A Number Of Notable NBA Upsets Over The Years.
NBA Upsets
The NBA is a great league for punters from Australia to place bets on. Games are played every night, and even though there is an off season, the action is all year round.
Over the years there have been a number of upsets in the play offs where the underdog team rose victorious much to the surprise of everyone involved, including punters and bookies. A sharp Australian punter may be able to predict these upsets before they happen, thus landing them a hefty profit on the game.
1995 Houston Rockets Versus Orlando Magic
In 1995 the Houston Rockets were a slightly aging team who managed to survive three gruelling playoffs to make it into the final playoffs. The Orlando Magic features two young and upcoming stars, Shaquille O’Neil and Penny Hardaway. This set the Magic’s as the firm favourite with its young blood and fancy moves. Just to prove that old dogs can do new tricks, the Rockets managed to beat the Magic’s 4 to 0 in an upset that left many punters mightily annoyed.
2007 Warriors over Mavericks
The We Believe Warriors made fools of the more popular Mavericks in 2007 when they beat them 3 to 0 for the whole season. The heavily favoured Mavericks made a rookie mistake when they chose to play a short game instead of using their height to their advantage. Some believe that the Dallas team may have had a better chance if they had faced any other team in the play offs, but their failure to win and subsequent losses has given them a reputation as play off chokers to this day.
2011 NBA Playoffs
Up until 2011 the Memphis Grizzlies had never won a single playoff game, let alone a title. They had played twelve games with a total of twelve losses, which put them very firmly in the underdog category. When they were slated to play the veteran San Antonio Spurs, no one put much hope in the poor Grizzlies. From the beginning of the series it was clear that a great upset was unfolding. The Grizzlies won the first game with their younger players providing more athleticism. The successive five games saw the Grizzlies winning quite a few of them, while the Spurs won only enough to keep their dream alive. In the end however the younger Grizzlies prevailed to everyone’s surprise, cementing a win of 99 to 91 and their first playoff series victory.
2004 Pistons Versus Lakers
The LA Lakers were one of the most popular teams in the NBA in 2004, with three straight titles from 2001 to 2004. When they came up against the Detroit Pistons they were easily the favourites. The Pistons were known for their suffocating defence, while the Lakers has an aggressive offence with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Payton and Malone. The battle looked set to be reminiscent of the old school NBA battles held in the 1980’s.
It was clear from the beginning of the series that the Lakers had underestimated their rivals. The first game went to the Pistons 87 to 75. The Lakers bounced back, wining the next game but it was downhill from there. Eventually the Pistons won the series 5 to 1, using a bunch of so called cast offs to displace the mighty Lakers. Sign up today and bet on the outcomes of NBA games and other NZ online betting games.