What Is The Best Season From The 2010s?
Today I will be finding the best season from the 2010s.
Throughout the 2010s, each season has brought us some new story-lines and things to be excited for. New stars have broke out, new contenders have emerged, and each season we have something new to be exciting about. But, some seasons were better and more enjoyable than others. Today I will be finding the best season from the 2010s.
Both the regular season and post-season will be included.
#3 – 2010-11 Season
This was the first season that the Miami Heat were a thing. The big trio with Lebron, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh were starting a new era in the Eastern Conference. This was the first time that a team like this had been assembled. All of them in their primes, all of them being viable MVP candidates for their own teams at one point in time. And they were on one team. They were the villains that season, the team with the target on their back.
Derrick Rose shocked the NBA by winning the MVP award and leading the Bulls to 62 wins and 1st place in the Eastern Conference. This was the team that was trying to dethrone the Heat before they even started. This was the season where Miami was the must vulnerable during their 4 year stint.
The Celtics were 56-26 with their big 3 and looked to get revenge from the 2010 Finals loss to Kobe and the Lakers. They added an old Shaq and were still very deep.
Carmelo went to the Knicks, so another superstar in the East. The Knicks were trying to have Chris Paul and Amar’e Stoudemire, forming a big 3 with the likes of Miami or Boston, but that never formulated as they Anthony and Stoudemire.
So the Bulls, Heat, and Celtics were the 3 teams favorited to come out of the East. Anybody else would have been a surprise.
Out West, the NBA dreamed of Kobe meeting Lebron in the Finals. The Lakers had won in 2009 and 2010, and a chance to 3-peat vs Lebron was what everybody wanted. The Lakers went 57-25 which was good enough for the 2nd seed.
The Spurs were… the Spurs as they went 61-21 which was good enough for the #1 seed in the West.
The Thunder were still formulating with their young core of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. They went 55-27 which was 4th in the West.
Dirk and the Mavs went 57-25 and they were 3rd in the West, except nobody cared. The Nuggets won 50 games without Melo, and they were 5th in the West.
The Heat came out as the favorites to win the East after the Celtics got injuries. They took care of the D-Rose led Bulls in 5 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as they advanced to the NBA Finals.
But, instead of a Kobe v Lebron Finals, we got the Mavs. God dang it. The Mavs beat the Lakers (in a sweep) and the young OKC Thunder. Now they were in the Finals against Lebron and the Heat.
Many people wrote of the Mavs going into this series. And they won. Lebron failed to show up as Jason Terry outplayed him and Dirk won Finals MVP. The Miami Heat crashed and burned as everybody was happy that they lost.
2011 was a great year because of all the contenders. Out East you had the Big 3 Miami Heat, the Big 3 Boston Celtics, and D-Rose and the Bulls. Out West you had the Lakers, Mavs, Spurs, and Thunder. This season was exciting. D-Rose was the surprise MVP and the Heat crashed and burned. What a year it was.
#2 – 2009-10 Season
The start of the 2010’s was one of the best seasons in the decade. But the 2010 season was stacked. Mainly the Western Conference. All 8 playoff teams had 50 wins in the West. All 8. That’s insane. The Spurs were the 7th seed. The Spurs. 3 teams were tied for the 8th seed with 50 wins, but tiebreakers and division stuff happened. So the Spurs did not get to meet the LA Lakers in the 1st round.
The Lakers went 57-25 and were #1 in the West behind Kobe and Gasol. The Lakers were looking to repeat as champions. Even with all the Western Conference playoff teams being good, the Lakers were the favorites.
In the East, the Cavs went 61-21 with Lebron, and Lebron only. The Magic went 59-23 as they looked to repeat as conference champions. The Celtics were 50-32 and were the 4th seed, but don’t get that twisted, they were good. Two years removed from the 2008 ring, they were still contenders.
The Celtics would meet James and the Cavs in the 2nd round. And the Celtics won 4-2. This was the last games Lebron would play in Cleveland until 2014. James went off the floor with no hope for the Cavs, and we all know what happened next. The Celtics had to meet the Magic in the Conference Finals, and they won that series 4-2. Now they would be in the Finals.
The Lakers made it through the West and found themselves in the Finals once again. And they were playing the rival Celtics. This series is one of the greatest all-time. The series was hard-fought and close throughout and went to 7 games. The infamous Game 7 was low-scoring and nobody could score. But Ron Artest hit the dagger 3, and the Lakers come out victorious. The Lakers avenged their 2008 loss to Boston.
Lebron was MVP, and the basketball world was still disappointed over not seeing a Lebron v Kobe Finals. Of course with James exiting in the 2nd round, many speculated he would leave during free agency. And then came the question on where he would go.
This season was a great start of the decade because there was no clear cut winner before the season started. No super-team that would dominate the league. You had your usual suspects, but it was wide open. The 2010 Finals was the cherry on top of a great season.
#1 – 2015-16 Season
This one was kind of obvious. This season had lots of excitement and stuff to talk about. The Warriors were fresh off of a ring in 2015 and then they went 73-9. All the attention was on them during the regular season, and they were the greatest team we had ever seen. This season was in response to people saying they beat a limping Cleveland team and they didn’t deserve the title. And they responded. Curry also silenced his doubters by winning a unanimous MVP, the first one ever. Many people believe Harden should have won in 2015, and Curry responded himself.
The Spurs went a quiet 67-15 and finished 2nd in the West. The Thunder went 55-27 and finished 3rd in the West. The Lob City Clippers were on their last legs as they finished 4th in the West.
Out East you had the healthy Cleveland Cavaliers who went 57-25 and finished 1st in the East. The Raptors went 56-26 and finished 2nd behind Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Other than those two teams, there were no real contenders. The East was still very weak.
The Warriors met their first adversity in the Western Conference Finals as they were down 3-1 to the OKC Thunder. They were about to blow the greatest season ever. But, they came back and won that series as they advanced to the Finals again. The Thunder lost and KD didn’t think the Thunder could win, so he decided to leave.
The Cavs cruised through the East skit free, and now we had the rematch we wanted to see. A healthy Golden State vs a healthy Cavs team. And boy was it something special. The Warriors dominated and led 3-1, but James willed his team and they won in 7 games. They were the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, Kyrie Irving hit one of the biggest shots in Finals history, James had his block and finally delivered Cleveland a title. Story book ending.
Kobe had his farewell game. The Lakers sucked that year, but that game was something else. 60 in his final game, such a Kobe way to go out.
So, a 73-9 team, unanimous MVP, multiple 3-1 comebacks including the Finals, the 73-9 team lost, Lebron got a story book ending in Cleveland, Kobe’s farewell game. This season had so many unique events and memories that basketball fans will cherish forever. This season was so unique and its events will likely never be recreated. It had drama filled moments, twists and turns. It was easily the best season of this decade.
What do you think? Which 3 seasons are on your top-3 list? Which season was better, 2010 or 2016? Leave all of your comments down below.
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