The most shocking NBA Playoff upsets in history

In a first vs eighth seed in the NBA playoffs, there have only been six occasions where the bottom-ranked playoff team has shocked the number-one seed, as reported by Hoops Hype.

In most other sports, a team can have a lucky day and progress into the next round, but in the NBA, playing a best-of-seven series makes it even more unlikely for an underdog to prevail.

Every sports fan loves an underdog story and for teams to have their 'Rocky' moment.

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Here are some of the shocking playoff upsets in NBA history.

According to Hoops Hype, Eighth-seed Golden State Warriors (42-40) shocked the number-one-seed Dallas Mavericks (67-15) in 2007, beating them over six games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Despite the offensive weapons of Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, and others, the Warriors trio of Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Jason Richardson carried The Warriors to the West semi-finals before being knocked out by the Utah Jazz.

The Memphis Grizzlies had never won a playoff game, never mind a playoff series, when they came up against the mighty San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

Eighth-seed Memphis beat the top-seed and title favorites San Antonio over six games in a Spurs team that included NBA legends Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, according to The Ringer.

The first time in NBA history that an eighth seed beat the first seed was in 1994, after the 42-win Denver Nuggets defeated the 63-win Seattle Supersonics in five games.

The Sonics, possessing Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, took a 2-0 lead in the series, but Denver, under the guidance of Dikembe Mutombo and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, willed their way back to take the series, as reported by Hoops Hype.

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The season after Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls disbanded, the Miami Heat took the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, facing eighth seed New York Knicks in the opening round.

According to The Ringer, the Knicks handed out the second-ever eighth seed beating first seed in NBA history, defeating Miami 3-2 in the series, with role player Latrell Sprewell, the top scorer for New York

After a tough loss in the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, the Los Angeles Lakers added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to their already superior roster with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Detroit Pistons were the clear underdog in the finals against the Lakers, but by sheer hard work and team committee, the Pistons defeated the Lakers in five games.

No team had ever come back from 3-1 down in the NBA Finals until LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors 4-3, becoming the most incredible upset in playoff history, as reported by ESPN.

LeBron James averaged 30 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists throughout the whole series, but it was Kyrie Irving's famous shot over Steph Curry and James' block that will be remembered for winning the series.

In the 2023 NBA playoffs, the eighth-seed Miami Heat shocked the world after beating the number-one-seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Miami's Jimmy Butler was the star of the series for the Heat and closed the series with a 56-point haul in game four and 42 points in game five to progress to the next round, according to ESPN. The Heat eventually lost to Denver in the final.

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