The NBA playoffs are, for better or worse, probably the most predictable of any
can legitimately compete for a championship is exceedingly short—no more than three
or four teams long—and can be sussed out well before the end of the regular season.
predictions at all times and of all types are routinely renderedsilly and short-sighted when everything's said and done.This would seem more a feature of the sport
than a bug within it. Talenttrumps all in basketball, and if you have two
going to contend for the title while everyone else is left scrambling for
That doesn't mean, though, that the NBA is immune to the Cinderella stories that so
can and have upset top dogs in the past; just ask the 1994 Denver Nuggets, the
2007 "We Believe" Golden State Warriors, the 2011 Memphis Grizzlies or the 1999
New York Knicks, who crashed the post-lockout Finals.The Dallas Mavericks came out
of (practically) nowhere to claim the crown in 2011. Last year, Stephen Curry's
Warriors snuck past a 57-win Nuggets squad and pushed the San Antonio Spurs far
to.The point is, anything can happen in the NBA playoffs. Teams can catch fire
or cool off at a moment's notice. Injuries can derail the hopes of some (see:
and Grizzlies, 2013). Even the best of the best can stumble into tricky matchups
upset the established order of the Association in 2014, look no further than
these five, each of whom has the potential to infuse this year's postseason with
some measure of chaos by going toe-to-toe against—and, perhaps, upsetting—the
league's top title contenders.
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