It has been quite the start to the 2020-2021 NBA season to say the least. A lot has happened that many never would have predicted coming into the season. Obviously, Coronavirus has been a strong factor in making this year the way it is. But, let’s take a look at some things that have really caused this season to be so strange.

Unexpected Wins and Losses

It’s normal to see a few losses from teams that were heavily favored in a game. However, the number of victories from favored teams this year seems to be a lot less as compared to last season. Teams may still be trying to piece things together, but you would think roughly 15 games is enough time to figure things out. Here are just a few examples of some unexpected wins:

• Wednesday, January 20: Cavaliers beat the Nets 147-135
• Sunday, January 17: Knicks beat the Celtics 105-75
• Monday, January 11: Hawks beat the 76ers 112-94
• Tuesday, January 5: Bulls beat the T-blazers 111-108
• Tuesday, December 29: Kings beat the Nuggets 125-115

Blowout Victories

The number of blowout victories thus far has been far more than expected. Let’s just go ahead and classify a “blowout victory” as a game decided by 15 or more points. So far, 206 games have been played (not including games that got postponed). Out of those 206 games, 66 have been decided by a margin of 15 or more points. That’s a whopping 32 percent!

Some of these games could have been somewhat guessed that the game wouldn’t be a close contest. But, others came to a surprise. Dallas’s 50 point win over the Clippers on December 27th is one of those. All this goes without mentioning the games where teams have a clear win and decide to bring in their bench. Eventually, not ending in a 15+ point win.

Teams Exceeding/Not Living Up to Their Expectations

There have been some shocking records coming from teams that I, personally, wouldn’t have thought to be doing so well. There are also records from teams that I thought would be at the top of their conference. The top 5 teams that have surprised me the most are:

• 1. Toronto Raptors (5-9)
• 2. Utah Jazz (10-4)
• 3.Miami Heat (6-7)
• 4. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7)
• 5. Denver Nuggets (7-7)

This list is debatable, and there are more teams that have outplayed what they were predicted to be. Overall, this NBA season has been unpredictable in various ways. Hopefully we start to see teams get back on track while also seeing more competitive games.