What Is The Best Playoff Series From The 2010s?
Today I will be finding the best playoff series from the 2010s.
Throughout the 2010s, there were some great playoff series. Some of them featured superstars battling it out. Other series had close game throughout and were nail bitters. Some of these series are remembered dearly to all us and are some of the best series ever played. Today I will be finding the best playoff series from the 2010s.
#3 – 2012 ECF: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
This series is one of the best series between Lebron James and the Boston Celtics. James had met with the Celtics multiple times with the Cavs, and now was facing the Celtics with the Heat for the 2nd time. In 2011, they beat the Celtics 4-1, so this was a revenge tour of sorts for the Celtics.
The Celtics were supposedly old and out of the East by this point. They were supposed to be on their dying breathe and this series would be a cakewalk for the hungry Miami Heat. The Heat of course lost in the 2011 NBA Finals, and now they wanted to win a title. Especially Lebron James. So both teams had their motivations going into this series. Pair this with the talent on both rosters and you have a great series. James, Wade, and Bosh against Pierce, Allen, and Garnett for the Celtics.
But the Celtics made this series very competitive. The Heat led 2-0 in the series, and the Celtics won 3 games in a row to take a 3-2 series lead. Paul Pierce hit the dagger 3 in Game 5 to give the Celtics the win. Game 6 is a classic because of Lebron James. This was perhaps the greatest game Lebron has ever played considering how he played and the circumstances. If the Heat lost, the Heat would have failed to win a ring two years in a row. But, James scored 45 and Game 7 would be back in Miami. James scored 31 points in Game 7, and the Heat held off the Celtics.
Along with James’s late game antics, most games in this series were great. Game 2 went into overtime as Rajon Rondo scored 44 points and added 10 assists. Lebron had 34 points and 10 rebounds himself. Dwyane Wade could have given the Heat a 3-1 series lead if he hit the game-winning 3 in Game 4. He was open, but he just missed it.
This series had everything. The rivalry between two great teams. The two big 3’s going at it. James doing everything he could to save his legacy. The Celtics were supposedly dead and they came back to life in this series to make if tough on the Miami Heat. This series is one of the best of the decade, but it’s impact makes it ever more memorable.
#2 – 2016 WCF: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors
This series, like the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, was very impactful. The Thunder met the 73-9 Warriors in the Conference Finals and really gave them the works. People were very excited for this Warriors v Thunder rivalry in the future of the Western Conference. But KD left to join the Warriors, ending a promising rivalry. It was the one time we got to see KD and the Russell Westbrook face Steph Curry and the Warriors. And it did not disappoint.
This series was kind of like watching kids grow up in the sense that at the start of this decade, both teams were very young and promising. Now they were grown up and battling for a spot in the NBA Finals. They were battling for Western Conference supremacy after the Spurs had died out.
And the Thunder played like they wanted it more. They showed the defending champions who was boss and led 3-1 in the series. And it wasn’t like the games were close. Games 3 and 4 were blowouts. But the Warriors showed championship DNA and they came back. Game 6 was where we saw Game 6 Klay in action. He made 11 3’s and scored 41 points in a comeback win for the Warriors on the road. The Warriors finished the job in Game 7 as they held off a late comeback by the Thunder.
This series had close games and comebacks, but it also featured some of the best players in the NBA. This was the best Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and the best version of the Durant-less Warriors. This was also the best Thunder team with Durant and Westbrook. This series was a great one but it’s impact was far greater.
#1 – 2019 ECSF: Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers
Come on now. This one might not be that obvious, but let me explain. Usually with a good series, people look back at it 2-3 years later and label it great for nostalgic purposes. But people are looking back at this series pretty regularly, and it is pretty clear that this series was great, you don’t even need nostalgia for that.
Kawhi Leonard put on a show in this series, and in the whole playoffs in general. He was averaging 35 points and 10 rebounds this series, which were not empty stats as the Raptors needed all of it to stay in the series. This takeover mode from Kawhi is something that we rarely see out of players not named Lebron. Kawhi willed his team throughout that series, and hit the first ever Game 7 buzzer beater in playoff history. A playoff buzzer-beater is rare enough, but a Game 7 buzzer-beater? Especially with the series that Leonard was having? It was story book.
The pressure on Philadelphia to get this done was immense as well. They had Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Jimmy Butler. What more do you need? This was the year they were supposed to take a step in the East, and they certainly had the roster to do it. They just came up short.
After Game 1 of this series, which was a Raptors blow-out, I kind of put the 76ers down. I mean the Raptors flat-out dominated that game. Kawhi had 45 points to start out the series. But the 76ers came back with a Game 2 road victory. They then managed to win Game 3 in a blowout of their own. But Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points in Game 4 to tie the series 2-2. Game 5 was a Raptors blowout highlighted by 25 points from Pascal Siakam. The 76ers won Game 6, and we know how Game 7 went. This series had its blowouts, but the swing games were very close. Game 2 was must win for the 76ers, and they won down the stretch. Game 4 was must win for the Raptors and Kawhi showed up. Game 6 was must win for the 76ers, and they showed up too. These swing games were important for both teams, and the team with their backs to the wall performed well. This series could have very weel been 5 or 6 games. But both of these teams battled it out until the very end.
But that game winner was something else. You remember where you were. I was watching the game on TV and watching that ball bounce forever, you knew that it was going into overtime, but somehow that ball dropped in.
This series is remebered as the Raptors breaking through in the East, as well as the 76ers best chance to win a title with the roster that they had. This series had its pitvotal games, and both teams performed when it mattered the most. This series was capped off by one of the greatest shots ever, but it was a great series from start to finish.
What do you think? Drop you top-3 playoff series in the comments below. Make sure to tell me what your #1 playoff series was.
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