It’s hard not to get nostalgic when thinking of some of the best opening round playoff series in NBA history. In most people’s minds they include legendary names like Jordan, Bird, and Nash in addition to some younger players coming of age like Rose, Davis, and Mutombo. They involve game winning 3 point daggers, historic collapses, and one such play aptly titled, “The Shot.”
As a diehard basketball fan, everyone loves the drama and intrigue that the NBA Playoffs provide. This year alone we have seen impressive individual performances like Dwight Howard’s 46 point, 18 rebound effort vs Atlanta and Boston’s Rajon Rondo notching yet another Playoff triple-double with 15 points, 20 assists, and 11 boards vs New York. We also may have possibly seen the death of a dynasty as the San Antonio Spurs, who were the league front-runners for the majority of the regular season, go down 3-1 to the upstart Memphis Grizzlies.
But if you were asked to rank the Top 10 opening round series in NBA Playoff history, which match-up would rank as your number 1? That’s precisely the daunting task that the fine folks over at CollegeCrunch.org decided to undertake in compiling and formulating a pretty tight list ranking the very best opening round series in the modern era.
A few of the top picks they selected include the now epic ’09 Boston vs Chicago seven game opus which featured 7 overtime periods, a Ray Allen game winner, and 51 point gem by the aforementioned Jesus Shuttlesworth himself. Also of note were the ‘89 Bulls vs Cavs series that gave us one of Michael Jordan’s signature and iconic moments by nailing a game winning shot over Craig Ehlo, then fist-pumping Cleveland right out of the Playoffs and ’91’s Boston vs Indiana tilt which featured an epic shootout between Larry Bird and Chuck Person, which saw a hobbled Larry Legend drop 32 points in 33 minutes to get the best of the Pacers.
My personal favorite had to be from 1994, when the Denver Nuggets somehow bested the Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton led Seattle Sonics to become the first #8 seed to beat a #1 seed in post-season play. Dikembe Mutombo was especially dominant as he swatted 8 shots in the deciding 5th game, in addition to tallying a playoff record 31 blocks in the series. But the most memorable moment had to be after the final buzzer sounded and “Deke” laid rejoicing on the hardwood, emphatically clutching the rock over his head in disbelief.
What’s your favorite First Round Series? Head on over to Collegecrunch.org and check out the full list of the 10 Best Opening Round Series in NBA History.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
