The NBA Playoffs are supposed to represent the peak of competition—where the stakes are high, every possession matters, and reputations are made or shattered. Teams fight through an 82-game regular season just for a shot at immortality, and if you’re the last squad standing after four (usually intense) seven-game series, you don’t just win a trophy—you carve your name into NBA history.

But we say “usually” because not every playoff game or series lives up to the billing. Sometimes, the supposed battles turn into beatdowns. Case in point: someone should have reminded the 2025 Boston Celtics that the playoffs are not just a casual extension of the regular season. In a stunning collapse, the Celtics were absolutely dismantled by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing by 44 points. on their own home floor. Not only was it the largest margin of defeat suffered by a No. 1 seed in playoff history, but it was also the second-worst home playoff loss ever recorded.

For perspective, the largest home playoff blowout remains the 2009 Denver Nuggets’ 58-point win over the New Orleans Hornets (121–63). So no, Boston doesn’t quite “own” that unfortunate record—but being in the conversation isn’t exactly the legacy you want.

The Biggest Blowouts in NBA Playoff History

The NBA Playoffs are supposed to have a higher level of competition than the regular season. That’s because a team’s season is at a risk; they’re playing for everything they’ve accomplished in their season.

When you compare the biggest playoff blowouts to the regular season wipeouts, the gap isn’t as wide as you might think. The largest regular-season margin remains the 73-point demolition when the Grizzlies flattened the Thunder in 2021. In the playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 58-point playoff win over the Nuggets in 2004 and Denver’s 58-point win in 2009 both top the charts. Whether it’s losing by 68 points or a 44-point playoff implosion, at some point, it’s all just academic (and brutal) for the fans on the wrong end.

Moral of the story: in the playoffs, the intensity is higher so when a team unravels, it can happen spectacularly. And thanks to Miami’s collapse in game four in the 2025 First Round, we now have one more unforgettable (and historic) playoff blowout to shake our heads at. Anyways, here’s the largest margins of victory in NBA Playoff history:

As you can see from the list (and probably assumed and expected), a good chunk of the blowouts happened during the first round of the playoffs. If we were to extend the list by one spot, it would have included the first NBA Finals round on the list. For more details on that blowout, check out our list of the 23 biggest blowouts in NBA Finals history.

History tells us that the #1, #2 or #3 seed wins more than a 95% chance of the championships in NBA history. There’s no Hoosiers or March Madness happening in June. And no #8 seed has ever won the title.

Separating Contenders from the Pretenders

Even with the high expectations of the NBA postseason, clearly some playoff teams aren’t nearly as prepared or experienced (see Celtics) as they should be. These are the pretenders and they make up the majority of playoff teams. Some are competitive during the regular season and some stumble along the season with enough talent to string enough wins together to squeak into that last spot.

On the other side are the playoff-tested teams (see Cavs). These teams are the contenders; have suffered through NBA heartbreak, continually improving throughout the season, resting their star players, tweaking their system with an eye at another shot at the title.

The playoff results bare out which teams are which as teams’ weaknesses are exposed until those weaknesses eventually eliminate them; leaving them another year to figure out the pieces they need to become contenders. Sometimes a team needs a good butt-whooping for them to see that they’re not quite where they need to be competitive in the NBA playoffs, much less winning an NBA title.