Nothing Compares To This Choke

[SRJ]

Of course, 1994 and 1999 were the first two occasions of a #8 beating a #1, and we are all aware that those were 5-game series. So already, by virtue of having up to seven chances not to blow it, the 2007 Mavs are the biggest chokes in NBA history. And of course, we can also make mention of Dallas being the first team to win 65 or more games and not get out of the first round. All but one of the others won the NBA title.

But there are still additional considerations when comparing the three series:

1994 - Seattle 63-19, Denver 42-40; +21 wins for Seattle
1999 - Miami 33-17, New York 27-23; +6 wins for Miami
2007 - Dallas 67-15, Golden State 42-40; +25 wins for Dallas
Yes, Seattle plus Miami had only a two game edge on Dallas alone.

Also, consider the margin of victory in all three series:

1994 - Denver was outscored by Seattle by 4 points, 475-471
1999 - New York outscored Miami by 20 points, 415-395
2007 - Golden State outscored Dallas by 40 points, 631-591

Let's try to be more fair to Dallas and make 2007 a 5-game series so maybe they won't look so bad. After the first four games, when GS went up 3 games to 1, here's how that hypothetical best of five looked:

2007 - Golden State outscored Dallas by 21 points, 408-387

Worst. Choke. Ever.

[timvp]

The amazing thing is the Warriors should have won all six games.

[sabar]

This + the 2006 finals is on a Greg Norman level.