Looking back at the 2021 NBA playoffs, I still get chills thinking about how the standings shook out and which teams truly delivered when it mattered most. As someone who’s followed the league for over a decade, I’ve seen plenty of postseason drama, but this one felt different—partly because of the compressed schedule, partly because of injuries, but mostly because the usual powerhouses had to navigate a landscape where upsets felt almost routine. It reminds me a bit of what we often see in international volleyball, like in that FIVB Worlds scenario where hosts face Tunisia, Egypt, and Iran—teams that, on paper, seem beatable, but in reality, chasing set wins or match wins against such global powerhouses is a tall order. In the NBA, that dynamic played out with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, who entered as favorites but found themselves in dogfights against hungrier squads.
Let’s start with the Eastern Conference, where the Philadelphia 76ers clinched the top seed with a 49–23 record, but honestly, I never fully bought into their dominance. Joel Embiid was a beast, no doubt, putting up 28.5 points per game, but their reliance on him felt shaky—kind of like how a host team in volleyball might lean too heavily on one star player against a trio of tough opponents. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets, stacked with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, finished second but struggled with cohesion at times. I remember thinking, "Man, if they can’t mesh, they’re just chasing wins without a real plan," much like that FIVB reference where chasing set wins becomes a reach against established giants. Out West, the Utah Jazz surprised everyone with the best record at 52–20, thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s explosive play, but their playoff run exposed a lack of clutch performance—something I’ve seen too often in teams that peak too early.
Diving deeper into team performance, the Phoenix Suns’ journey stood out to me as a masterclass in resilience. Led by Chris Paul, they went from a 51–21 regular season to the Finals, and I’ll admit, I underestimated them early on. Their ball movement and defense reminded me of how underdogs in sports like volleyball can outmaneuver powerhouses by focusing on fundamentals rather than star power. On the flip side, the Lakers’ first-round exit was a shocker; LeBron James and Anthony Davis were hampered by injuries, and it showed how fragile even the best teams can be. From my perspective, that’s a lesson in depth—if you’re too top-heavy, like relying on a trio of stars, you might crumble when fatigue or injuries hit, similar to how hosts in the FIVB Worlds struggle against multiple threats.
In terms of stats, the playoffs highlighted some wild numbers: the Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, improved their defensive rating to 105.2 in the postseason, which I think was key to their championship run. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 50-point closeout in the Finals? Pure dominance, and it’s why I’ve always favored teams that peak at the right time. Compare that to the Denver Nuggets, who overachieved with Nikola Jokić’s MVP season but fell short due to Jamal Murray’s injury—a reminder that luck plays a bigger role than we admit. Personally, I lean toward teams with balanced rosters, like the Suns, because in a grueling playoff stretch, chasing wins without that balance is like that FIVB scenario: you might pull off an upset, but sustaining it against elite competition is another story.
Wrapping it up, the 2021 NBA playoffs were a testament to how standings don’t always tell the full story—teams like the Atlanta Hawks, who sneaked into the fifth seed and made a Conference Finals run, proved that. Reflecting on it now, I see parallels to that volleyball buildup, where hosts face an uphill battle against powerhouses; in the NBA, favorites had to adapt or fall. For me, the biggest takeaway is that depth and timing trump raw talent alone, and as a fan, it’s those unpredictable moments that keep me hooked. If there’s one thing I’d change, it’s how we judge regular-season success—because when the playoffs hit, everything resets, and that’s where legends are made.