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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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9. Boston Celtics over Orlando Magic, 2010

The previous two Eastern Conference representatives in the NBA Finals didn’t appear to be on a collision course when the playoffs began, but when the Celtics upset the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semis, the matchup was on.

Dwight Howard, coming off his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award and having led the league in rebounding, was the go-to guy for the Magic, while the Celtics had their big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who had led the team to a title in 2008.

Boston stole the series opener at Amway Arena 92-88, with Allen scoring 25 points, Pierce adding 22, Garnett grabbing 11 rebounds and Rajon Rondo dishing eight assists. Vince Carter scored 23 for the Magic, Jameer Nelson added 20 and Howard logged 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Paul Pierce helped the Boston Celtics to an upset of the Orlando Magic in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. (USATSI)
Paul Pierce helped the Boston Celtics to an upset of the Orlando Magic in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. (USATSI) /

The Celtics did it again in Game 2, taking a 2-0 series lead with a 95-92 win in Orlando. Pierce paced Boston with 28 points and Rondo came up big with 25 points and eight assists. Howard had 30 points for the Magic, who faced the unenviable task of going to Boston in an 0-2 hole.

Game 3 at TD Garden was all Celtics, as they took a 3-0 lead with a 94-71 pasting of the Magic. Glen Davis came off the bench to score 17 points for Boston, Rondo added 11 points, 12 assists and four steals and Garnett notched 10 points and three steals. Carter and Nelson led the Magic—who shot just 37 percent—with 15 points apiece. Howard had three blocked shots, but managed only seven points on 3-of-10 shooting.

Orlando staved off elimination in Game 4 at Boston, winning 96-92. Howard had a huge game with 32 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots and Nelson added 23 points and nine assists. Pierce led the Celtics with 32 points and had 11 rebounds. Allen scored 22 points, Garnett checked in with 14 points and 12 boards and Rondo had eight assists and three steals.

The Magic held serve in Game 5 back at Amway Arena, blasting the C’s 113-92. Nelson finished with 24 points and Howard logged 21 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Rasheed Wallace led the Celtics off the bench with 21 points, but Boston got hammered on the glass 43-26 in the blowout loss.

The third time was the charm for Boston, who blew out to a huge early lead and held off Orlando down the stretch for a 96-84 win at TD Garden in Game 6 to seal the series. Pierce finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds and Allen scored 20 points for the Celtics. Howard paced Orlando with 28 points and 12 rebounds and J.J. Redick had three steals, but the Magic hit just 6-of-22 from deep.

Pierce came up big for the Celtics in the series, averaging 24.3 points and shooting .512/.448/.839. The Magic, the league’s most prolific 3-point shooting team with 841 makes and 37.5 percent accuracy, shot only 33.8 percent in the series. Rashard Lewis was a primary offender—after averaging 14. 1 points per game and shooting 39.7 percent from deep in the regular season, he was held to 8.2 points and was just 4-for-23 from behind the arc in the series.

Boston went on to lose a seven-game NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers—the second and last time the triumvirate of Garnett, Pierce and Allen would appear together in the Finals.