This was just an unusual year.
The seeds in the West didnt matter this year in the least. This year the difference between the #3 seed and the #10 seed in the West was 6 wins. The Wolves, Lakers & Suns were a tougher road than a 8, 4, 7 in any other season. In most other seasons the difference between #3 and #10 is going to be 10-15 wins.
And Miami was a fluke 8 seed too. They had the most wins in the East just last year with basically the exact same roster. Their run was mildly surprising but certainly not a complete shock.
....
The Nuggets didnt have to top a powerhouse to get the title that is for sure. But that is really mostly due to a new level of parity in the league. Been like that for a good 5 years now too. Basically when Durant and Thompson both got hurt in what I think was back to back games IIRC started a new era of NBA basketball that continues to this day which is mostly defined by for lack of a better word parity (it's such a dirty word in sports right now that I dont want to use it).
Yeah, folks using the "easy path" argument either haven't been paying attention, are casuals who don't know basketball or they're just trying to diminish the Nuggets title.
The Lakers were not a normal 7 seed. They had the 2nd best record in the league after the All-Star break. If they have the same roster all season, they are likely in the hunt for the #1 seed. The Heat weren't a normal 8 seed either.
While their rankings said 7th and 8th...the quality of those 2 teams was much higher.