![]() These Bulls were aging, hobbling, and starting to rebel against Tom Thibodeau’s methods. It’s amazing to think that the Cavaliers would’ve been down 3-1 to this team if LeBron hadn’t ignored David Blatt’s play call in Game 4. They were never the same after Stanley Johnson trash-talked LeBron. The highlight of the Stan Van Gundy era, which is a sad statement. This was the year Amar’e Stoudemire punched a fire extinguisher. This was the year Lin got hurt near the end of the year, ushering in the Baron Davis era (which also sadly ended in injury). ![]() This was the year of Linsanity, Carmelo Anthony’s jealousy, Mike D’Antoni’s demise, and Mike Woodson’s hot finish playing D’Antoni’s style. See above, except their second-half surge was fueled by a midseason trade, not internal improvement. They were actually underrated as hell, but just ran into a great team. 2010-11 Philadelphia 76ers ( 41-41, lost 4-1 in 1st round)ĭoug Collins’ first Sixers team overcame a 17-25 start to surge into the playoffs behind Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, an old Elton Brand, and Lou Williams. ![]() 2016-17 Boston Celtics ( 53-29, lost 4-1 in conference finals)īy record, this team is too low, but remember that Isaiah Thomas didn’t play in the final two-and-a-half games of the series and the Cavaliers won the games he did play by a combined 57 points. Still, they were coming apart thanks to Paul George’s cloudy future, and only a late Lance Stephenson intervention got them into the playoffs in the first place. These Pacers have the honor of the most competitive first-round sweep ever, with just 17 points separating the two teams. Somehow, Chicago got by the Nets in the first round and won a game in Miami in this series. It was also the year of Luol Deng’s botched spinal tap procedure, Kirk Hinrich’s zillion nagging injuries, and the start of Joakim Noah’s foot issues. This was the year Derrick Rose kept sitting out past the timetable of his ACL injury (now known as Pulling A Kawhi). But Jefferson suffered a painful foot injury in Game 1 and was limited the rest of the series. Steve Clifford’s first Charlotte team was an overachieving unit that rode Al Jefferson and a stifling defense to a surprise playoff berth. That team, against the Heat at the peak of their powers, had no chance. Two, it came on the heels of a disjointed regular season best remembered for the Monta Ellis-Andrew Bogut trade that kick-started the Warriors’ turnaround. One, the six-game series prediction was unusually specific. ![]()
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