These playoff upsets shocked fans around the world!
In every NBA season, there's bound to be at least one series that results in an upset. Some notable shockers include LeBron James and the Miami Heat's unexpected loss to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals, as well as the "We Believe Warriors" defying the odds in 2007. Since the 1999-2000 season, we've documented the most significant NBA playoff upsets in each series, all the way up to the 2022-23 campaign.
The Miami Heat, led by Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, played the New York Knicks in a fiercely contested Eastern Conference Semifinals series during the 1999–2000 NBA Playoffs. The Miami Heat lost 3–4 to the New York Knicks in a seven-game series, despite being a team with a better seed. The Knicks' tenacity and a thrilling home victory in Game 7 sealed this shock and sent them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Boston Celtics, who were ranked third, upset the second-seeded Detroit Pistons. The Pistons found it difficult to manage the offensive firepower and defensive zeal of the Celtics, even though they had a strong regular season and were favourites to advance. Leading by Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, the Celtics controlled the series and pulled off an unexpected 1-4 series win, causing a big upset and sending them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Arguably the most unexpected upset of the 2003–04 NBA Finals occurred when the second-seeded Detroit Pistons defeated the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Pistons' formidable team defence, spearheaded by Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups, proved to be too much for the Lakers to handle, even though they were the clear favourites to win the title. The Shaq-Kobe Finals era came to an end when the Pistons won the series 4-1.
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(Kobe Bryant trying to tip-in the basket)
The eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers took on the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, led by MVP Derrick Rose, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2011–12 NBA Playoffs. The Bulls suffered from injuries despite having the best record in the league and great hopes; Derrick Rose's ruptured ACL during the series was one such injury. The Bulls' bad luck was pounced upon by the 76ers, spearheaded by Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala, who shocked the Bulls in six games to win the series 4-2.
The third-seeded Houston Rockets and the second-seeded Los Angeles Clippers squared off in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2014–15 NBA Playoffs. The Clippers gave up a 3-1 series lead and were in a strong position to move further, but they faltered, and the Rockets rallied to win the series. The Rockets, led by Dwight Howard and James Harden, overcame the Clippers in seven games, winning the series 4-3 and moving on to the Western Conference Finals.
The eighth-seeded Miami Heat and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks squared off in the Eastern Conference First Round of 2023. The Heat's energy and defensive strength were too much for the Bucks to match, even though they had the best record in the conference and were strong favourites to advance. The Heat defied the odds in five games and advanced to the Finals because of their balanced scoring and solid team defence.
Notably, in many cases, these teams that upset the higher seed went straight to the NBA finals. So, it goes to show that even if a team doesn’t give their 100% in the regular season, the post-season is a different zone altogether.
