There’s something special about an upset in the world of basketball. As any dedicated hoops fan can tell you, the proceedings can get a bit predictable at times, with the best teams tending to wallop those less talented. But like football or baseball or hockey, even teams with a decided disadvantage in talent can get the win. Basketball underdogs win all the time, and after the proverbial David slays Goliath, we sometimes get a game we’ll talk about for years to come.
With that in mind, let’s look at five of the most surprising upsets in the basketball universe from this past year.
5. Cavaliers 96, Warriors 91 — June 9, 2015
To say the Cleveland Cavaliers were limping going into Game 2 of the NBA Finals would be an understatement. Down Kevin Love since the first round of the playoffs, they also lost Kyrie Irving to a knee injury in their Game 1 loss. With a skeleton crew surrounding LeBron James in the most hostile arena in the NBA, the Cavs were looking likely to head back to Cleveland down 2-0 and without much hope to come back.
Well, they didn’t come back to win the series, but they did give one hell of a fight. Behind an old-school bully ball effort from LeBron on offense (seriously, he ran the entire game out of the post) and aggressive defense from Kyrie’s replacement Matthew Dellavedova, the Cavs mucked and slogged their way to the most unlikely road Finals win you’ll ever see.
4. Pelicans 108, Spurs 103 — April 15, 2015
With a playoff spot on the line, the Pelicans came up big with a surprising win over a talented Spurs team, defending their NBA title from the year before. The Pellies were driven by Anthony Davis, who came through with 31 points and 13 rebounds on the last night of regular season play. The win allowed the Pelicans to make their first layoff appearance since 2011 (with Chris Paul), while the Spurs fell to the No. 6 seed (they would have been No. 2 had they won). San Antonio wound up falling to the Clippers in a seven-game opening-round slugfest that Chris Paul won in the final seconds.
But the stage was set when the Pelicans upset the Spurs on the final night of the season in a crowded Western Conference playoff picture.
3-2. Northern Iowa 71, North Carolina 67 — November 21, 2015; Northern Iowa 81, Iowa State 79 — December 19, 2015
Six years ago, Northern Iowa were the darlings of the NCAA tournament, when they pulled off a stunning upset over No. 1 seed Kansas. Now, the Panthers have proven themselves to be a force to contend with once again, with two wins over top-five opponents this season. First, they pulled off a close win over the top-ranked Tar Heels, stunning them after outscoring them 39-26 in the second half. Then, they managed to topple Iowa State in a 81-79 nail-biter, mostly thanks to 18 points from senior guard Wes Washpun. Will we see Northern Iowa make another major run in this year’s Big Dance? Only time will tell, but they’re certainly off to a nice start while earning a spot on this yearly list.
1. Bucks 108, Warriors 95 — December 12, 2015
What else could top this countdown? The Bucks were a tad lucky the Warriors were tired from the double OT showdown with the Celtics the night before, or that Milwaukee was their seventh stop on a seven-game road trip (their longest of the season up until that point). Kismet also handed them a Dubs squad minus injured starting shooting guard Klay Thompson and starting power forward Harrison Barnes.
But that doesn’t make their victory any less meaningful, as they ended the Warriors’ stunning perfect start to the season at 24 wins-straight (28 if you count the four to end 2014-15). The athleticism of Giannis Antetokounmpo and soft touch of Greg Monroe was enough to keep the Dubs at bay, while the usually sharp-shooting team was just 6-for-27 from deep. The Warriors would beat the Bucks in a showdown just six days later, but Milwaukee kept it close once again, proving to be a serious thorn in the side of basketball’s best team, and one now competing against history.
