Every NBA Playoffs, people ask how many times has a 8 seed beat a 1 seed? The short answer is six times since the league expanded to the current format this has occurred. The NBA expanded to 16 teams for the postseason for the 1984 Playoffs.
It doesn’t happen often as you can imagine, so if you’re thinking of Ev betting it’s always a safe bet to wager on the #1 seed in these 1-8 matchups. Since that expansion, the NBA Playoff’s #1 seeds have won all but six of the first round series. It did take 10 years for this to happen the first time. So, the drought wasn’t as long as it was for #1 vs #16 seeds in Men’s March Madness, but it still took a while.
When was the First Time a 8 Seed Beat a 1 Seed in the NBA Playoffs?
The first time that we saw a 8 seed defeat a 1 seed was in 1994. A decade after the NBA Playoff expansion when the Denver Nuggets took down the Seattle Supersonics in a best-of-five series. Denver was even down 2 games to 0 to kick off the series which make the win even more crazy for Nuggets fans. For those younger fans who don’t remember, this was before the Denver Nuggets were a perennial contender after winning the franchise’s first NBA title.
The frequency of #8 seed upsets over #1 seeds is a bit random as you’ll see when we go over the history. Even more rare, a #8 seed going on to win an NBA championship. Which has happened exactly ZERO times in NBA history.
When were the Other Five Times a 8 Seed Defeated a 1 Seed?
We’ll start off with the second time that a #8 seed won over a #1. That was in 1999 when the Knicks beat the Heat 3 games to 2. Fans of the 8 seed would have to wait until 2007 for another W. Then, the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors took down the league’s MVP Dirk Nowitzki and his #1 seeded Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2.
| Playoffs | #8 Seed | #1 Seed | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Denver Nuggets | Seattle Sonics | 3-2 |
| 2007 | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Mavericks | 4-2 |
| 2011 | Memphis Grizzlies | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 |
| 2012 | Philadelphia 76ers | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 |
| 2023 | Miami Heat | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-1 |
A few years later in 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies won over the Spurs, 4 games to 2. The very next year, the 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls, 4 games to 2. Most recently in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the #8 Miami Heat not only defeated the #1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks, but demolished the Bucks in five games 4-1.
We’ll have to see if we add to the numbers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs or not. Maybe a seven seed will take out a two seed. Or the post season could be in store for another dry spell of extreme upsets. Either way, the NBA playoffs will be fun to watch.
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