'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The NBA is full of unique storylines every year, and despite last season's ups and downs, the 2020 NBA Playoffs were no exception. The San Antonio Spurs failed to make the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 1997. The LA Lakers showed the most consistency throughout the year, which saw LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead team their team to its first NBA title in a decade.
The NBA also successfully held its first play-in tournament. That said, let's take a look at some of the best team performances in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
No. 5 - The Toronto Raptors finishing 2nd in the East
The Toronto Raptors created history in the 2018-19 season as they won their first-ever NBA championship. However, they suffered a setback in that same offseason, losing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green without getting any compensation in return. Nearly all NBA experts expected them to make it into the NBA playoffs. But as Toronto's mantra goes, if you don't have a superstar – create one, and that's precisely what they did.
Pascal Siakam, who averaged 17 points a game during their championship run, increased his average to 23 and became an All-Star starter. Fred VanVleet went up from 11 to 17 points, and Kyle Lowry went up from 14 to 19. As a result, the Raptors went 53-19 in the regular season and swept the Nets in the NBA playoffs before falling short to the Celtics in seven games. Nick Nurse won coach of the year. They've been full of surprises in 2020, and you'll find nobody underestimating the Toronto Raptors going ahead.
No. 4 - The Phoenix Suns go 8-0 in the bubble
The Phoenix Suns look like legitimate contenders this season, adding Chris Paul into the mix, but their story last year was quite different. Last year, the Phoenix Suns were invited to the bubble as a mere formality. The only way they could even have a chance of going to the playoffs was for them to win all of their games and have other teams lose.
However, they didn't let any of that deter them. Devin Booker was particularly impressive, averaging 30.5 points, six assists and five rebounds, and made it to the NBA All-Bubble First Team. Coach Monty Williams won the Coach of the Bubble award, too.
No. 3 - The Denver Nuggets come back from a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs - twice
There is only one NBA team in history to come back from a 3-1 deficit twice, and there is only one coach in NBA history to blow 3-1 leads thrice. Those two met up in last year's NBA playoffs.
Going into the playoffs, we could see that the Denver Nuggets were a little shaky. They had lost their last three games to the Raptors, Lakers and Clippers and had only won four of their last 10. Denver managed to win the first game against the Jazz in overtime, despite a 57-point effort by Donovan Mitchell, but lost three straight from there. Then came Jamal Murray, who put on a show and led Denver to three straight wins from that point on. Both Murray and Mitchell were the most valuable players on their teams, with two 50-point performances each in the seven-game series.
They Nuggets tied their semifinal series 1-1 with the Clippers before again going down 3-1 in the next two games. Once again, however, the Nikola Jokic-Murray duo pulled through. With a triple-double for the Joker and a 40-point performance for Murray in Game Seven, they comfortably knocked Doc Rivers and the Clippers out of the NBA playoffs. It was the third time Rivers has dropped a series after being up 3-1, a dubious distinction he alone holds.
No. 2 - The Miami Heat make it to the NBA Finals
The Eastern Conference wasn't incredibly competitive like the West was, but that didn't make it a walk in the park either. The Heat started their NBA playoff journey strong, sweeping the Pacers in four games. Then, however, they had to face the Milwaukee Bucks, who were the best team in the NBA in the regular season, coming off 60 wins and having convincingly beaten the Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
It was stunning, therefore, when the Heat managed to overpower them in just five games. They subsequently won the Eastern Conference by beating the Celtics in six games before losing the Finals to the LA Lakers. With Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, and rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn stepping up, this team sure did pack a punch in the NBA Playoffs.
No. 1 - The Dallas Mavericks beat the LA Clippers by 51 points
The Dallas Mavericks might have fallen short to the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Playoffs, but they certainly looked to correct all that in the regular season. The Luka Doncic-led squad stormed to a convincing 124-73 win over the Clippers, handing them their largest defeat in team history.
The Mavs also led 77-27 at halftime, which is the largest halftime lead ever in NBA history. Luka Doncic took the lead with 24 points, eight assists and nine rebounds in what can undoubtedly be looked upon as a team effort as 13 players got on the scoring sheet that night.
