The 2024 Finals have come to a close, which means half of the NBA seasons in the 2020s have been completed. Let’s go through the 10 best teams so far in this five-year span.
10. 2024 Mavericks
After missing the playoffs the previous season and a sluggish start to 2024, there were questions about whether the Mavs could actually make a deep run with Luka and Kyrie. While both players were great and rookie Dereck Lively showed promise, Dallas still needed more pieces. The Mavs made a big move at the trade deadline by trading for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford to help improve the front court. Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić can now torch defenders by not only scoring but also throwing an easy lob to the bigs. The Mavs finished with a 50-32 record and the 5th seed in the West. In the first two rounds, the Mavericks dispatched the star-studded Clippers in round 1 and took down the top-seeded Thunder both in six games. In the Western Conference Finals, the star duo in Dallas showed their best performances against the favored Wolves. Luka and Kyrie combined had over 60 points in three of the games. The Mavericks defeated the Timberwolves in 5 games and advanced to the NBA Finals. While the Mavericks lost to a superior Celtics team in 5 games, Dallas still had an impressive run through the Western Conference. Dallas defeated three 50 win teams in the first 3 rounds, which hasn’t been done since 2010.
9. 2021 Nets
The next superteam that was supposed to take over the NBA, the 2021 Nets. Brooklyn had obtained Harden at the beginning of the year to pair with their star duo in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. While the trio only played 16 games together, the Nets won 13 of those games. The Nets found success in the regular season as they had the number one offense in the league. Brooklyn went 48-24 and held the second seed in the East. More importantly, the Nets’ trio was at full strength for the playoffs. In the first round, the Nets made easy work of the Celtics, winning four of the five games, all by double digits. The Nets took the first 2 games against the Bucks in the second round. The momentum for the Nets changed in game 4 as Kyrie Irving injured his ankle. The series would eventually go to a seventh game where the Bucks were up 109-107 late in the fourth. Down by 2, Kevin Durant hit what looked like to be a turnaround three to take the lead. After official review, the shot was a two pointer, which forced another overtime that Brooklyn lost. The heroics of Kevin Durant’s 48 points weren’t enough as the eventual champion Bucks eliminated the Nets in a hard-fought 7 games.
8. 2020 Heat
After LeBron James had left Miami, the Heat were missing a star player on their roster. That changed with the sign and trade of all-star Jimmy Butler in the offseason. Miami also needed more shooters to improve the bottom five offense. In the draft, the Heat selected Tyler Hero and traded for Jae Crowder at the deadline. Miami made it back to the postseason with a 44-29 record and the 5th seed. Nobody knew how dangerous a 6-man rotation of Dragic, Hero, Robinson, Crowder, Butler and Adebayo really were. The Heat swept the 4th seeded Pacers and upset the team with the best record, the Milwaukee Bucks, in five games. In the first 2 games of the Conference Finals, the Heat started off slow, falling down by 14+ but rallied in both games to take a 2-0 series lead. The Heat saw Adebayo, Dragic, Butler, and Hero average 19 points in the conference finals to dispatch the Celitics in 6 games. Miami made it to the finals, where they ran into their former superstar LeBron James and the Lakers. Los Angles outrebounded Miami by 7.5 boards per game, which led to the Heat losing in 6 games. The well-coached Heat were a hard-working team that made a valiant finals run.
7. 2022 Celtics
In february, the Celtics were at the 7 seed and looked like another first round exit was coming their way. This required Boston to trade for Derrick White at the trade deadline. After receiving White, the Celtics went 20-6, which jumped Boston up to the 2nd seed and finish with a 51-31 record. The Celtics avenged last year’s loss to the Nets by sweeping Brooklyn in the first round. In round 2, the Celtics came back from a 3-2 deficit against the Bucks to finish the defending champions in 7 games. Boston would have a rematch of 2020 against the Heat in the conference finals. This time the Celtics would eliminate Miami in a thrilling 7 games to advance to the NBA Finals against the Warriors. The Celtics started with a 2-1 lead but Golden State had more championship pedigree and Stephen Curry who was too much for Boston to overcome. While the Celtics lost, Boston was a formidable team that had a top 10 offense and defense. The starting lineup of Brown, Tatum, Horford, Smart and Williams led the Celtics to become one of the hottest teams by the end of the season. The depth was strong with Robert Williams, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White. If this Celtics team had more experience playing together, they may have been the Champions.
6. 2021 Suns
Devin Booker hadn’t made the postseason once in his career, but the addition of Chris Paul changed the dynamics of Phoenix. Paul was the veteran leadership that the young, talented roster of Booker, Ayton, and Bridges needed to contend with. The Suns had a 51-21 record, which was second best in the entire league. Although the Suns were the 2nd seed in the west, they would have to face the defending champion Lakers in the first round. After trailing 2-1 in the series, it seemed as if the Suns were no match for the Lakers. Phoenix rallied together three straight wins to knock off the champs in 6 games. The Suns dominated the Nuggets by sweeping them in the second round. In the conference finals, the Suns would meet Chris Paul’s former team, the Clippers. In game 2, Deandre Ayton made the game winning dunk to give Phoenix a 2-0 lead. The Suns would finish off the Clippers in 6 games to face the Bucks in the NBA Finals. After taking a 2-0 lead, it appeared that the Suns would win their first ever championship, but Giannis had other plans. The Bucks pulled together four straight wins and the Bucks came back to win in 6 games. The 2021 Suns were a well-balanced group and the best team in this five-year span to not win the title.
5. 2021 Bucks
The Bucks clinched the 1st seed in the past two years but fell short in the playoffs both times. For the team finally win, Milwaukee needed strong defensive players in the starting lineup. In the offseason, the Bucks added Jrue Holiday and PJ Tucker to solve this problem. However, unlike the previous two seasons, the Bucks only finished with the 3rd seed and a 46-26 record. After last year’s loss, the Bucks got revenge and swept the Heat in the first round. In round 2, the Bucks came back from a 2-0 deficit to force a game 7 against Brooklyn. In an instant classic game, Khris MIddleton hit the dagger in overtime to propel the Bucks past the Nets. The Bucks would face Atlanta and lose Giannis Antetokounmpo for a couple of games. This allowed the rest of the Bucks to step up and eliminate the Hawks in 6 games. The Bucks would make the finals against the Suns, where they would fall into an early 2-0 deficit. Giannis led his team to a comeback with a clutch block, dunk, and a 50 point performance to beat the Suns in 6 games and win the Championship. The starting five of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, PJ Tucker, and Giannis Antentounmpo was a strong defensive unit that executed late in games.
4. 2022 Warriors
Two years removed from the KD era and the Warriors looked like a shell of their former selves. This year, the Warriors would not only get Klay Thompson returning from injury, but also see improved play from Jordan Poole and 2022 all-star Andrew Wiggins. Golden State had the number 1 defense in the league which secured them a 53-29 and the 3rd seed in the West. In the first round, they defeated Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in 5 games. In the second round, the Warriors faced an upstart Grizzlies team that had the second-best record in the NBA. The Warriors were the more experienced team, which helped them come back in games 1, 4, and 6 to put away the Grizzlies in 6 games. In the West Finals, the Warriors quickly beat Luka Dončić and the Mavericks in 5 games to make their first NBA Finals since 2019. In the Finals, Golden State would take on the Celtics, where Boston would storm out to a 2-1 series lead. In Game 4, Stephen Curry had a legacy defining moment where he scored 43 points to even the series. The Warriors would seize full momentum and eliminate the Celtics in 6 games. Stephen Curry, championship experience, and a strong defense brought the Warriors the title this year.
3. 2020 Lakers
To help Lebron get back to the finals, the Lakers needed to give Bron his second superstar to help LA achieve glory. The Lakers traded for superstar Anthony Davis to give the Lakers a chance for their 17th title. Los Angeles looked as good as advertised by ending with a 52-19 record and the 1st seed. After a hiccup in game 1, the Lakers won four straight to eliminate the Blazers in 5 games. Round 2 was the same story in eliminating the Rockets in 5 games as well. In the Western finals, the Lakers would face the Nuggets, who are coming off of two 3-1 comebacks. The Nuggets found themselves down 3-1 to the Lakers, but this time Los Angeles finished the job and eliminated Denver in 5 games. The Lakers would face Lebron’s former team in the Finals, the Heat. LeBron James and Anthony Davis dominated the glass to help the Lakers defeat the Heat in 6 games. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis were an incredible duo, veteran IQ of Rajon Rondo, Danny Green and Dwight Howard brought savvy play. The team had depth with Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso coming off the bench. The Lakers were a high IQ, good defensive team with plenty of size that helped Lebron and Davis get LA its 17th banner.
2. 2023 Nuggets
The last two seasons, Nikola Jokić had historic numbers, winning back to back MVPs, but didn’t go far in the playoffs. This is due to the fact that the Nuggets were missing their second-best player, Jamal Murray. The return of Jamal Murray and the continuous development of role players around Jokic made the Nuggets a true threat. The dazzling starting five of Jokic, Murray, Gordan, Porter Jr, Caldwell-Pope helped Denver win 53 games and clinch the 1st seed in the West. The Nuggets took care of business in the first round against the Timberwolves in 5 games. In round 2, the Nuggets eliminated the Suns in 6 games and won all 4 of the games by double digits. Denver would make their first ever NBA Finals by sweeping the Lakers in a rematch of 2020. The Nuggets would face a Cinderella, 8th-seeded Heat team where Denver was too much. The Nuggets blew out the Heat in 5 games and secured the NBA Title. These Nuggets had a group of guys who provided different advantages for Denver. Murray and Porter Jr were the scorers to help Jokic on the offensive side. While Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown all provided solid defense. The best player, Nikola Jokic, did it all in passing and scoring to lead this talented squad to become champions.
1. 2024 Celtics
Through six seasons of the Jayson Tatum and the Jaylen Brown era, the Celtics had not won a title and the media pondered if Boston could ever win. In response to past shortcomings, the Celtics massively upgraded the roster by adding Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday. The improved roster allowed the Celtics to dominate their way to a 64-18 record, which was the best in the NBA. The Celtics put out the Heat in 5 games and won all 4 games by 15 or more points. In round 2, the Celtics clobbered the Cavaliers in 5 games and won 3 of those games by 13 or more. The Celtics would sweep the Pacers in the East Finals to eventually face the Mavericks in the Finals. The Mavericks had a good run in the West but were no match for the Celtics, who got to a 3-0 lead. The Celtics dominated the Mavericks to defeat them in 5 games and claim the most titles in NBA history by a franchise. Boston went 16-3 in the playoffs, which is the most dominant run since the superteam Warriors in 2017. The 6-man rotation of Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, Horford, and Porzingis was a matchup nightmare on offense and defense. The dominance of the 2024 Celtics puts them as the best team in the 2020s so far.
