Out came Damian Lillard, nursing his illustrious cup trophy, strolling onto the tile floor of T-Mobile Arena’s hallways, which by then was spotted with the golden confetti that’d been kicked a hundred feet from the celebration.

For last season’s NBA Cup finalists, Las Vegas was the highlight of their season. The Lakers, winners of the inaugural in-season tournament, lost in the first round to the Nuggets in five games. The Indiana Pacers managed to make it to the Eastern Conference finals, but were easily dispatched by the eventual champions.