NBA’s Decade of Shock: 10 Game-Changing Moments That Built Dynasties and Shattered Legends—From Superteam Alliances to Unthinkable Trades, Betrayals, and Last-Second Heroics, the 2010s Redefined Basketball Forever. Which Power Move Rocked the League Most—and Who Will Rise or Fall in the Next Era of NBA Chaos?

In the past decade, the NBA has witnessed a lot of shocking events throughout the basketball industry not only within the borders of the United States but also around the world. There are events that have even changed and dominated the NBA for long years.

10. Jeremy Lin’s superb performance in the New York Knicks

Jeremy Lin had a magical time in the NBA.

Jeremy Lin, the first Taiwanese-American player to play in the NBA. Lin’s career would probably never have been so well known, had it not been for the upheavals of the 2011-2012 season.

After injuries to a series of pillars in the position of defender, coach Mike D’Antoni at that time was forced to include Jeremy Lin in the starting lineup. He immediately had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists when facing star guard Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets.

The 38-point confrontation with Kobe Bryant was one of the most dazzling moments of Jeremy Lin’s career.

The absence of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire gives Lin even more opportunities to shine. He scored 38 points in Kobe Bryant’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and in the next 2 months, the defender averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 assists in each game he played. The name “Linsanity”, a pun on Lin’s name and the word “Insanity” officially appeared from that time.

Although Jeremy Lin’s later career was not too favorable, his brilliance during his months with the New York Knicks was considered an NBA phenomenon at that time.

9. Brooklyn Nets’ “disastrous” transfer mission

The transfer mission can be considered the worst of the decade of the Brooklyn Nets.

In the summer of 2013, the Brooklyn Nets, in a request to revamp the team, decided to negotiate with the Boston Celtics to bring in a hit transfer deal. They brought in three Celtics stars, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry, in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph and 3 first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

This is one of the most “disastrous” transfers the NBA has ever seen. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce almost left their peak time at the Boston Celtics, while Jason Terry was also old at the time.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were brought in by the Boston Celtics after the picks obtained from the above deal.

For nearly the next 5 years, the Nets almost sank to the bottom of the NBA standings without a significant upgrade in terms of the squad. After CEO Billy King left his seat in 2016 and Sean Marks took over, the Nets were able to squeeze their low-pick innings to rebuild the team from scratch.

On the side of the Boston Celtics, the players who were exchanged did not contribute too much to the team. But Pick’s turnovers from the Nets helped them bring in Jaylen Brown (2016) and Jayson Tatum (2017), promising stars in the coming years.

8. Ray Allen’s 3-point shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals

Ray Allen’s season-long save shot for the Miami Heat.

In Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat were leading with a total score of 2-3. Ray Allen had a 3-point throw to tie the game at 95-95 for the Miami Heat in the final seconds, helping the team win overtime and win Game 7 after that to win the championship.

However, if Ray Allen’s shot doesn’t go into the basket, NBA history will turn in a lot of new directions. The Miami Heat empire will not have a second championship nor Big-3 Chris Bosh, Dywane Wade and LeBron James will most likely disintegrate sooner than expected.

The Miami Heat Empire won its 2nd consecutive championship in 2013.

The San Antonio Spurs’ trio of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan will have their 5th championship together, surpassing every other trio in NBA history such as Magic Johnson – James Worthy – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird – Kevin McHale – Robert Parrish or Michael Jordan – Scottie Pippen – Dennis Rodman.

It can be said that Ray Allen’s 3-point shot almost saved the entire 2013 season of the Miami Heat and saved the entire empire for another year, before being defeated by the San Antonio Spurs themselves in the 2014 NBA Finals.

7. Kobe Bryant’s last match

Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his career farewell game.

Every joy will come to an end, every great career will come to an end. The 20-year journey of Kobe Bryant, one of the best players in the NBA, officially stopped during a game against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016.

Right in the farewell game of his career, the player nicknamed “Black Mamba” also set another record, when he became the oldest player in the NBA to score 60 points at the age of 37 years and 234 days.

Images that fans will no longer see after the 2016 season.

Kobe Bryant has only been loyal to 1 Los Angeles Lakers shirt for 20 years of his career. He has 5 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVP titles, 18 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP award, averages 25 points per game and ranks 3rd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list along with a series of other personal records. Not only was Kobe Bryant the greatest player in the NBA in the 2000s, but his influence on the basketball world was unparalleled.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, no one will be able to wear the number 8 and 24 jerseys anymore because simply, those 2 jersey numbers are associated with a legend.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic comeback at the 2016 NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a spectacular comeback when they were led to 1-3 in the 2016 NBA Finals.

In NBA history, the score of 3-1 has had 32 appearances in the Finals series and there has never been a team that can come back to be crowned champion. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers of 2016 can do that feat.

Facing a powerful team is the Golden State Warriors, who hold a record of 73 wins – 9 losses in the Regular Season that year. The Cavaliers quickly trailed 3-1 in the NBA Finals, but tied 3-3 shortly afterwards.

LeBron James burst into tears when he fulfilled his promise to his hometown team.

In Game 7, when the score of 89-89 was maintained by the two teams for 3 minutes, LeBron James had an important block in front of Andre Iguodala, before Kyrie Irivng threw an important 3-pointer, giving the Cavaliers the lead and then winning the championship right at the opponent’s ORACLE Arena.

Along with LeBron James’ promise of “I’ll bring the championship back to Cleveland”, their comeback will forever go down in NBA history as one of the most impressive events of the entire decade of 2010.

5. The Big-3 concept formed at the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat empire was a very difficult team to beat in the first half of the 2010s.

In the summer of 2010, the Miami Heat decided to go all out in the transfer market when they brought in Chris Bosh and superstar LeBron James to combine with Dywane Wade, forming one of the most powerful Big-3 NBA has ever seen.

With its trio of stars, the Miami Heat became a powerhouse in the first four years of the 2010s, with two championships in 2012 and 2013. Although the San Antonio Spurs stopped the “Triple Crown” in 2014, there is no denying the influence of a superstar team on the NBA in the years that followed.

The incredible chemistry of Dywane Wade and LeBron James in Miami Heat shirts.

After the 2014 season, LeBron James returned to his hometown of the Cleveland Cavaliers to fulfill his promise to this team. Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh continued to stay, but their strength was no longer maintained as before.

4. The rise and fall of the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors empire rose heroically and the way they fell was equally bitter.

After the Miami Heat empire ended in 2014, another empire formed in the West was the Golden State Warriors. Along with coach Steve Kerr and his Draft players, the “Golden Gate Bridge” quickly dominated the NBA since the 2014-2015 season with destructive power at the 3-point line and extremely scary ball turnover.

After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors immediately recruited Kevin Durant, making the team nearly unbeatable for the next two seasons.

There was a time when the Golden State Warriors dominated the NBA with their superstar roster.

However, the injuries of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the 2019 NBA Finals series dashed their hopes of winning the “Triple Crown” against the Toronto Raptors. After this season, Kevin Durant left the team, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston retired and Stephen Curry’s injury then caused the Warriors to fall without brakes in the new season.

In the current season, the team that has won the NBA 3 times in the last 5 seasons is only 9 wins – 25 losses and is increasingly moving away from the hope of winning tickets to the Playoffs.

3. Kawhi Leonard – The Overthrow of Powerful Empires

Kawhi Leonard was the one who ended the dominance of both the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors to the NBA.

In the first half of the 2010s, the NBA was dominated by the Miami Heat empire, while in the second half it was a solo show by the Golden State Warriors. Both teams are very powerful and both ended their heroic period by just one name, Kawhi Leonard.

In the 2014 NBA Finals series, the Miami Heat faced the club’s historic “Triple Crown”, while the San Antonio Spurs were very determined to reclaim the debt in the previous Finals in 2013. Kawhi Leonard’s top performance when accompanied by LeBron James was one of the main factors for Spurs’ championship, after winning against the opponent with a total score of 4-1. Kawhi Leonard himself held the title of Finals MVP that year.

Kawhi Leoanrd is happy with the 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.

In the 2019 NBA Finals, Kawhi Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to the championship for the first time in the club’s history, after overcoming the Golden State Warriors with a total score of 4-2, and at the same time stopping the “3-for-3” of Stephen Curry and his teammates. As in 2014, Kawhi Leonard continued to bring home his 2nd Finals MVP title.

With the above achievements, it can be said that Kawhi Leonard is “the destroyer of empires in the NBA”.

2. The 3-point revolution in the NBA

Stephen Curry is the NBA’s most influential player of the past decade when he changed the game of the league with his 3-point shots.

In earlier eras, basketball was dominated by the game of bigmen with superior physique. It will be very rare for NHM to witness a match with over 100 points, accompanied by collisions and much more bloody matches.

The 3-point line was introduced in 1979, but it wasn’t until the second half of the 2010s that it really became a formidable weapon. The team that pioneered the 3-point play must be mentioned Golden State Warriors, with the presence of Stephen Curry in the squad. Their offensive system always revolves around 3-point throws, making the whole basketball game change dramatically, not only in the NBA but also around the world.

The Houston Rockets are also one of the teams chasing the earliest 3-point trend in the NBA.

Besides, there is also the philosophy of Daryl Morey, the CEO of the Houston Rockets, with the idea of “throw 3 or put on the basket”. Mid-range throws require a high level of skill on players, but the performance is not as good as baskets and the number of points is not equal to a 3-point shot. In the 2018-2019 season, a team averaged 932 successful 3-pointers, almost double what they did 10 years ago (527 3-pointers).

The 3-point game makes the NBA an attractive arena of offensive basketball, when sky-high scores constantly appear on the electronic board. However, there are also many opinions that this has caused basketball to lose its “soul” since the early days of its establishment.

1. The Departure of LeBron James and Kevin Durant – The Boundary of the Great and the Traitor

The departure of Kevin Durant and LeBron James will be highly controversial.

LeBron James broke up with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Miami Heat, while Kevin Durant also gave up nine years with the Oklahoma City Thunder to move to the Golden State Warriors. The aim of both was the prestigious NBA championship ring, which they had never had at the time.

LeBron James has two championships with the Miami Heat, while Kevin Durant did the same at ORACLE Arena. They’ve got the highest thing in their careers, but to many, they’re like the most hateful traitors the NBA has seen in the last 10 years.

Despite having 2 championship trophies, Kevin Durant himself has made a bad impression in the hearts of the fans.

There are opinions that both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have their own good reasons and no one has the right to judge them for that. It is only known that these departures created two powerful empires of the NBA in the 2010s, the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors.

Later, LeBron James returned to help the Cleveland Cavaliers win the championship in 2016. And Kevin Durant will probably never have the opportunity to wear the Thunder jersey in his prime.

Photo: NBA.