When is the last time that a #3 seed without HCA after the first round won the NBA championship?
I'm not trying to be flippant, I'm legitimately curious.
San Antonio in 2007 was the third seed...although they had HC over the Cavs.
Last one was the Detroit Pistons in 04 I think. Didn't have homecourt after the first round and beat the #2 Nets, the #1 Pacers, and then the #2 Lakers.
That's probably the closest comparison we can hope for. We don't have a '95 Hakeem or even an '07 Duncan on this team (though maybe Rondo could be '07 Parker). I'm not convinced this team is as talented as the Pistons were, either.
How many teams have won the title without HCA in the Finals since the introduction of the 2-3-2 format?
I believe it's only been 6 teams since 1985.
Looked it up because I was curious...the teams were: the 1985 Lakers, the 1993 Bulls, the 1995 Rockets, the 1998 Bulls, the 2004 Pistons and the 2006 Miami Heat.
So it will definitely be difficult, but not impossible. Although having Jordan or Magic would help.