Say What? 10 of the Biggest Surprises in NBA History

Every NBA season is filled with surprises.

This past season, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that was supposed to improve a bit, won 50 games, which was 27 more than the previous year.

Another surprise is seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team with the league's best record, lose to the "old and beat up" Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Here is a list of 10 NBA surprises in chronological order.

Let's begin.

100 Points in One Game?

On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain poured in a NBA record-setting 100 points as his Philadelphia Warriors rolled past the New York Knickerbockers 169-147.

Chamberlain connected on 36 of his 63 field goals and went 28-for-32 from the foul line.

In addition, he scored 23 in the first quarter, 18 in the second, 28 in the third, and 31 in the fourth.

It's pretty safe to say Chamberlain's 100 points, along with many of his other records, will never be broken.

Magic's Rookie Heroics

Earvin "Magic" Johnson is widely considered the greatest point guard in NBA history, but who knew he could be just as great as a center?

As a rookie in 1980, Johnson helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the finals, where they went up against Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. After the Lakers took a 3-2 series lead, superstar center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to play in Game Six due to a sprained ankle.

Johnson filled in for Abdul-Jabbar and put together one of the most memorable performances in sports history with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.

The Lakers captured the title with the 123-107 victory and you guessed it—Johnson was named Finals MVP.

How Did THEY Get to the Finals?

The Houston Rockets finished the 1980-81 season with a 40-42 record. That's not a downright dreadful record, but it's definitely not the record of a NBA finals participant.

Or is it?

That year, after upsetting Magic and Kareem's Lakers 2-1in the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets went on to reach the finals where they fell to Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in six games.

They remain the only team in history to advanced the to the Finals with a losing regular-season record.

Death of Len Bias

The defending-champion Boston Celtics selected Maryland star Len Bias with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Bias was expected to prolong the careers of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, and extend the Celtics' dynasty of the 1980s.

However, he unfortunately never got to log a single minute in the NBA. Just less than 48 hours after the draft, Bias died from a cocaine overdose.

With Bias out of the picture and the later death of All-Star guard Reggie Lewis in 1993, the Celtics became irrelevant for several years.

MJ Trades in Air Jordans for Baseball Cleats

In 1993, Michael Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to their third straight NBA championship.

There was nothing else left to accomplish for Jordan. He had already won three titles, three Finals MVPs, three regular-season MVPs, and been named an All-Star nine times.

But wait, there was something missing: He hadn't taken a stab at baseball yet.

On October 6, 1993, Jordan, at the age of 30, retired from the NBA due to losing the desire to play the game. Of course, the murder of his father a few months before played a huge role in his decision.

Jordan eventually pursued a career in professional baseball. He played for the Birmingham Barons, a minor league team of the Chicago White Sox, and was never called up to the big leagues.

Jordan returned to the NBA in 1995 and led the Bulls to three more championships from 1996-1998.

Mutombo, Nuggets Stun Sonics

Nobody figured the Denver Nuggets had a chance at beating the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs, not even die-hard Nuggets fans.

And who could blame them? The Sonics had finished the regular season with a league-best 63-19 record, while the Nuggets were 42-40.

The Sonics featured the All-Star dynamic duo of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, while the Nuggets' roster included the likes of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Laphonos Ellis, and Dikembe Mutombo—not exactly a "Dream Team."

However, the Nuggets wound up becoming the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to win a playoff series as they knocked off the Sonics in five games.

Jordan in Wizards Blue

Michael Jordan retired from the NBA in 1999, months after hitting his memorable shot to beat the Utah Jazz and give the Bulls their sixth title in eight years.

That shot probably should've been the final shot of Jordan's spectacular career. What a way to go out.

But MJ decided to come out of retirement in 2001 and play for none other than the lousy Washington Wizards.

Since NBA fans were used to seeing Jordan winning titles, it was rather weird to see him playing for a struggling team.

And it was also a bit strange to see him sporting a non-Bulls uniform.

Big Four Upset by Superstar-less Pistons

After failing to bring home their fourth consecutive championship in 2003, the Lakers signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton—two future Hall of Famers who took huge pay cuts—to team with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Most people instantly picked the new-look Lakers to win the 2004 title and why wouldn't you? Shaq, Kobe, "The "Mailman", "The Glove", and legendary coach Phil Jackson all on the same team.

But, having four Hall of Famers on your roster doesn't exactly guarantee a title.

The mighty Lakers were bounced out of the '04 Finals by the overachieving Detroit Pistons who were led by non-superstars such as the Wallaces (Ben and Rasheed), Chauncey Billups, and Rip Hamilton.

Rookie Drops a Double-Nickel

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings wasn't expected to do much as a rookie in 2009-10, at least not early in the season.

So that's why everybody was surprised when Jennings exploded for 55 points against the Golden State Warriors in only his seventh regular-season NBA game.

Jennings broke the Bucks' rookie record of 51 points, which was set by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1970.

Jennings' 55 was also the most points scored by a rookie since Earl Monroe put up 56 in 1968.

What was so impressive by Jennings' performance was that he went scoreless in the first quarter.

Miami Thrice

It appeared that Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade was upset last season because he didn't have much help. Nope, players like Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal just weren't enough to win a championship.

In the offseason, management re-signed Wade and also picked up some help for their franchise player. And boy was it a lot of help. Not only did the Heat sign the third-best free agent in Chris Bosh, they also managed to land the biggest fish in the sea: LeBron James.

Wow, just a month ago, who in their right mind would have imagined that James, Wade, and Bosh would all be playing for the same team?