Has Any NBA Team Swept the Playoffs?
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The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and we’re already seeing some teams dominating the competition. But has any team ever swept the playoffs?
Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the National Basketball Association in 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA Finals is the championship series of the NBA and determines the winner of the NBA championship. The Finals are contested between the Eastern Conference champions and the Western Conference champions.
What is a Sweep in the NBA Playoffs?
A sweep in the NBA playoffs is when a team wins all four games in a best-of-seven series. It has happened 21 times in NBA history, most recently when the Golden State Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals in 2016.
The Warriors are also responsible for three of the other 20 sweeps in NBA history, having swept the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 Western Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, and the Trail Blazers again in the 2019 Western Conference Finals.
The Boston Celtics have been on both ends of playoff sweeps, as they were swept by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1954 playoffs, but have gone on to sweep nine different playoff series themselves, including three times in the NBA Finals (1968, 1984, and 2008).
NBA Playoff Sweeps Throughout History
The Boston Celtics have the most playoff sweeps in NBA history, with 10. The Los Angeles Lakers are second with nine, while the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are tied for third with seven each. All four of these teams have also won the NBA Finals multiple times.
The most recent playoff sweep occurred in 2018, when the Golden State Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. This was also the fifth consecutive year that at least one series ended in a sweep.
There have been several other close calls, but no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. The closest any team has come was in the first round of the playoffs in 1951, when the Syracuse Nationals came back from 3-0 down to force a Game 7, which they ultimately lost.
Reasons Why Teams May Be Swept in the Playoffs
Many NBA teams have come close to sweeping the playoffs, but there has never been a team that has gone undefeated in the postseason. There are a number of reasons why this may be the case.
First, the NBA playoffs are a best-of-seven series, so a team would need to win four games in order to sweep their opponents. This is a tall order for any team, even if they are the favorites going into the series.
Second, the level of competition in the playoffs is generally much higher than it is during the regular season. The best teams in the league tend to rise to the occasion when they are playing against other top teams in the playoffs.
Third, there is more at stake in the playoffs than there is during the regular season. The pressure to win is higher, and this can sometimes cause teams to choke under pressure.
Finally, injuries can also play a factor in whether or not a team is able to sweep the playoffs. If a team’s star player goes down with an injury, it can be tough for that team to recover and win four games against a tough opponent.
Conclusion
No NBA team has ever swept the playoffs.
