The #8 seeded Miami Heat continued their historic run with an upset win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
While the Heat avoided becoming the first team to blow a 3-0 series lead, they made history by becoming just the second 8 seed ever to reach the NBA Finals.
No 8 seed has ever won the NBA Finals.
A History of 8 Seeds in the NBA Finals
First off, it is incredibly rare for an 8 seed to even make it out of the First Round of the playoffs. The 2023 Miami Heat are just the 5th 8 seed to knock off a #1 since the expanded NBA playoff format began in 1984.
The Heat became the first 8 seed to win their Conference since the New York Knicks did it 24 years prior, reaching the NBA Finals as an 8 seed in 1999. Miami will be hoping for better results as the Knicks were swept that year by the San Antonio Spurs.
Unsurprisingly, Miami finds themselves as significant underdogs heading into the 2023 Finals with odds as long as +350 to upend the #1 seeded Denver Nuggets.
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