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The NBA Playoffs are the toughest part of a team's championship campaign. It involves plenty of make-or-break situations that can alter the landscape. Unfortunately, even the best teams in the league fail to conquer the gold. Here are the 10 most heartbreaking NBA Playoffs eliminations, ranked.
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1. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors were coming off a historic 73-9 record during the regular season as the defending NBA champions. They dispatched their rivals in the West, including a solid 3-1 comeback in the Western Conference Finals showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With an NBA Finals rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors raced to a 3-1 series lead. Unfortunately, Golden State blew the lead. And in Game 7, the Cavs escaped with a 93-89 win to take the championship thanks to clutch plays by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. It marked the first time in league history a team blew a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
2. 2012-13 San Antonio Spurs
Entering the playoffs as the second-best team in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs were legitimate threats to deny the Miami Heat a championship repeat. In fact at one point, the Spurs were even up 3-2 in the 2013 NBA Finals. Unfortunately for the Spurs, in heartbreaking fashion, Ray Allen sunk a game-tying 3-pointer in regulation to force overtime, paving the way for a Game 7. San Antonio lost all momentum as Miami repeated as NBA champions at their expense.
3. 2018-19 Philadelphia 76ers
Since the announcement of The Process era, the Philadelphia 76ers were on the hot seat to finally win a championship. In the 2018-19 season, it looked like the Sixers were on the right path to getting the job done. However, Philadelphia took on Toronto, and in Game 7, they allowed Kawhi Leonard to sink an infamous game-winning basket that bounced on the rim four times to break the hearts of Philly fans, which sent star Joel Embiid to tears.
4. 2001-02 Sacramento Kings
In the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers battled it out. The series reached a grueling seven games, and the Kings were closer than ever to book a trip to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the playoff clash was also marred by controversies, as poor officiating played a huge role in sending Sacramento home ringless.
5. 1999-00 Portland Trail Blazers
In another Western Conference Finals showdown involving the Lakers, this happened in the 2000 NBA playoffs when Arvydas Sabonis and the Portland Trail Blazers held a 15-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of Game 7. Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal pieced together a miraculous comeback, breaking the hearts of Rip City fans, en route to the Lakers' first title together as part of a three-peat.
6. 2015-16 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were raring for a return to the NBA Finals since 2012. And at the 2016 Western Conference Finals, they came excruciatingly close after holding a commanding 3-1 lead over the 73-9 Warriors. But the Warriors forced Game 7, and then Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson conspired for a hot-shooting performance that completed the comeback, ultimately ending Kevin Durant's tenure with OKC.
7. 1986-87 Detroit Pistons
With the series tied at 2-2 in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, the race to the NBA Finals was wide open between the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. While the Pistons got a stop in the fourth quarter when holding a one-point lead, a clutch steal by Larry Bird resulted into one of the most iconic plays that allowed the Celtics to steal Game 5 with a 108-107 win. Boston went on to dispatch the Pistons in seven games.
8. 1993-94 Seattle Supersonics
Fresh from a deep playoff run, the Seattle Supersonics, led by Shawn Kemp, were one of the favorite contenders to win the title after the Chicago Bulls completed a three-peat with Michael Jordan temporarily retired. The 63-19 Supersonics looked like a fearsome contender, at least after the first two games of the playoffs.
They held a 2-0 advantage at the first round of the playoffs before the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets stormed back into the series to take the final three games to deny Seattle a deep playoff run in shocking fashion. It marked the first time in NBA history an eight seed sent the first seed home in the first round.
9. 2018-19 Golden State Warriors
The Warriors mounted a dynasty that saw them capture back-to-back NBA titles after the arrival of Kevin Durant. In another dominant season, Golden State was in perfect position to complete a three-peat of their own. Unfortunately, the Raptors were in their way. Led by Kawhi Leonard, the Warriors were dismantled in six games. Both Klay Thompson and Durant suffered career-threatening injuries that changed the complexion of the series that the Warriors couldn't recover from.
10. 2011-12 Chicago Bulls
A season after becoming the youngest NBA MVP in history, Derrick Rose was poised to take the Chicago Bulls to new heights. In fact, he had just led the Bulls to the top seed in the East with a 50-16 record. Unfortunately, in Game 1 of the First Round, Chicago had a commanding lead but left Rose on the floor only for him to suffer a serious knee injury that derailed his career. Since then, the Bulls weren't the same as the eight-seeded Philadelphia 76ers capitalized on his absence to eliminate the top seed in the East.
