San Antonio’s Game 1 Surprise Against Oklahoma City Brings Back Memories of Historic NBA Playoff Upsets

San Antonio stealing Game 1 against Oklahoma City immediately changed the conversation around the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder entered the series as heavy favorites after another dominant season, while many people still viewed the Spurs as a younger team arriving ahead of schedule. Instead, San Antonio walked into Oklahoma City and grabbed a 122-115 win to take early control of the series.

One victory does not suddenly place the Spurs beside the greatest playoff upsets in NBA history, but it does remind everyone how quickly things can shift once the postseason starts. Some playoff surprises disappear after one round. Others become part of NBA history forever.

1. Warriors over Mavericks (2007)

This remains the playoff upset most fans still mention first. Dallas entered the playoffs with 67 wins and the league MVP in Dirk Nowitzki after reaching the NBA Finals the previous season. Golden State barely made the playoffs at 42-40 as the eighth seed and looked badly overmatched entering the series.

Instead, the Warriors completely flipped the matchup. Golden State pushed tempo constantly, spread the floor, and forced Dallas into uncomfortable defensive situations throughout the series. Baron Davis became the face of the upset with fearless scoring performances and huge momentum-changing plays.

The Warriors won the series in six games and became the first eighth seed ever to eliminate a 67-win team in NBA playoff history.

2. Nuggets over SuperSonics (1994)

Before Golden State shocked Dallas, Denver delivered the upset that older NBA fans still remember immediately. Seattle entered the playoffs with 63 wins and the top seed in the Western Conference, while Denver barely reached the postseason as the eighth seed.

The Nuggets fell behind 2-0 before suddenly changing the series completely. Denver slowed the pace, defended aggressively, and forced Seattle into difficult half-court possessions over the final three games. Dikembe Mutombo hugging the basketball after the deciding Game 5 victory became one of the most recognizable playoff images ever.

At the time, no eighth seed had ever defeated a No. 1 seed in NBA playoff history.

3. Knicks reaching the NBA Finals as an eighth seed (1999)

The lockout-shortened 1999 season produced strange results all year, but almost nobody expected New York to reach the NBA Finals. The Knicks entered the playoffs as the eighth seed and immediately upset Miami after Allan Houston’s famous late jumper bounced in during Game 5.

From there, confidence clearly grew for every player on the roster. Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston carried the offense while the Knicks defended at an extremely high level throughout the postseason. New York eventually defeated Indiana to win the Eastern Conference before finally losing to San Antonio in the Finals.

The Knicks remain the only eighth seed ever to reach the NBA Finals.

4. Heat over Bucks (2023)

This upset barely looked believable while it was happening. Milwaukee finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record and entered the playoffs as one of the strongest title favorites in years. Miami barely survived the Play-In Tournament before grabbing the eighth seed.

Then Jimmy Butler completely took over the series. Butler averaged nearly 38 points during the five-game upset and repeatedly attacked Milwaukee in transition. The Bucks never fully recovered after Giannis Antetokounmpo missed time early in the matchup because of injury.

Miami eventually reached the NBA Finals, making the opening-round upset look even bigger afterward.

5. Cavaliers over Warriors (2016 NBA Finals)

This remains the only comeback from a 3-1 deficit in NBA Finals history. Golden State entered the Finals after winning a record 73 regular-season games and looked one victory away from another championship before LeBron James and Kyrie Irving completely changed the series.

LeBron’s chase-down block in Game 7 became one of the defining moments in NBA history, while Irving’s late three-pointer helped deliver Cleveland its first NBA championship.

San Antonio still has a long way to go before its win over Oklahoma City belongs beside these playoff shocks. But Game 1 already reminded everyone that playoff basketball rarely follows the script people expect.