The Boston Celtics are looking at an embarassing Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Embarrassing because the Celtics were the NBA's best team during the regular season while the Hawks ... making their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade ... entered the playoffs with a losing record.
We all might think this just shows this weakness to other teams which may try to exploit it. Maybe ... but don't count the Celtics out of winning the whole shabang if they manage to pull out Game 7.
Two teams in the last 20 years have had to go the distance in their first round series only to still go on and win the NBA Championship.
2000-Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers entered the postseason with the NBA's best record. That still didn't keep them from struggling in the first round against the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers won two, Kings won two, before LA closed it out in the series' final contest. Shaq and Kobe would go on to win the NBA title.
1995-Houston Rockets. The defending champs were actually the 6th seed against Utah in the first round. Still, the "heart of a champion" came through and Houston won the clinching Game 5 in Salt Lake City. Houston would go on to repeat as champions ... sweeping Orlando in the NBA Finals.
There have been six other teams in the last 20 years to go the distance in their first round series and gone on to lose the NBA Finals.
2002-New Jersey Nets. The Nets were pushed to a full five games in their first round series with the Indiana Pacers. New Jersey would go on to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Lakers.
2000-Indiana Pacers. The same year the Lakers struggled with the Kings in the first round, the Pacers got all they wanted from the Milwaukee Bucks. The series went the full five games with Indiana eeking out a 96-95 win in the final contest. Indiana would go on to the NBA Finals and lose to the Lakers.
1999-New York Knicks. This one gets an asterick of sorts, because they were the #8 seed in a strike shortened season. The Knicks took the #1 seeded Miami Heat to a full five games before disposing of them. New York would go on an unprobable run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Spurs.
1998-Utah Jazz. We remember this Jazz team for nearly knocking off the Bulls in the Finals ... but they needed a full five games to beat Houston in the first round. The Rockets actually had a 2-1 series lead before Stockton-n-Malone soared for the last two wins.
1993-Phoenix Suns. This was the MVP Charles Barkley season. The Suns ... who had the NBA's best record ... actually lost their first two games against the Lakers (at home) in their first round matchup. Suns eeked out elimination in Game 3, won Game 4 and pulled out an overtime victory in Game 5 to keep from being embarassed.
1988-Detroit Pistons. We all remember the magical Lakers-Pistons NBA Finals of that year. Well, in nearly didn't happen (and not just because the Lakers needed to win Game 7s against the Jazz and Mavs along the way). No, Detroit had a heck of a time trying to rid themselves of the Washington Bullets in their first round meeting. After blowing out the Bullets in the first two games, Washington went home and pulled out two to send it back to the Silverdome for a winner-take-all. The Pistons won and made their first trip to the NBA Finals.
2 comments:
We knew we wouldn't need a game 7 against the Lakers, so we got one in early.
Bibby sure turned that team around, though. Love dem veteran point guards.
Ot isn't how you start it is how you finish.
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