The biggest upsets in NBA playoff history

Everyone loves an underdog story, and no professional league provides them more often than the NBA.

Today we break down the five biggest upsets in NBA playoff history, both in terms of public perception and actual betting odds.

5. Cavaliers defeat Warriors (2016 NBA Finals)

I mean, c’mon…you knew this was going to be on the list. It’s not just that the Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games during the regular season. It’s not just the fact that the Splash Brothers averaged a combined 52 points and 8.6 made three-pointers per game. Nor is it just the fact that the Cavaliers were essentially a two-man team with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving going against a much deeper squad.

It’s the fact that Cleveland not only overcame the Warriors, they did something no other team in NBA history has ever done by overcoming a 3-1 series deficit. However, after losing three of the first four games by a combined 59 points, they went on the road and won Game 5 by 25 points, returned home with a 14-point victory, and then won a Game 7 on the road that saw 11 ties and 20 lead changes.

4. Suns defeat Lakers (1990 Western Conference Semifinals)

The Lakers rolled to a 63-19 regular season record, and were expected to ease past Phoenix en-route to their eighth NBA Finals appearance in nine years. Led by league MVP Magic Johnson and James Worthy, they were -700 favorites to win the series and dispatch the Suns.

However, the Suns had learned lessons from their playoff defeat to the Lakers in the previous season, and they no longer had to deal with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had retired before the 89-90 campaign.

Point guard Kevin Johnson held his own against Magic, as he, Tom Chambers, and Jeff Hornacek led a dangerous offensive attack that made nearly half their field goal attempts. In the five game series, they won both home games by double-digits, and won Game 1 and Game 5 by a combined five points, overcoming a 43-point performance from Magic in the deciding game to shock the Lakers.

3. Pistons defeat Lakers (2004 NBA Finals)

Few gave Detroit any chance of slowing down the machine that was Shaq and Kobe’s Laker dynasty, as the Pistons were +500 to win the NBA title. The Lakers had legends Karl Malone and Gary Payton along for what was supposed to be a career-ending title run for both, but Larry Brown and the Pistons had other plans in mind.

Signaling their intent in Game 1, the interior duo of Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace helped the Pistons steal a win on the road, before losing Game 2 to the Lakers. They then proceeded to sweep all three games in Detroit, including a 20-point victory in Game 3 that saw them hold Kobe and Shaq to a combined 25 points. The Pistons’ suffocating defense held Los Angeles to just 41% shooting from the floor, and less than 25% from beyond the arc while averaging four blocks per game.

The defeat was the end of the Lakers dynasty, as days later head coach Phil Jackson would resign, and Shaq and Payton were traded away ahead of a season that saw Los Angeles win just 34 games.

2. Warriors defeat Mavs (2007 Western Conference Quarterfinals)

Our second-biggest upset in NBA history features another one-vs-eight matchup that went a way people didn’t expect. Dallas were heavily favored to win, with the Warriors entering the series as +1200 underdogs after just sneaking into the playoffs with a 42-40 record. Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki was the league MVP on a Mavericks team that won a conference-high 67 games.

However, the Warriors swept the regular-season series with Dallas, and former Mavs coach Don Nelson had a blueprint on how to neutralize Nowitzki on the offensive end. Point guard Baron Davis posted averages of 25 points, six rebounds, and nearly six assists in the series, and both Stephen Jackson and Jason Richardson averaged over 19 points per game. Meanwhile, Nowitzki was held to just 38.3% shooting from the floor as the Mavs missed more than two-thirds of their shots outside the arc.

After splitting the first two games on the road, the Warriors won games three and four at home, before securing the series with a 25-point win in game six. Three of Golden State’s four wins came by double digits as they knocked Dallas out of the playoffs.

1. Nuggets defeat Sonics (1994 Western Conference Quarterfinals)

This upset was not only the most stunning on the list, it was the biggest in terms of Vegas odds since odds began getting tracked in the 1980s. Denver was +1400 to win the series against a Seattle team that had won 26 of their final 31 regular-season games, had a 12-game home winning streak, and were the odds-on favorite to win the NBA Championship with a league best record of 63-19.

Entering the 1994 season, one-seeds had defeated eight-seeds all 20 times, with 12 of the matchups ending in a sweep. With a combined winning margin of 34 points in the first two games, Seattle looked to be adding to that total. However, Denver roared back and blew the Sonics out in Game 3, before escaping Game 4 with an overtime victory.

Favored by 12 at home in the deciding fifth game, the Sonics led by 11 in the third quarter before needing a buzzer-beating put-back to force overtime. In overtime, Denver took the lead with about 90 seconds remaining, and Dikembe Mutombo sealed the victory with a pair of blocks down the stretch to stun the Sonics and the entire NBA.