After the first half of the round saw only one lower seed advance, in the last batch we did we had two, including the defending Champion of Champions in the 1985 Lakers. So far two of the three upsets have been by six seeds, with the other being a five seed.
The current second round matchups that are set in stone look to be pretty good, and hopefully we'll have four more that look to be just as compelling once these games are completed.
The up to date bracket, scores, and results from Group Play can be found here. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it!
(7) 2003 San Antonio Spurs vs (2) 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder
Game 1: @ '25 OKC 115, '03 SA 101
This series opened in a very back and forth manner as the largest lead either team took in the first quarter was four points and we were tied at 29 when the clock ran out. Three straight triples early in the second by the Thunder got them a nine point lead, and a couple Isaiah Joe threes on back to back possessions pushed the margin to 11 midway through the quarter. An 8-2 run for the Spurs got them back in the game, and a Stephen Jackson three point play even cut the margin to one, but Luguentz Dort hit a three at the halftime buzzer to put OKC up four. A 12-3 Thunder run early in the third got the margin back to double digits, and the Thunder would go up by as many as 13 before taking an 11 point lead to the final stanza. A 10-0 San Antonio run midway through the fourth cut the deficit to just one, but the Thunder scored 17 straight after that and held the Spurs off the board for close to five minutes to close it out.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ('25 OKC): 35 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 3 blk
Chet Holmgren ('25 OKC): 16 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk
Tim Duncan ('03 SA): 22 pts, 15 reb, 7 ast
Game 2: @ '25 OKC 115, '03 SA 98
The Oklahoma City crowd got stunned early in this one as the Spurs scored the game's first ten points, and took until the 2:38 mark of the opening quarter for the Thunder to get to double digit points. By the time the dust settled the Spurs were going to the huddle up 15. An 8-0 Thunder run midway through the period ended up trimming the deficit to four, and they would get within one late before a Malik Rose bucket in the final minute got the margin back up to three going to the locker room. Tony Parker scored San Antonio's first eight in the third including back to back threes, but they couldn't sustain that offense as the Thunder used a 15-0 run to grab their first lead of the contest. Eight straight from the Spurs got them back in the contest, and they settled in down just three going into the fourth. But an early 11-0 OKC run pushed their lead to a dozen, and the Spurs would get no closer than six the rest of the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ('25 OKC): 33 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl
Jalen Williams ('25 OKC): 17 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl
Tim Duncan ('03 SA): 20 pts, 15 reb
Game 3: '25 OKC 84, @ '03 SA 73
After it took nearly two minutes for either team to hit a field goal, the Thunder found their stride, going up by as many as seven late in the first before taking a five point lead to the second. The Spurs kept it close in the second, finally coming back to tie the game at 31 midway through. After a Jalen Williams three point play, the Spurs scored eight straight, but OKC scored the next ten to retake the lead, and go into the break up four. The game stayed at 51-46 Thunder for almost three minutes in the third, and neither team could really gain much of an edge as OKC went into the final quarter up seven. A Shai Gilgeous-Alexander three point play to open the fourth gave the Thunder their first double digit lead, but a 7-2 Spurs run helped cut the margin back to just a single possession. Kenrich Williams answered with a three and that was as close as the Spurs would get as they managed just a meaningless three with about a minute to go as their lone field goal over the final seven-plus minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ('25 OKC): 21 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast
Jalen Williams ('25 OKC): 16 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
Tim Duncan ('03 SA): 23 pts, 16 reb
This was a fairly tightly contested one at the start as the teams traded runs, settling in with the Spurs holding a three point lead after the first quarter. The Thunder opened the second with the first seven points, touching off a duel that resulted in six ties over the course of several minutes and a couple late lead changes, with a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot giving the Thunder a lead they'd hold going into the half. OKC led by as many as seven early in the third, but an 11-2 San Antonio run got the Spurs back in front. The Thunder would keep it close, but the Spurs nonetheless held an 82-80 lead going into the final frame. The first minute and a half of the fourth alone featured one tie and five lead changes, a trend which continued until about six minutes left when Cason Wallace hit a three to break a 96-all tie that sparked an 11-1 run to secure the sweep for Oklahoma City.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ('25 OKC): 33 pts, 5 ast, 4 stl
Tim Duncan ('03 SA): 26 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast
Stephen Jackson ('03 SA): 21 pts, 4 reb, 4 stl
(7) 1974 New York Nets vs (2) 2015 Golden State Warriors
Game 1: '74 NYN 100, @ '15 GS 94
It took two minutes for the vaunted Warriors' offense to get on the board, and by then the Nets had scored a couple buckets and were off and running. A 10-0 New York run helped build a 12 point lead before the Warriors got it trimmed to eight by quarter's end. Each team pulled off mini runs in the second quarter, but the Warriors couldn't get the margin down comfortably, and the Nets went to the locker room up 10. An 8-2 Golden State run early in the third trimmed the margin to six, but the Sixers responded with an 11-4 run to push the lead to a game-high 13. The Warriors fought back from a 12 point deficit to open the fourth, using a 12-2 run to get it to just a two point game with just over seven minutes to play. They got within one a minute later, but a Julius Erving three point play swung momentum back New York's way, and the Nets never led by less than four the rest of the way.
Julius Erving ('74 NYN): 27 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast
Billy Paultz ('74 NYN): 18 pts, 17 reb
Steph Curry ('15 GS): 23 pts, 5 ast, 5 stl
Game 2: @ '15 GS 103, '74 NYN 91
After Julius Erving tied the game at four just under two minutes into the game, the Nets went into a four and a half minute dry spell. That allowed the Warriors to build a six point lead, which they pushed to nine by quarter's end. The Nets responded with an 8-0 run early in the second to get back in the game, then used another to cover the final two and a half minutes to cut Golden State's lead going to the locker room to one. The Nets used the first few minutes of the third to keep themselves within a point, but threes by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson pushed the margin back to nine, and a David Lee basket at the end of the third put the Warriors up by 11. A 7-0 Golden State run early in the fourth iced the game, with the Nets getting a couple garbage time baskets to trim the margin to make it closer than it really was.
Draymond Green ('15 GS): 14 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
Steph Curry ('15 GS): 23 pts, 11 ast, 3 blk
Larry Kenon ('74 NYN): 19 pts, 21 reb
Game 3: @ '74 NYN 111, '15 GS 90
An early 10-0 Nets run helped the hosts build a lead, though the Warriors would respond with 11 straight to retake control. Ultimately a Willie Sojouner shot with a little over a minute left in the first gave the Nets a 26-25 lead they'd carry to the second quarter. That quarter started great for New York, as they opened on a 15-4 run, and despite the Warriors' best efforts they couldn't keep it a single digit game. Even Shaun Livingston's buzzer beating 18 footer only managed to cut the Golden State deficit going into the intermission to 12. It took five minutes in the third for an ice-cold Warriors team to score, and by then the Nets had pushed the lead to 17, a lead they would end up carrying into the fourth. After trimming it to 14 a couple minutes into the fourth, the Nets eventually built the lead up to 20, and with two minutes to go, the teams were good to empty the benches as the Nets take a 2-1 series lead.
Julius Erving ('74 NYN): 29 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl
Billy Paultz ('74 NYN): 14 pts, 15 reb
Draymond Green ('15 GS): 19 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl
Game 4: '15 GS 95, @ '74 NYN 81
Steph Curry scored the first five for the Warriors to get them going, but the first quarter was tightly contested until New York closed it on an 8-0 run to take a six point lead. But the Nets had an almost five minute scoring drought in the second, and while they survived it, the Warriors would go on to take the lead with a 9-2 run later in the frame. Despite that, a Mike Gale game-tying jumper with about a minute left in the half held up and we went to the break square at 43. A 10-0 Warriors run midway through the frame got them the game's first double digit lead, and they were able to go to the fourth up seven. A nearly four minute 6-0 run for the Nets got it to one before three straight buckets from the Warriors pushed it back to seven, and a Steph Curry and Klay Thompson set of triples got the margin back to double digits with just over four minutes to go. The Nets would get no closer than seven the rest of the way as the Warriors even the series.
Steph Curry ('15 GS): 31 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast
Klay Thompson ('15 GS): 21 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast
Julius Erving ('74 NYN): 18 pts, 14 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
Game 5: @ '15 GS 103, '74 NYN 87
It took almost four minutes for the Warriors to break through against New York's defense, but once they did the dam burst; a 12-3 run put the Warriors ahead, and other than a couple brief ties, Golden State controlled the game and led by three after one. Then it was the Nets turn to go quiet, as it took them three minutes into the second quarter to score again and five minutes of total game time, and an 8-1 Warrior run helped push the lead to 10. The margin would be nine by halftime, and after a little back and forth, 11 straight from Golden State pushed the margin to 20. A late couple baskets by the Nets cut it to 16 by the end of the third, but the Nets could get it no closer in the fourth as the Warriors cruised to a comfortable Game 5 win.
Steph Curry ('15 GS): 28 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Klay Thompson ('15 GS): 24 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast
Julius Erving ('74 NYN): 28 pts, 14 reb
The first quarter at least was tightly contested as the Nets had the biggest lead at 5, but they had to settle for a three point lead after 12 minutes. For the first few minutes of the second, things stayed around that mark. But then it all went to hell as the Warriors went on a 19-2 run, holding the Nets without a field goal for over five minutes. Despite New York's best efforts, a pair of Draymond Green free throws pushed the Warrior lead to 14 at the break. Golden State opened the third on a 7-2 run, then started to go bombs away from three late in the period to push the lead past 30. New York called it with about three minutes to go and emptied their bench as the Warriors advance to the Round of 32.
Draymond Green ('15 GS): 19 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl, 5 blk
Steph Curry ('15 GS): 32 pts, 9 ast, 3 stl
Billy Paultz ('74 NYN): 13 pts, 16 reb
(7) 1979 Seattle SuperSonics vs (2) 1992 Chicago Bulls
Game 1: @ '92 CHI 121, '79 SEA 90
Chicago put this one out of reach pretty quickly. After opening the game on a 9-1 run, the first seven coming from Michael Jordan, the Bulls pushed the lead to double digits a little over halfway through the opening quarter, and closed the period on an 18-6 run to double up the Sonics. Seattle managed just two points in the first half of the second quarter as Chicago pushed the lead over 30, and got the margin to 35 by halftime, with Jordan already notching 30 points. Jordan put up 11 straight for the Bulls early in the third to push the margin over 40, and it was a 46 point game by quarter's end. Chicago finally called off the dogs with just over three minutes to go and cruised to the Game 1 victory.
Michael Jordan ('92 CHI): 47 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk
Scottie Pippen ('92 CHI): 19 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast, 4 stl
Horace Grant ('92 CHI): 20 pts, 8 reb, 4 stl
Game 2: '79 SEA 100, @ '92 CHI 94
Seattle got the yips out in Game 1, fighting back from down five with about four minutes left in the first by scoring 11 straight to take a four point lead by stanza's end. Chicago struggled in the second quarter as well, as they just couldn't get the margin back down to even a one possession game, though they did maintain the margin at four going into the locker room. The Bulls got back within one early in the third, but a Dick Williams three pushed the lead back to four, and a 6-0 run later in the period got Seattle up double digits. Chicago did manage to cut it to seven going into the fourth, but the Sonics held the Bulls without a field goal for almost three and a half minutes and built a 17 point lead. The Bulls would cut it to single digits with under four minutes to go but got no closer than the final margin of six as the Sonics even the series.
Dennis Johnson ('79 SEA): 16 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl
Lonnie Shelton ('79 SEA): 26 pts, 8 reb
Michael Jordan ('92 CHI): 19 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast, 4 blk
Game 3: '92 CHI 121, @ '79 SEA 95
The Bulls bounced back from the home loss with a dominant defensive opening quarter; the Sonics needed two and a half minutes to get on the board, and after a Jack Sikma dunk made it 16-14 Bulls with five minutes left in the first, the Bulls did not allow another field goal and Seattle only managed one free throw as Chicago opened up a 12 point lead. The Bulls followed up with an 8-2 run to open the second, but couldn't hold the big lead as the Sonics managed to cut it to single digits with a minute to go, ultimately going to the break down 10. The score stayed around a dozen point Bulls lead for most of the third, until Chicago finally got going with an 8-0 run, and got the margin to 20 by the end of the stanza. The Bulls got the lead up to 30 with about five and a half minutes left and cruised to another easy win.
Scottie Pippen ('92 CHI): 30 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast
Michael Jordan ('92 CHI): 20 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast
Horace Grant ('92 CHI): 17 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk
Game 4: '92 CHI 125, @ '79 SEA 116
The Sonics used an early 6-0 run to get things going, and a 10-3 run later gave them a 13 point lead with just over three minutes left in the first. The Bulls managed to cut it to seven by quarter's end, but the Sonics responded with eight straight to open the second quarter. A Dennis Johnson three with four minutes in the half upped it to 21, but Chicago managed to get it back under 20 going to the intermission. A 9-2 Bulls run late in the third cut it single digits, and despite the Sonics getting it back up past 10 a couple times, the Bulls were able to get within seven by the end of the period. The Bulls got a couple brief one point leads early in the fourth before a Gus Williams three helped give the Sonics back a four point cushion. Chicago fought back, and with the game tied at 104, Horace Grant converted a three point play with 5:19 to go to give the Bulls the lead. An 8-2 Bulls run pushed the lead to eight, and while Seattle managed to make it a one score game with 1:40 to go, Horace Grant answered with a couple key free throws, and a couple Scottie Pippen second chance baskets iced the game to give the Bulls a 3-1 series lead.
Michael Jordan ('92 CHI): 31 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast
Horace Grant ('92 CHI): 29 pts, 16 reb, 4 blk
Gus Williams ('79 SEA): 39 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast
This was a tight one early; the Bulls had a couple six point leads in the first, but the Sonics were able to erase both. After a couple Paul Silas free throws made it 24-23 Chicago with just over two minutes to play, the Bulls closed the quarter on a 12-3 run to go up 10. The Bulls then opened the second on a 9-2 run to get the lead well into double digits, and the Sonics couldn't trim it below 11, going to the locker room down 13. Chicago would lead by as many as 18 in the third, but settled for a 14 point advantage going to the final quarter. Seattle briefly got it to 10 with just under eight minutes to go and again under six, but a 7-0 Bulls run ended any shot the Sonics had of staying alive.
Michael Jordan ('92 CHI): 27 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl
Scottie Pippen ('92 CHI): 17 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast
Jack Sikma ('79 SEA): 20 pts, 14 reb, 4 ast
(7) 1998 Chicago Bulls vs (2) 1967 Philadelphia 76ers
Game 1: @ '67 PHI 110, '98 CHI 84
The Bulls got the early advantage in this one, leading 18-15 halfway through the opening quarter, but the Sixers closed the frame on a 14-2 run to take a nine point lead. Philly then spent most of the second quarter keeping the margin in the low double digits, going to the locker room up 14. Chicago quickly cut it to 10 to open the third, but the Sixers socred six of the next seven, eventually pushing the margin to 18 by period's end. The Bulls made a mini push in the fourth, cutting the margin to as close as 12, but the Sixers' cushion proved too much.
Wilt Chamberlain ('67 PHI): 17 pts, 26 reb, 6 ast
Billy Cunningham ('67 PHI) 15 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast
Scottie Pippen ('98 CHI): 15 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl
Game 2: @ '67 PHI 110, '98 CHI 107 (OT)
An early 8-2 Chicago run gave the Bulls an early advantage, then they used a 9-0 run to close out the first with an eight point lead. They got the lead to 11 early in the second, but an 11-2 Sixers run cut the margin back to single digits. The Bulls managed to hang on though and led by four going to the locker room. Philly used a 12-2 run early in the third to flip momentum around, but the Bulls fought back to tie the game at 72 going to the fourth. The Bulls seemed in control midway through, with back to back threes by Ron Harper and Scott Burrell put them up seven, though the Sixers would cut it to one with under three minutes to go. Chicago just couldn't pull away, as in the final minute both Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan split a pair of free throws, and after Jordan missed his with nine seconds left, it left just enough time for Wilt Chamberlain to drive down and get a game-tying runner to force overtime. After a little back and forth in overtime, Chet Walker made two straight baskets for Philly to put them up three with 17 seconds left. Jordan hit a shot to cut it to one, but Wali Jones made a pair of free throws to get it back to three, and Pippen's last gasp fell short.
Wilt Chamberlain ('67 PHI): 28 pts, 39 reb, 6 ast, 8 blk
Chet Walker ('67 PHI): 22 pts, 9 reb
Scottie Pippen ('98 CHI): 32 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast
Game 3: '67 PHI 131, @ '98 CHI 128 (OT)
Chicago seemed determined to right the ship in this one, as they used an early 6-0 run to try and seize momentum, though the 8-0 run to close the period with a 14 point lead helped. Chicago led by as many as 16 early in the second, but just a few minutes into the period Philly cut the margin in half. Philly ended up using a 12-2 run late in the half to tie the game, though Scottie Pippen had enough time to hit a turnaround at the buzzer to send the Bulls to the intermission up two. The third was a very back and forth affair that ended up with Chicago keeping that two point mark thanks to a Toni Kukoc shot at the buzzer. Chicago either led of kept it tied until the halfway point of the fourth, when the Sixers took a 100-98 lead. Philly ended up doing enough to seem like they'd escape with a 3-0 series lead, going up five with 30 seconds left. But Pippen hit two threes, including one at the buzzer to force overtime. Wilt Chamberlain hit two straight field goals midway through the overtime that ended up giving the Sixers the lead, and Chicago got no closer than two the rest of the way, with a Ron Harper three at the buzzer making it closer than it was.
Wilt Chamberlain ('67 PHI): 36 pts, 34 reb, 12 ast, 9 blk
Hal Greer ('67 PHI): 26 pts, 4 reb, 4 stl
Michael Jordan ('98 CHI): 45 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast
After a number of close games, Philly was able to run away with this one. Chicago kept it close early, but a 13-0 run near the end of the first quarter got the Sixers well in control of this one. The Bulls cut the 15 point deficit going into the second ever so slightly, but they couldn't get closer than 13 before the break, as the Sixers had an answer every time and pushed the lead to 18 at the half. An extended 18-6 Philly run in the third quarter ultimately just settled the outcome as the Sixers got the margin to 30 with four minutes left in the quarter. A Wilt Chamberlain 65 foot heave to end the third to push the lead to 37 just added insult to injury, and the Sixers were able to cruise with the sweep.
Wilt Chamberlain ('67 PHI): 41 pts, 26 reb, 8 ast, 6 blk
Chet Walker ('67 PHI): 32 pts, 5 reb
Scottie Pippen ('98 CHI): 29 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast
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