Finals, while the #5 seeded LA Clippers sought their first Conference Finals appearance since 1990.
The last time the Clippers had made it that far, it was a Barkley-led team that ended their run. Now, to get back, they would have to get past Barkley and his Suns.
However, this Clippers squad lacked the talent of their 1990 team, and it showed. The Suns, with their singular goal of winning their first title in this universe, made quick work of the Clippers, dispatching them in five games with a 4-1 series victory.
On the other side of the bracket, the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz had both been to the Conference Semis before, but neither had ever been to the Conference Finals. One would be making history after this series was over.
This was the Kings' second straight trip to the semis — last year they got upset by Barkley and the Suns. As for the Jazz, this was their third trip, all of them as the underdog.
The last time a #3 met a #7 in the West Semis, it was Robinson's 7-seed Jazz losing to the 3-seed Timberwolves in 1991, the year Minnesota had their magical run to the NBA Finals.
That series went the distance, and in Minnesota, the young Wolves finished the job in front of their home crowd. Unfortunately for Robinson, the same would happen again — he just didn't have enough support around him to beat these talented Kings on the road.
With all 4 series complete, a fascinating reality set in — not a single one of the remaining four teams matched the real-life 1994 Final Four. This was a true alternate universe.
The real world saw Indiana, New York, Houston, and Utah.
But in Rewritten Rings, it was the Kings, Suns, Hawks, and Bulls still standing — a completely flipped version of history.
🏆 Conference Finals — Leaders, Legacies, and Last Shots
In the Eastern Conference Finals, two familiar foes met again. The Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls had playoff history — and most recently, it favored the Bulls.
Just last year, the Bulls upset the Hawks in a dramatic seven-game Conference Semis. In 1992, they met in this very round, where the Bulls as the 2 seed beat the 4-seeded Hawks in Game 7 in Chicago.
The Hawks came out flying, winning both games at home behind the strength of their three All-Stars:
Mookie Blaylock, Derrick Coleman, and Brad Daugherty.
Scottie Pippen and the Bulls bounced back with a gritty Game 3 win in Chicago, followed by a critical Game 4.
With the series tied at 2–2, both teams once again held serve at home, leading to another decisive Game 7. The Bulls had won the previous two — one on the road last year, and the other at home two years ago.
The Hawks finally got the last laugh. The player of the game — and the series — was Mookie Blaylock, who showed dramatic improvement from last year, and it showed in this series.
Out West, it was Barkley’s Suns making their second consecutive Conference Finals vs the Kings making their first ever in our universe. In fact, Charles Barkley has now been in the West Finals 9 out of our 10 seasons.
Barkley was chasing history, looking to be the first to 5 titles in our world. As the #1 seed, the Suns now had the best chance to get him there. But the talented Kings weren't about to bow down.
Shawn Kemp and the Kings surprised everyone by getting to Game 7. Last year, the Suns lost Game 7 on the road to Portland — but this year, they were at home.
Game 7 was a duel — a heavyweight fight in every sense. Charles Barkley poured in 29 points, while Shawn Kemp responded with 28 of his own, including several clutch baskets to keep the Kings close.
With the final seconds ticking down, the Suns had possession. Kevin Johnson, ever the floor general, brought the ball up. He looked toward Barkley — the leader who had done everything to get them here — and fed him in the post, catching Kemp unprepared. Barkley finished at the rim, giving the Suns the lead with just one second left.
The Kings inbounded, desperate for a miracle. But the pass was off-target, and they never got a shot off. The crowd erupted. After years of heartbreak, the Suns were finally headed to the NBA Finals.
🏁 Finale: Redemption, and Rings
Seven of the first eight championships in our alternate universe belonged to just two franchises — the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
They were the dynasties of the '80s and early '90s. But everything changed in Year 9. Larry Bird retired, and Charles Barkley left Dallas for Phoenix. The power shifted.
Last season, it was the Chicago Bulls who rewrote their destiny, winning their first title in our timeline — and they did it without Jordan. Now, in Year 10, another franchise stood on the cusp of history. The Atlanta Hawks, after a painful Finals loss in '89, were back for a second try, hoping this would be the year.
Standing in their way? The Phoenix Suns — a franchise making its first-ever Finals appearance, but led by a battle-tested veteran. Charles Barkley, appearing in his sixth Finals, was chasing a fifth ring, this time as the clear leader of his own squad.
The Hawks were no slouch. Built around All-Star guard Mookie Blaylock and a formidable frontcourt of Derrick Coleman and Brad Daugherty, they were deep, disciplined, and determined.
Daugherty, in particular, had been with the team through that last Finals heartbreak, and wanted this one just as badly. The last time he was in the Finals, it was Barkley's Mavericks who took his Hawks down.
The Finals began with the Hawks holding serve in Atlanta, taking both Games 1 and 2 with crisp execution and defensive intensity. The Suns responded in Game 3, feeding off their crowd and getting just enough from Johnson and Barkley to cut the series to 2–1.
The Suns proceeded to win 2 of the next 3, leaving the series tied at 3–3, and setting up the ultimate showdown. Would Barkley win his fifth ring? Or would Daugherty finally get his payback — and his first?
Game 7 belonged to Atlanta — and it wasn’t even close. From the opening tip, Daugherty and Blaylock led a focused, furious charge. The Hawks led by as much as 27, dominating in all phases. The final buzzer sounded with a blowout on the scoreboard and confetti raining down on the floor.
Brad Daugherty had done it. He had led his own team to the mountaintop. Ever since he was drafted by the Hawks, it was always Dominique’s team — until this year. With Wilkins in LA, Brad was now the senior member, and the face of the franchise.
With the Hawks winning the title, and Daugherty earning MVP honors, a new trend had officially begun. First, the Bulls. Now, the Hawks. Back-to-back first-time champions in our world.
Can the Hawks repeat in Season 11?
Or will this trend of first-time champions continue?
Stay tuned — history keeps changing.
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