5 Biggest NBA Playoff Upsets of All Time

When you think it’s a safe bet to pick the favoured team, these underdogs can surprise NBA betting enthusiasts by pulling off improbable upsets.

Some of those teams who were eliminated earlier than expected had great basketball betting lines of winning the series.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest NBA playoff upsets of all time.

5 Biggest NBA Playoff Upsets of All Time

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors – 2016

The Warriors had just finished with the all-time best regular-season record of 73-9, but paradoxically, they also became the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James helped even up the series at 3-3 with back-to-back 41-point efforts, then executed a perfectly timed, come-from-behind block on Andre Iguodala to keep the score tied at 89 with just under two minutes left in regulation in Game 7.

Kyrie Irving then broke the tie with under a minute left in regulation and launched a 3-pointer from the corner in what is one of the biggest shots of all time to secure the Finals victory.

2. Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2007

Baron Davis’ size at the point guard position proved burdensome for the Mavericks’ defence, as he averaged 25 points per game during that first-round series.

Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes also helped the “We Believe” Warriors establish their gritty identity with their defence. Both were tasked with guarding Dirk Nowitzki, the MVP that season, despite being several inches shorter than him.

16 years ago today:

The “We Believe” Warriors pull off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history by taking down the 67-win Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs 👀

Stephen Jackson dropped 33 in the blowout win #DubNation pic.twitter.com/9CI2DrFi1v

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) May 3, 2023

It proved effective, as Nowitzki disappeared in Game 6, managing just eight points on 2-of-13 shooting.

The Warriors were nine games under .500 at the beginning of March but came together at the right time to pull off the improbable upset.

3. Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 2004

The Pistons didn’t have a bonafide superstar to counter Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers, who were just two years removed from completing a three-peat, also added Karl Malone and Gary Payton to their roster.

However, the Pistons’ chemistry, depth, and defence were clicking on all cylinders, and Richard “Rip” Hamilton and Chauncey Billups emerged as the primary offensive weapons for Detroit during that NBA Finals run, averaging more than 21 points per game apiece.

While O’Neal still averaged 26.6 points per game on 63.1% shooting that series, Ben Wallace proved capable enough to guard him 1-on-1 for certain stretches, which helped the Pistons’ defence limit Bryant, who averaged 22.6 points per game on just 38.1% shooting.

4. Denver Nuggets vs. Seattle SuperSonics – 1994

The league-best SuperSonics cruised in the first two games of their first-round series, winning both games by double digits.

However, the eighth-seeded Nuggets fought back, limiting Seattle to fewer than 100 points for every game after Game 1.

Reggie Williams led Denver with 31 points in Game 3. LaPhonso Ellis put up 27 points and 17 rebounds in their Game 4 overtime win. 

Then Robert Pack (23 points) and Bison Dele (17 points, and 19 rebounds) came off the bench to help the Nuggets pull off another OT win in Game 5. Dikembe Mutombo also recorded eight points, 15 rebounds, and eight blocks.

5. Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs – 2011

The Spurs were four years removed from winning a championship with the same core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili still intact, as they were all far from done.

However, the young, upstart Grizzlies, who qualified for the playoffs for the first time with their core of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, and Tony Allen, shocked the world during the first round of the playoffs, as their size and grit proved to be too much for the Spurs.

Randolph carried the load by averaging 21.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.