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What are the 5 Worst Betting Beats in NBA History?

What are the 5 Worst Betting Beats in NBA History

 

1. Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals: The Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Golden State Warriors

 

Golden State entered as the heavy favorite in this series after going 73-9 during the regular season. They went up 3-1 on the Cavs, the Warriors would drop the next two to force a game seven. With homecourt advantage and a 49-42 lead at the half, it looked like the Warriors would cap off their impressive season with a championship.

 

Lebron James had a different plan leading Cleveland to catch up to lead 89-87 with five minutes left in the fourth. Klay Thompson's layup with 4:39 left tied the game, but both teams would then go cold by failing to score over the next four minutes.

 

Kyrie Irving broke the drought with just under a minute to go with a crucial three. Steph Curry would miss a three to tie the game, giving the Cavs their first championship.

 

2. Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals: The Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

 

The Kings were the best team in the league this year and were expected to bring long-suffering Sacramento a championship.

 

They would go up 3-2 after Mike Bibby sealed a one-point win in game five. Game 6 was another close one, with the teams staying within a few points of each other all game.

 

The Kings were down three when Mike Bibby got an open look to tie the game with four seconds to go. The officiating was awful down the stretch, giving the Lakers seemed to benefit from many favorable calls down the stretch. Disgraced ref Tim Donaghy has alleged that the NBA fixed the game to force a game seven, but he's less-than-reliable.

 

Regardless, this would end the King's run, as they would soon lose their stars and become one of the worst teams in the league for the next two decades.

 

3. Game 4 of the 1978 NBA Finals: The Washington Bullets vs. Seattle SuperSonics

 

The Sonics entered game four up 2-1 and looking for their first NBA title. They would dominate most of the game, leading by 15 points with two minutes left in the third quarter.

 

Seattle's offense disappeared in the fourth quarter, managing just 19 points. This allowed the Bullets to mount a massive comeback, forcing overtime after a last-second shot. Washington dominated overtime to get the win.

 

Seattle would lose the series in seven games, making this loss sting even more.

 

4. Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semis: The Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets

 

This crucial game seven would go down in history, thanks to Kevin Durant's show size. With the Nets playing at home, a bad third quarter allowed Milwaukee back in the game for an exciting fourth.

 

With seconds remaining and the Nets down two, Kevin Durant pulled up to hit a game-winning three. However, an official review determined that the edge of his toe was on the line. This resulted in the game instead going to Overtime, where the Bucks would win after holding the Nets to just two points.

 

With the Nets stars now all gone, this stings even more for Brooklyn fans.

 

5. Game 2 of the 2019 Western Conference First Round: The Denver Nuggets vs.San Antonio Spurs

 

San Antonio found themselves down by four with just 18 seconds to go. Just as all seemed lost, the Warriors fouled LaMarcus Aldridge taking a three. The center would make all three free throws to cut the lead to one.

 

The Spurs then stole the ball with two seconds left, allowing them to set up one last shot. Patty Mills broke up for a game-winning three but missed.

 

The loss would lead the Nuggets to win the series and send the Spurs into an era of rebuilding.

Others that just missed the NBA worse beats list

 

Others that just missed the NBA worse beats list

 

 

 

 

Game 6 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals:

 

It looked like the Heat would win this game and head to the Finals, but a last-minute layup by Paul George would lead them to lose the game.

 

Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference First Round:

 

Rockets fans were already looking for Finals tickets when Chris Paul would hit a miracle three to get the Clippers the win.

 

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 Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals:

 

This hard-fought game came down to the final 18 seconds. With the Warriors down 110-111, they stole the ball and got Steph Curry an open look from three. The former-MVP would miss the shot, giving the ball back to the Raptors.

 

The Warriors may have gotten another chance, but a costly technical foul put the game out of reach.