Six Times NBA Teams Started Poorly But Still Made the Playoffs

The NBA season can be a long and grueling journey. It starts in October and lasts all the way until June. Over those eight months, teams face plenty of ups and downs. Sometimes, however, the lows can be quite low.

Injuries, chemistry issues, and team slumps can all conspire to put a squad in a deep hole early in the season. But as history has shown us, there’s always a chance to dig out of that hole and make a playoff push. Just take a look at LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers.

King James Comes In Clutch

Last season, the record 17-time NBA champions were struggling throughout the early part of the season. In fact, as late as January, the Crypto.com Arena outfit was way down in the conference, languishing with a paltry 15-21 record and any playoff hopes seemed to be extinguished already. However, led by the maverick King James, the SoCal side managed to rally throughout the second half of the campaign. they recovered to a record of 43-39 and victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves secured their spot in the postseason. Once there, the ever-clutch LeBron took over

His exploits secured victories against the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies and the dynasty-like reigning champion Golden State Warriors. That set up a date with Nikola Jokic and his top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the Conference Finals. But unfortunately for LeBron, the Joker had too much to handle. Denver ran out 4-0 winners, before knocking off the Miami Heat 4-1 to secure a maiden Larry O’Brien Championship trophy. The bookmakers expect them to repeat the act this term, with NBA lines making the Nuggets +400 second favorites for glory, just behind the Boston Celtics.

But last season’s Lakers aren’t the only team to have rallied after a poor start to the campaign to head deep into the postseason. Let’s take a look at some other times that happened.

1996-97 Phoenix Suns

After 32 games, the Suns found themselves with a record of just 8-24. It was looking like a lost season for the team, but then they caught fire. Led by Steve Nash and a cast of supporting players, the Suns went 28-10 over their final 38 games to finish with a record of 36-46. That was good enough for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and the Suns even managed to push the second-seeded Seattle SuperSonics to five games in the first round of the playoffs.

1997-98 New York Knicks

This Knicks squad started out the season 21-21, which for any other team might not be a terrible record, but for the Knicks, it was subpar. However, they went on a tear in the second half of the season, finishing with a 43-39 record and making the playoffs as the eighth seed. They even went on to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

2008-09 Chicago Bulls

The Bulls were supposed to be a playoff team heading into the 2008-09 season, but things didn’t quite go according to plan. After 41 games, the team was sitting at just 18-23. But then they rallied, going 27-14 over their final 41 games to finish with a record of 45-37. That was good enough for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls even managed to take a game off the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder

In just their second season since moving from Seattle, the Thunder got off to a sluggish start in 2009-10. After 25 games, they were just 11-14 and on the outside looking in when it came to the playoff chase. But then Kevin Durant went into overdrive.

He averaged 30.1 points per game over his final 57 contests, leading the Thunder to a 38-19 record over that span. Oklahoma City finished the season with a record of 50-32 and the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

2014-15 New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans had high hopes heading into the 2014-15 season after trading for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. But things got off to a rocky start. After 50 games, New Orleans had a record of just 27-23 and were on the outside looking in when it came to the playoff picture.

But then they won 13 of their next 16 games to vault back into the race. They finished the regular season with a record of 45-37, good enough for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They were swept in four games by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

2018-19 Brooklyn Nets

The Nets were in the midst of a lengthy rebuilding process heading into the 2018-19 season. They weren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot, especially after getting off to a terrible start. After 25 games, they were just 8-17. But then something clicked.

Led by D’Angelo Russell, the Nets went 34-22 over their final 56 games to finish with a record of 42-40. That was good enough for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Nets even managed to take a game off the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.