NBA Finals history: How many times has a No. 8 seed made the NBA Finals?

The Miami Heat have successfully punched their ticket to the NBA Finals, and they did so by making history along the way.

Following their victory over the Boston Celtics in the conference finals, the Heat officially became just the second No. 8 seed to ever make the NBA Finals.

But when was the last time an eight-seed reached the NBA finals?

In 1999, the New York Knicks defeated the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. This victory made them the first and only 8-seed team to advance to the NBA Finals.

The Knicks were defeated by the number 1 seed San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals that same year. The Finals were ultimately won by San Antonio 4-1.

Coincidentally, that Knicks team's first-round upset involved defeating the then-No. 1 seed Heat. Finally, New York defeated the No. 2 Indiana Pacers in six games to win the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping the No. 4 Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals.

The Heat join a select group of teams that upset their respective No. 1 seeds in the first round of the playoffs, becoming just one of two eight-seed teams to compete for an NBA championship.

When the Denver Nuggets defeated the then-Seattle SuperSonics in 1994, they became the first No. 8 seed to win a series.

The "We Believe" Golden State Warriors, who defeated the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007, are probably familiar to even the most casual basketball fan.

When the Chicago Bulls lost Derrick Rose to injury in 2012, the No. 8 seed Philadelphia 76ers won the series to proceed to the East playoffs. In 2011, the "Grit and Grind" Memphis Grizzlies held off the Spurs.

Has a No. 8 seed ever upset a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs?

Prior to the Heat's win in 2023, four No. 8 seeds had advanced past No. 1 seeds in Round 1 of the playoffs, beginning with the No. 8 Nuggets’ victory over the No. 1 SuperSonics during the 1994 season.

The No. 8 Knicks also threw an unexpected competition in the works when they defeated the No. 1 Heat in the 1999 playoffs.

________