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Sure, all playoffs are history-making, but there are a few we remember way better than the rest.
Chicago Bulls, 1991
Everyone knows the name Michael Jordan. But back in 1991, he was just an upstart basketball player, and the Bulls were just a team struggling to gain some recognition.
After sweeping the New York Knicks in round one and going 4-1 in round two against Philadelphia, the Bulls faced arch rivals the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals. At that point, the Pistons, led by Isaiah Thomas, had beaten the Bulls in the playoffs three years in a row. The Bulls ended up smashing the Pistons 4-0, culminating in the infamous walk-off at the end of game four. Thirty years later and we’re still arguing about it.
After all that, it was just icing on the cake when the Bulls beat the Lakers and won their first NBA Championship. Michael Jordon was named MVP and it was the beginning of a dynasty.
San Antonio Spurs, 1999
At the beginning of the season, you wouldn’t think the struggling Spurs would make it to the post season, let alone the championship. But thanks to a strong squad with the likes of David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Sean Elliott, and Avery Johnson, the team led by coach Gregg Popovich recovered and won 30 of the last 36 games in the season.
After that, they dominated the post season. They went 3-1 against the Timberwolves, 4-0 against the Lakers, and 4-0 against the Trail Blazers, making for a 11-1 record going into the finals.
To their credit, the New York Knicks offered some resistance, winning a single game. The Spurs won 15-2 in the post season, something truly incredible at the time.
Los Angeles Lakers, 2001
The Lakers were to the early aughts what the Bulls were to the nineties. They’d won the previous season, and in 2001 the Lakers came very close to pulling off a truly dominant undefeated post season.
Anchored by the truly fantastic Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers swept the Trail Blazers, Kings, and Spurs, equalling the 1988-89 Lakers in their 11-0 sweep of the Conference Playoffs.
When it came time to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers very nearly performed another sweep. If it wasn’t for Allen Iverson playing a 48-point game and pulling out an overtime victory, the Lakers might’ve gone undefeated.
Golden State Warriors, 2017
Swept Portland. Swept Utah. Swept San Antonio. The ’17 Golden State Warriors became the first team in NBA history to start with a 12-0 record in the post season. Of course, it helps that they were stacked with the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry.
Again, a team looked like it might go undefeated in the playoffs, but again, they were thwarted. The Golden State Warriors won 4-1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, securing a 16-1 record, the best in NBA playoffs history.
Toronto Raptors, 2019
For the first time in four post seasons, the Warriors and the Cavaliers didn’t meet in the championship round. For the first finals since 2010, LeBron James wasn’t there. But the Raptors were.
Not that fans necessarily thought the Raptors had a great chance. Many were surprised when fan favourite DeMar DeRozan was traded away for Kawhi Leonard. On top of that, there was drama when coach Dwane Casey was fired—and then named NBA Coach of the Year a week later.
But the Raptors settled into their groove quickly, buoyed by newly promoted coach Nick Nurse. The Raptors went 4-1 against the Magic, 4-3 against the 76ers (which featured a game-winning buzzer beater in Game 7 by Leonard, which bounced on the rim four times and was the first-ever Game 7 buzzer beater in the NBA playoffs), and 4-2 against the Bucks. When Toronto beat the Golden State Warriors in six games, they ended a 25-year drought for Toronto teams appearing in the championship round of any of the big four North American sports leagues.
