Heat, Nuggets top recent runs after the NBA All-Star break
The NBA is back in full swing after the All-Star break, which means it’s time for a final playoff push.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder hold the top seed in their respective conferences. They entered the All-Star break with identical records at 44-10, tying for the best record in the league.
Other squads are still jockeying for position in the standings. The Detroit Pistons entered the break over .500 — the first time they were at or above that mark since the 2017-18 season — and could secure a top-six seed. Six teams in the Eastern Conference are hovering around the four play-in spots, including the Philadelphia 76ers on the outside looking in.
Could either of those squads put together a post-All-Star-break surge for momentum heading into the postseason?
History shows that a strong post-All-Star surge can be a game-changer. With that in mind, here’s a look at the five best records after the break since the 2000-01 season.
Miami Heat, 2013
Record before/after All-Star break: 36-14/30-2
Miami had already been on a heater after winning seven straight games heading into the 2012-13 break. But it came out scorching, notching 20 straight wins to push its winning streak to 27, the second-longest single-season winning streak in NBA history.
The Heat also had the best win percentage after an All-Star break in NBA history. It led to a 66-16 record, good enough for first in the East and a franchise record for single-season wins.
Miami’s strong regular season carried over in the playoffs. It won its second straight title led by the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. James won his second consecutive MVP award and was one vote shy of being unanimous.
Denver Nuggets, 2005
Record before/after All-Star break: 24-29/25-4
Denver hosted All-Star Weekend in 2005, but its team wasn’t in the best form heading into it.
The Nuggets sat at 10th in the Western Conference with a 24-29 record. Head coach Jeff Bzdelik was fired after a 13-15 start. Interim Michael Cooper had a 4-10 run before Denver hired George Karl on a full-time basis on Jan. 28, 2005.
Karl righted the ship after the break, leading the Nuggets to nine straight wins. They finished with a 49-33 record as the Western Conference’s seventh seed. Carmelo Anthony played a key role in that run, finishing with the second-highest points per game average in the league after the NBA All-Star break that season.
Denver faced the eventual defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round and was eliminated in a five-game series.
Denver Nuggets, 2013
Record before/after All-Star break: 33-21/24-4
Eight years after the Nuggets’ impressive second-half run in 2005, they nearly replicated it.
From Feb. 23 to March 23, Denver put together a franchise-record 15 straight wins. Ironically, Karl was at the helm for both of the Nuggets’ post-break surges.
They finished 57-25 (.695), the best record in NBA history for a team without an All-Star player that season. Denver, however, lost in six games in the first round to the Golden State Warriors. The franchise fired Karl after the season despite him winning Coach of the Year.
Chicago Bulls, 2011
Record before/after All-Star break: 38-16/24-4
Derrick Rose’s MVP-winning campaign included a strong finish to the season. Chicago hit a second gear to go from third in the East to first with a 62-20 record.
The Bulls’ defense and Rose were key reasons for the run. Rose averaged 25.3 points per game after the All-Star break, the most by a Bulls player since Michael Jordan. In turn, Chicago allowed 89.2 points per game after the break, the fewest by any NBA team post-All-Star since the 2007-08 Spurs.
That momentum led to an Eastern Conference finals run when the Heat beat the Bulls in five games. The conference finals appearance is still Chicago’s only one since the Jordan era ended.
Houston Rockets, 2018
Record: 21-4
Win percentage: .840
Houston had been rolling all season. That escalated during the second half.
The Rockets won 18 of their next 19 games en route to a 65-17 record and .793 win percentage — a franchise record. It coincided with an MVP season from James Harden, who averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds.
Houston reached the Western Conference finals but fell in seven games to the Warriors, memorably missing 27 straight 3-pointers in Game 7.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
Source: espn.com