In what’s starting to feel more like a bizarre NBA hex than coincidence, the “defending champs curse” continues to plague teams who dethrone the previous year’s champion.
This postseason, the New York Knicks became the latest victims, knocking out the reigning champion Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, only to fall to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. For the sixth straight season, the team that eliminated the defending champion failed to win the title.
It all began in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The Boston Celtics eliminated the defending champion Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. At the time, the Raptors were still riding the high of their historic 2019 run, but lacked Kawhi Leonard.
Boston took care of them in seven games, but couldn’t carry that momentum. They fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, missing their shot at the title.
The following year, it was the Phoenix Suns who looked poised to end the drought. In the 2021 playoffs, Phoenix ousted the injury-riddled defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis both dealing with health issues, the Suns capitalized and surged all the way to the Finals. Yet, just when it seemed the curse might break, they fell short against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Then came 2022. This time, Boston was back. The Celtics got past the defending champs Milwaukee Bucks in a hard-fought seven-game series in the second round. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, they advanced all the way to the NBA Finals.
However, their championship dreams were crushed by Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, who outclassed them in six games.
In 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers became believers in the curse, too. After beating the Golden State Warriors in the second round in six games, many felt LeBron and Anthony Davis had another title run in them.
But the Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic’s brilliance, swept them in the Western Conference Finals. Once again, the team that knocked out the champs came up empty.
In 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves ended the Denver Nuggets’ reign in a seven games. With Anthony Edwards leading a gritty, defensively elite squad, the Wolves looked like a team of destiny. But they ran into Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals and fell in five games.
And now, in 2025, it was the Knicks who bought into the magic. Their second-round win over the Celtics in six games, capped by a heroic series from Jalen Brunson, had fans dreaming of a Finals return. Yet, just like the five teams before them, they ran out of gas, losing to the Pacers in six games.
The last team to eliminate the defending champs and win the title?
The 2019 Toronto Raptors. They beat the Dynasty Warriors in the Finals and hoisted the trophy. Since then, every team to topple the previous year’s champion has fallen short. Whether it’s fatigue, pressure, or fate, the “defending champs curse” is very real and six years running.
