Most impressive playoff runs

I'll start with the Mavericks 2010/11

They beat:
A 50 win Portland team with Lamarcus/Andre Miller/Gerald Wallace and the last good appearance by Brandon Roy.

L.A Lakers(2 All-NBA players,Kobe/Gasol...6-th man of the year Odom,coach: Phil Jackson) Two time defending champions

OKC Thunder(2 All NBA players,Durrant/Westbrook+James Harden)Went to the finals next year

Miami Heat(2 All NBA players,Lebron/Wade+Chris Bosh)Won the title the next two years

A playoff run of 16/5,with no loss bigger than 8 points.

 

No mention of any of the Spurs run in the rugged West?

In 05, San Antonio had to beat Melo and Denver in RD1, Seattle in RD2 and the Suns at their best in the conference finals, and then had to beat the defending champion Pistons to win the title.

On 03, had to beat a good Suns team in round 1, Shaq/Kobe Lakers in round two, and Dirk and the Mavs in round 3.

 

The 2014 Spurs had to beat some monster teams as well.

Beat Dirk and a good Dallas team in round 1 (4-3)
Beat Lillard and Aldridge in rd2 (4-1)
Beat OKC with Durant in the Finals (4-2)

then pwned the Heat with Bron, Wade and Bosh 4-1.

 

The Sixers making the Finals, and winning a game from that GOAT Lakers team, while being lead by Iverson (whom shot under 40% for the entire yoffs, chucking to the max) and Mutombo is to me, the greatest achievement in modern NBA history

 

The 07 New York Giants. Won on the road, then beat the 13-3 Cowboys on the road, then beat the 13-3 Packers on the road, then beat the 18-0 Patriots.

 

when you factor in Eli was QB, that is pretty damn impressive. that d line....

 

2011 Giants were pretty impressive too. Beat 15-1 GB in Lambeau, beat the 13-3 Niners at the Stick, then beat NE in the SB.

 

Their 2011 run too but I think that was easier because they at least got to host a playoff game in the first round.

 

In that Sixers run, they played the Raptors in one series, 7 games. AI and VC combined for 3 50pt games that series. probably the best series that nobody ever talks about

 

I forgot all about the 05 Steelers. They were 7-5 in early December and also won 3 road playoff games to get to the SB.

@ 11-5 Cin
@ 14-2 Ind
@ 13-3 Den

Yeah we all know about the shady reffing in the SB against Sea but a win is still a win.

 

04 Red Sox, went down 0-3 in the ALCS and won 8 in a row to beat the Yanks and sweep the Cards for the WS win.

 

Bos only won that WS because they unfairly had homefield via the all star game.

Spoiler

Just kidding.

 

I was hoping you were, the Cards had a great season that year but played terribly in the WS, so many errors.

 

that's pretty tremendous by the Red Sox, forgot they were down 0-3 AND swept the WS

 

The Lakers going 15-1 in the playoffs against four 50+ win teams is more impressive than the Sixers winning one game. The Trail Blazers were aging but still had a pretty stellar roster, the Kings were stacked, and the Spurs were the best defensive team and #1 in the league. The Lakers swept them all, 11 straight games.

 

Bills making 4 straight super bowls while no other team in SB era has even made 3 in a row.

 

They also had prime Shaq, and entering Prime Kobe, and then Horry. Obviously that's impressive, but that sixers team had zero business being in the finals. the MIL team they beat in the ECF was better

The sixers had .....eric snow, the immortal todd mccullogh, i'll give Mckie as a solid player, and their leading player shot 36% in one those series (and they won).

edit: i'm struggling to find a single Finals team led by a player 6' or shorter other than the Sixers, that whole team strategy was let iverson chuck, mutombo played D and grabbed his misses and hit putbacks.

 

Pretty sure the 95 Rockets own this award

The 6th seed 47-win Rockets beat:

- The 60-win Jazz in the first round
- The 59-win Suns in the second round
- The 62-win Spurs in the WCF
- The 57-win Magic in the Finals

Nothing even close to that has ever been done before or since

 

Gotta agree w/ Faust, never realized the gauntlet they faced to reach Shaq and Penny in the finals

 

Heat > Lakes cause Heat made 4x Finals more recently

Also

Spoiler