The 2015 NBA Finals are starting to get a little weird. The Cleveland Cavaliers are down two superstar players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, yet they stand tall with a 2-1 series lead and all of the momentum. Despite being severely under-manned and facing what many thought to be the NBA’s best team (and top overall seed) in the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James’ band of misfits are now just two wins away from Cleveland’s first title ever.
Factoring in odds, talent and logic, the Cavs would go down as one of the better underdog stories in NBA Finals history, and would naturally put themselves on all-time lists that discuss NBA Finals upsets. It’s early, but it very well could happen. Whether it does or not, Cleveland’s 2-1 lead has us thinking NBA Finals upsets and which ones might be the best. Join us for the ride as we break down arguably the five biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. Which one is actually he most impressive? You be the judge:
Golden State Warriors over Washington Bullets (1975)
How can the Warriors not be on this list, right? Well, they’re here because they actually deserve to be. The 1975 Bullets were a 60-win team and entered this series as the favorite, but with a weird 1-2-2-1-1 series layout, there was extra importance placed on game one. Ricky Barry led Golden State to a close road win to take a 1-0 series lead and then blew up for 36 and 38 points in the next two games back out west to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The Warriors closed the deal with a 4-0 sweep in game four. They twice overcame 13+ point holes in the series and were paced by an explosive Barry (29+ points per game). Unfortunately, it’s also the last time they were crowned NBA champions.
Houston Rockets over Orlando Magic (1995)
Houston was an odd underdog, but only because they made themselves out to be. They were actually the defending champions, but had a pedestrian 47-35 regular season that saw them enter the playoffs as just the 6th seed. They were probably low on the title contender list, but anyone counting them out was fairly silly considering they still had the best center in the game in Hakeem Olajuwon. Of course, he’d end up facing off with the up and coming Shaquille O’Neal and the Magic in the Finals. This was that series that you look back and cringe over if you’re a Magic fan, as Nick Anderson missed four huge free throws in a row to lose game one. Olajuwon went on to score at least 31 points in the next three games as the Rockets pulled off the unlikely sweep.
Miami Heat over Dallas Mavericks (2006)
The Heat swung a huge trade to pair an aging but still effective Shaq with Dwyane Wade and it ended up working out pretty well. It didn’t at first, though, as Dallas orchestrated a flawless offense and Wade wasn’t able to kill them on the road in the first two games, with the Mavs taking a huge 2-0 series lead. Dallas was even in position to take game three and a perhaps insurmountable 3-0 lead, but blew the game late and gave the Heat life. Wade went on a tear from there, with 42 points in that huge game three, 36 points in game four and 43 points in game five. Overwhelmed by the rise of Wade, Dallas shrunk in game five and lost the series, 4-2. It was perhaps the most impressive NBA Finals comeback we’ve ever seen and one of the bigger upsets considering the hole the Heat dug themselves early on.
Dallas Mavericks over Miami Heat (2011)
The Miami heat were put together to win not five, not six, not seven, not eight…championships. They ended up winning two and appearing in four NBA Finals, with this epic 2011 loss to the stacked and explosive Mavs. Dallas wasn’t even necessarily the best team in their own conference, but they were truly lightning in a bottle and seemed to heat up at exactly the right time – at all times. Still, Dirk Nowitzki played the series of his life and the Mavs got huge shots from the likes of Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Peja Stojakovic precisely when they needed them most. Considering Miami formed the “Heatles” with LeBron James “taking his talents to South Beach”, this was beyond a huge upset.
Detroit Pistons over Los Angeles Lakers (2004)
This one just might take the cake. The Lakers were already the Lakers and they need no real hype, but they added veterans Gary Payton and Karl Malone to the mix to help Kobe Bryant and Shaq shoot for one more title. Instead, they ran into the better true team in a feisty Pistons unit that thrived on ball movement and suffocating defense. On paper, there was no way the Lakers should have lost. They had the titles, all of the experience in the world and the star power. A clutch Kobe Bryant jumper helped them get one win, but the Pistons otherwise completely outclassed them in a surprising 4-1 series win.
Got another awesome NBA Finals upset that deserves to be on this list? Let us hear it in the comments below!
