Play 82-plus games in a season and it don't mean a thing if you ain't got that ring in the NBA.
Just ask LeBron James.
The King had to wait nine years for the first of his two titles (2012, 2013) and all the hype that surrounded him till then as the best player in the game didn't make him feel fulfilled.
In the last two seasons, three Australians have received championship rings and hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
It was Patty Mills and Aron Baynes in 2014 as their San Antonio Spurs smashed Miami Heat 4-1 in the finals, then Andrew Bogut finally found himself on a winning team earlier this year as the Golden State Warriors beat James's Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2.
Going into the 2015-16 season starting on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) it's a golden period for Australia, with four of the seven Australians in the NBA on the rosters of genuine title contenders.
Bogut's Warriors and Mills' Spurs are the two favourites in a stacked Western Conference.
The Warriors are well-placed to build a dynasty under coach Steve Kerr.
Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the best backcourt in the league. They're hardly weak in the front court either. Anchored by Bogut, they also have Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green as starters and last season's finals MVP Andrew Iguadola on the bench with centre Festus Ezeli and veteran guard Shaun Livingston.
The only thing that can cruel the Warriors is injuries and they have a roster that have had their share over the years. Bogut's back, Curry's ankles and Livingston's knees are all concerns.
Mill's Spurs have some ageing concerns in a stellar roster.
Centre Tim Duncan (39) is a future Hall of Famer as is point guard Tony Parker (33), but both are getting on and will need their time carefully managed by coach Gregg Popovich, as will Manu Ginobli (38).
But the Spurs have been one of the most consistent teams of the last decade and they should continue to be this season.
Parker, Duncan and Ginobili are the leaders but Kawhi Leonard is a finals MVP, Danny Green and Mills are good outside shooters and ball handlers, while the purchase of LaMarcus Aldridge from Portland looms as one of the buys of the season.
The shootout in the West should also feature a re-energised Oklahoma City Thunder - who will welcome the return of Kevin Durant from foot surgery - and the much-improved Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.
The Memphis Grizzlies should also make the finals and be tough to beat as always, while the emergence of New Orleans, inspired by young superstar Anthony Davis, is set to continue.
Then there's Sacramento, for so long dysfunctional, they'll be fun to watch for their talent as well as the clash of personalities that could occur between stars DeMarcus Cousins, newly-acquired Rajon Rondo and coach George Karl.
Karl reportedly tested the trade waters with franchise player Cousins during the off-season, a move that the centre caught wind of, and he wasn't happy.
But with so much talent in the side including Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, Marco Belinelli, Darren Collison and rookies sons of guns Seth Curry and David Stockton anything could happen.
Amid all the Western conference excitement, the Utah Jazz - home of Aussies Joe Ingles and Dante Exum - face another year building under coach Quinn Snyder.
Exum's season is already a write-off after he underwent a knee reconstruction, while Ingles will likely play a limited role.
In the Eastern Conference, Australia's Matthew Dellavedova again finds himself on the early title favourites with Cleveland, despite the Cavs never having won a championship.
Not that they haven't had their chances.
Finals appearances in 2009, 2010 and 2015 - all when James was the team leader - ultimately yielded nothing but shattered dreams.
If the Cavs are to win then management of their stars is the key. They were hard hit in last season's playoffs, when Kyrie Irving and then Kevin Love suffered season-ending injuries.
They have one of the most talented rosters in the NBA, James, J.R. Smith, Irving and Love are all top-line stars, while Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson, Mo Williams and Iman Shumpert are solid.
But Love, Irving and Shumpert are prone to injury. Thompson is still developing and Smith runs hot and cold.
Then there is Dellavedova, who developed a cult following with his scrappy, gutsy playing after taking over a starting role from injured Irving late last season.
Favourites, sure. Deserved favourites, maybe not.
Elsewhere Australia's Cameron Bairstow will likely play rarely on a Chicago Bulls team, who at their best could, along with the Indiana Pacers (boosted by the return of Paul George from a broken leg) and Washington Wizards give the Cavs a run for the top seed in the East.
As ever with the Bulls so much rests on the injury-ravaged body of one-time league MVP Derrick Rose, who may start the season late after suffering a fractured cheekbone.
Aron Baynes has gone from playing on a contender (San Antonio) to a team who won't contend in the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons will look to dominate in the paint. Centre Andre Drummond is their star and a big man tandem with Baynes could be exciting but it's unlikely with Baynes expected to be used as a back-up.
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