After Charles Barkley boldly picked the eighth-seeded Blazers to upset the Lakers in the first round, Barkley took it a step even further by saying the Blazers would sweep Los Angeles in four games if they won Tuesday night’s opener.
Despite the Lakers being the betting favorites to win the NBA Finals, and despite the fact LeBron James has never lost a first round series (52-10 in first round games), the Blazers have enticed a compelling bandwagon at the NBA’s Bubble in Orlando, as Colin Cowherd even made the argument that they're the greatest eight seed in league history.
Only five 8 seeds in NBA history have managed to topple overwhelming odds in route to upsetting the top seed. The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Seattle Supersonics 3-2 in 1994, the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat in 1999, 3-2, the Golden State Warriors knocked off the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in 2007, the Memphis Grizzlies took out the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in 2011, and in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Chicago Bulls, 4-2, the season Derrick Rose tore his ACL.
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