Ranking the Easiest NBA Title Paths Since 2010
David KenyonFeatured Columnist IVJune 18, 2024Ranking the Easiest NBA Title Paths Since 20100 of 7
Jaylen Brown and Jayson TatumDanielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
No matter how an NBA championship is earned, the banner hangs the same. Winning a title is both the ultimate goal and the greatest prize for players and coaches around the league.
Also, it’s fair to acknowledge that no path is identicalāand some, quite simply, are relatively easier.
For example, the Boston Celtics just toppled the Dallas Mavericks to claim the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston managed to avoid taking on a top-three seed throughout the entire postseason.
Don’t throw stones just yet, Boston fans. One year earlier, the Denver Nuggets had an even more favorable path to a ring.
The order is subjective because it needs to also account for injuries. However, the bulk of the ranking is based on a champion’s list of their opponents’ regular-season winning percentage and playoff seed.
7. 2010 Los Angeles Lakers1 of 7
Kobe BryantPhoto by Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.63
Opponent average seed: 5
On the road to the final championship of Kobe Bryant’s career, the Los Angeles Lakers played four 50-win teams. That sentence, in a vacuum, might make it seem unfair that Los Angeles is included.
But the Lakers never played the best teams.
Look, they’re not supposed to apologize for that. It’s not Los Angeles’ fault the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks and fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets lost in the opening round or that the Cleveland Cavaliersāthe No. 1 team in the Eastern Conferenceādidn’t survive the second round.
That’s the long version of saying the Lakers took on the No. 3 Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals and No. 4 Boston Celtics in a seven-game NBA Finals.
Not an easy stretch, but definitely not a gauntlet.
6. 2021 Milwaukee Bucks2 of 7
Giannis AntetokounmpoJesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.62
Opponent average seed: 3.75
Giannis Antetokounmpo guided the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks to the third seed in the East with a 46-26 record. They quickly swept the sixth-seeded Miami Heat out of the postseason.
Starting in the second round, injury misfortune helped Milwaukee.
Kevin Durant played the whole series for the Brooklyn Netsāand nearly eliminated the Bucks in Game 7. Brooklyn, though, dealt with an inconsistent lineup; James Harden missed Games 2-4, and Kyrie Irving was unavailable for Games 5-7. For good measure, Jeff Green didn’t play in Games 1-3.
Milwaukee advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a six-game series. It certainly didn’t hurt that Trae Young sat in Games 5-6 (after Cam Reddish missed Games 1 and 3).
Second-seeded Phoenix had a healthy group for the NBA Finals, so the Bucks closed the postseason with a strong win.
5. 2015 Golden State Warriors3 of 7
Stephen CurryNathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.64
Opponent average seed: 4.25
Injuries, injuries, injuries. That’s one piece of the story to the Golden State Warriors’ first championship run.
Although the New Orleans Pelicansāled by 22-year-old Anthony Davisācompeted well despite a sweep, they missed Jrue Holiday in Game 2. The second-round triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies included Mike Conley sitting Game 1 and Tony Allen not playing Game 5.
Not convincing enough? Hold on tight.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Houston Rockets didn’t have starters Patrick Beverley or Donatas Motiejunas. Then, the Cleveland Cavaliers missed Kevin Love for the entire NBA Finals as Kyrie Irving spent the last five contests of the six-game series on the sideline.
Golden State completely deserved the title and found itself thoroughly on the preferred side of injury woes. Both can be true.
4. 2013 Miami Heat4 of 7
Dwyane Wade and LeBron JamesIssac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.58
Opponent average seed: 4.5
The end? Extremely difficult. During the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat escaped the San Antonio Spurs thanks to Ray Allen’s memorable three-pointer in Game 6 that sparked a couple of title-sealing wins.
The beginning was a different story.
Miami earned the East’s top spot, while the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks posted a 38-44 record in the regular season. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that the series ended in a sweep.
After bouncing the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls in the second round, the Heat squeaked past the Danny Granger-less Indiana Pacers in a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. Both the Bulls and Pacers had the benefit of playing the whole season (essentially, in Indiana’s case) without those stars, but their absences still helped Miami.
Recovering from a 3-2 deficit opposite such a strong San Antonio squad at least made this a well-earned championship for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat.
3. 2020 Los Angeles Lakers5 of 7
LeBron James and Anthony DavisAndrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.58
Opponent average seed: 5
The context of the 2020 postseasonāheld in the Orlando bubbleāhas clouded the conversation around this championship. There was a four-month layoff, no home-court advantage and so on.
A ring is a ring, nevertheless.
Los Angeles, which topped the Western Conference at 52-19, began the playoffs with the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers. Even beyond the Blazers’ 35-39 record, key wing Trevor Ariza opted out of playing in the bubble and All-Star guard Damian Lillard missed Game 5 of the series.
Now, the middle portion for LeBron and Co. featured nice victories over the Rockets and Nuggets. No asterisks there, really.
Fifth-seeded Miami advanced to the NBA Finals, but injuries held back the Heat in a competitive series. Goran Dragic sat Games 2-5, and Bam Adebayo couldn’t play in Games 2 or 3. At full strength, Miami absolutely could have taken down the Lakers.
2. 2024 Boston Celtics6 of 7
Jayson TatumChina Wong/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.58
Opponent average seed: 5.75
As if the 64-win Celtics needed a boost, their opponents dealt with plenty of injury problems in the postseason.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler sat in Game 5 of the first round. Next, the Cavaliers didn’t have Jarrett Allen for the whole series as Donovan Mitchell was unavailable for Games 4 and 5āand Caris LaVert missed Game 5.
But wait, like any TV advertisement, there’s more.
Sixth-seeded Indiana made the Eastern Conference Finals after clipping the injury-riddled New York Knicks, only to see All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for Games 3 and 4 of a sweep.
Luka DonÄiÄ and the Dallas Mavericks, the No. 5 team in the West, won one game in blowout fashion but were overmatched in a five-game Finals. Boston, one of the most dominant regular-season teams in recent history, finished its playoff run 16-3 for the franchise’s 18th championship.
The title path opened up in a rare way, and Boston was overpowering. Both can be true.
1. 2023 Denver Nuggets7 of 7
Nikola JokicJamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images
Opponent average winning percentage: 0.53
Opponent average seed: 6.75
By any metric, the Nuggets are the obvious top choice.
No champion in our timeline faced opponents with a lower combined winning percentage or worse average seed in the playoffs. All four of Denver’s foes registered no more than 45 regular-season wins.
One more reminder: This is not a criticism of the banner-hoisting team. In fact, Nikola JokiÄ and Jamal Murray spearheaded an impressive 16-4 run through the postseason to secure the franchise’s first NBA title.
Still, the Nuggets met three of the four combined seventh or eighth seedsāincluding Miami, the East’s last playoff qualifier.
Denver otherwise took on the No. 4 Phoenix Suns in the second round, and an injury sidelined Chris Paul for Games 3-6. Phoenix won twice without him but couldn’t sustain it, and the Nuggets took advantage of his absence on the way to a championship.
