NBA: 5 teams that surpassed expectations during the 2018-19 season

With the 2018-19 NBA regular season winding down, we take a look at five teams that managed to surpass expectations this year

As the 2018-19 NBA season quickly comes to an end, in less than a week, it’s only natural to begin to start looking back at how each of the teams handled expectations – in a great manner or not – and how a few surpassed them far and away.

This, of course, is slated to be a more positive looking piece – we will get to the more Debby downer side of the season next week. However, based on their respective expectations entering this season, there were more than a few teams that managed to surpass what everyone expected of them during the regular season.

Before we jump into the five teams that deserve to be recognized for doing so during the 2018-19 regular season, let’s take a look at a couple honorable mentions first.

San Antonio Spurs – It might be a little weird to see a team like the San Antonio Spurs on the honorable mentions list, but there were many talking heads (including myself) that simply didn’t expect them to qualify for the playoffs this season. After losing Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs are right back in the playoffs, though, proving me and a whole lot of other people wrong.

Orlando Magic – The Orlando Magic might end this season in the playoffs, and even though they reside in the much weaker Eastern Conference, not many expected the Magic to even be in the playoff conversation. Nevertheless, with less than a week remaining in the regular season, they’re very much in the mix.