History of 7 vs. 2 upsets in NBA Playoffs: Warriors become latest 7 seed to advance past first round

The NBA playoffs expanded from 12 to 16 teams in 1984. Recently, the NBA also developed a play-in tournament, in which eight total teams battle it out to determine the final two seeds for each conference. 

Obviously, the lowest seed (the 8-seed) has the toughest matchup in the first round as they have to play the top seed in the conference. It doesn't get much easier for the 7-seed, though, as they will have to play the 2-seed, and will not have homecourt advantage if the series goes a full seven games. 

In the 40 years since the playoff format changed, only six 7-seeds have escaped the first round. There are two 7-seed teams in each conference, each season, which means that six out of a possible 80 teams have made it to the second round, with a success rate of 7.5%.

In a way, fans in 2025 are witnessing a potential slice of history, as the 7-seed Warriors clinched a second-round berth with a Game 7 win over the Rockets. 

The excitement could be short lived, however, as history is stacked against them. Here is more on the 7 seeds who have been able to advance past the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

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How many 7 seeds beat a 2 seed in the NBA Playoffs?

Here are the 7 seeds that have beaten 2 seeds. The 2025 Warriors have become the seventh in NBA history to accomplish this feat.

The 1987 SuperSonics beat Houston 4-2 in the second round, but then got swept 4-0 by the Lakers. The 1989 Warriors lost 4-1 to the Suns in the second round, while the 1991 Warriors lost 4-1 to the Lakers in the second round. 

The 1998 Knicks lost to the Pacers 4-1 and the 2010 Spurs got swept 4-0 by the Suns. The 2023 Lakers beat the Warriors 4-2 in the second round, but then got swept by the Nuggets. 

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Has a 7 seed ever won an NBA Championship? 

Not yet. Only two 7-seeds have made it past the first two rounds.

Both of them were swept in the Conference Finals by the eventual NBA champions. Golden State has the chance to be the first 7-seed to ever win an NBA title. The Rockets are the lowest-seeded team to ever win an NBA championship. Houston was a six-seed in 1995, and swept Orlando in the finals.