The 5 Most Competitive Sweeps in NBA Playoff History

2. Indiana Pacers over Philadelphia 76ers, 1999

Avg. MOV: 5.3; Net Rating: 6.2

Unlike every other winner on this list, these Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers didn't make the Finals. All the same, pitted against a pesky Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers team, they prevailed in one of the most competitive playoff sweeps we've ever seen.

Things were tight from the very first tip in Indiana. After one quarter in Game 1, the Sixers were up by a single point, and after that no team won a quarter by more than 5 points. Iverson scored 35 on 50% shooting, but Miller got some help from Jalen Rose, who tallied 27 points in 30 minutes in his role as sixth man. His performance provided the Pacers with the edge necessary for them to pull out the 94-90 win.

Game 2 was an easy one for the Pacers...or at least the first three quarters were. At the end of three, the Pacers owned a 61-53 advantage, but Philly had a 29-point surge in the fourth, and the Sixers ultimately lost by only three.

In Game 3, Indiana held their opponent to no more than 22 points in three of the four frames. They let the Answer get his 32, but Indiana won 97-86 behind a hot shooting night from Miller.

In the final game, the Sixers found themselves behind by 14 in the first quarter, but they rebounded with a 24-point second and a 24-point fourth, winning the final three quarters by 11 points. But it was too little too late -- Iverson's 25 went in vain, and Philadelphia was ousted in Round 2.