Looking back at the 2020-2021 NBA season, I still get that familiar thrill thinking about how dramatically the standings shifted throughout those unprecedented months. As someone who's tracked basketball rankings for over a decade, I've never seen a season where playoff predictions changed so frequently - and I've got the spreadsheet data to prove it. The compressed schedule due to the pandemic created this fascinating scenario where teams couldn't afford prolonged slumps, making every single game feel like a playoff elimination match.
I remember specifically circling those crucial matchups between playoff bubble teams in my calendar, much like Coach Victolero emphasized when discussing his team's schedule. His quote about the importance of consecutive games against Phoenix particularly resonated with me because it captured the season's essence perfectly. "We play on Sunday and another one next Thursday (against Phoenix). It's very important the next few games for us," Victolero noted, and honestly, that mindset applied to nearly every team in contention. Those back-to-back games against the same opponents created these mini-series within the season that often determined final standings positions.
The Western Conference race was absolutely brutal last season - I'd argue it was the most competitive I've seen since 2008. The Jazz and Suns dominated throughout, but what fascinated me was how the middle seeds kept shifting. As a longtime Lakers fan, I'll admit I was nervous watching them hover around the 5th-7th spots for much of the season. The advanced statistics showed they had championship-level defense when healthy, but injuries to LeBron and AD created this constant uncertainty in the standings. Meanwhile, teams like Denver and Portland kept winning just enough to stay in that 4th-6th range, while the Warriors' playoff hopes literally depended on Steph Curry having historic shooting nights.
What many casual fans might not realize is how significantly the play-in tournament format altered teams' approaches to the final standings. Instead of teams tanking once they secured a lower playoff spot, we saw unprecedented competition for that 6th seed to avoid the play-in altogether. I calculated that approximately 68% of games involving teams ranked 5th-10th in their conferences during the final month had direct play-in implications. The Mavericks' late surge to secure the 5th seed particularly impressed me - Luka's leadership during that stretch was something special to watch.
The Eastern Conference told a different story entirely. The Nets' Big Three created this offensive juggernaut that seemed destined for the top seed, yet they finished second behind Philadelphia. Personally, I thought the Sixers benefited tremendously from their conference's relative weakness - their 49-23 record would have placed them third in the West. The Bucks sitting at third surprised me given their championship aspirations, though their net rating of +7.2 suggested they were better than their record indicated. Meanwhile, the Knicks becoming the 4th seed was the season's most delightful surprise - Tom Thibodeau deserves Coach of the Year just for that achievement.
When making my playoff predictions in April, I remember focusing heavily on teams' performance against .500+ opponents. The Clippers' 25-15 record against winning teams stood out to me as a championship indicator, though I must admit I underestimated how much their strategic resting would cost them in seeding. The Suns' consistency amazed me - they went 27-9 against the Eastern Conference, which demonstrated their ability to handle different playing styles. Meanwhile, the Lakers' 12-15 record on the road concerned me, though I figured their playoff experience would overcome that disadvantage.
The final standings revealed some fascinating patterns that I'm still analyzing. The correlation between three-point shooting percentage and final standing position was remarkably strong - the top eight teams in three-point percentage all made the playoffs, with Utah leading at 39.0%. Defensive rating showed similar predictive power, though interestingly, two of the top five defensive teams (Knicks and Lakers) ranked outside the top ten in offensive efficiency. This reinforced my long-held belief that defense truly wins championships, despite today's offensive-focused narrative.
Reflecting on the season's outcome, my playoff predictions proved about 70% accurate - I correctly guessed 11 of the 16 playoff teams back in December, though my championship pick (Lakers over Nets in six) obviously didn't materialize. The Bucks' championship run actually made sense in hindsight when considering their continuity and Giannis's development. What surprised me most was how the final NBA standings 2020-2021 ultimately rewarded teams with depth over pure star power - the teams that survived the grueling schedule were those with reliable eight-man rotations rather than just top-heavy rosters.
The lasting lesson from this unique season, in my view, was the renewed importance of regular season consistency. Unlike previous years where teams could coast and flip the switch come playoff time, the 2020-2021 campaign demanded sustained excellence. Victolero's emphasis on treating consecutive games as crucial stretches perfectly captured this reality. As we look toward future seasons, I suspect we'll see more teams adopting this mindset - that every cluster of games represents a potential turning point in the standings and playoff positioning. The complete team rankings from last season ultimately told a story of adaptation and resilience, qualities that defined the NBA during one of its most challenging periods.