3. Seattle SuperSonics, 1994 NBA Playoffs, First Round
Good god, what a flat-out disaster. Everything was set up for them. A 64-18 63-19 record, the one full NBA season without Michael Jordan, and the fact the team that ended up winning the whole darn thing (Houston — twice!) couldn’t beat the Sonics to save their lives. The team that gave the Sonics the most fits was Phoenix, and they got bounced by the Rockets in Round 2. Too bad the Sonics didn’t even make it to Round 2. They went up 2-0 on Denver, and, well, that was it. Ten-year-old me was very sad and confused. I can’t even watch the end of this without going into convulsions. It was the ultimate “wait, what the hell just happened?” moment in Seattle sports history.
They followed up the next season with a no-show in the first round, getting bounced almost single-handedly by Nick Van Exel.
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