Posted on May 28, 2021
2019-2020 NBA Season Review
Scroll below and enjoy
presents a
2019-2020
Season Review
Regular Season Retrospective
Starting off with perhaps the most wildly active player-personnel shaping summer in league history, the 2019-2020 NBA season felt like the dawning of a new era after a purely dominant (and probably still not entirely done) 5 year run by the Golden State Warriors 
came to a screeching halt following a string of unfortunate injuries 
and free-agent losses 
which put them outside of the championship bubble (at least for now) for the first time in what felt like forever. Couple that with the fact that the defending champion Toronto Raptors 
(unlikely title-hoisting beneficiaries of Golden State’s unfortunate injury luck in last season’s playoffs) lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to his hometown Los Angeles Clippers 
(who also traded for Paul George) in another stunning free agent transaction which erased Canada’s only NBA squad from the minds of basketball pundits thinking about a repeat. Oh yeah… plus the Lakers traded (finally) for Anthony Davis 
, Kemba Walker signed with the Celtics 
replacing Kyrie Irving who joined his buddy Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets 
, the Rockets swapped point guards with the Thunder sending OKC Chris Paul 
in exchange for Russell Westbrook 
, Jimmy Butler took his talents to South Beach 
, Zion Williamson looked to begin the most-hyped rookie campaign since LeBron James took his first professional dribbles after being drafted #1 overall by the Pelicans 
, plus a boatload more league-altering roster moves 
! These shocking developments flipped the NBA on its head as for the first time in as long as I can remember, no true favorite stood above the pack as the power vacuum left by last season’s Finals representatives looked to be filled by a slew of hungry franchises all eager to burst through the newly-weakened championship blockade. Well this should certainly be interesting…
Right away, disappointment hit as we’d have to wait on Zion’s debut until sometime later in the year after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus 
. Luckily, Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic 
was there to soften the blow after entering his name into “young phenom” status, displaying an all-around game that looked to be a perfect blend of Magic Johnson’s passing and Larry Bird’s shooting with impressive averages that forced the second-year player into the MVP discussion. Stephen Curry broke his hand 
early in the year which further cemented his Warriors into the outhouse for this season after a half-decade stay in the top-floor penthouse. Meanwhile, Golden State’s counterpart in last season’s Finals, the Toronto Raptors 
, surprised everyone by continuing to compete at a championship level despite the loss of Kawhi Leonard which was impressive. Speaking of Leonard, his new-look Clippers 
lived up to hype right away and looked to spearhead a campaign of excellence that had never been enjoyed by the once moribund franchise, all-but ensuring a proxy-war for the ages with the same-town juggernaut Lakers 
who also started the season off by living up to their lofty preseason goals after racing to the top spot in the loaded Western Conference.
As the season rolled on, the Milwaukee Bucks 
separated themselves from the rest of the league as they blasted their way to the best record in basketball led by reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (easily the most annoyingly named superstar in sports history) and a deep cast of 3-point snipers. James Harden 
continued to score at a near 40-point per game clip which kept his Rockets around near the top of the conference (and him in a heated dogfight at the top of the MVP race) even as they integrated new pieces to a hopeful championship recipe. The Boston Celtics appeared somewhat rejuvenated by the exile of Kyrie Irving as budding young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown 
were given more room to blossom under the tutelage of coaching phenom Brad Stevens 
. The Denver Nuggets appeared poised to break up the L.A. glamour party at the top of the Western Conference as they entrenched themselves firmly between the two stalwarts led by 7-foot dynamo Nikola Jokic 
and a deep roster which sustained their inclusion in the championship discussion. Meanwhile, another championship contender, the Philadelphia 76ers 
, played with an inconsistent schizophrenia that reflected in their disparaging excellent at home/terrible on the road record as budding stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons struggled to find cohesion with each other amidst a fluid roster of quality players.
The league carried on through to the new year as normal until the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant (along with his daughter Gianna and 7 others) in a helicopter crash in January prompted a new kind of reflection as the pain resounded globally with the magnitude of an Earth-sized quake 
. Andre Drummond 
was moved from Detroit to Cleveland at the trade deadline which could be best described as going from one fast-food job to another, D’Angelo Russell 
was flipped for Andrew Wiggins 
and Andre Igoudala 
was pried loose from Memphis by Miami in a move that would surely solidify their playoff stance in the coming weeks. The All-Star game was played under a new format for the first time in as long as I can remember (using a system which counts the first 3 quarters as their own individual games with the winner of each quarter securing $100,000 for that team’s chosen charity: If tied, the total was carried over to the pot for the next quarter: The 4th quarter accumulates all of the previous quarters points for each squad and the two teams play to a final target score) which resulted in a resounding success as Team LeBron edged out Team Giannis 157-155 
in one of the most competitively-fueled exhibition’s that I’ve ever witnessed (shout out to that impressive Slam Dunk Contest as well 
)! As March rolled around, the excitement ramped up as the playoffs could be felt drawing near however, as of this writing, the Coronavirus Pandemic (a mass-viral outbreak) has officially suspended the NBA season until further notice as the government has banned large gatherings of people due to the high-contagion rate. I guess for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens for a final outcome on this season as this unprecedented event unfolds before us.
*UPDATE* After many months of inactivity due to the new changes brought upon by the global pandemic, the NBA has formulated a plan to complete the season inside a quarantined environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex 
located within Walt Disney World. Prioritizing health and safety above all else, the NBA will commission a strict protocol to those that choose to continue the season under these new guidelines (players will of course have the right to “opt out” if they desire) including regular temperature checks, social distancing as often as possible, not being able to leave the complex unless for emergency situations, etc. to hopefully better regulate the situation for the benefit of all of us who cherish the awesome game of basketball. One of the major drawbacks to this will be the exclusion of fans within this NBA “bubble” as the league will keep to a strict capacity of personnel and players to monitor any potential new outbreaks of the highly contagious virus. While this will obviously be a grandiose and unfortunate new change in the terms of physical fan interaction, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us will just be happy to have sports back as a superficial distraction after all that has transpired.
With a renewed hope and vigor for the future, the NBA took its first paddles into uncharted waters as the plan was set to resume the season on July 30th, 2020 within the confines of a structured environment. Though several teams had already locked in as postseason contenders since the shutdown occurred so late in the year (Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, etc.), many “on-the-cusp” squads (like Portland, New Orleans and Washington) still deserved the right to challenge for a playoff spot in addition to seeds being finalized for the teams that were already in which resulted in the NBA deciding that 8 more regular season games would ultimately need to be played before the playoffs started. Unfortunately, any team that wasn’t deemed to be in contention were kept out of the bubble for capacity purposes which effectively jettisoned 8 squads instantly (Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Minnesota and New York) from the festivities. With all of these head-spinning events transpiring, it was safe to say that no one had any true idea what to expect from any of this in terms of presentation and the questions arose in cascading fashion – “How is this going to work without fans?” “Is this fair to the teams that aren’t here?” “Should they just cancel the season?” …Guess we’ll just have to find out.
As July rolled around I realized just how desperate I was for NBA action when I found myself getting excited about watching scrimmages leading up to the real contests. The stadium certainly felt odd 
without thousands of fans cackling back and forth but it definitely didn’t show from the players who performed with a renewed energy befitting of the top-shelf entertainment that we’ve come to expect from the NBA. Softening the blow though was the inclusion of a brand-new (and very cool) concept known as “virtual fans” 
which simulated a live crowd experience by allowing people to show their support for their favorite squad using a simple capture device. Despite the “new normal”, it was evident right away that while these games would not be anything like what we’ve seen in the NBA before, this new experience was certainly not watered down in any way ensuring hungry fans around the world a quality result to the regular season that was so unexpectedly halted many months prior.
Immediately, several teams separated themselves in this new environment utilizing the final 8 regular season “seeding” games to appropriate themselves back into playing shape while others certainly looked rusty after an unusually long layoff. Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers (the teams with the best records in each conference pretty much all season-long) struggled a bit in the bubble for example which brought some concern from pundits after so much dominance had been displayed from the both of them leading up to this point. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns (led by rising star Devin Booker 
) went on a tear, becoming the only squad to go undefeated during this stretch (8-0) though they did fall short of reaching the final playoff spot which ultimately ended up with the Portland Trail Blazers and bubble MVP Damian Lillard 
who defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (another team who played poorly during these proceedings acquiescing to everyone below them in the standings) in a final “play-in” game. Additionally, the final positions for the 2019-20 NBA playoffs had been realized as the last touches were placed on one of the strangest seasons that I will ever remember being a part of. Overall, most of the chalk held from when everything got suspended but it was nice to have both a fair entrance to the postseason for all contending teams as well as a warm-up period for everyone to get back into the swing of things. To the playoffs…
Favorite Team Spotlight
As a lifelong Laker fan (technically since 1994), there hasn’t been a season that I can ever remember looking forward to more than this one (2019-2020). Much of the reason for this is the fact that the franchise has been mired in its worst run of repugnant mediocrity dating back to 2012 which for those of us spoiled by the usual status-quo of the purple and gold is worth two lifetimes at least! Even though Magic and LeBron 
arrived a year ago to help free us out of the pathetic basement-dwelling predicament that we were in, most of us in La-La-Laker Land had our eyes set on this season as the first time we’d be back in true championship contention as the team would be able to better construct a winning roster around the King while he integrated into his new surroundings. …And how right that was 
!
The acquisition of Anthony Davis (after a tumultuously long back-and-forth with New Orleans) paired LeBron with another superstar fit to help carry a team to a championship right now while at the same time serving as a perfect receiver of the mantle during the King’s twilight years (fingers crossed he signs long-term). This single transaction catapulted the Lakers back to the top of the NBA championship hyperbole discussion without the team even having a coach (Luke Walton 
was fired after a 3rd consecutive losing season) or a full squad around them yet which let me know my beloved beloviated hometown Showtime basketball squad was BACK! Even Kawhi Leonard flirted with the idea of signing with the Lakers (a move which would have formed the gnarliest big 3 superteam EVER 
in the history of the game before he signed with the Clippers who traded for Paul George the same night) which was enough to incite my old gluttonous super-fan imagination of multiple seasons ending with popped champagne bottles and parades – a sentimental happy place I hadn’t been able to enjoy since the old Kobe and Phil days. Despite losing out on the Klaw, GM Rob Pelinka 
assembled a quality roster around LeBron, Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma 
(including Danny Green 
, Dwight Howard 
, Avery Bradley 
and head coach Frank Vogel 
) which certainly put the Lakers square in the championship thought process as the season began.
Right away, the Lakers blasted off to a fast start as LeBron and AD played up to their billing (and then some) which eased the transition for all the new components and sped up the gelling process as the team appeared to have a familiarity with each other that was far beyond what one would expect for a first-year-together basketball squad. Plenty of intrigue was placed on the superstar pairing of the King and the Brow (and rightfully so) but the overall depth turned out to be more than I expected as dudes likes Rajon Rondo 
, Javale McGee 
, Alex Caruso 
and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 
integrated beautifully with the 2 alpha dogs at the top of the food chain. Better yet, first year coach Frank Vogel appeared to be a good fit both politically and strategically as his generally laid-back approach combined with a high defensive-acumen meshed well with the veteran-heavy Lakers roster. Even Dwight Howard (former superstar and locker-room nuisance) bought in to the new system by accepting a backup center/bench energy role with humility which reinvigorated his nearly-dead career and gave the Lakers more options down low to ease the burden off of Anthony Davis. With 2 superstars on the same page, a solid coaching staff, big-man depth and a slew of outside shooters, all the ingredients were already in place as the team shot out of a cannon to start the year and spearhead the wild Western Conference for the best record.
As the year rolled on, the Lakers continued to fend off conference rivals thanks in large part to the ascending play of LeBron James who dazzled in his 17th season averaging a career best 10.6 assists per game while clearly turning up his effort on the defensive end of the court (something Anthony Davis challenged him on when joining the team). Brilliantly orchestrating the offense as well as any point guard that’s EVER played the game, “King” James proved to be the ultimate catalyst leading the charge with an insanely dynamic combination of physical and mental prowess which no opponent could stop especially when paired with the accommodating talents of the “Brow“. Still, despite maintaining the best record in the west for most of the season, many “experts” continued to pick other teams as a bigger threat to win the title (most notably the L.A. Clippers) which was both frustrating and galvanizing. “Are we destined to fall short of winning a title with this great team?” Only time would tell.
Then, 2 events occurred which rocked the franchise on its head and drastically altered the direction of the season – Covid-19 and the subsequent cancellation of the season that followed. For weeks, no one knew if the season was even going to finish out let alone what the state of the world was going to be during this ominous pandemic which was certainly disappointing from a superficial perspective to say the least! Just had to happen when the Lakers are FINALLY good again after their most lackadaisical decade of terrible basketball ever but that’s the way it goes I suppose. During this time, I played many runs of NBA 2K20 
to cope with my nervousness about the real-life resolution that hung in the balance and just like it always has, video games provided the necessary escape which was GREATLY appreciated! Still, I awaited anxiously to hear anything positive about the outcome of this super-fun basketball year which was starting to feel like it was ours for the taking.
Luckily, news did arrive later of the NBA’s decision to indeed play out the season in a quarantined environment (more details about this in the previous segment) which made me BEYOND ecstatic! Not only would basketball be returning to help bring a peripheral distraction to the increasingly-stirring events that were shaping our “new normal”, but the Lakers could get back to the business at hand of claiming the title and thwarting the efforts of the rest of the league (ESPECIALLY Kawhi and the stowaway Clippers). Though the schedule was truncated and the site was neutral, it still felt RIGHT to see all the guys again and the competition was instantly compelling which instantly put the previous weeks of blankness out of my mind. What an undertaking also when you consider the machinations of an ENTIRE league operating in such a confined way but kudos to everyone involved from Adam Silver 
down to the water boys 
!!!
Though there was a brief “8 game restart” (see above for more general results of this) played before the postseason’s proceedings acting as a primer and final standing-decider, the Lakers had basically already wrapped up the #1 seed ensuring there addition into the championship tournament as this new dynamic duo of LeBron and AD looked to make their mark and bring shine back to the purple and gold. As round 1 started, L.A. drew the RED-HOT Portland Trail Blazers and the fearless Damian Lillard who shocked the Lakers in a game 1 upset which rallied all their haters to bark LOUDLY about a possible #8 seed upset… which was snuffed out RESOUNDINGLY during the next 4 wins for LeBron and co.! Though the Blazers played well and certainly got the Lakers attention during the series overall, you could tell that this team was starting to grasp a true understanding of their identity and potential which seems to be a common thread of collaborative mindset for a squad flirting with greatness – a welcome site indeed!
Round 2 brought one of the scariest back courts that’s ever been assembled in James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets who, just like the previous opponent, won game 1 which immediately perked up the pundits back to their “sky is falling” dribble. However, in the exact same fashion as before, LeBron and his running mates turned up the intensity which was just too overwhelming as they easily dispatched a Houston squad who just simply had a too-soft defense to contend with the Lakers. This set up the Western Conference Finals and the proposed matchup that we were ALL looking forward to – the battle of Los Angeles between the Lakers and the Clippers! Similar to my favorite season ever (1999-2000), it seemed like destiny for this round to be the absolute battle that would determine the champion as everyone looked forward to an epic series to kick-start a budding proximity rivalry. But of course right on schedule, the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead against Denver to continue their allergic perpetuation to winning as they fell short… AGAIN of reaching their first-ever conference final which has got to be demoralizing to their fans.
Despite an unpredictable opponent that prevented the glamorous marquee event that would have been LeBron and the Lakers vs. Kawhi and the Clippers, the Denver Nuggets certainly looked like a game opponent led by their prosperous duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray who both had played like monsters up to this round. Unfortunately for them though, the Lakers had reached their stride as they won the first 2 games before eventually winning the series in 5 just like they had in the previous 2 rounds before against Houston and Portland. 3 straight “gentlemen sweeps” and they’re in the Finals which was both sudden and exhilarating after such an unusual season full of “first-evers” but HELL YEAH!!! After such a long and questionable season, how SATISFYING it was to see them sitting on the perch as they awaited their Eastern Conference adversary.
Well, I don’t think anyone could have predicted that Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat would have made the run they did beating higher-seeded squads in every bracket on their way to the Finals but here we are. Much like in rounds previous, the Lakers truly seemed better in just about every way though Miami was stricken with some pretty unfortunate injuries early on in the series to cornerstones Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo which didn’t help their cause. Still, all I got to say… CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP and CHAMPPPPPPPPPPPIONSHIP 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a year, what a franchise… LONG LIVE the LOS ANGELES LAKERS!
Regular Season Standings
(Includes 8 NBA restart games added to standings for those that participated)
PACIFIC
#1
W/L: 52-19
Home: 25-10 Away: 27-9
#2
W/L: 49-23
Home: 27-9 Away: 22-14
#3
W/L: 34-39
Home: 17-22 Away: 17-17
#4
W/L: 31-41
Home: 16-19 Away: 15-22
#5
W/L: 15-50
Home: 8-26 Away 7-24
*Did not participate in NBA restart
NORTHWEST
#1
W/L: 46-27
Home: 26-11 Away: 20-16
#2
W/L: 44-28
Home: 23-14 Away: 21-14
#3
W/L: 44-28
Home: 23-12 Away: 21-16
#4
W/L: 35-39
Home: 21-15 Away: 14-24
#5
W/L: 19-45
Home: 8-24 Away: 11-21
*Did not participate in NBA restart
SOUTHWEST
#1
W/L: 44-28
Home: 24-12 Away: 20-16
#2
W/L: 43-32
Home: 20-18 Away: 23-14
#3
W/L: 34-39
Home: 20-17 Away: 14-22
#4
W/L: 32-39
Home: 19-15 Away: 13-24
#5
W/L: 30-42
Home: 15-21 Away: 15-21
CENTRAL
#1
W/L: 56-17
Home: 30-5 Away: 26-12
#2
W/L: 45-28
Home: 25-11 Away: 20-17
#3
W/L: 22-43
Home: 14-20 Away: 8-23
*Did not participate in NBA restart
#4
W/L: 20-46
Home: 11-22 Away: 9-24
*Did not participate in NBA restart
#5
W/L: 19-46
Home: 11-25 Away: 8-21
*Did not participate in NBA restart
SOUTHEAST
#1
W/L: 44-29
Home: 29-7 Away: 15-22
#2
W/L: 33-40
Home: 18-17 Away: 15-23
#3
W/L: 25-47
Home: 16-20 Away: 9-27
#4
W/L: 23-42
Home: 10-21 Away: 13-21
*Did not participate in NBA restart
#5
W/L: 20-47
Home: 14-20 Away: 6-27
*Did not participate in NBA restart
ATLANTIC
#1
W/L: 53-19
Home: 26-10 Away: 27-9
#2
W/L: 48-24
Home: 26-10 Away: 22-14
#3
W/L: 43-30
Home: 31-4 Away: 12-26
#4
W/L: 35-37
Home: 20-16 Away: 15-21
#5
W/L: 21-45
Home: 11-22 Away: 10-23
*Did not participate in NBA restart
Notable League Leaders
Scoring
James Harden
34.4 points/game
Rebounding
Andre Drummond
15.2 rebounds/game
Assists
LeBron James
10.6 assists/game
Steals
Ben Simmons
2.1 steals/game
Blocks
Hassan Whiteside
3.1 blocks/game
Award Winners
MVP
Giannis Antetokounmpo (F)
29.5 points/game
13.6 rebounds/game
5.6 assists/game
Defensive Player Of The Year
Giannis Antetokounmpo (F)
11.4 defensive rebounds/game
1.0 steals/game
1.0 blocks/game
6th Man Of The Year
Montrezl Harrell (F/C)
18.6 points/game
7.1 rebounds/game
1.1 blocks/game
Most Improved Player Of The Year
Brandon Ingram (G/F)
23.8 points/game
4.2 assists/game
6.1 rebounds/game
Rookie Of The Year
Ja Morant (G)
17.8 points/game
7.3 assists/game
3.9 rebounds/game
Playoff Results
Round 1
vs.
#8 @ #1
Game 1:100 
93
Game 2:88 111
Game 3:116 108
Game 4:135 115
Game 5:122 131
( wins series 4–1)
Round 1
vs.
#5 @ #4
Game 1: 
108 
123
Game 2: 98 111
Game 3: 107 119 (ot.)
Game 4: 114 117
Game 5: 80 114
Game 6: 100 104
Game 7: 102 104
( wins series 4–3)
Round 1
vs.
#6 @ #3
Game 1: 125 
135 (ot.)
Game 2: 124 105
Game 3: 87 124
Game 4: 127 129
Game 5: 107 117
Game 6: 119 107
Game 7: 78 80
( wins series 4–3)
Round 1
vs.
#7 @ #2
Game 1: 
110 118
Game 2: 127 114
Game 3: 130 122
Game 4: 133 135 (ot.)
Game 5: 111 154
Game 6: 111 97
( wins series 4–2)
Round 1
vs.
#8 @ #1
Game 1: 122 110
Game 2: 96 111
Game 3: 121 107
Game 4: 121 106
Game 5: 104 118
( wins series 4–1)
Round 1
vs.
#5 @ #4
Game 1: 
113 
101
Game 2: 109 100
Game 3: 115 124
Game 4: 87 99
( wins series 4–0)
Round 1
vs.
#6 @ #3
Game 1: 
101 109
Game 2: 101 128
Game 3: 102 94
Game 4: 110 106
( wins series 4–0)
Round 1
vs.
#7 @ #2
Game 1: 
110 
134
Game 2: 99 104
Game 3: 117 92
Game 4: 150 122
( wins series 4–0)
Round 2
vs.
#4 @ #1
Game 1: 112 97
Game 2: 109 117
Game 3: 112 102
Game 4: 110 100
Game 5: 96 119
( wins series 4–1)
Round 2
vs.
#3 @ #2
Game 1: 97 120
Game 2: 110 101
Game 3: 113 107
Game 4: 96 85
Game 5: 111 105
Game 6: 98 111
Game 7: 104 89
( wins series 4–3)
Round 2
vs.
#5 @ #1
Game 1: 115 104
Game 2: 116 114
Game 3: 100 115
Game 4: 118 115 (ot.)
Game 5: 103 94
( wins series 4–1)
Round 2
vs.
#3 @ #2
Game 1: 112 94
Game 2: 102 99
Game 3: 104 103
Game 4: 100 93
Game 5: 111 89
Game 6: 125 122 (ot.)
Game 7: 92 87
( wins series 4–3)
Finals
vs.
#3 @ #1
Game 1: 114 126
Game 2: 103 105
Game 3: 106 114
Game 4: 114 108
Game 5: 107 117
( wins series 4–1)
Finals
vs.
#5 @ #3
Game 1: 117 114 (ot.)
Game 2: 106 101
Game 3: 117 106
Game 4: 109 112
Game 5: 108 121
Game 6: 113 125
( wins series 4-2)
vs.
@
Game 1: 98 116
Game 2: 114 124
Game 3: 104 115
Game 4: 102 96
Game 5: 111 108
Game 6: 106 93
( wins series 4-2)
NBA Champions
NBA Finals MVP
LeBron James (F)
29.8 points/game
11.8 rebounds/game
8.5 assists/game
1.2 steals/game
0.5 blocks/game
Thanks for reading! Questions/Remarks/Suggestions?
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Alright! Indiana Pacers are getting Rick Carlisle back as coach. Do you guys think he’s going to do a good job after how he coached the Dallas Mavericks? Rick has said he wants Jason Kidd to replace him. I think Jason will make a good coach for the Mavericks as well.