2. Portland Trail Blazers
If the Raptors bowing out with grace was the best-case scenario for them, then the Portland Trail Blazers are on the other side of the coin. Decimated by injuries for much of the season before teams got to the bubble, by the time the games started up again they were essentially back to full health.
This put the Trail Blazers in an excellent position to play catch-up and try and make it into the playoffs. A goal that they achieved, and they learned a lot about themselves while they did so. The key information being that Jusuf Nurkic is hugely important to this organization and can be a difference-maker for them in certain games.
Nurkic was a beast upon his return from injury, forcing us to revisit the question on whether or not traditional centers are actually making a comeback in the league at present. Alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Trail Blazers have a top three who can at least compete with most other teams on any given night.
This is big for them too, because although Lillard is probably the only superstar in the league who appears genuine in wanting to stay with the organization for his entire career, the inability to not get to the top of the mountain can wear down even the most loyal individual. The Trail Blazers learned in the bubble that when healthy, they can be competitive in the Western Conference.
Carmelo Anthony was a nice surprise for them, somebody who was able to provide spot minutes of offensive play every so often. The way in which he speaks about Lillard and how well they appear to get on, it makes sense for the team to bring him back next season.
Although they bowed out in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers, the bubble was more of a redemption story for the Trail Blazers and one which they completed. They fought their way from way back to make the postseason ahead of younger rosters like the Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. In doing so, they showed their star player, fans and the league that they aren’t going away yet.