Phil Jackson once said that serious contenders for a championship have to win 40 games before they lose 20, and history has proven him mostly right. Since 1980, only four teams have won a championship without reaching the 40-20 rule: the 1994–95 Houston Rockets, the 2003–04 Detroit Pistons, the 2005–06 Miami Heat, and the 2020–21 Milwaukee Bucks.