Last Time a No. 7 Seed Was In the Conference & NBA Finals

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 10: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors stand on the court during Game Five of the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2023 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
(Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Itโ€™s only been two years since a No. 7 seed made a historic run to the NBA Western Conference finals.ย 

But with the Golden State Warriors on the verge of eliminating the young Houston Rockets, a No. 7 seed may once again upend the NBA odds market and flirt with the NBAโ€™s Final Four.ย 

Last Time a No. 7 Seed Was In the Conference Finals

While a handful of No. 7 seeds have made it out of the first round over the last 30 years, only two have ever made it to the conference finals.ย 

The first was nearly 40 years ago: the 1987 Seattle Supersonics.

The โ€˜87 Sonics finished the season 39-43, only to suddenly catch fire and take out both the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The Rockets, who were led by Hakeem Olajuwon, were the preseason favorites to win the West.

The second No. 7 seed to make the conference finals was much more recent: the 2023 Los Angeles Lakers.ย 

Anthony Davis and a resurgent LeBron James led the Lake Show through an experienced quarter of the playoff bracket that included the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies and No. 3 Sacramento Kings, as well as a past-their-prime Warriors team that struggled with Davisโ€™ size.

Los Angeles played the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. The Lakers were swept in four games, and the Nuggets went on to win the NBA Finals.ย 

Last Time a No. 7 Seed Was In the NBA Finals

A No. 7 seed has never won its conference championship round and advanced to the NBA Finals.

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About the Author

Chase Kiddy

Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.