Fansided

The best NBA playoff team of all-time at every seed

By Ian Levy

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 25: (L-R) James Harden #13, Kevin Durant #35 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder stand on the court during the game against the Orlando Magic on February 25, 2011 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 25: (L-R) James Harden #13, Kevin Durant #35 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder stand on the court during the game against the Orlando Magic on February 25, 2011 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND – JUNE 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs brings the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy to the post-game press conference after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the 2007 NBA Finals at the Quicken Loans Arena June 14, 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND – JUNE 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs brings the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy to the post-game press conference after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the 2007 NBA Finals at the Quicken Loans Arena June 14, 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The best No. 3 seed ever: San Antonio Spurs, 2006-07

All due respect to the 2015-16 Thunder, who almost took down the greatest team ever, the 2010-11 Mavericks who won a title from the No. 3 seed, and the 2008-09 Magic, who pulled off stunning upsets against the Big 3 Celtics and LeBron, but this spot belongs to the Spurs. They were overshadowed during the regular season by the Mavericks’ 67-win redemption tour and the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less Suns pushing themselves to new heights, it was San Antonio who revealed themselves to be the best team in the league.

San Antonio won 58 games with an SRS of plus-8.35, a mark that was a franchise-best at that time. They ranked fifth in offensive efficiency and second in defensive efficiency. And when the playoffs started, they simply flexed and ran through the competition — beating Denver, Phoenix, Utah and Cleveland while dropping just four games, total, in the postseason.

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