Basketball, Listed

A dedication to basketball history, catalogued and presented in convenient list form.

Slamming the door shut: 19 winner-take-all NBA playoff game blowouts

As the old adage goes, anything can happen in a winner-take-all playoff game, and what transpired in these 19 examples were absolute decimations, leaving the losing team not just eliminated but usually questioning themselves heading into the offseason.

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1) Game three, 1947 BAA quarterfinals: Knicks 93, Cleveland Rebels 71

In a best-of-three series that kicked off the first ever NBA playoffs in 1947, the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Rebels in three games to advance. Why is this significant? Well, that 93-71 loss in game three turned out to be the last game in Rebels franchise history. About two months later they folded, one of four original BAA teams to do so in the 1947 offseason. It was a fittingly strange series in an odd playoff format, with the Rebels and Knicks facing off as the third place finishers in their respective divisions. Cleveland easily took game one at home, 77-51, thanks to 24 points from their star player Ed “Moose” Sadowski. The series shifted to Madison Square Garden for the remainder and the Knicks offense woke up, running away with game two, 86-74. Game three was even more lopsided, with center Bud Palmer leading the way with 26 points in the 93-71 blowout.

2) Game seven, 1970 NBA Finals: Knicks 113, Lakers 99

Unlike their lightly documented victory over the Rebels in 1947, this Knicks win is one of the most hallowed and catalogued games in NBA history. It included the famed “Here comes Willis” moment, which was Marv Albert’s call when Reed jogged out of the tunnel and onto the Madison Square Garden court to play with a thorn thigh. He had suffered the injury during game five, which the Knicks still managed to win, then sat out a game six loss that evened the series at 3-3. Even though Reed played light minutes in game seven and finished with just four points, his presence was seemingly enough as the Knicks won going away 113-99. The final score actually makes it seem closer than it was, as New York led by 20+ points for most of the second half. Reed was named Finals MVP but Walt Frazier was the hero in this game for New York, with 36 points, 19 assists, and seven rebounds.

3) Game seven, 2001 Eastern Conference Finals: 76ers 108, Bucks 91

To an outside observer, this is a game with a simple narrative. Allen Iverson, in the biggest game of his career up to that point, led the way with 44 points in a 76ers blowout, aided by a third quarter knee injury to Bucks star Ray Allen. But to a Bucks fan, this was the final piece of evidence in an extended crime scene, perpetrated by the NBA league office and the game officials. The Sixers received an immense free throw advantage in the series, 186-120 overall and 32-19 in this game seven blowout. Even more egregious, Bucks center Scott Williams was suspended after picking up a flagrant foul in game six that was later deemed a higher category. While the 76ers moved on to the NBA Finals for the first time in 18 years, this marked the beginning of the end for this Bucks era, with Allen and Glenn Robinson traded away soon after.

4) Game seven, 1990 Eastern Conference Finals: Pistons 93, Bulls 74

Following decisive losses to the Pistons in 1988 and 1989, Michael Jordan and the Bulls were chomping at the bit to break through in 1990. They had blown out the Pistons in game six, shifting the series back to Detroit for a winner-take-all game seven. But seemingly everything that could go wrong in this game for the Bulls happened. John Paxson was unable to play on a sprained ankle, Scottie Pippen was supposedly “seeing double” due to a migraine, and the vaunted “Jordan Rules” defense spearheaded by Joe Dumars suffocated the Bulls superstar. Jordan finished the game with 31 points but on 13-of-27 shooting, while the rest of the Bulls shot just 23.8% from the field. Jordan had to be consoled by his father when he broke down and wept on the team bus following the game. He vowed to come back stronger in ’90-’91 and did, finally upending the Pistons and winning his first title.

5) Game seven, 1960 NBA Finals: Celtics 122, Hawks 103

During the Bill Russell era, the Celtics played in five NBA Finals that came down to a winner-take-all game seven. This is the only one that didn’t come down to the final possession. Instead, the Celtics opened a huge lead in the second quarter, then cruised to a 122-103 victory in front of a raucous Boston Garden crowd. It was a rubber match between the Celtics and Bob Pettit’s Hawks. The two had faced off in the Finals previously in 1957 and 1958, with the Celtics winning the former and the Hawks the latter (notably, with Russell missing most of the series with an ankle injury). Whereas their victory in the 1957 deciding game seven was an all-time classic, double overtime thriller, the Celtics left little doubt here. Russell finished with 22 points and 35 rebounds while Frank Ramsey had a game high 24 points off the bench.

6) Game seven, 2006 Conference Quarterfinals: Suns 121, Lakers 90
7) Game seven, 2006 Conference Semifinals: Suns 127, Clippers 107

Despite their star center Amar’e Stoudemire missing essentially the entire season due to knee surgery, the Suns won 54 games in ’05-’06 and reached the Conference Finals. But the first two rounds of the playoffs were anything but easy, as the #2 seeded Suns had to rally to escape consecutive upset bids from the two Los Angeles franchises. First up was the Lakers, whose Kobe Bryant put together some of the best performances of his career to spot his team a 3-1 series lead. But the Suns managed to erase it, finishing with 121-90 victory in game seven, led by Leandro Barbosa’s 26 points off the bench. Bryant was notably quiet in the game, attempting just five field goals in the second half in a performance that many analysts interpreted as the superstar “proving” the weakness of his supporting cast to Lakers management. In the second round, the Suns took on a Clippers team that had just won a playoff series for the first time in 30 years. They traded blows in the first six games until the Suns ran away with it in the deciding game seven, a 127-107 victory.

8) Game seven, 1984 Conference Semifinals: Celtics 121, Knicks 104

Through 14 brilliant but injury-riddled seasons in the NBA, Bernard King never even got to participate in a Conference Finals, let alone an NBA Finals. He reached the brink of it in 1984 and it took a prodigious individual effort just to get to that close. In a thrilling first round series against the Pistons, King went mano-a-mano with Isiah Thomas and averaged 42.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in a Knicks upset. In the Conference Semifinals against the heavily favored Celtics, King averaged 29.1 points per game while facing constant double and triple-teams, but it wasn’t enough. In the deciding game seven, Larry Bird took over for Boston with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121-104 win. The Celtics went on to defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals, with Bird earning his first Finals MVP award. King tore his ACL during the ’84-’85 season and was never the same.

9) Game three, 1960 Conference Semifinals: Warriors 132, Nationals 112

In his rookie season, Wilt Chamberlain won the scoring title, the rebounding title, earned both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, and carried a Warriors team that had finished below .500 in ’58-’59 to a 49-26 record and the #2 seed in the East. What did he do for an encore in the postseason? In a winner-take-all Conference Semifinal game three against the Syracuse Nationals, he set the playoffs record for points in a game with 53 and rebounds in a game with 22 in a 132-112 win. It was the high point of probably the greatest rookie season in NBA history. In fact, those 53 points are no longer the overall record but still stand as the single game rookie record. Chamberlain played just as strongly in the next round but the Warriors were no match for Bill Russell and the Celtics in the Conference Finals.

10) Game seven, 2005 Conference Quarterfinals: Mavericks 116, Rockets 76

Despite a strong roster anchored by superstars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming that regularly produced 50+ wins, the Rockets lost four consecutive first round series between 2004 and 2008. Such was life in the highly competitive ’00s Western Conference gauntlet. All four of those series losses were disillusioning in their own ways but the most crushing came in 2005 against the Mavericks. If you ask a Rockets fan, there were additional opponents in this series: the officials, who were instructed by David Stern to call tighter fouls on Houston after Mark Cuban complained publicly. With Yao drawing increased scrutiny of the legality of his picks and screens, the Mavericks overcame a 2-0 series deficit to reach game seven. It was a complete annihilation, with the Rockets shooting just 35.4% as the Mavericks set the winner-take-all point differential record with a 116-76 win.

“Even though this was one of the most heated rivalries in NBA history, when the game was no longer in doubt in the fourth quarter, the Boston faithful began serenading the 76ers with chants of “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!”

11) Game seven, 1992 Conference Semifinals: Bulls 110, Knicks 81

While this game was a blowout, it ended arguably the most difficult series test the Bulls faced during their six championship runs of the ’90s. The Knicks kept it close by turning the series into a slugfest, as was standard in those days for the Pat Riley coached team. They may have had a chance to finish the upset in game seven if not for a sprained ankle suffered by Patrick Ewing in game six. Noticeably hobbled, the Knicks superstar struggled to keep up as Chicago succeeded in finally pushing the pace. Michael Jordan finished with 42 points and Scottie Pippen added a triple-double as the Bulls ran away with a 29-point win. Of the 24 series they won during their six title seasons, this was one of just two for the Bulls that went to a deciding final game, with the 1998 Conference Finals against the Pacers being the other.

12) Game seven, 1974 NBA Finals: Celtics 102, Bucks 87

When the Bucks took game six of this series at the Boston Garden in a double overtime thriller, they seemed primed to seize that momentum and close out a championship at home in game seven. Instead, Milwaukee flatlined, shooting just 44.4% from the field and 57.7% from the free throw line in a 102-87 loss. It was an especially disappointing performance from Oscar Robertson, who finished with just six points on 2-of-13 shooting in what would turn out to be his final game of his storied career. Dave Cowens led the Celtics with 28 points and 14 rebounds while series MVP John Havlicek finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. It finished off a wild NBA Finals, which went the full seven games despite six of them being decided by eight points or more, and the road team winning each of the last four games.

13) Game seven, 2012 Conference Finals: Heat 101, Celtics 88

Game six of this series is the one most people remember, with LeBron James putting on one of the all-time playoff performances, scoring 45 points on 19-of-26 shooting in a Heat win in Boston. But that wasn’t the end, as the Heat had to follow it up with another win in game seven to advance. The Celtics held a lead for most of the first half, even by as much as 11 in the second quarter, but the Heat took over in the second half. James was masterful again, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while aging Celtics “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen all looked exhausted in what ended up being their final game together. This was also the first game seven win of James’ career, as he had lost in his previous two attempts with the Cavaliers. He has yet to lose in a game seven since, with five straight wins and counting.

14) Game seven, 1973 Conference Finals: Knicks 94, Celtics 78

Reigning league MVP Dave Cowens and the Celtics assumed they were coming into this game about to wrest control of the Eastern Conference. Instead, they suffered arguably the most demoralizing home playoff loss in franchise history. Walt Frazier led the way with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in a 94-78 Knicks victory. Cowens had a great game, finishing with 24 points and 15 rebounds, but Jo Jo White struggled with foul trouble and John Havlicek scored just four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Adding insult to injury, this was also the first time the Celtics had ever lost in a game seven. Prior to this, they had possessed a record of 11-0 in winner-take-all closeout games, dating back to 1957. While the Knicks went on to win the 1973 championship, the Celtics finally got the better of them in 1974 in the Conference Semifinals en route to their own title.

15) Game seven, 1995 Conference Finals: Magic 105, Pacers 81

With Michael Jordan back from his baseball sabbatical, there was increased desperation in the air for this winner-take-all game in Orlando. Both the Magic and Pacers knew their window of making an NBA Finals franchise debut was closing, with the reconstituted Bulls expected to dominate the remainder of the decade. The first five games of this series were close but games six and seven were blowouts. The former went in Indiana’s favor, a 123-96 home victory to set up this winner-take-all affair. The Pacers had already won a road game seven in the prior round against the Knicks but had no chance here from the beginning. Behind 25 points and 11 rebounds from Shaquille O’Neal, the Magic took a big early lead and then cruised to a 105-81 win. Orlando missed their chance to close things out with a title, getting swept by the Rockets in the NBA Finals. The Pacers finally made their Finals debut in 2000, after Jordan’s second retirement.

16) Game seven, 2003 Conference Quarterfinals: Pistons 108, Magic 93

When the NBA announced that it was extending first round series from best-of-five to best-of-seven, it was assumed that this would mean the favorites advancing more often. But in an unexpected sequence of events, a major first round upset almost happened in the new format’s debut. The top seeded Pistons needed a full seven games to hold off a Magic that had just barely snuck into the playoffs as the #8 seed. Orlando opened up a 3-1 series lead thanks to Tracy McGrady averaging 37.3 points per game. Detroit responded by increasing minutes for rookie forward Tayshaun Prince, who responded brilliantly, holding McGrady to just 36% shooting in the final three games, all of which were Pistons blowouts. Detroit moved on to reach the Conference Finals, their first of six consecutive appearances as they dominated the East in the ’00s.

17) Game seven, 1952 NBA Finals: Lakers 82, Knicks 65

For a second straight year, the Knicks found themselves in a winner-take-all game seven of the NBA Finals. They had suffered a heartbreak in 1951, blowing a late lead to the Rochester Royals in a 79-75 loss. Things were much less competitive this time around. Behind 22 points and 19 rebounds from George Mikan, the Lakers cruised to an 82-65 win to clinch their third title in a four-year stretch. New York shot just 28.1% from the field in the game, with the star trio of Connie Simmons, Max Zaslofsky, and Nat Clifton shooting a combined 12-of-40. While the Knicks kept this one relatively close in the first half, the outcome was never in doubt after the Lakers opened up a 15-point lead in the third quarter. The teams would match up again in the 1953 NBA Finals and the Lakers kept it less dramatic, winning in five games.

18) Game seven, 2022 Conference Semifinals: Mavericks 123, Suns 90

Coming off their NBA Finals appearance the year before and holding the #1 seed, the Suns were heavy favorites in the Western Conference in the 2022 playoffs. But they ran into a buzzsaw named Luka Doncic in the Conference Semifinals. The Slovenian superstar averaged 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in the series. This included a 35-point performance in the clinching game seven, a 123-90 drubbing by the Mavericks. Dallas had also won game six in a runaway and over the course of just a few days, the Suns went from title contender to a team in disarray, with major questions surrounding their stars Chris Paul and Devin Booker heading into the offseason. Paul would never make it this close to a title again, failing to advance past the first round in his final four seasons.

19) Game seven, 1982 Conference Finals: 76ers 120, Celtics 106

This may be the most notable example of the vaunted aura of Boston Garden failing to affect the outcome of a crucial game. With wins in games five and six, the Celtics seemed primed to erase a 3-1 series deficit and stun the 76ers for the second consecutive Conference Finals. Instead, Philly’s Andrew Toney proved why he had earned the nickname “Boston Strangler,” leading Philadelphia with 34 points in a 120-106 win. Larry Bird had a near triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, but Robert Parish had a nightmare game, with 13 missed shots and six turnovers. Even though this was one of the most heated rivalries in NBA history, when the game was no longer in doubt in the fourth quarter, the Boston faithful began serenading the 76ers with chants of “Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!” They failed to do just that, falling to the Lakers in six games in the ensuing NBA Finals.

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