There is a saying that reads, “Form is temporary, class is permanent.”
This adage certainly rings true in the world of sport, and in any sport, form can turn in the blink of an eye. Whether it is a change in personnel, a slice of fortune, or a rude awakening, even teams at their lowest point can take control of their own destiny to drive turnarounds. In basketball, games can be won or lost at multiple points of a matchup.
Consistent momentum is particularly important in the NBA if a team is to realize their objective of reaching the NBA Finals and lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy, but in history, there have been instances where teams can flip a switch mid-season and turn their destiny around completely.
2021-22 Boston Celtics
On the face of it, losing the NBA Finals in six games to a Steph Curry-inspired Golden State Warriors team would naturally be seen as a disappointment.
However, at one point in the season, reaching the Finals itself seemed a momentous task. In recent seasons, the Celtics have featured heavily at the top of the mountain, as shown in NBA betting odds, finishing top of the heap in the 2023-24 season with a 4-1 NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
But in the 2021-22 season, the Celtics produced their most Jekyll and Hyde season to come within a whisker of tasting ultimate glory. Halfway through the regular season, Boston had a losing record of 20-21. However, what the Celtics did not know at that stage was that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were only just warming into the season.
Tatum especially picked up his game, averaging 28.3 points (49% FG, 38% 3PT, 87% FT), 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the second half of the season. In a sport of fine margins, improvement by multiple percentage points makes a difference, as proven that season with a 31-10 record in the second half to flip the first-half record on its head.
Ultimately, the Celtics came up just short, but the turnaround arguably paved the way for their eventual success two seasons later when the team claimed a record 18th title.
2016-17 Miami Heat
The 2021-22 Boston Celtics were one of the fairytale turnarounds, but for the Heat, they also put together an impressive turnaround by flipping their record upside down to set up a barnstorming finish to the 2016-17 season.
Ultimately, it was not enough to seal a playoff spot, but from a horrendous 11-30 record at the halfway point of the season, Miami turned those 30 defeats into 30 wins, with 11 defeats in the second half.
At the halfway mark, which the Heat went into with four consecutive defeats and ten losses in their last eleven games, Erik Spoelstra’s team flipped a switch to reel off 13 wins in a row with Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic leading the charge with points and assists.
Dragic was backed up by Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside, who led the league in rebounds per game (14.1) and tied for third in blocks per game (2.1).
In a season of statistical symmetry, the home and away records produced a mirror image with a 23-18 record at home matched by an 18-23 record on the road.
Since 2017, the Heat have missed the playoffs only once and reached the Finals twice, but have fallen just short both times. A six-game defeat to the LA Lakers in 2020 was followed by a five-game defeat to the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
2017-18 Utah Jazz
The elite young tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert thoroughly impressed in the 2017-18 season.
The Jazz struggled mightily in the first half, including a putrid December that saw a decent 13-11 start plummet to 16-21 by the end of the year.
Things didn’t stop there. They lost their next three to open 2018, sitting at 17-24 at the halfway mark. A win at Washington was followed by two more losses, dropping Utah nine games under .500 at 17-26.
But beginning on January 24th, things changed.
After trading their next four games to remain nine under .500 at 19-28 and 10th in the Western Conference, the Jazz began what was one of the most improbable runs in NBA history.
It started with an 11-game win streak to bring them above .500, and they never looked back, finishing with a 29-6 record in their final 35 games. They capped off this hot streak with a six-game upset win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1 of the playoffs before bowing out to the top-seeded Houston Rockets in five games.
In the gauntlet that has been the Western Conference, that is a remarkable and unprecedented swing— even if it didn’t result in a title.
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