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The NBA playoffs are one of the most exciting times in every NBA season. It's where the men separate themselves from the boys and where legends are made. And while the 2023 playoffs have given fans a lot to remember in terms of upsets, including the Miami Heat becoming just the 6th team in NBA history to defeat a No.1 seed, it didn't make the list as one of the most impressive upsets of all time. In fact, only one of those six teams made it on this list.
Without further ado, here are the three greatest upsets in NBA playoffs history.
Playoff upsets that were impressive but couldn't make the list
- 8th seed Denver Nuggets defeating the No.1 seed Seattle Supersonics in the 1994 playoffs.
- 7th seed Seattle Supersonics defeating the No.2 Dallas Mavericks in four games during the 1989 playoffs.
- 2nd seed Houston Rockets defeating the No.1 seed Los Angeles Lakers in the 1986 conference finals.
- 8th seed Memphis Grizzlies defeating the No.1 seed San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 playoffs.
3. Denver Nuggets overcoming a 3-1 deficit vs the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020
When the Nuggets went down 3-1 for a second straight series, most people thought their luck run out. Experts were already drooling at the possibility of the first-ever matchup between the Clippers and Lakers in the playoffs after both teams held a 3-1 lead in their respective series heading to game 5.
For a brief moment in games five through 7, it seemed like the fans were about to get their wish granted. The Clippers had an average lead of 10 heading into the 2nd half of each of those 3 games, but Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had other plans. But if you want to pin this collapse more on the Clippers' offense or the Nuggets' defense, that's valid too. What most people don't know is Kawhi Leonard and Paul George shot 18/65 (27.7% ) combined in those three games. The Nuggets' magical playoff run would come to an end in the next series though, losing to the eventual NBA champions.
2. 8th seed ‘We Believe' Warriors beating the top seed Dallas Mavericks in 2007
Most teams coming off a finals loss are usually out for vengeance the next season. Dirk Nowitzki had the greatest season of his career, the Mavericks had the best record in the league, and in the first round of the playoffs, they faced a team that hadn't been to the postseason in 13 years. A trip to the finals, or at least the 2nd round, was a foregone conclusion. However, the Warriors had swept the season series against the Mavericks that year and had the Mavs' former coach Don Nelson.
When the Warriors won game 1 on the road, the Mavs were starting to feel the pressure. When the series shifted to the Oracle Arena, the atmosphere was unlike any other. The Mavericks would go on to lose all three road games that series and became the first no.1 seed to lose to an 8th seed in a seven-game series.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers overcoming a 3-1 deficit vs the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 finals
Consider this the upset of all upsets. After game 4, the Warriors were heavy favorites to win the title and cap off the greatest season in NBA history.
After all, the team with a 3-1 lead in the finals back then would go on to win the series 35 straight times. And of the 280 playoff series that went 3-1, 95.4% of teams with the series lead go on to win. If it weren't for Klay Thompson calling out LeBron for saying his ‘feelings got hurt' or Draymond Green getting suspended for game 5, it could've been a totally different story.
But to this day, only one team has ever lost the finals after being up 3-1. That team just so happens to be the 73-9 Warriors.
