The 20 Worst Playoff Collapses in NBA History

The NBA has never been short of drama, and never more has the intensity increased then during playoff time.

With every major playoff upset, there is usually a devastating collapse by a team to go along with it.  High seeds get knocked out early, the underdog comes out of nowhere to claim the title, team play trumps superstars—we've seen it all when it comes to upsets in the NBA playoffs.

With some of the most epic collapses happening in just the past few years, here is a look back at the 20 ugliest, most humiliating and worst playoff collapses in NBA history.

20. 1959 Sub-.500 Lakers Beat MVP Pettit, Hawks

Year/Round: 1959 Western Division Finals

Victor: Minneapolis Lakers

Victim: St. Louis Hawks

Scenario:

The Hawks were known in the '50s as the team to knock off the Boston Celtics in the middle of their dynasty, taking home the 1958 title.

Looking to repeat as champions, the Hawks were led by league MVP Bob Pettit, who led the league in scoring that season with more than 29.2 points per game.

The Lakers were only 33-39 that season but had Rookie of the Year forward Elgin Baylor. Behind Baylor's strong play, the Lakers upset the Hawks in six games to win the Westen Division.

19. 2003 Magic, T-Mac Talks Too Much, Too Early

Year/Round: 2003 Eastern Conference, First Round

Victor: Detroit Pistons

Victim: Orlando Magic

Scenario:

In 2002-2003, Orlando squeaked into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and faced a tough opponent in the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons.

The Magic surprisingly took three out of the first four games, prompting Tracy McGrady to say before Game 5 how wonderful it was to "finally be in the second round (of the playoffs)."

It appears now his talk was a bit premature, as Orlando dropped Game 5 in embarrassing fashion, 98-67.

Back-to-back 15-point losses in Games 6 and 7 and the once-favored Magic were sent whimpering from the playoffs.

Let that be a lesson to the kids to let your play do the talking, eh, T-Mac?

18. 2009 Dwight's Too Much for LeBron, Top-Seeded Cavs

Year/Round: 2009 Eastern Conference Finals

Victor: Orlando Magic

Victim: Cleveland Cavaliers

Scenario:

The Cavaliers enjoyed a dominant 2008-2009 season, finishing 66-16 and securing the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference. 

With the Los Angeles Lakers rolling through the Western Conference, NBA fans and analysts alike were dreaming of a LeBron James-Kobe Bryant Finals matchup.

The Magic had other ideas.  Even though they were the No. 3 seed in the East and had beaten the Boston Celtics in the semifinals, all 10 ESPN NBA experts predicted the Cavaliers would win, with only one saying it would even go the entire seven games.

The Cavaliers suffered from matchup problems the entire series, trying unsuccessfully to find anybody capable of guarding Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard.

The series ended in six games and forced Cleveland to trade for an old and overpriced Shaquille O'Neal in hopes he could help them should they run into Howard and the Magic in the playoffs again.

17. 1973 Warriors Squash Bucks Dynasty

Year/Round: 1973 Western Conference, First Round

Victor: Golden State Warriors

Victim: Milwaukee Bucks

Scenario:

Winners of 60 games in the regular season, the Bucks looked to be beginning a powerhouse with superstars Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

As expected, Milwaukee raced out to a 2-1 series lead before Golden State came roaring back to win the next three games and the series.

The budding dynasty for Milwaukee was squandered and the Bucks later traded Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers the following season.

16. 1995 Houston Goes on a Title Run

Year/Round: 1995 Western Conference

Victor: Houston Rockets

Victim: Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic

Scenario:

Despite winning the title the year before, the Rockets struggled in the early part of the 1994-1995 season and only would up as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

Not expected to do much in the playoffs against a higher-seeded Jazz team, the Rockets surprised many by beating Utah in five games.

Surely this was just a fluke, and Houston would fall against Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns.  Down three games to one, the Rockets came back to win the series in a comeback that had only been done four times before in NBA playoff history.

They used this momentum to defeat the Spurs in six games and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they swept the Orlando Magic to capture their second NBA title in two years.

15. 2001 Hornets Unite to Sweep Heat

Year/Round: 2001 Eastern Conference, First Round

Victor: Charlotte Hornets

Victim: Miami Heat

Scenario:

The Heat won 50 games during the regular season and captured the No. 3 seed in the East, led by veterans Tim Hardaway, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant and Anthony Mason.

Charlotte was full of new players—David Wesley was the team veteran with all of four years with the Hornets. 

To combat their lack of playing time together, the Hornets decided to all sport headbands, even though only Baron Davis and Eddie Robinson normally wore them.

The move worked, as the No. 6 seed Hornets not only beat the Heat, they swept the first-round series in three games.

14. 2011 Young Grizzlies Top Veteran Spurs

Year/Round: 2011 Western Conference, First Round

Victor: Memphis Grizzlies

Victim: San Antonio Spurs

Scenario:

To say the team history of success between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs is a bit lopsided would be a gross understatement. San Antonio had four NBA titles in the past 14 years.  The Grizzlies had 12 losses in 12 playoff games.

Despite the lack of history, the Grizzlies remained focused on the present and as a result upset the Spurs in Game 1 in San Antonio by a score of 101-98.

The Grizzlies all of a sudden seemed to click, looking quicker and more athletic than a veteran San Antonio team hampered by an injured Manu Ginobili.

The Spurs fought enough to take two games in the series, but their inability to stop Zach Randolph proved to be their downfall as Randolph scored 31 points in the decisive Game 6 to help Memphis win its first playoff series, and games, in franchise history.

13. 1986 Rockets Shock Defending Champion Lakers

Year/Round: 1986 Western Conference Finals

Victor: Houston Rockets

Victim: Los Angeles Lakers

Scenario:

The Los Angeles Lakers were the defending NBA champions in 1986 and boasted a Hall of Fame lineup featuring the likes of Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Taking Game 1 of the Western Finals, Los Angeles and the Boston Celtics appeared on a crash course for the NBA Finals.

The Rockets, though, had other ideas as they would eventually win the next four games in the series, highlighted by a Ralph Sampson game-winning shot with one second left in Game 5 to advance Houston to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers would become the 17th straight team to fail to defend their title.

12. 2011 Heat's Big Three Fall to Dirk, Mavs

Year/Round: 2011 NBA Finals

Victor: Dallas Mavericks

Victim: Miami Heat

Scenario:

Free agency in 2010 united LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach on a single team in which the likes of the NBA had never seen before.

Promises of multiple titles were quickly made as the Heat marched through the Eastern Conference playoffs in what looked to be an easy path to the crown.

Having already taken the first game at home, the Heat were in the driver's seat in Game 2 before a late Mavericks rally propelled them to steal a win in Miami. With that win, momentum shifted and the world realized Dallas wasn't fazed by Miami's star power.

Led by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks ended up upsetting the Heat and winning the series in six games.

11. 1981 Rockets Blast Past Lakers

Year/Round: 1981 Western Conference, First Round

Victor: Houston Rockets

Victim: Los Angeles Lakers

Scenario:

The Rockets limped into the 1981 playoffs with a 40-42 record and were faced with the challenge of playing the No. 3 seed Lakers in the first round.

The Lakers were the defending champions and had Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on their side.  Things didn't look good for Houston.

In what was then a best-of-three series, the Rockets ended up knocking off the powerhouse Lakers 2-1 and would go on to defeat the San Antonio Spurs and Kansas City Kings before eventually losing in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.

10. 1977 Portland Pounds the Sixers Superstars

Year/Round: 1977 NBA Finals

Victor: Portland Trail Blazers

Victim: Philadelphia 76ers

Scenario:

The 1976-1977 Sixers boasted three All-Stars in Julius Erving, George McGinnis and Doug Collins to go along with standouts World B. Free, Joe Bryant and Darryl Dawkins.

The Trail Blazers had Bill Walton.

Portland entered as the youngest team to ever play in the Finals, and it showed as it dropped the first two games of the series.

An unlikely situation helped kickstart the Blazers, however, when toward the end of Game 2 Dawkins threw a roundhouse punch to the Portland's Bobby Gross after both scrambled for a loose ball.  Gross fired back a punch of his own, and the Blazers suddenly came alive in the series, winning the next four games to capture the 1977 title.

9. 2004 Lakers All-Stars Not Enough for Pistons Team

Year/Round: 2004 NBA Finals

Victor: Detroit Pistons

Victim: Los Angeles Lakers

Scenario:

The Lakers were in the last legs of their early 2000's dynasty, winning back-to-back-to-back NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

To help them in their effort for a fourth championship in five seasons, the Lakers signed championship-hungry veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton in the offseason, giving them four future Hall of Famers in their starting lineup.

The Pistons had no true superstars, but were an extremely well-balanced, defensive team.  The Lakers were built to win it all—surely Detroit would stand no chance against the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, right?

In just five games, the Detroit Pistons became NBA champions, Karl Malone and Phil Jackson retired (kind of) and Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat.

The Pistons showed that you can win a championship without a superstar, something rarely seen in today's NBA.

8. 1999 Knicks Beat Heat on Houston Jumper

Year/Round: 1999 Eastern Conference, First Round

Victor: New York Knicks

Victim: Miami Heat

Scenario:

Miami and New York were in the midst of a brutal three-year stretch that involved fights, playoff battles and plenty of drama between Pat Riley and former assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy.

New York had knocked Miami out of the playoffs the year before, and this was the Heat's chance at revenge.

Leading by seven points late in the decisive Game 5, the Heat let the lead dwindle down to a single point before Allan Houston hit the go-ahead jumper that would ultimately win the game, and with it, the best-of-five series.

7. 1984 Nets Knock out Defending Champion Sixers

Year/Round: 1984 Eastern Conference, First Round

Victor: New Jersey Nets

Victim: Philadelphia 76ers

Scenario:

The Sixers entered the 1984 playoffs as the defending NBA champions and faced a young Nets team that had never even won a playoff game before.

Only having been in the NBA for seven years, the Nets faced an experienced Sixers team led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone determined to protect its crown.

While the series did go the entire five games, the Nets made the series win even more impressive by winning all three of their road games on the Sixers' home floor, sending the defending champs to an early playoff exit.

6. 2006 Finals: Mavericks Blow 2-0 Lead, Lose Series to Heat

Year/Round: 2006 NBA Finals

Victor: Miami Heat

Victim: Dallas Mavericks

Scenario:

The Dallas Mavericks were finally in position to capture their first NBA championship.

Already up 2-0 in the seven-game series, Dallas led by 13 points midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3.  No team had ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit before, so it looked certain the Mavs were well on their way to a title.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade wouldn't allow Miami to lay down and die, however, as he scored 12 points in the last 6:15 of the game to help rally the Heat to a Game 3 come-from-behind win.

Miami would never look back, taking the next three games of the series to win the 2006 title in six games.  Shaquille O'Neal would get his fourth, and last, ring of his illustrious career.

5. 1969 Russell, Celtics Beat Powerhouse Lakers

Year/Round: 1969 NBA Finals

Victor: Boston Celtics

Victim: Los Angeles Lakers

Scenario:

Bill Russell was 35 years old and serving as player/coach after the retirement of Red Auerbach, and the Celtics dynasty appeared to be coming to an end.

Only the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the aging Celtics faced a powerhouse Lakers squad featuring Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.

The series dragged on for seven games, with the Celtics winning the decisive final game on the Lakers' home court, dashing all celebration attempts they had planned.

Said Russell in an interview years later about his feelings after the series: "From there, I couldn't go to Heaven because leaving there and going anywhere else would be a step down."

4. Warriors Sweep Bullets in 1975 Finals

Year/Round: 1975 NBA Finals

Victor: Golden State Warriors

Victim: Washington Bullets

Scenario:

The Bullets were the favorites to win the 1974-1975 title, winning 60 regular-season games and knocking out the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round.

The Warriors were a mere 48-34 in the regular season and were huge underdogs against a hot Bullets team.

Due to an ice show and karate competition in the Bullets home arena, the Warriors were subsequently awarded the first home game of the series, which they won 101-95, and with that win gained all the momentum for the series.

The Warriors went on to not only win the series, but swept the favored Bullets to capture the 1975 Finals.

3. Reggie Miller vs. the Knicks

Year/Round: 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Victor: Indiana Pacers

Victim: New York Knicks

Scenario:

There were a couple collapses for the New York Knicks in this series, beginning in the now-infamous Game 1.

With 18.7 seconds to go in a game where the Knicks led 105-99 and thoughts were already turning to Game 2, the moment can be summed of from Rick Weinberg of ESPN:

"

In what many sports writers consider the most spectacular nine-second, game-ending scoring run in history—as well as one of the most horrific end-of-the-game collapses—Reggie Miller hits a 3-point shot with 16.4 seconds left, immediately steals the ensuing inbounds pass and quickly dashes out to the 3-point line and drains another three to tie the game at 105 with 13.3 seconds left—all this in a dizzying, mind-spinning span of 3.1 seconds on May 7, 1995.

"

The playoff collapse would continue for New York, as they would eventually lose the series in seven games to the Pacers, highlighted by a Patrick Ewing missed layup in the final seconds of Game 7.

2. 2007 Warriors 'Believe' Against Mavericks

Year/Round: 2007 Western Conference, First Round

Victor: Golden State Warriors

Victim: Dallas Mavericks

Scenario:

Dallas was absolutely dominant in the regular season, going 67-15 to take the first overall seed in the Western Conference.

Golden State had squeezed into the final playoff spot with a regular-season record of 42-40 and was without a true superstar or much playoff experience.

What transpired was sheer playoff magic, as the Warriors rallied behind a "We Believe" slogan in what marked their first playoff appearance in 14 years.

What made the series especially unique, besides the rock concert-like atmosphere at Oracle Arena, was the fact that the Warriors not just beat, but stomped the top-seeded Mavericks, winning the seven-games series 4-2 with an average winning margin of 10 points a game.

The Warriors ended the series by blowing out the Mavs 111-86 in Game 6, marking the first time a No. 8 seed had ever beaten a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series.

1. 1994 Nuggets Shock Top-Seeded Sonics

Year/Round: 1994 Western Conference, First Round

Victor: Denver Nuggets

Victim: Seattle SuperSonics

Scenario:

A No. 8 seed had never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs before, and with an early 2-0 series lead, Seattle looked to continue that streak against the young Denver Nuggets.

With virtually no pressure on them, the Nuggets began a resurgence on their home court in Game 3 that gave them life in the series, despite having no real superstars on their roster to speak of.

The Nuggets won Game 4 in overtime 94-85, and with it tied the series went back to Seattle. Game 5 saw the Sonics get off to a hot start, only to see the feisty Nuggets fight their way back in what would turn out to be the second game in the series to go into overtime.

Denver eventually completed the historic upset 98-94, becoming the first  No. 8 seed to ever win a playoff series.