Figured I'd conduct a little experiment to see if I can deduct exactly what people want out of the NBA playoffs.
If someone wants to vote for one earlier than 1968, feel free to do a write-in.
I'm going to allow for multiple votes, in case you can't decide on just one.
In addition, I've listed ten of some of the most memorable postseasons ever in my estimation, all with something a little different going for them.
The top candidates, in my estimation:
1969: Starting here since the 60's featured most of the same faces and a similar end result, I may as well pick the best to represent them all. 69 was without a doubt the best.
pros:
-deepest postseason of the era, particularly in the east, where all qualifiers won between 48-57 games, with the dynasty celtics bringing up the rear.
-classic confrontation between the old guard (boston) and the future (knicks), with Russell and co. gutting out a 6-game win.
-the NBA's first true superteam, the Lakers of Wilt, West and Baylor in the west, two of them looking for their first ring
-One of the best NBA finals ever, a dramatic 7-game tilt that featured buzzer beaters, key injuries, and a storybook ending.
cons:
-west was relatively boring cakewalk for the Lakers.
-east first round was decimated by injuries, particularly the #1 seeded bullets.
-game 7 of the finals is as well known for wilt feuding with his coach in the 2nd half as it was for Boston pulling the upset.
1981:
pros:
-parity! with Magic Johnson ailing on a gimpy knee, the champion Lakers had to sit out 1981, limping into the playoffs and quickly outsted by the rockets.
-unpredictability! Western conference finals featured the #5 seed Kings and the #6 seed rockets
-drama! The Sixers/celtics conference final was one of the most historic series of all time, with the Sixers winning 3 of the first 4 games(as they had done the year before), only to have Bird lead a furious comeback that ended in a dramatic game 7 win.
-Moses Malone carrying a terrible team on his back further than maybe anyone else in NBA history.
cons:
-western conference finals were a dud. Aside from Moses Malone, the best player on either team was Otis Birdsong. And the Rockets won in five relatively easy games.
-the eastern conference finals was the only series that really mattered. With Magic's injury the only teams capable of beating the Sixers or Celtics was each other.
-finals were a little more competitive than people though but still a total mismatch and a low point in NBA viewership. The last 2 games were brutal beatdowns.
1984:
pros:
-more is better! The first year of the clean 16-team format we know today.
-Moses leads Dr. J to Cancun! The NJ Nets upsetting the defending champ sixers in the first round (winning every game in philly) still ranks as one of the biggest upsets ever.
-Isiah vs. Bernard! Maybe the best first round series of the best-of-5 era, superstars Isiah Thomas and Bernard King traded punches on two high scoring teams that couldn't stop anyone. Highlighted by Bernard's 43-point series average and Isiah's 16 points in 93 seconds late in game 5 to force overtime.
-Magic vs. Bird! Maybe the most anticipated final matchup of all time, and it lived up to the billing! dramatic back-and-forth 7-gamer between two very evenly matched juggernauts.
cons:
-lots of dud series, which also comes with the 16 team format.
-Lakers toyed with everyone out west.
-celtics had a memorable 4-3 win over Bernard and the Knicks, but slaughtered the Bucks in the ECF as a result of the sixers not being available to challenge them.
1988:
pros:
-Win or go home! Eight different playoff series were decided by a final game. The eventual champion Lakers had to win three of them.
-Bird vs. Wilkins! The epic game 7 4th quarter duel between two of the best forwards ever.
-Jordan arrives! MJ puts up back-to-back 50 point games against the cavs as he finally escapes the first round
-Oh, Isiah! The Pistons deliver a shockingly competitive finals challenge to the Lakers, including Isiah thomas emptying the chamber on a sprained ankle for 25 3rd quarter points in game 6, considered one of the best ever played.
cons:
-The Lakers and Celtics were still great, but not historically great. Frankly, the closeness of the series had a lot to do with them being burned out from meeting each other in the finals 3 out of the previous 4 years.
-The Bad boys' physical style of defense was a breath of fresh air to some, but not to others that enjoyed a most contact-free game.
1993:
pros:
-three-peat! The Bulls' historic quest to become the first team in 27 years to win 3 straight titles captured everyone's attention.
- Hakeem vs. Kemp! The best 7 game series no one talks about between two up and coming teams, Houston and Seattle.
-Sir Charles! The mercurial Suns, despite being the NBA's #1 overall seed, never had a boring series. From the first round (a 1/8 matchup they nearly lost several times) to the finals, they played entertaining games.
-MJ! Jordan had several legacy games during the 1993 postseason, including 53 against the Knicks in a must-win game 4, and 55 in the finals against the Suns in game 4 of that series.
cons:
-The Bulls looked vulnerable during the season, but flipped the switch to kill mode in the playoffs and drained the fight out of the other east teams. Both 2nd round east series were cakewalks.
-The Suns mostly created drama for themselves. They would look great one game and lifeless the next. they had a 3-5 record at home in games 1 and 2 throughout playoffs.
-The Knicks fooled everyone into thinking they could take out the Bulls with a 2-0 lead, and then totally collapsed. Only one of the final 4 games was close.
1994:
pros:
-game sevens! An NBA record five of the seven 2-4 round series went the distance, with no sweeps.
-Mutombo embraces the ball! Not only did the #8 seed cardiac Nuggets stun the world by knocking off Seattle, but they nearly pulled off another stunner in round 2 when they came back from 0-3 down to force a game 7. Their 6 elimination game wins is still an NBA record
-airtight! Jordan's retirement left a power vacuum that a half dozen different teams tried to fill. Eventually Hakeem stood atop at the end.
-drama! Houston's comeback from 0-2 to beat phoenix may have been the highlight of the postseason, but 1994 had some historic individual performances, including Reggie Miller's 25 point 4th quarter in the garden, and Charles Barkley's 55-point mosaic to finish off the warriors.
cons:
-OJ! despite a competitive finals that went the distance, it's more remembered for lousy performances, most notably John Starks building an entire house of bricks in the finals game.
-The Rockets had to win two game sevens, but it was clear Olajuwon had no real rival, and thus nobody really thought Houston had a serious rival. The only drama was getting his teammates to make enough open shots.
-Fighting. The advent of physical play led to lots and lots of brawls in multiple series, as most of the playoffs were slowed to a crawl.
1995:
pros:
-never underestimate the heart of a champion! The #6 seed rockets took out the top four seeds in the playoffs to become the lowest seeded team ever to lift the trophy.
-threeeee! moving in the 3 point line led to a stark contrast to 1994, with faster paced games and more scoring. The 1995 Magic personified this as one of the best scoring teams of all time.
-Barkley bites off more than he can chew-again: after blowing a 2-0 lead to Houston in 1994, Phoenix blows a 3-1 lead to the Rockets and loses in 7 games again.
-8 points in 9 seconds! A classic 7-game rematch of 1994 starts with Reggie stealing game 1 and ends with Ewing missing a finger roll in game 7.
-He's got my MVP! Olajuwon watches David Robinson collect the 1995 MVP trophy just before the start of the conference finals, and then proceeds to beat him over the head with it.
cons:
-poof! The young fan favorite magic team blew a 20 point lead in game 1 of the finals and then collapsed in an embarrassing 4 game sweep.
-the spurs suffered a similar disappearing act against Houston. Game 1 was a self-inflicted close loss and their final 3 losses were all blowouts.
-first round was crap. Only one series (Houston/Utah) went five games.
-Seattle losing in the first round in 1994 was an amazing story. Losing again to the Lakers in 1995 was anticlimactic and robbed us of a more compelling western conference final.
2000:
pros:
-Pacers and Bucks had one of the better first round series ever, and entertaining 3-2 win over a young and talented bucks team.
-birth of a rivalry: the Kings and Lakers go the distance in a memorable 1/8 series that saw the birth of a the best early- 00s blood feud.
-Choke! The Lakers blew a 3-1 lead to a stacked Portland team in the conference finals, only to have Portland blow a 15-point 4th quarter lead to hand the series right back to them.
-drama! The 2000 finals were easily the most entertaining of Shaq and Kobe's 3 year run, featuring a historically great game 4 that featured Kobe's coming out party as the black mamba.
cons:
-Only two game sevens, and one of them was a knicks/heat slugfest that dragged on more than it entertained.
-eastern conference lacked any really good teams aside from the pacers.
-western conference was pretty much LA, Portland and everyone else.
2006:
pros:
- A new challenger approaches! The Mavs and Heat become the first matchup between first-time finalists since 1971, culminating in a historic performance by Dwyane Wade, and a historic collapse by the Mavericks.
-The Mamba vs. the Suns: Kobe roasts the heavily favored Suns through four games, including his memorable OT game winner in game 4, only to see the Suns battle back and erase a 3-1 deficit to take the series anyway, taking game 6 in LA despite Kobe's 50 points.
-2nd round drama! Maybe the best 2nd round ever featured 21-year old LeBron in his first postseason single handily putting a scare into the #1 overall seed Pistons, taking them to 7 before losing, the Suns and Clippers going back and forth for 7 games with the Suns winning in 7, and the Mavs shocking the NBA world by blowing a 3-1 lead to the champion spurs only to go into San Antonio and win game 7 in overtime.
- frenemies: Nash against his old team in the conference finals was thrilling, with he and Dirk going back and forth. Dirk's 50 points in game 6 advances Dallas to their first final.
cons:
-foul! a very entertaining finals is marred to some because of Dwyane Wade's FT parade, and Stackhouse's poorly timed flagrant foul and subsequent suspension.
-a largely boring first round, aside from Suns/Lakers and Kings/Spurs
- heat/Pistons conference finals rematch was somewhat of a dud. Pistons were not competitive in any of the games at Miami.
2014:
pros:
-Best first round ever? a record 5 of the 8 series go to a game 7, with Heat/Cats being the only sweep of the entire postseason. The epic duel between Cp3 and Curry takes center stage.
- Blazers/Rockets do not go the full seven, but is memorable nonetheless for Lamarcus Aldridge's roasting of the heavily favored Rockets early on, and Damian Lilliard's buzzer beating prayer to win game 6 and take the series.
- 2v2: 2nd round duel between Blake/CP3 and Westbrook/Durant begins with the Clippers stealing game 1 in OKC and ends with the Thunder coming from behind to eliminate the Clippers on their home floor, in one of the better games of Kevin Durant's career.
-Bizarro finals: in one of the more remarkable finals results you'll see, the Spurs avenge their game 7 defeat from 2013 by wiping Miami off the map in record-setting fashion, earning a historic 5th ring for Duncan/Pop.
cons:
-watching Miami go down in flames, while entertaining, was ultimately anticlimactic. People kept waiting for the heat to eventually counterattack but there was no fight in them.
-top-seeded Indiana floundered through the postseason, and the east playoffs turned into a death march through Miami.
-not a single game 7 past the first round.
-serge Ibaka's injury ultimately tilted a very evenly matched western conference finals between OKC and San Antonio.
If someone wants to vote for one earlier than 1968, feel free to do a write-in.
I'm going to allow for multiple votes, in case you can't decide on just one.
In addition, I've listed ten of some of the most memorable postseasons ever in my estimation, all with something a little different going for them.
The top candidates, in my estimation:
1969: Starting here since the 60's featured most of the same faces and a similar end result, I may as well pick the best to represent them all. 69 was without a doubt the best.
pros:
-deepest postseason of the era, particularly in the east, where all qualifiers won between 48-57 games, with the dynasty celtics bringing up the rear.
-classic confrontation between the old guard (boston) and the future (knicks), with Russell and co. gutting out a 6-game win.
-the NBA's first true superteam, the Lakers of Wilt, West and Baylor in the west, two of them looking for their first ring
-One of the best NBA finals ever, a dramatic 7-game tilt that featured buzzer beaters, key injuries, and a storybook ending.
cons:
-west was relatively boring cakewalk for the Lakers.
-east first round was decimated by injuries, particularly the #1 seeded bullets.
-game 7 of the finals is as well known for wilt feuding with his coach in the 2nd half as it was for Boston pulling the upset.
1981:
pros:
-parity! with Magic Johnson ailing on a gimpy knee, the champion Lakers had to sit out 1981, limping into the playoffs and quickly outsted by the rockets.
-unpredictability! Western conference finals featured the #5 seed Kings and the #6 seed rockets
-drama! The Sixers/celtics conference final was one of the most historic series of all time, with the Sixers winning 3 of the first 4 games(as they had done the year before), only to have Bird lead a furious comeback that ended in a dramatic game 7 win.
-Moses Malone carrying a terrible team on his back further than maybe anyone else in NBA history.
cons:
-western conference finals were a dud. Aside from Moses Malone, the best player on either team was Otis Birdsong. And the Rockets won in five relatively easy games.
-the eastern conference finals was the only series that really mattered. With Magic's injury the only teams capable of beating the Sixers or Celtics was each other.
-finals were a little more competitive than people though but still a total mismatch and a low point in NBA viewership. The last 2 games were brutal beatdowns.
1984:
pros:
-more is better! The first year of the clean 16-team format we know today.
-Moses leads Dr. J to Cancun! The NJ Nets upsetting the defending champ sixers in the first round (winning every game in philly) still ranks as one of the biggest upsets ever.
-Isiah vs. Bernard! Maybe the best first round series of the best-of-5 era, superstars Isiah Thomas and Bernard King traded punches on two high scoring teams that couldn't stop anyone. Highlighted by Bernard's 43-point series average and Isiah's 16 points in 93 seconds late in game 5 to force overtime.
-Magic vs. Bird! Maybe the most anticipated final matchup of all time, and it lived up to the billing! dramatic back-and-forth 7-gamer between two very evenly matched juggernauts.
cons:
-lots of dud series, which also comes with the 16 team format.
-Lakers toyed with everyone out west.
-celtics had a memorable 4-3 win over Bernard and the Knicks, but slaughtered the Bucks in the ECF as a result of the sixers not being available to challenge them.
1988:
pros:
-Win or go home! Eight different playoff series were decided by a final game. The eventual champion Lakers had to win three of them.
-Bird vs. Wilkins! The epic game 7 4th quarter duel between two of the best forwards ever.
-Jordan arrives! MJ puts up back-to-back 50 point games against the cavs as he finally escapes the first round
-Oh, Isiah! The Pistons deliver a shockingly competitive finals challenge to the Lakers, including Isiah thomas emptying the chamber on a sprained ankle for 25 3rd quarter points in game 6, considered one of the best ever played.
cons:
-The Lakers and Celtics were still great, but not historically great. Frankly, the closeness of the series had a lot to do with them being burned out from meeting each other in the finals 3 out of the previous 4 years.
-The Bad boys' physical style of defense was a breath of fresh air to some, but not to others that enjoyed a most contact-free game.
1993:
pros:
-three-peat! The Bulls' historic quest to become the first team in 27 years to win 3 straight titles captured everyone's attention.
- Hakeem vs. Kemp! The best 7 game series no one talks about between two up and coming teams, Houston and Seattle.
-Sir Charles! The mercurial Suns, despite being the NBA's #1 overall seed, never had a boring series. From the first round (a 1/8 matchup they nearly lost several times) to the finals, they played entertaining games.
-MJ! Jordan had several legacy games during the 1993 postseason, including 53 against the Knicks in a must-win game 4, and 55 in the finals against the Suns in game 4 of that series.
cons:
-The Bulls looked vulnerable during the season, but flipped the switch to kill mode in the playoffs and drained the fight out of the other east teams. Both 2nd round east series were cakewalks.
-The Suns mostly created drama for themselves. They would look great one game and lifeless the next. they had a 3-5 record at home in games 1 and 2 throughout playoffs.
-The Knicks fooled everyone into thinking they could take out the Bulls with a 2-0 lead, and then totally collapsed. Only one of the final 4 games was close.
1994:
pros:
-game sevens! An NBA record five of the seven 2-4 round series went the distance, with no sweeps.
-Mutombo embraces the ball! Not only did the #8 seed cardiac Nuggets stun the world by knocking off Seattle, but they nearly pulled off another stunner in round 2 when they came back from 0-3 down to force a game 7. Their 6 elimination game wins is still an NBA record
-airtight! Jordan's retirement left a power vacuum that a half dozen different teams tried to fill. Eventually Hakeem stood atop at the end.
-drama! Houston's comeback from 0-2 to beat phoenix may have been the highlight of the postseason, but 1994 had some historic individual performances, including Reggie Miller's 25 point 4th quarter in the garden, and Charles Barkley's 55-point mosaic to finish off the warriors.
cons:
-OJ! despite a competitive finals that went the distance, it's more remembered for lousy performances, most notably John Starks building an entire house of bricks in the finals game.
-The Rockets had to win two game sevens, but it was clear Olajuwon had no real rival, and thus nobody really thought Houston had a serious rival. The only drama was getting his teammates to make enough open shots.
-Fighting. The advent of physical play led to lots and lots of brawls in multiple series, as most of the playoffs were slowed to a crawl.
1995:
pros:
-never underestimate the heart of a champion! The #6 seed rockets took out the top four seeds in the playoffs to become the lowest seeded team ever to lift the trophy.
-threeeee! moving in the 3 point line led to a stark contrast to 1994, with faster paced games and more scoring. The 1995 Magic personified this as one of the best scoring teams of all time.
-Barkley bites off more than he can chew-again: after blowing a 2-0 lead to Houston in 1994, Phoenix blows a 3-1 lead to the Rockets and loses in 7 games again.
-8 points in 9 seconds! A classic 7-game rematch of 1994 starts with Reggie stealing game 1 and ends with Ewing missing a finger roll in game 7.
-He's got my MVP! Olajuwon watches David Robinson collect the 1995 MVP trophy just before the start of the conference finals, and then proceeds to beat him over the head with it.
cons:
-poof! The young fan favorite magic team blew a 20 point lead in game 1 of the finals and then collapsed in an embarrassing 4 game sweep.
-the spurs suffered a similar disappearing act against Houston. Game 1 was a self-inflicted close loss and their final 3 losses were all blowouts.
-first round was crap. Only one series (Houston/Utah) went five games.
-Seattle losing in the first round in 1994 was an amazing story. Losing again to the Lakers in 1995 was anticlimactic and robbed us of a more compelling western conference final.
2000:
pros:
-Pacers and Bucks had one of the better first round series ever, and entertaining 3-2 win over a young and talented bucks team.
-birth of a rivalry: the Kings and Lakers go the distance in a memorable 1/8 series that saw the birth of a the best early- 00s blood feud.
-Choke! The Lakers blew a 3-1 lead to a stacked Portland team in the conference finals, only to have Portland blow a 15-point 4th quarter lead to hand the series right back to them.
-drama! The 2000 finals were easily the most entertaining of Shaq and Kobe's 3 year run, featuring a historically great game 4 that featured Kobe's coming out party as the black mamba.
cons:
-Only two game sevens, and one of them was a knicks/heat slugfest that dragged on more than it entertained.
-eastern conference lacked any really good teams aside from the pacers.
-western conference was pretty much LA, Portland and everyone else.
2006:
pros:
- A new challenger approaches! The Mavs and Heat become the first matchup between first-time finalists since 1971, culminating in a historic performance by Dwyane Wade, and a historic collapse by the Mavericks.
-The Mamba vs. the Suns: Kobe roasts the heavily favored Suns through four games, including his memorable OT game winner in game 4, only to see the Suns battle back and erase a 3-1 deficit to take the series anyway, taking game 6 in LA despite Kobe's 50 points.
-2nd round drama! Maybe the best 2nd round ever featured 21-year old LeBron in his first postseason single handily putting a scare into the #1 overall seed Pistons, taking them to 7 before losing, the Suns and Clippers going back and forth for 7 games with the Suns winning in 7, and the Mavs shocking the NBA world by blowing a 3-1 lead to the champion spurs only to go into San Antonio and win game 7 in overtime.
- frenemies: Nash against his old team in the conference finals was thrilling, with he and Dirk going back and forth. Dirk's 50 points in game 6 advances Dallas to their first final.
cons:
-foul! a very entertaining finals is marred to some because of Dwyane Wade's FT parade, and Stackhouse's poorly timed flagrant foul and subsequent suspension.
-a largely boring first round, aside from Suns/Lakers and Kings/Spurs
- heat/Pistons conference finals rematch was somewhat of a dud. Pistons were not competitive in any of the games at Miami.
2014:
pros:
-Best first round ever? a record 5 of the 8 series go to a game 7, with Heat/Cats being the only sweep of the entire postseason. The epic duel between Cp3 and Curry takes center stage.
- Blazers/Rockets do not go the full seven, but is memorable nonetheless for Lamarcus Aldridge's roasting of the heavily favored Rockets early on, and Damian Lilliard's buzzer beating prayer to win game 6 and take the series.
- 2v2: 2nd round duel between Blake/CP3 and Westbrook/Durant begins with the Clippers stealing game 1 in OKC and ends with the Thunder coming from behind to eliminate the Clippers on their home floor, in one of the better games of Kevin Durant's career.
-Bizarro finals: in one of the more remarkable finals results you'll see, the Spurs avenge their game 7 defeat from 2013 by wiping Miami off the map in record-setting fashion, earning a historic 5th ring for Duncan/Pop.
cons:
-watching Miami go down in flames, while entertaining, was ultimately anticlimactic. People kept waiting for the heat to eventually counterattack but there was no fight in them.
-top-seeded Indiana floundered through the postseason, and the east playoffs turned into a death march through Miami.
-not a single game 7 past the first round.
-serge Ibaka's injury ultimately tilted a very evenly matched western conference finals between OKC and San Antonio.
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