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NBA Playoffs: 10 Biggest Conference/Division Finals Upsets

By Phil Watson

The 1975-76 Phoenix Suns authored the biggest upset in the history of the conference/division finals. (And, yes, that IS Pat Riley wearing No. 12 at the far right of the first row.)
The 1975-76 Phoenix Suns authored the biggest upset in the history of the conference/division finals. (And, yes, that IS Pat Riley wearing No. 12 at the far right of the first row.) /
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With the the NBA Playoffs well into the conference finals round, it’s that time again, and we look at the biggest stunners in the history of the semifinal round of the playoffs.

We begin with the advent of the shot clock in 1954-55 and come forward, from a time when six teams out of eight made the playoffs to today, where 16 of the NBA’s 30 clubs vie for a shot at the title.

The conference finals have traditionally yielded fewer upsets than the earlier rounds of the playoffs. By this point in the postseason, the wheat has been fairly well separated from the chaff and in most cases, what remains by this point are four teams that would generally be considered the NBA’s best for that season.

But as my research found, there are exceptions to this rule.

Here are the 10 biggest upsets in the history of the conference finals, which were known as the division finals through the 1969-70 season: