Top 10 all-time biggest upsets in the NBA playoffs

A source of countless surprises, the NBA payoffs constantly deliver their share of upsets. In the space of just a few games, the top seed from the regular season, the favorite, can stumble spectacularly against a team that came through the play-in tournament.

Let’s look back at some of these surprises, these upsets that have marked the NBA. Our main criteria include: the numerical advantage at the end of the regular season, the momentum of the two teams, the series’ plot, and its duration.

10) Memphis Grizzlies 2011 : At that time, the number of 8th picks who managed to eliminate a top seed in the first round could be counted on one hand. A very rare occurrence, especially since the NBA recently opted for a best-of-seven format instead of five. The upset was no longer based on a misunderstanding, but rather a carefully orchestrated feat. A new phenomenon that the Spurs were among the first to experience. Especially since nothing, absolutely nothing, suggested that the Grizzlies could pull off such a masterstroke. Facing them was a San Antonio team that, while admittedly a bit aging, led by their iconic trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, this well-oiled machine had nevertheless finished the regular season at the top of the West. They knew the road to the Conference Finals inside and out. The danger seemed minimal, especially since, conversely, Memphis had been struggling in the postseason. Before this first game, the Tennessee franchise had lost all 12 of its playoff games over three years. Many fans were already scrambling to sweep up the blue and black dust. The series began, and the impact of Zach Randolph, the defense of Tony Allen, and the sheer force of Marc Gasol set the Texas team ablaze. We were witnessing the beginnings of “Grit and Grind,” a style of play built around paint-clearing and physicality. Popovich’s men never managed to adapt: ​​a 4-2 victory for the Grizzlies !

9) Portland Trail Blazers, 1977 : The contract had already been fulfilled. In the depths of the league less than three years prior, even a Blazers team that was even remotely competitive for the 1977 playoffs seemed quite unexpected. This story, straight from Portland, is one of an unexpected rise, driven by a young team. Under Bill Walton’s leadership, this collection of inexperienced players transformed into a truly formidable force. They won again and again until they reached the almost improbable NBA Finals. The Western Conference was all well and good, but now the 76ers, led by a certain Julius Erving, were determined to set the record straight. And rightly so, because this Philadelphia team impressed with its consistency coupled with a unique dose of talent in the NBA. When it came to choosing the favorite, there was no contest. This impression was confirmed by the two drubbings inflicted on an Oregon team completely outplayed from start to finish. Although these were away games, the gap in skill between Portland and their opponent seemed immense. With everything seemingly lost, and no room for error, Bill Walton’s teammates reverted to what they do best: defense, rebounding, and fast breaks. However, this seemingly simple formula proved disastrous for the 76ers. Unrecognizable in their two road games, Philadelphia completely lost their composure. The Blazers continued their onslaught and then definitively turned the series around by winning Game 5. They then sealed the victory at home. A legendary first ring for Portland, a symbol of a disciplined team capable of overcoming a more experienced opponent.

8) Dallas Mavericks 2011 : This feat against Miami stemmed from a formative trauma against… the Heat! To understand the subsequent upset, let’s hop in the time machine and head back to 2006. Led by a Dirk Nowitzki on the cusp of his regular season MVP, the Mavs arrived as favorites, a status confirmed after the first two games. What was supposed to be the crowning achievement of the Texas franchise turned into a nightmare. Dallas never recovered from the huge Game 3 delivered by Dwyane Wade. Destined for the throne, they left the American Airlines Center dethroned, with the feeling of having missed their chance. The same scenario played out in 2011, but in reverse! The Heat, led by the trio of James, Wade, and Bosh, were destined to dominate the NBA. And this, right from their first year! Especially since the gap between the two teams proved to be even more significant. Like their eternal German leader, the Texans stand out as an aging team, far less flashy than their opponents. This was evident from the start. The Floridians were simply superior. Game 2 followed the same pattern. With a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Mavs were about to concede a lead. However, spurred on by a red-hot “The Blond Bomber,” they turned the game around and also the series. Thanks to brilliant adjustments by Rick Carlisle, such as implementing a surprise zone, changing the starting lineup, the rise of J.J. Barea, and increased involvement from Tyson Chandler, they held their own against Miami throughout the game before letting their experience shine in the clutch. The result: a 4-2 victory, securing the franchise’s first and only championship ring.

7) Boston Celtics 1969 : No, not all of Bill Russell’s 11 championship rings were the result of ruthless domination. This was especially true during the final stages of this unique era in American sports. In 1969, the tide turned. Gone were the repeated storms sweeping across the West Coast. For the first time in nearly a decade, the East was considered the underdog in the NBA Finals. Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York all fell into Boston’s trap. Yes, “fell into the trap,” not simply eliminated, because the Massachusetts franchise was no longer as dominant as it once was. Bill Russell’s men (yes, he was also the coach) were coming off their worst regular season in over a decade. Both weakened and aging, this team no longer truly intimidated the competition. However, their opponent—themselves—was truly terrifying. Some already considered them THE greatest team of all time. Put Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor in a pot, stir well, and you get a Lakers team ready to rumble. They do, in fact, win the first two games, albeit with some difficulty. The die seems cast, with Boston unable to seize its opportunity. But this final dance can’t end there. With sheer determination, the Celtics pull away at TD Garden, thanks in particular to a game-winning buzzer-beater by Sam Jones in Game 4. In their home arena, each team lives up to its reputation. It’s decided: the series will conclude at Staples Center! It’s already an achievement for Boston to be alive at this stage of the competition. An opportunity they seize while the Lakers falter. Butch van Breda Kolff’s questionable decisions regarding Wilt Chamberlain’s management offer the Celtics a tiny window of opportunity. Leading by a narrow margin for much of the game, the visitors delivered a crushing blow with a clutch shot by Don Nelson in the closing minutes. The celebrations in Los Angeles were already underway. What a shame! Next time, it’s best to wait until the final whistle! Against all odds, Boston became the first team to win a Game 7 of the Finals on the road. The ultimate triumph for the greatest dynasty in our sport.

6) Houston Rockets 1986 : Sorry to Lakers fans, but we’re going to dredge up some very sad memories again. Different era, different opponent, different generation. This time, the surprise doesn’t come from the East, but from the West. In the heart of a decade dominated by Magic and Abdul-Jabbar’s Showtime, only the Celtics could truly compete. In any case, one thing was certain: no one in their conference could look them in the eye. Or so we thought until the 1986 playoffs. Reigning champions Los Angeles were preparing for another classic against Larry Bird’s Boston. First impeccable in the regular season, then surgical in the playoff semifinals. The machine was in motion! And this young Houston team wasn’t going to stop them. Okay, Hakeem Olajuwon’s squad had secured the runner-up spot before steamrolling the Kings and the Nuggets. But we’re talking about the NBA Conference Finals. What’s more, against the best team of recent years. Indeed, there was no contest. One team was physically overwhelmed by its opponent. The interior defense was so fierce, the rebounding battle so lopsided, that the eventual loser only managed a single, disappointing game. In short: a franchise was living a waking nightmare. A terrible fate inflicted by… the Rockets! Yes, the Texans demolished the Californians, who were completely without answers. The upset was so massive it was almost embarrassing. How was this possible? What was happening? Finally, as a symbol of this complete reversal, Sampson definitively sealed the series’ fate with an incredible buzzer-beater at the Forum. Houston hadn’t just beaten a favorite. No, this seemingly innocent team had just brought down one of the greatest dynasties in basketball history. This was truly a paranormal event because they were no match for the Celtics afterward. They arrived, destroyed the Lakers, and left. End of story!

5) Detroit Pistons 2004 : Here too, we could really use some construction workers because another massive destruction is looming. It’s not an obsession, I promise, but the victim is yet another… the Lakers! Clearly, from Elgin Baylor to Kobe, by way of Magic, all the franchise’s best years have been swept aside. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Although the headliners are still Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles is experiencing a decline. The behemoth is still as immense as ever, even if it’s missing a few teeth here and there. Following that three-peat, the Californians lost in the playoffs for the first time in just under four years. A poor performance whose consequences are proving terrible for the competition. In addition to the two MVPs mentioned earlier, Phil Jackson can now rely on two future Hall of Famers: Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Not bad for “reinforcements”! History doesn’t repeat itself; the Lakers don’t falter, live up to their favorite status, and reach the Finals again against an old nemesis named Detroit. Magic Johnson’s crew still has nightmares about them. Even if, let’s be honest, aside from their DNA, many things separate the Bad Boys from their 2.0 counterparts. Talent is lacking on paper. The arrival of Rachid Wallace mid-season brought a boost to Chauncey Billups’ teammates. They know perfectly well that offensively they can’t compete. No, they have a card called defense, which they decide to play to the fullest. This mix of cunning, physicality, and brute force represents the perfect ingredients to overcome a crumbling squad. Apart from a victory resulting from a shot out of nowhere by the Black Mamba to force overtime, the Lakers are nonexistent. The glitzy Beverly Hills Pistons were crushed by the Dearborn Fords. The intensity was so intense that even the Los Angeles players’ bodies gave way one by one. Reduced to fewer than 80 points three times in five games, the Pistons delivered the final blow to the Kobe-Shaq duo. A notorious upset, an upset for the history books…

4) Denver Nuggets 1994 : Denver will forever remain the first… the first team ranked 8th in the regular season to pull off an upset against the league leader. For those of you who are younger, the Sonics probably don’t ring a bell. However, when Jordan’s Bulls dominated the league in the 90s, Seattle was one of their fiercest rivals. So when MJ announced his retirement at the start of the 1993-1994 season, all eyes immediately turned to the Washington franchise. After three years of biding their time, George Karl’s players finally had a clear path to victory. Without hesitation, they produced one of the best regular seasons in NBA history (63-19). Logically, they finished atop the Western Conference, facing Denver in the first round. A formality on paper. Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and company possessed an ironclad defense combined with exceptional athleticism. Experienced soldiers on a commando mission! For Denver, the situation was entirely different. Young, inexperienced… Winning even one game would have been a success. Except the Nuggets had other ideas. In this best-of-five series, the Sonics’ weaknesses were finally exposed. Led by defensive stalwart Dikembe Mutombo and prolific scorer Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, the Nuggets played with remarkable resilience. But it wasn’t enough! Seattle won the first two games, and as they headed to the heart of Colorado, the basketball gods seemed to have already chosen the winner. Their choice fell… on the Nuggets! Dominant at home, Denver earned a decisive game. And despite Kendall Gill forcing overtime, the underdogs pulled off a stunning upset against the Sonics. Such a feat had never been accomplished before! Seattle left with their tails between their legs when their tormentors ultimately fell just short against the Jazz. Thanks to this triumph, the Nuggets made possible what everyone thought was impossible.

3) New-York Knicks 1999 : Right to the very end, this NBA lockout season was special. Even today, New York remains the only team to have reached the Finals despite finishing the regular season in 8th place. An unbelievable journey, a unique path that began with a historic upset against their rivals from the Florida coast. Due to the players’ strike at the start of the 1998-1999 season, the NBA decided to reduce the number of games from 82 to 50. This smaller format benefited Miami, not the Big Apple. On the cusp of a playoff spot, the Knicks made it by a single, narrow margin. Qualifying was good, but now a huge challenge loomed. A fierce battle against the Heat awaited veteran Patrick Ewing’s squad. The team of the Hardaway-Mourning-Majerle trio was brought down from its pedestal, ready to fight. The two sides clearly dislike each other, and they make no secret of it! But the top seed gets a real shock right from the start. In the heart of the Miami Arena, the home team is hit by a 23-point run. New York is far more dangerous than its seeding suggests. A game of ping-pong unfolds before basketball fans, thrilled by the ever-present tension. The game is decided on May 16, 1999, with 4.5 seconds left. Trailing 76-77, Allan Houston takes advantage of a move by Patrick Ewing to break free, grabs the ball, rises through a sea of ​​hands, launches a somewhat bizarre floater, and sinks the basket! 77-78, New York advances to the semifinals! A great run continues against the Atlanta Hawks and then the Indiana Pacers. Only the Spurs will ultimately manage to restore order in the Finals.

2) Golden State Warriors 2007 : The award for the biggest upset ever recorded in the NBA playoffs, however, goes to the Warriors. “We Believe”—does that ring a bell? Two words synonymous with trauma for the entire Mavs fanbase. And make no mistake, we’re a far cry from Stephen Curry’s Splash Brothers. No, no, no. Don Nelson’s Golden State Warriors have an attractive style of play without boasting any elite players. Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, and Stephen Jackson are good players, but nothing more. This was evident in the regular season, where the Californians had to fight tooth and nail to secure that 8th seed. A chasm separates them from their first-round opponent. Still reeling from the disappointment against the Heat in the 2006 Finals, Dirk Nowitzki’s MVP team came roaring back, or rather, dominated the NBA. More than 65 wins! Since the 1973 Celtics, every team with such a record has won the title. So, it looks like a sure thing for the Mavericks. Especially since, unlike the 1994 Sonics, the series isn’t a best-of-five, but a best-of-seven. Even if they slump, they have a comfortable cushion to avoid any nasty surprises. However, if we look more closely, we have to admit that the matchup isn’t so favorable. The Warriors have already beaten them three times this season. Don Nelson has more than one trick up his sleeve. Nobody expects an upset? No problem, they believe it! WE BELIEVE! Golden State is deploying an unorthodox system. They’re using a big, physical point guard in Baron Davis to counter the Mavs’ defensive plan while using wings, not big men, against Dirk Nowitzki. And it’s working! The Warriors won Game 1 by a whopping 12 points. Dallas tied the series, but the underdogs were ruthless at the Chase Center. The Mavericks clung to a glimmer of hope at home before the series was finally decided in Game 6. Although eliminated in the later round, this team, adorned in yellow and blue, would mark the emergence of a new style that would reach its zenith less than a decade later. But now, on to the Finals !

1) Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 :The biggest upset in this ranking is also, without a doubt, the greatest playoff run of all time. Even before the first tip-off, the outcome seemed predetermined. The defending champion Warriors had the greatest regular season of all time, boasting a monstrous record of 73 wins and only 9 losses. Incidentally, the Splash Brothers were at their peak, and Stephen Curry became the only unanimous MVP in history. It’s worth noting that they came incredibly close to a dramatic elimination against Kevin Durant’s Thunder (more on that later…). In Ohio, Cleveland didn’t follow the same path of triumph. The team experienced highs and lows before David Blatt was replaced by Tyronn Lue as head coach. However, once the postseason began, the Cavs transformed into a ruthless juggernaut. The Pistons? Swept. The Hawks? Same. Only the Raptors managed to take two games from the Cavaliers, but the latter then defeated Toronto. On paper, Golden State was the favorite, but a Cleveland victory didn’t seem as far-fetched as one for most of the teams mentioned previously. What makes this story unique is its unfolding. Initially in a precarious position, the Warriors extinguished any suspense in the space of four games. It’s simple: no team had ever squandered a 3-1 lead in the Finals. NEVER! And it certainly wasn’t a highly polished team that was going to break the rule. But this didn’t sit well with LeBron James, who still hadn’t gotten over the loss the previous year against the same opponent. Beyond the King, another incident turned the tide of the game. During the final quarter, Draymond Green racked up yet another Flagrant 1, effectively eliminating him from the Finals due to his already lengthy disciplinary record (a nod to Michael Beasley and Steven Adams). At the Chase Center, an Irving-LeBron duo combined for 83 points to demolish the home team. Then, in the heart of a frenzied Rocket Arena, they once again destroyed their opponent. Stuck in a pool of oil 4,000 meters underground, they were now 48 minutes away from the title. In the final minutes, the scoreboard showed a perfect tie: 89-89. Andre Iguodala was about to sink his layup after a strong defensive play by the Celtics when LeBron James, seemingly out of nowhere, slammed the ball off the backboard. Then came a huge three-pointer from Kyrie Irving that definitively sealed the season’s fate. They did it, they defied history. This first Cleveland ring, synonymous with the biggest upset in history !

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