There’s nothing more exciting in sports than seeing an elite team get upset by a plucky underdog, and that doesn’t ring any truer than in the NBA, where a playoff upset is legitimately extremely difficult to come by.
From Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks losing to the No. 8 seed We Believe Golden State Warriors to Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and the Miami Heat – No. 1 seeds in their own right – losing to the New York Knicks, another No. 8 seed, in Round 1, the NBA has seen some crazy upsets in its playoff history.
Below, check out the biggest ones.
2007: Dallas vs. Golden State
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Winner: Golden State Warriors (42-40)
Loser: Dallas Mavericks (67-15)
Regular season difference: 30.5 percent winning percentage
1994: Seattle vs. Denver
(AP Photo/Gary Stewart)
Winner: Denver Nuggets (42-40)
Loser: Seattle SuperSonics (63-19)
Regular season difference: 25.6 percent winning percentage
2012: Chicago vs. Philadelphia
(Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers (35-31)
Loser: Chicago Bulls (50-16)
Regular season difference: 22.8 percent winning percentage
1959: St. Louis vs. Minneapolis
(Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports Network)
Winner: Minneapolis Lakers (33-39)
Loser: St. Louis Hawks (49-23)
Regular season difference: 22.3 percent winning percentage
1976: Golden State vs. Phoenix
(Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports)
Winner: Phoenix Suns (42-40)
Loser: Golden State Warriors (59-23)
Regular season difference: 20.8 percent winning percentage
1981: Phoenix vs. Kansas City
(AP Photo/F. Carter Smith)
Winner: Kansas City Kings (40-42)
Loser: Phoenix Suns (57-25)
Regular season difference: 20.7 percent winning percentage
2016: Golden State vs. Cleveland
(Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)
Loser: Golden State Warriors (73-9)
Regular season difference: 19.5 percent winning percentage
1987: Dallas vs. Seattle
(USA Today)
Winner: Seattle SuperSonics (39-43)
Loser: Dallas Mavericks (55-27)
Regular season difference: 19.5 percent winning percentage
1995: San Antonio vs. Houston
(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Winner: Houston Rockets (47-35)
Loser: San Antonio Spurs (62-20)
Regular season difference: 18.3 percent winning percentage
2011: San Antonio vs. Memphis
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies (46-36)
Loser: San Antonio Spurs (61-21)
Regular season difference: 18.3 percent winning percentage
1947: Washington vs. Chicago
Winner: Chicago Stags (39-22)
Loser: Washington Capitols (49-11)
Regular season difference: 18.3 percent winning percentage
1981: Los Angeles vs. Houston
(AP Photo/F. Carter Smith)
Winner: Houston Rockets (40-42)
Loser: Los Angeles Lakers (54-28)
Regular season difference: 17.1 percent winning percentage
2020: Milwaukee vs. Miami
(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Winner: Miami Heat (44-29)
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks (56-17)
Regular season difference: 16.4 percent winning percentage
1950: Rochester vs. Fort Wayne
(Democrat & Chronicle via AP)
Winner: Fort Wayne Pistons (40-28)
Loser: Rochester Royals (51-17)
Regular season difference: 16.2 percent winning percentage
1995: Utah vs. Houston
(AP Photo/Tim Johnson)
Winner: Houston Rockets (47-35)
Loser: Utah Jazz (60-22)
Regular season difference: 15.9 percent winning percentage
1973: Milwaukee vs. Golden State
(AP Photo/File)
Winner: Golden State Warriors (47-35)
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks (60-22)
Regular season difference: 15.9 percent winning percentage
1968: St. Louis vs. San Francisco
(AP Photo/Wally Fong)
Winner: San Francisco Warriors (43-39)
Loser: St. Louis Hawks (56-26)
Regular season difference: 15.9 percent winning percentage
1975: Washington vs. Golden State
(AP Photo)
Winner: Golden State Warriors (48-34)
Loser: Washington Bullets (60-22)
Regular season difference: 14.7 percent winning percentage
1995: Phoenix vs. Houston
(AP Photo/David Phillip)
Winner: Houston Rockets (47-35)
Loser: Phoenix Suns (59-23)
Regular season difference: 14.7 percent winning percentage
1998: Miami vs. New York
(AP Photo/Victor Caivano)
Winner: New York Knicks (43-39)
Loser: Miami Heat (55-27)
Regular season difference: 14.7 percent winning percentage
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