Most Disappointing #1 Seed Upsets
As we all know, Detroit is one game away from being only the 7th #1 seed team since the NBA expanded its playoffs to 16 teams in 1984 to be upset in the 1st round. I wanted to know which #1 seed actually had the biggest drop off relative to their regular season performance. Just to clarify what some terms mean. rORTG and rDRTG refers to ORTG/DRTG relative to the league average. ORTG/DRTG difference refers to the difference between regular season ORTG/DRTG and playoff ORTG/DRTG.
| Year | Team | Opponent | Series | rORTG (RS) | rDRTG (RS) | rNet RTG | ORTG Difference | DRTG Difference | NET Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Seattle Supersonics (63-19) | Denver Nuggets (42-40) | 2-3 | 4.8 | -4.8 | 9.6 | -8.1 | 0.7 | -8.8 | |
| 1999 | Miami Heat (33-17) | New York Knicks (27-23) | 2-3 | 2.5 | -3.3 | 5.8 | -6.9 | 3.8 | -10.7 | |
| 2007 | Dallas Mavericks (67-15) | Golden State Warriors (42-40) | 2-4 | 4.8 | -3.3 | 8.1 | -5.6 | 9.6 | -15.2 | |
| 2011 | San Antonio Spurs (61-21) | Memphis Grizzlies (46-36) | 2-4 | 4.5 | -1.7 | 6.2 | -9.6 | 0 | -9.6 | |
| 2012 | Chicago Bulls (50-16) | Philadelphia 76ers (35-31) | 2-4 | 2.8 | -6.3 | 9.1 | -11.6 | -0.6 | -11 | |
| 2023 | Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) | Miami Heat (44-38) | 1-4 | 0.6 | -2.9 | 3.5 | -1.4 | 7.1 | -8.5 | |
| 2026 (?) | Detroit Pistons (60-22) | Orlando Magic (45-37) | 1-3 | 2.1 | -6.1 | 8.2 | -18.4 | -7.7 | -10.7 | |
Some things that stood out to me.