I still remember that sweltering July afternoon in 2019, sitting in a sports bar just off the Las Vegas Strip with the AC struggling against the desert heat. The place was buzzing with anticipation for a fight that hadn't even been announced yet - whispers of Manny Pacquiao considering another championship run. I was nursing a cold beer while watching NBA summer league highlights on the screen above the bar, my mind drifting back to the incredible season that had just concluded. That's when it hit me - we'd just witnessed one of the most unpredictable NBA campaigns in recent memory, and I found myself wanting to take a look back at the NBA 2019 standings and final season results while waiting for the next big boxing spectacle.
The bartender, a grizzled fellow named Mike who'd seen every major fight since the 90s, leaned over and said something that stuck with me. "You know," he began, wiping down the counter with practiced movements, "LAS VEGAS - Sean Gibbons believes that the upcoming World Title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios will be a match that will be talked about in years to come." He paused for effect. "But honestly, that NBA finals we just had? That's going to be talked about too. Kawhi Leonard bringing a championship to Toronto - nobody saw that coming at the start of the season." He was absolutely right. The 2018-2019 NBA season had been full of surprises that would indeed be discussed for years, much like Gibbons predicted the Pacquiao-Barrios bout would be.
I remember opening my laptop right there at the bar, the condensation from my glass threatening to seep into the keyboard. The Eastern Conference standings told such a compelling story - Milwaukee finishing with the best record in the league at 60-22, Giannis Antetokounmpo having his MVP season while leading the Bucks to that dominant performance. And Toronto right behind them at 58-24, methodically building toward their championship run. What amazed me was how Philadelphia finished with 51 wins but ended up losing to Toronto in that heartbreaking Game 7 when Kawhi's shot bounced four times on the rim before dropping through the net. I can still feel the tension of watching that moment - the ball seeming to hang in the air forever before deciding the series.
Out West, the story was even more dramatic. Golden State, despite all their injuries and drama, still managed to secure the top seed with 57 wins. But Denver at 54-28 was the real surprise package - Nikola Jokic leading that young team to within a game of the Western Conference finals. What sticks in my memory though is Portland grinding out 53 wins and making that unexpected run to the conference finals, with Damian Lillard hitting that iconic 37-foot buzzer-beater against Oklahoma City in the first round. I nearly spilled my drink jumping up when that shot went in - one of those moments where you just know you're witnessing history.
The playoffs themselves felt like something straight out of a Hollywood script. Toronto's path to the championship included getting past a 60-win Milwaukee team after being down 2-0 in the conference finals, which nobody thought they could do. And Golden State's injury woes during the finals - first Kevin Durant going down, then Klay Thompson tearing his ACL in Game 6. I've been watching basketball for twenty years, and I've never seen a finals so affected by injuries to star players. The Raptors winning in six games felt both surprising and inevitable by the end - Kawhi playing like a man possessed throughout the postseason, averaging 30.5 points per game while putting together one of the greatest individual playoff runs I've ever witnessed.
What made that season particularly memorable for me was how it contrasted with the predictable dominance we'd seen from Golden State in previous years. The league felt more open, more competitive, with unexpected teams rising to challenge the established order. The standings reflected this new reality - only three teams winning 60 or more games compared to four the previous season, and the gap between top seeds and middle-tier playoff teams narrowing considerably. I remember thinking at the time that we might be witnessing a shift in how NBA power was distributed, and subsequent seasons have proven that intuition correct.
Sitting in that Vegas bar, with fight talk swirling around me and basketball highlights playing on screen, I realized how both sports create these indelible moments that become part of our collective memory. Gibbons was right about certain fights becoming legendary, but the same is true for NBA seasons like 2019. The image of Kawhi's shot bouncing on the rim, the Warriors' dynasty crumbling due to injuries, Toronto's entire nation celebrating their first championship - these are the moments that define sports seasons and make looking back at the standings more than just reviewing numbers. They become portals to reliving the drama, the unexpected twists, and the sheer human achievement that makes sports worth watching. That 2019 NBA season, with its surprising standings and unforgettable playoff results, will indeed be talked about for years to come, much like the legendary fights that make Vegas the fight capital of the world.