NBA 2020-2021 Standings: Which Teams Dominated the Season?

As I look back at the 2020-2021 NBA season, what strikes me most isn't just which teams finished where, but how dramatically the landscape shifted in this unusual pandemic-affected year. Having followed the league for over two decades, I've rarely seen such volatility in team performances, with traditional powerhouses struggling while unexpected contenders emerged. The season's compressed schedule and bubble environment created conditions where depth and coaching truly mattered more than star power alone.

The Western Conference delivered exactly the kind of drama we've come to expect, though with some surprising twists. The Utah Jazz, frankly, shocked me by finishing with the league's best record at 52-20 - a winning percentage of .722 that would be impressive in any normal season. Their system basketball and three-point barrage under Quin Snyder proved more effective than I'd anticipated. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns' 51-21 record represented one of the season's great turnaround stories, with Chris Paul elevating the young core in ways that exceeded even my optimistic projections. The Lakers and Clippers both finished with solid 47-25 records, though neither dominated the regular season as many expected. What surprised me was Denver's consistency - finishing third at 47-25 despite Jamal Murray's devastating injury showed remarkable resilience.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers' 49-23 record gave them the top seed, though I remain skeptical about their playoff viability. Joel Embiid was magnificent, but their reliance on him worries me for deep postseason runs. The Brooklyn Nets' 48-24 record doesn't tell the full story of their offensive firepower - when healthy, they were clearly the most talented team in basketball, though health proved elusive throughout the season. Milwaukee's 46-26 record felt somewhat disappointing given their championship aspirations, and I suspect Coach Budenholzer was already looking toward playoff adjustments during the regular season.

The play-in tournament added an intriguing dynamic to the standings race, with several teams jockeying for position in ways we haven't seen before. The Warriors finishing 39-33 and landing in the play-in tournament created must-watch television, though I personally believe the play-in format, while exciting, somewhat devalues the 82-game regular season grind. The Memphis Grizzlies at 38-34 showed the kind of young, exciting basketball that makes me optimistic about small-market teams' ability to compete.

Looking at teams that missed expectations, the Miami Heat's 40-32 record and sixth-place finish surprised me given their bubble performance. The Celtics at 36-36 never found their rhythm, and frankly, watching them struggle through inconsistency was frustrating for someone who appreciates well-executed basketball. The Dallas Mavericks' 42-30 record felt like underachievement given Luka Doncic's brilliance, though their defensive improvements down the stretch impressed me.

The international perspective always interests me, and thinking about teams like Meralco improving to 6-5 as it capped its elimination round campaign reminds us that basketball excellence isn't confined to the NBA. While different leagues operate under different structures, the fundamental truth remains: consistent performance through a season's grind separates contenders from pretenders. In the NBA context, teams like the New York Knicks' surprising 41-31 record and fourth-place finish demonstrated how quickly fortunes can change with the right coaching and player development.

Statistical dominance told an interesting story beyond wins and losses. The Jazz led the league in point differential at +9.2, which historically correlates strongly with playoff success, though I have my doubts about their ability to maintain that against elite postseason defenses. The Nets' offensive rating of 117.3 was historically great, confirming what my eyes told me watching their games - they were virtually unstoppable when their stars shared the court.

Reflecting on the entire standings picture, what stands out to me is how the middle class of NBA teams compressed. The difference between the fourth seed and the tenth seed in both conferences was narrower than I can recall in recent memory, creating incredible parity but also making strategic resting and load management more complicated for coaches. The San Antonio Spurs finishing 33-39 yet making the play-in tournament shows how the league's structure is evolving.

As we look toward future seasons, the 2020-2021 standings may represent a transitional period in the NBA landscape. The dominance of veteran teams is giving way to younger cores, and the financial implications of the pandemic may accelerate this transition. Personally, I find this evolution exciting - watching teams like the Suns and Hawks rise while established powers recalibrate creates the kind of uncertainty that makes regular season basketball compelling throughout all 82 games. The standings tell us who finished where, but they can't capture the journey each team took to get there - and that journey, with all its unexpected turns, is what keeps me coming back season after season.