The NBA Playoffs tend to bring out the best in teams.
And they can lead to some memorable moments from stars.
And also from guys who are, for the most part, role players.
But this season, things are off balance. This year, there's been nothing but dominance.
Heavy at the Top
In terms of Net Rating (the difference between a team's points scored per 100 possessions and that team's points allowed per 100 possessions), this year's playoffs have been off-the-charts top-heavy.
For some context, the San Antonio Spurs led the NBA in Net Rating this year at 11.3. The Golden State Warriors were second at 10.7. The only two other teams with a mark above 5 were the Oklahoma City Thunder (7.5) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (6.4).
This postseason, five squads have been above that -- and way above it.
| Team | ORtg | DRtg | NetRtg | Regular Season NetRtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Spurs | 116.0 | 94.2 | 21.8 | 11.3 |
| Golden State Warriors | 113.0 | 96.0 | 17.0 | 10.7 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 121.5 | 108.2 | 13.3 | 6.4 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 115.6 | 106.3 | 9.3 | 7.5 |
| Miami Heat | 107.2 | 98.1 | 9.1 | 1.7 |
The playoff's fifth-best team by Net Rating -- the Miami Heat (9.1) -- would have ranked third in the NBA during the regular season. And this is the playoffs we're talking about.
Better yet (or worse, if you like close, competitive basketball games), these are some of the best marks in playoff history (since 1983-84 -- as far back as reliable game logs go).
| Team | Season | Net Rating | Team | Season | Net Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 2015-16 | 22.0 | San Antonio | 2013-14 | 10.1 |
| Golden State | 2015-16 | 17.1 | Orlando | 2009-10 | 10.0 |
| Los Angeles | 2000-01 | 13.8 | Cleveland | 2008-09 | 9.9 |
| Cleveland | 2015-16 | 13.4 | Los Angeles | 1984-85 | 9.4 |
| Chicago | 1990-91 | 13.3 | Denver | 2008-09 | 9.4 |
| Chicago | 1995-96 | 12.2 | Oklahoma City | 2015-16 | 9.3 |
| Los Angeles | 1986-87 | 11.4 | Miami | 2015-16 | 9.3 |
| Boston | 1985-86 | 10.4 | Utah | 1995-96 | 8.9 |
These teams own five of the top 15 playoff Net Ratings in more than 30 years.
Tougher Competition
The caveat here is that all of these other squads had to face tougher competition -- in theory -- than these teams now, which are currently only in Round 2.
But that doesn't really change too much.
The Spurs (25 Net Rating), Thunder (19.9), and Warriors (19.2) ranked 6th, 9th, and 12th, respectively, in terms of Net Rating in the first round of the playoffs in this span. The Cavs (9.9) and Heat (9.8) ranked 81st and 85th, respectively.
And two games into their conference semifinals, the Cavaliers (20.1), Spurs (16.4), and Warriors (11.7) -- sans Stephen Curry, mind you -- rank 3rd, 4th, and 19th, respectively, in Net Rating in Round 2 since the 1983-84 playoffs.
There's still time for things to even out, and when these squads start to tee off on one another, these numbers should trend down.
But even still, this is shaping up to be one of the more lopsided playoffs in the past three decades -- if not the most one-sided.