Image via Complex Original
Unfortunately, the 2014 NBA Playoffs expiration date is coming up in the next couple weeks. The Heat and Spurs will face off again in a battle which everyone hopes is as thrilling as the 2013 NBA Finals that went the distance. That's what the NBA Finals should be about, right? The two best teams from the East and West, fighting for six or seven games to reign supreme. Having a series that gets ended by Game 4 or Game 5 just doesn't cut it. The NBA faithful didn't deal with the New York Knicks being on national TV every night for a sub par matchup in the NBA Finals.
It's sad to say that 23 out of 55 (42 percent) NBA Finals have been decided by five games or less. That's almost half of the matchups that deserved the snooze button. Since the basketball gods blessed us with seven games last year, are the Finals almost guaranteed to fall short of expectations this season?
That will be decided with the series starting tonight, but before you tune into Game 1, peep the Worst NBA Finals Matchups in NBA History.
15. "Showtime" Gets Canceled
Date: 1983
Matchup: 76ers vs. Lakers
Series: 4-0 (76ers)
Moses Malone, the piece that the 76ers acquired to finish their championship puzzle, made the famous "Fo', fo', fo'" prediction before the playoffs that the 76ers would sweep every series. Philly lost only one game to Milwaukee in the ECF. The 76ers scored over 100 points in all four victories and averaged 110.5 points per game for the series. Moses Malone was the Finals MVP, averaging 25.8 points and 18.0 rebounds. The "Showtime" Lakers were anything but that in the '83 Finals. They were without James Worthy for the entire playoffs while losing Bob McAdoo and Norm Nixon for parts of the Finals.
Coincidentally, the Lakers lead every game at halftime, but still couldn't manage to leave with a victory. The prescription of Moses Malone to the Sixers front court proved to be just what the Doctor ordered for Philadelphia.
14. Knicks Get Dusted Against Lakers
Date: 1972
Matchup: Lakers vs. Knicks
Series: 4-1 (Lakers)
The Lakers first title in Los Angeles didn't come until 1972, after losing seven NBA Finals to the vaunted Boston Celtics. The matchup in the 1972 NBA Finals pit them against the Knicks. New York would taste victory in Game 1, but that's as sweet as it got. The Lakers would take the next four games only winning one game by less than 10 points. Wilt Chamberlain poured in 24 points and 29 rebounds in the deciding Game 5 victory to give Los Angeles the title.
13. The Lakers Run Out of Magic
Date: 1989
Matchup: Pistons vs. Lakers
Series: 4-0 (Pistons)
After losing the 1988 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons wasted no time getting back to the Finals. Trading Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre during the season turned out to be the move that would put the Pistons over the top. Facing the Los Angeles Lakers once again, the "Bad Boys" could sense that their first NBA Championship was within reach. The storylines were everywhere in the '89 Finals—Kareem was retiring at the end of the season and the Lakers were four games away from completing a three-peat. It seemed that everything was set up for L.A. until the ball was tipped off in Game 1.
The Pistons would take Game 1 by 12 points and never looked back. Detroit would blast the Lakers in a four game sweep with Magic playing in only three because of a pulled hamstring.
12. The Celtics Win...Again
Date: 1961
Matchup: Celtics vs. Hawks
Series: 4-1 (Celtics)
The St. Louis Hawks caught the Boston Celtics in the midst of their run of 10 straight championships and wouldn't come close to stopping Bill Russell and the C's. The Celtics made a statement in Game 1, winning 129-95 and setting the tone for the rest of the series. Boston dropped Game 3 by four points, but would go on to win the next two games by an average of 12 points. Anyone that faced the Celtics during their decade-long championship run in the 60s didn't put up much of a fight.
11. The Bad Boys Get Busy with Second Ring
Date: 1990
Matchup: Pistons vs. Blazers
Series: 4-1 (Pistons)
The Detroit Pistons lost forward Rick Mahorn due to the expansion draft in 1989, after the "Bad Boys" Pistons won their first title together—Isiah Thomas stated that the "Bad Boys" era was over. The Pistons banded together during the 1990 season and went on a 25-1 streak from January to March. Detroit would grind through tough series with the Pacers, Knicks, and Bulls, but ultimately found themselves back in the NBA Finals stacked up against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers.
After splitting the first two games, the Pistons would charge back and take the next three games winning the NBA Championship for the second consecutive year.
10. Seattle's Lone Title Comes in Blowout Fashion
Date: 1979
Matchup: Sonics vs. Bullets
Series: 4-1 (Sonics)
In the 1979 NBA Finals, the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the defending champion, Washington Bullets, in five games. The 1979 NBA Finals was a rematch of the previous year, with the defending champion, Washington Bullets, facing the Seattle SuperSonics yet again. The '78 Finals went seven games, but the '79 Finals would only make it to Game 5. The SuperSonics crushed the Bullets, lead by Dennis Johnson, the Finals MVP.
This was the only NBA title the SuperSonics ever won and was Seattle's first major championship of the modern era.
9. The Golden State Shines Bright
Date: 1975
Matchup: Warriors vs. Bullets
Series: 4-0 (Warriors)
The 1975 NBA Finals major storyline had nothing to do with the play on the hardwood. This was the first championship game or series in any of the four North American major professional sports league that featured two African American head coaches or managers. Al Attles coached the Warriors and K.C. Jones coached the Bullets. That was the only thing to talk about as the Warriors would win the series with a clean 4-0 sweep. Anyone that wasn't watching hoops during this time period probably won't notice many names from the rosters of the Warriors and Bullets.
Rick Barry lead the charge for the Warriors, winning NBA Finals MVP with averages of 29.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
8. The Bullets Get Bucked
Date: 1971
Matchup: Bucks vs. Bullets
Series: 4-0 (Bucks)
Once upon a time, the Milwaukee Bucks were one of the most formidable teams in the NBA. Before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was lauded in purple and gold, he was tossing skyhooks over opponents in Milwaukee. The man responsible for getting the ball to Kareem was none other than the great Oscar Robertson. The 1971 NBA Finals put Abdul-Jabbar's Bucks up against the Baltimore Bullets and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Gus Johnson and The Pearl were dealing with a rash of injuries which helped Milwaukee dispose of the Bullets easily for the second sweep in NBA Finals history.
7. Lakers Become First Team in History to be Swept in Finals
Date: 1959
Matchup: Celtics vs. Lakers
Series: 4-0 (Celtics)
The 1959 NBA Finals featured the first sweep in Finals history, with the Boston Celtics defeating the Minneapolis Lakers in four games. The Celtics throwback squad featured future Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsey, and Tom Heinsohn, while being coached by the legendary Red Auerbach. Before the NBA Finals matchup in 1959, the Celtics had been victorious in 18-straight contests against the Lakers; the writing was on the wall.
The 1959 NBA Championship was Boston's third consecutive title; Boston would go on to win the next seven NBA titles, for a total of 10 in a row.
6. Lakers Get Blasted by Underdog Pistons
Date: 2004
Matchup: Pistons vs. Lakers
Series: 4-1 (Pistons)
The 2004 NBA Finals pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Los Angeles Lakers who were a season removed from a three-peat. The Lakers were heavily favored, loaded with future Hall of Fame talent like Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. However, Shaq was the only player that shot over 40 percent from the floor for the Lakers, and L.A. was picked apart in five games. The Pistons were a team instead of a collection of talent and their grinding style gave Larry Brown is first title after 22 years as an NBA head coach.
5. The Black Mamba Wins Without Superman
Date: 2009
Matchup: Lakers vs. Magic
Series: 4-1 (Lakers)
After losing to the Celtics in six during the '08 Finals, the Lakers got rid of the Orlando Magic quickly in 2009. A young Dwight Howard would be making his first NBA Finals appearance, which was as short lived as his time spent in a Lakers uniform. Kobe Bryant was unstoppable, averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in the series. Every bucket that Kobe poured in made Shaq's dominant presence in purple and gold seem like a distant memory. The win gave Bryant his first title sans Shaq.
4. The City of Brotherely Love Gets Heartbroken
Date: 2001
Matchup: Lakers vs. 76ers
Series: 4-1 (Lakers)
The Lakers delivered a crushing blow to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals that the city of Philadelphia is still trying to recover from. The Sixers haven't tasted basketball relevancy since Allen Iverson was trying to will his team to victory against the unstoppable tandem of Kobe and Shaq. Iverson, the regular season MVP and scoring champion, averaged 35.6 points in the series, including dropping 48 points in the Sixers lone victory in Game 1. Outside of that blip, this series was dominated by the Lakers.
3. The Spurs Dynasty Begins
Date: 1999
Matchup: Spurs vs. Knicks
Series: 4-1 (Spurs)
The San Antonio Spurs dynasty started in 1999, when the Spurs marched to a 4-1 series victory against the New York Knicks, who were the first eight-seed in NBA history to reach the Finals. The "Twin Towers" of David Robinson and Tim Duncan were responsible for the demolition of the Knicks, but the Game 5 series clinching victory came down to the flick of Avery Johnson's wrist. With less than a minute to go in Game 5 and the Spurs trailing 77-75, Sean Elliott drove toward the hoop and tossed the ball to 5-foot-11 Avery Johnson hiding in the corner. Johnson rose up and nailed the game-winning jumper, giving the Spurs the 77-76 victory and the NBA Championship. Game 5 featured the only exciting moments in the series, since the Knicks were on their heels from the jump.Neither team averaged over 85 points during the entire series. Defensive battles aren't the most enticing games, making this one of the worst NBA Finals matchups in history.
2. LeBron's Cavs Terminated by Methodical Spurs
Date: 2007
Matchup: Spurs vs. Cavs
Series: 4-0 (Spurs)
LeBron James was a ringless king entering the 2007 NBA Finals. He would receive his first opportunity to chisel his statue on the NBA's Mt. Rushmore against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. The "Big Three" in San Antonio were up to their usual greatness back in 2007. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined for 70 percent (242-of-346 points) of the Spurs offense in the four-game sweep. Besides LeBron being in his first NBA Finals, this series deserved the fast forward button. Only one game in this series had both teams eclipse the 90-point margin, with the Spurs winning Game 2 103-92.
Don't let the final scores fool you, LeBron was in over his head.
1. The Nets Get Dropped By the Lakers
Date: 2002
Matchup: Lakers vs. Nets
Series: 4-0 (Lakers)
Sorry New Jersey, but catching Kobe and Shaq in their prime wasn't the best time to reach the NBA Finals. O'Neal, the Finals MVP, dropped in 145 points in the four-game series, which was a record for the NBA Finals. The best competition the Nets had for him were Jason Collins, Todd MacCulloch, and Aaron Williams. That's comparable to throwing mice in the jungle with a lion and expecting them to not be eaten alive. The Lakers would sweep the Nets, with Shaq pouring in 34 points and 10 boards in the series clincher. New Jersey only lead at the end of a quarter once in the entire series, which sums up why this was the worst NBA Finals matchups in history.