This year’s NBA postseason is shaping up to be the best we’ve seen in years. Fans expected we’d get Cavs-versus-Warriors 4.0 come June, but an unpredictable regular season has thrown everything out of whack.
The injury bug has bitten Golden State. Drama has riddled the Cavs, who decided to blow their roster up at the trade deadline. With the playoffs kicking off Saturday, both teams look very human.
With the top seeds open for the taking, two other squads emerged as the class of the East and West—the Raptors and Rockets, respectively. On the heels of a tremendous regular season, they have every reason to be confident, but they’re haunted by the ghosts of playoffs past. Meanwhile, a number of lower seeds—like the Jazz, Thunder, Bucks, and Wizards—loaded with talent. Others, like the Heat and Spurs, have great coaches.
The teams at the top of playoff seeding look vulnerable. The teams at the bottom look dangerous. Who knows what’s going to happen? We very well could witness a stunning upset (or two).
We seem to be privy to a dramatic upset once every 2-3 years. The most recent of these moments unfolded during the iconic ending to Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals; who could forget those final two minutes? LeBron pinned Iguodala’s layup, Kyrie hit a clutch jumper, and the rest is history.
But where does that iconic Finals rank among the biggest upsets of all-time? There have been a number of great ones over the years.
Just think of the 2000s, for example. Remember when Baron Davis and the Warriors beat the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks? How about the Pistons shocking the Lakers in the 2004 Finals? Or the Magic topping the Cavs in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals?
Below is our take on the biggest upsets in NBA playoffs history.