When the Oklahoma City Thunder opened their playoff run with a 51-point obliteration of the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies, it felt safe to assume that would be the most lopsided result of these NBA Playoffs. As it turns out, it wasn't even the most lopsided result of the first round.
We have the other No. 1 seed to thank for that, as the Cleveland Cavaliers polished off a resounding sweep of the Miami Heat with a 138-83 win in Game 4 on Monday night. The Cavs got a steal that led to a runout and a dunk on the very first possession, and that set the tone for the rest of the night: Cleveland led 43-17 after just one quarter and pushed the lead north of 40 at times before we'd even hit halftime.
This was about as "one, two, three, Cancun" a loss as you'll ever see; at no point did Miami seem interested in competing in this game, content to just play out the string as soon as Cleveland made clear that they weren't messing around. But while 55 points is undoubtedly ugly, just where does it rank among the ugliest losses in playoff history?
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What's the biggest blowout in NBA Playoffs history? Cavs-Heat Game 4 nearly sets record
The Cavs pushed the lead to an even 60 late in the fourth quarter. If that had held, it would have set a new record for the largest margin of victory in a playoff game in NBA history. For now, though, the record of 58 still stands, courtesy of the Denver Nuggets against the New Orleans Hornets back in 2009.
Prior to Thunder-Grizzlies Game 1, it had been roughly a decade since a playoff game was decided by (at least) the half-century mark. The Chicago Bulls embarrassed the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2015 first-round matchup, eliminating them — on the road — with a 120-66 shellacking. Getting sent packing, especially in that fashion, stings. But at least it happened at the end of the series, not the beginning.
More recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 115-70 in last year's Western Conference semifinals. The Wolves emphatically prevailed to force a win-or-go-home Game 7, ultimately dethroning three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and the then-reigning league champions on the road.
Following their drubbing of the Heat, the Cavs became the sixth team to win a playoff game by at least 50 points. However, Cleveland is striving for much more than that: The Larry O'Brien Trophy.