The Lakers are on the verge of being swept by the Nuggets for the second year in a row. Last year, there was talk that, despite the sweep, that the Lakers were competitive and in every game. For what it’s worth, this year, the Lakers have blown several big leads and are arguably just as competitive. That got me wondering whether the 2022-23 Lakers were truly the “closest” sweep ever. There are a lot of ways to quantify the competitiveness of a swept team but I thought we could measure it by the most conventional way, point differential.
We took a look at all the seven-game series sweeps since the NBA went to the 16-team playoff format in 1983-84 (h/t Basketball-Reference). We found 75 sweeps during that span and the average point differential per game was about 12 points per game. Here are some notes on the data:
-The 2022-23 Lakers were on the pretty competitive side for a swept team. They were outscored by six points per game, which ranks sixth out of 75 teams over the past 40 years. This year’s Lakers are currently being outscored by 6.7 points per game, which is roughly the same spread. But not the best of the sweepees.
-The closest sweepees were actually the 2016-17 Pacers, who lost to LeBron’s Cavs in the first round by a mere four points per game. Close behind at 4.5 points per game were the infamous 2021-22 Durant/Irving Nets, who freaked out after this sweep.
-The biggest margin of victory belongs to the 2009-10 Magic, which whipped the Hawks by 25.3 points per game in the second round. It could’ve been worse but Orlando won Game 4 by “only” 14. The 2018-19 Pistons were blown out by 23.8 points per game against the Bucks.
-Forgotten crazy sweep: Shaq and Kobe faced the Tim Duncan/David Robinson Spurs in an anticipated Western Conference Finals in 2000-01. The Spurs had the one seed but had lost their best perimeter player, Derek Anderson, on a cheap shot foul the previous round. Still, the Spurs were blitzed so decisively that Anderson wouldn’t have helped. They lost the first two games at home by about 10.5 points per game. It got even worse in Los Angeles when the Lakers won 39 and 29 the next two games.
-The Jordan Bulls legendary sweep of the Bad Boys Pistons in 1990-91 was by 16.7 points per game, which was the most dominant Conference Finals sweep besides the 2001 Lakers/Spurs sweep mentioned above.
-Of the five Finals sweeps, the Spurs/Cavs in 2006-07 was the closest at six points per game. The 1988-89 Pistons sweep of the hobbled Lakers was nearly as close.
-The franchise with the most sweeps: the Cavs with 10 (nipping the Spurs who had nine). The Hawks, Hornets/Bobcats, Grizzlies, Clippers, Blazers, and Kings haven’t yet won a seven-game sweep in the past 40 years.
-The most swept team over this span is the Lakers, with six sweeps, and they are working on a seventh this year.
Full data below:
| Year | Round | Sweeper | Sweepee | Differential |
| 2016-17 | First | Cavs | Pacers | 4 |
| 2021-22 | First | Celtics | Nets | 4.5 |
| 1998-99 | Second | Pacers | 76ers | 5.3 |
| 1988-89 | WCF | Lakers | Suns | 5.5 |
| 2006-07 | Finals | Spurs | Cavs | 6 |
| 2022-23 | WCF | Nuggets | Lakers | 6 |
| 2011-12 | First | Thunder | Mavericks | 6.5 |
| 1988-89 | Finals | Pistons | Lakers | 6.7 |
| 1994-95 | Finals | Rockets | Magic | 7 |
| 2009-10 | Second | Lakers | Jazz | 7.3 |
| 2018-19 | First | Celtics | Pacers | 7.5 |
| 1998-99 | Second | Spurs | Lakers | 8 |
| 2014-15 | First | Warriors | Pelicans | 8 |
| 1992-93 | Second | Bulls | Cavs | 8.5 |
| 2010-11 | First | Celtics | Knicks | 8.5 |
| 2015-16 | First | Cavs | Pistons | 8.5 |
| 2006-07 | First | Cavs | Wizards | 8.8 |
| 2002-03 | ECF | Nets | Pistons | 9 |
| 2004-05 | Second | Heat | Wizards | 9 |
| 2005-06 | First | Mavericks | Grizzlies | 9 |
| 2006-07 | First | Pistons | Magic | 9 |
| 2017-18 | First | Pelicans | Blazers | 9 |
| 2000-01 | Second | Lakers | Kings | 9.2 |
| 2001-02 | Finals | Lakers | Nets | 9.2 |
| 2009-10 | Second | Suns | Spurs | 9.2 |
| 2009-10 | First | Magic | Bobcats | 9.3 |
| 2018-19 | WCF | Warriors | Blazers | 9.5 |
| 2013-14 | First | Heat | Bobcats | 9.8 |
| 1984-85 | Second | 76ers | Bucks | 10 |
| 1988-89 | Second | Lakers | Sonics | 10 |
| 1998-99 | Second | Knicks | Hawks | 10 |
| 2002-03 | Second | Nets | Celtics | 10 |
| 1998-99 | WCF | Spurs | Blazers | 10.3 |
| 2019-20 | First | Heat | Pacers | 10.5 |
| 2014-15 | First | Cavs | Celtics | 10.8 |
| 2004-05 | First | Suns | Grizzlies | 11 |
| 2006-07 | First | Bulls | Heat | 11 |
| 2012-13 | WCF | Spurs | Grizzlies | 11 |
| 1986-87 | WCF | Lakers | Sonics | 11.3 |
| 2022-23 | First | 76ers | Nets | 11.3 |
| 1990-91 | ECF | Bulls | Pistons | 11.5 |
| 2011-12 | Second | Spurs | Clippers | 11.5 |
| 1995-96 | Second | Sonics | Rockets | 11.7 |
| 1988-89 | Second | Pistons | Bucks | 11.8 |
| 2019-20 | First | Celtics | 76ers | 11.8 |
| 2014-15 | ECF | Cavs | Hawks | 12.3 |
| 2015-16 | Second | Cavs | Hawks | 12.5 |
| 2004-05 | First | Heat | Nets | 12.7 |
| 2003-04 | First | Nets | Knicks | 12.8 |
| 2007-08 | First | Lakers | Nuggets | 13.3 |
| 1997-98 | WCF | Jazz | Lakers | 13.5 |
| 2003-04 | First | Spurs | Grizzlies | 14 |
| 2010-11 | Second | Mavericks | Lakers | 14 |
| 2014-15 | First | Wizards | Raptors | 14 |
| 2017-18 | Second | Cavs | Raptors | 14 |
| 2012-13 | First | Heat | Bucks | 14.7 |
| 1985-86 | ECF | Celtics | Bucks | 15 |
| 2016-17 | Second | Warriors | Jazz | 15 |
| 2017-18 | Finals | Warriors | Cavs | 15 |
| 2016-17 | Second | Cavs | Raptors | 15.3 |
| 2008-09 | First | Cavs | Pistons | 15.5 |
| 2020-21 | Second | Suns | Nuggets | 15.7 |
| 2011-12 | First | Spurs | Jazz | 16 |
| 2016-17 | WCF | Warriors | Spurs | 16 |
| 1995-96 | ECF | Bulls | Magic | 16.7 |
| 2003-04 | First | Pacers | Celtics | 16.8 |
| 2008-09 | Second | Cavs | Hawks | 18 |
| 2016-17 | First | Warriors | Blazers | 18 |
| 2012-13 | First | Spurs | Lakers | 18.7 |
| 2019-20 | First | Raptors | Nets | 20.5 |
| 2020-21 | First | Bucks | Heat | 20.5 |
| 2015-16 | First | Spurs | Grizzlies | 22 |
| 2000-01 | WCF | Lakers | Spurs | 22.2 |
| 2018-19 | First | Bucks | Pistons | 23.8 |
| 2009-10 | Second | Magic | Hawks | 25.3 |