Is the parity that NBA fans long called for finally here? The 2020s have seen some brilliant underdog teams reach the very top.
The Indiana Pacers‘ brilliant run to the NBA Finals is everything that fans could hope for in this league. Despite not being a team stacked with superstars, the Pacers have been absolutely phenomenal.
While the NBA Finals ratings haven’t been strong, the same cannot be said for the quality of basketball being played on the grandest stage in basketball.
The Pacers are a team led by a single superstar in Tyrese Haliburton. And while Stephen A. Smith questions Haliburton’s superstar status, there is no denying he is the best player on a team filled with some great talent.
But by no means are the Indiana Pacers world-beaters. In fact, outside of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pacers have been the less-favored team in each of their playoff battles.
With their brilliant win to go 2-1 up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pacers became the latest team in this decade to make a deep playoff run despite being underdogs.
After winning Game 3 against the Thunder, the Pacers now have nine wins in this playoff run against teams that had a better record than they did.
This ties them for the second-most wins as an underdog during an NBA playoff run in history, right behind the Miami Heat. You can see the full list below:
| Underdog Team (Year of Playoff Run) | Wins as Underdog |
| Miami Heat (2023) | 10 |
| Indiana Pacers (2025) | 9 |
| Miami Heat (2020) | 9 |
| Houston Rockets (1995) | 9 |
| Atlanta Hawks (2021) | 8 |
| New York Knicks (1999) | 8 |
When you look at this table, it becomes instantly clear that the 2020s have been very kind to underdog teams.
Four of the six best underdog runs in the NBA playoffs have come this decade. In fact, in every season this decade, outside of last year, an underdog team has made a run to at least the conference finals.
And of these four teams, three reached the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat accomplished this feat twice in 2020 and 2023, and the Indiana Pacers this season.
If we look at the history of the NBA across the last five seasons, we’re seeing an emerging trend. Teams with multiple All-Stars and stacked rosters don’t always achieve success.
The table below lists all the NBA teams with multiple All-Stars across the last five seasons.
| Team (Year) | All-Stars That Season | Playoff Stage Reached |
| Los Angeles Lakers (2021) | 2 – Anthony Davis, LeBron James | First-Round |
| Boston Celtics (2021) | 2 – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown | First-Round |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2 – Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid | Eastern Conference Finals |
| Brooklyn Nets (2021) | 3 – Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden | Second-Round |
| Utah Jazz (2021) | 3 – Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley | Second-Round |
| LA Clippers (2021) | 2 – Kawhi Leonard, Paul George | Western Conference Finals |
| Phoenix Suns (2021) | 2 – Chris Paul, Devin Booker | NBA Finals |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (2022) | 2 – Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen | Play-In Tournament |
| Chicago Bulls (2022) | 2 – Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan | First-Round |
| Brooklyn Nets (2022) | 2 – Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving | First-Round |
| Utah Jazz (2022) | 2 – Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell | First-Round |
| Milwaukee Bucks (2022) | 2 – Giannis Antetokounmp, Khris Middleton | Second-Round |
| Philadelphia 76ers (2022) | 2 – James Harden, Joel Embiid | Second-Round |
| Phoenix Suns (2022) | 2 – Chris Paul – Devin Booker | Second-Round |
| Boston Celtics (2022) | 2 – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown | NBA Finals |
| Golden State Warriors (2022) | 3 – Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins | NBA Championship Winners |
| Dallas Mavericks (2023) | 2 – Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving | Missed Playoffs |
| Milwaukee Bucks (2023) | 2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday | First-Round |
| Sacramento Kings (2023) | 2 – De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis | First-Round |
| Memphis Grizzlies (2023) | 2 – Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. | First-Round |
| Boston Celtics (2023) | 2 – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown | Eastern Conference Finals |
| Milwaukee Bucks (2024) | 2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard | First-Round |
| Philadelphia 76ers (2024) | 2 – Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey | First-Round |
| Phoenix Suns (2024) | 2 – Kevin Durant, Devin Booker | First-Round |
| Los Angeles Lakers (2024) | 2 – LeBron James, Anthony Davis | First-Round |
| LA Clippers (2024) | 2 – Kawhi Leonard, Paul George | First-Round |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (2024) | 2 – Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns | Western Conference Finals |
| Boston Celtics (2024) | 2 – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown | NBA Championship Winners |
| Dallas Mavericks (2025) | 2 – Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving | Play-In Tournament |
| Milwaukee Bucks (2025) | 2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard | First-Round |
| Cleveland Cavaliers (2025) | 3 – Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley | Second-Round |
| Boston Celtics (2025) | 2 – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown | Second-Round |
| New York Knicks (2025) | 2 – Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns | Eastern Conference Finals |
| Oklahoma City Thunder (2025) | 2 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams | NBA Finals (ongoing*) |
In the last five seasons, 34 teams with two or more All-Stars have played in the NBA. While only three teams failed to reach the playoff stage (beyond play-in tournament), many of these teams didn’t fare better.
Of these 28 teams, 10 would reach the Conference Finals stage, while five reached the NBA Finals, and only two won the NBA championship.
On the other side, 14 of these teams only reached the first round of the playoffs, while just seven would get to the second round.
This chart shows that while having a team with multiple All-Stars can lead you to success, the actual success rate of these teams is very low.
Indiana Pacers could become the third team in five years to win an NBA championship with just one active All-Star on their roster.
