By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
For the second time, the top-seeded sides of both the Eastern and Western Conference were eliminated prior to the Conference Finals. The first occasion dates back to 1994.
The 2021 postseason was not kind to the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz. They ranked first in the East and West, respectively, coming out of the Regular Season. They also advanced to the Conference Semifinals but were knocked out. The Sixers by the Atlanta Hawks in seven games and the Jazz by the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.
Every remaining Conference Final in NBA history featured at least one top-seeded team except for 1994. Then the Hawks were on the wrong end of history as the top-seed outed by the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Conference Semifinals. The Western Conference Regular Season leaders, Seattle SuperSonics had it worst with the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets showing them to the exit from the opening round.
The 1994 NBA Finals generated a clash between second-seeds Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. The team led by Hakeem Olajuwon won its first-ever championship and eventually went back-to-back with the 1995 title.
History won’t repeat itself this time around with a couple of second-seeds in the Finals, as the Brooklyn Nets, #2 of the East, are out. The Milwaukee Bucks from #3 will collide with the Hawks from #5 starting with Wednesday’s Game 1, while the Phoenix Suns from #2 in the West are up 1-0 against the Clippers from #4.
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