For NBA fans, the best weeks of the year run from late April to early June — when the postseason is in full swing. The stars are logging 40+ minutes a night in front of packed crowds, and every game feels like a battle.
Winning a playoff series is no easy feat. You’ve got to take four games off the same opponent in a best-of-seven — and history has shown that even a 3–1 lead doesn’t guarantee anything. Some teams have taken their foot off the gas and managed to lose from what seemed like a sure thing. So, it’s only fitting that we take a look at some of the best (or worst) choke jobs in NBA playoff history.
2016/17 Western Conference Finals – Warriors vs Thunder
The peak of the modern NBA arguably came during the 2016–17 playoffs, when fans were treated to some of the most thrilling action in league history. While many remember that postseason for a certain Finals series (we’ll get to that), it’s easy to forget just how epic the Western Conference Finals were just weeks earlier.
It was the record-setting 73–9 Golden State Warriors up against the OKC Thunder, led by superstar duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Despite Golden State being the likely favorites, OKC came out swinging — Durant and Westbrook dominated early, putting the Warriors on the ropes with a commanding 3–1 lead.
But with their backs against the wall, the Warriors — powered by all-time greats Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the always-steady mid-range of Shaun Livingston — pulled off a stunning comeback, winning three straight and punching their ticket back to the NBA Finals. For many, they looked down and out — until they weren’t.
2016/17 NBA Finals – Warriors vs Cavaliers
This Finals series was a date with destiny for both teams — the best regular-season team in NBA history going up against arguably the greatest player of all time, LeBron James, as he aimed to bring a major sports championship back to his hometown for the first time in over 70 years.
The Warriors showed no mercy early in the series, storming to a 3–1 lead as things headed back to San Francisco, setting the stage for what many expected to be a gentleman’s sweep. But then came that game — LeBron James and Kyrie Irving delivered one of the greatest performances by a duo in Finals history, each dropping 41 points to breathe life back into the series and send it back to Cleveland.
With the crowd behind him, LeBron was unstoppable once again, scoring another 41 points to tie the series 3–3 and force a decisive Game 7. With legacies on the line, Game 7 became one of the most anticipated and intense matchups in NBA history. It came down to the wire — defined by LeBron’s iconic chase-down block on Andre Iguodala and Kyrie Irving’s clutch three-pointer over Steph Curry. The Cavaliers sealed the win, completing the first-ever comeback from a 3–1 deficit in the NBA Finals and delivering that long-awaited championship to Cleveland.
The last 12:20 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals – Lakers vs Trailblazers
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the Western Conference clashed in a high-stakes Conference Finals showdown, headlined by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant for the Lakers, going up against Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Game 7 was dominated early by the Blazers, who controlled the pace for the first three quarters and looked just one quarter away from punching their ticket to the NBA Finals. They entered the fourth with a 13-point lead — and all the momentum.
Then, disaster struck. The Lakers flipped the switch in the clutch, pouring in 31 points in the final period, while the Blazers’ offense completely collapsed, managing just 13. The result: a crushing five-point loss for Portland that marked the beginning of a dark chapter for the franchise.
Meanwhile, it was just the beginning for the Lakers — this comeback sealed the first Finals appearance for the Shaq-and-Kobe era, launching one of the most dominant dynasties in modern NBA history.