Recent history suggests that being a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference does not translate into playoff success. Over the past 11 seasons, the East’s top seed has advanced to the NBA Finals just once: the Cavaliers 2015-16who ended up winning the championship.
Last season, the Bucks, top seed I met Jimmy Butler and the Heat in the first round. We all remember how that went. A year before, No. 1 seed Miami lost to Boston in an epic seven-game series. And in the 2021 playoffs, the top-seeded Sixers blew a 3-1 lead to the Hawks in the second round.
The last two champions to represent the East — the 2018-19 Raptors and the 2021-21 Bucks — weren’t even among the top three betting favorites heading into the playoffs, let alone No. 1 seeds.
