The NBA season has concluded, and the numbers show that it was one the most balanced and competitive in recent history.
With a thrilling slate of games on Sunday, the NBA wrapped up the regular season. The final gameday saw several Western Conference teams seal their playoff fate.
The Clippers and Nuggets both got to the 50-win mark for the season, making them the fourth and fifth teams in the West to achieve this.
While the Warriors and Grizzlies find themselves relegated to the NBA Play-In tournament. With just two days to prepare for an all-or-nothing game, both sides are ready to fight for their title hopes.
But with the NBA season now wrapped up, we can draw some conclusions about this campaign. And it turns out the NBA witnessed something it hasn’t in a decade.
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For the first time in 10 years, the NBA has seen nine or more teams hit the 50-win mark this season. The last time this happened was in the 2014-15 season.
During the 2014-15 season, 10 teams – the Hawks, Cavaliers, Bulls, Warriors, Rockets, Mavericks, Spurs, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies hit the 50-win mark.
Wheras this season, 9 teams – the Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, Thunder, Rockets, Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers achieved the same.
It just goes to show how competitive the NBA has been this year, as not a lot of teams can hit the 50-win mark in a season. So the fact that almost 1/3rd of the NBA did so this year is remarkable
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Out of the teams that won 50 games in either season, there are only four teams that did it in both of the aforementioned seasons – the Warriors, Cavaliers, Clippers, and Rockets.
Of course, fans will remember that the 2014-15 NBA Finals came down to the Warriors and Cavaliers, with Golden State winning the first championship to kick-start their dynasty.
Could history repeat itself with the Warriors winning another NBA title? Well, they have a difficult road ahead of them, given that they must compete through the play-in tournament.
However, the Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the trade deadline. And we have seen play-in teams reach the NBA Finals, most notably with the Heat led by Jimmy Butler – who now happens to be on the Warriors.
