Has A 7 Seed Ever Won The Nba Finals?

The answer may surprise you. A 7 seed has in fact won the NBA Finals before.

NBA Finals History

The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

List of NBA Finals winners

The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The participants of the Finals were determined by the playoffs, which began with four first-round playoff seeds per conference, followed by three divisional winners and two wild card teams.

The NBA Finals has been played at the end of every NBA and Basketball Association of America season in history, dating back to 1947. The one exception was in 2004, when the Finals were played in June due to a lockout. When the BAA was founded in 1946, it originally determined its champion via a single playoff system. At first, only two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. From 1947 to 1956 four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs; in this format, known as “divisional play”, a team’s placement within its division was gastronomically significant. From 1957–1969 eight teams qualified for the playoffs each year. In this format there were no strict divisional placements; as an example, if one team finished second overall while another team finished third overall but swept its division rivals (a feat only accomplished twice during that time frame), both would reach the semifinals regardless of which conference they were in or what their records were against non-divisional opponents that year.

In 1970, a new nine-game Divisional Playoff series began. This “expanded playoffs” format featured three rounds of best-of-five series before the NBA Finals; if necessary, overtime games were played under sudden death rules until one team emerged victorious. In 1971 five new franchises joined NBA bringing the total number of teams to 17; consequently, four Division Playoff berths were added that year (two per conference). The following season only one additional berth was added per conference (for a total of six), giving each conference fifteen playoff spots overall and three Division Playoff berths. From 1975 onward thirteen teams qualified for the playoffs each year (three Division Playoff berths and two wild card spots); if necessary overtime games continued to be played under sudden death rules until one team emerged victorious

In 1999 a seventh berth was added per conference (bringing the total number of playoff spots up to twenty-three), necessitated by the addition of five new franchises that season; if necessary, overtime games continued to be played under sudden death rules until one team emerged victorious. From 2003 onward sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs each year (four Division Playoff berths and two wild card spots per conference); if necessary overtime games are now played under District 5 OT rules until one team emerges victorious

winners:
##1947 – Philadelphia Warriors vs Chicago Stags
##1948 – Baltimore Bullets vs Philadelphia Warriors

List of NBA Finals losers

Since the NBA Finals began in 1947, there have been 66 NBA teams that have lost the championship series. Of those, only 14 teams have lost more than once. The Los Angeles Lakers have the dubious distinction of being the team with the most losses, having lost the Finals a total of 9 times.

7 Seeds in the NBA Finals

In the NBA, a 7 seed is the lowest possible seed that a team can earn in the playoffs. In the history of the NBA, there have been 7 seeds that have made it to the Finals. Does this mean that a 7 seed can win the NBA Finals?

1993: New York Knicks

In 1993, the New York Knicks were the first and only 7 seed to make it to the NBA Finals. They were led by Patrick Ewing, who averaged 21.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in the regular season. In the Finals, they faced off against the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who were led by Michael Jordan. The Bulls won the series in six games, with Jordan averaging 32 points per game.

2005: San Antonio Spurs

The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2004–05 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the culmination of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, so the first team to win four games would win the series. It began on June 9 and ended on June 23.

The Spurs won the series 4 games to 3, becoming only the third Finals participant in NBA history (joining 1969 Los Angeles Lakers and 1988 Los Angeles Lakers) to win four games after trailing 0–2 in a best-of-seven series. The Pistons had won both meetings against San Antonio during the regular season. This was just Detroit’s second Finals appearance since moving to Detroit from Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1957 (and their first since winning back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990).

Unlike most other NBA Finals which featured teams with similar records, this year’s edition featured two teams with completely different records. The Spurs compiled a 59–23 record during the 2004–05 regular season for a .720 winning percentage—the fourth best in franchise history—while only going 32–50 (.390) just one year earlier. Meanwhile, Detroit went 54–28 (.659) during that same regular season for their third consecutive 50+ win season; they became only one of three teams ever to do so along with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993 and Shaquille O’Neal’s Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2001. With that much at stake as they headed into their matchup, it is no wonder why many called this year’s finals a “dream matchup”.

2007: Golden State Warriors

It was a Cinderella story for the ages. Led by future Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash, the Suns were an up-and-coming team that had already made the Western Conference Finals in 2005. The Warriors, on the other hand, were a sub-.500 team that barely snuck into the playoffs as the seventh seed.

In the first round, Golden State faced off against the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks, led by MVP Dirk Nowitzki. The Warriors won the first two games at home before losing the next two in Dallas. In Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, Baron Davis hit a game-winning three-pointer with 11 seconds left to give Golden State a 118-112 victory. The Warriors would go on to win the series in six games, becoming the first seventh seed in NBA history to advance to the second round.

In the second round, Golden State met another Texas team, this time taking on the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors won Game 1 in San Antonio before losing Game 2. However, they would bounce back and win three straight games to take a 3-1 series lead. After losing Game 5 in San Antonio, Golden State closed out the series at home in Game 6 with a 102-92 victory.

The Warriors’ Cinderella run continued into the Western Conference Finals as they met up with Nash and the Suns. Like they did against Dallas and San Antonio, Golden State won Games 1 and 2 at home before losing Games 3 and 4 on the road. However, they would not be denied as they won Game 5 in Phoenix 112-106 to take a 3-2 lead back to Oakland. In front of their home fans, Golden State cruised to a 121-115 victory in Game 6 to become only the ninth team in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals with a sub-.500 record during the regular season.

Why the 7 Seed is Important

In the NBA, the 7 seed is seen as the most important seed. This is because the 7 seed is the lowest seed that can make it to the NBA Finals. The 7 seed is important because it gives teams a chance to prove that they are good enough to make it to the Finals.

The 7 seed is the lowest-seeded team in the playoffs

The 7 seed is the lowest-seeded team in the playoffs. In the first round, they play the second-seeded team in the other conference. If they win, they advance to the second round to play the winner of the first-round series between the 3 seed and 6 seed.

In recent years, there have been a few notable upsets by 7 seeds in the playoffs. In 2012, for example, the 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers defeated the 2 seed Miami Heat in the first round. And in 2014, the 7 seed San Antonio Spurs rode a dominant performance by Kawhi Leonard to a upset victory over the 2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

However, no 7 seed has ever won an NBA championship. The closest any 7 seed has come is when The Milwaukee Bucks lost to The Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals.

So while upsets by 7 seeds are not common, they do happen from time to time. But if you’re a fan of a team seeded 7th heading into the playoffs, don’t get your hopes up too high for a championship just yet.

The 7 seed is often considered the underdog

The 7 seed is the lowest seed in the NBA playoffs. In most cases, the 7 seed is considered the underdog, as they are matched up against a higher seed. However, there have been some instances where the 7 seed has come out on top. In the 2012 NBA playoffs, for example, the 7 seeded Golden State Warriors defeated the higher seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Why the 7 Seed is Not Important

When it comes to the NBA Finals, the 7 seed has never been important. In fact, out of the last 10 NBA Finals, the 7 seed has only been represented 3 times. This year, the 7 seed is the Golden State Warriors, who are facing off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many people are wondering if the 7 seed will finally break through and win the NBA Finals, but it is highly unlikely.

The 7 seed has only won the NBA Finals three times

In the history of the NBA, only three teams have ever won the Finals as a 7-seed.

The first team to do it was the 1999 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Led by Tim Duncan, who was in his second season, and David Robinson, who was in his final season, the Spurs shocked the world by beating the heavily favored New York Knicks in five games.

The next team to do it was the 2007 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Led by Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, the Warriors rode a hot shooting streak from beyond the arc to upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games.

The most recent team to do it was the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Once again led by Tim Duncan, who was in his 17th season, and Tony Parker, who was in his 14th season, the Spurs dismantled the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in five games.

So while it is possible for a 7-seed to win the NBA Finals, it’s not very likely. In fact, out of the three times it’s happened, two of those teams were led by future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

The 7 seed is often eliminated in the first round of the playoffs

The 7 seed is often eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In the last 10 years, only 3 teams have made it to the second round as a 7 seed. The Charlotte Hornets were swept by the Miami Heat in 2014, the Memphis Grizzlies lost in 5 games to the Spurs in 2015, and the Indiana Pacers lost in 4 games to the Cavaliers in 2018.