The 5 Most Competitive Sweeps in NBA Playoff History

4. Oklahoma City Thunder over Dallas Mavericks, 2012

Avg. MOV: 6.5; Net Rating: 7.2

Back in those scary days when Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden shared the floor in Oklahoma City, the Thunder collided with the veteran forces of Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks in Round 1. As expected, it was a great battle of polar opposites.

The first game of the series provided us with all the telltale signs of a seven-gamer. After one quarter, the second-seeded Thunder trailed the seventh-seeded Mavs by 4. At the half, they trailed by 3, and after the third quarter, it was back to 4. It required a 30-point fourth quarter -- 22 of which came from Serge Ibaka -- for the Thunder to escape Game 1 with a 99-98 win.

With the Thunder up 32-24 after one quarter, Game 2 was poised to be a good 'ol fashion Oklahoma beatdown. However, behind Dirk's 31 points, coach Rick Carlisle's guys chipped six points off the Thunder lead across the second and third quarters, before losing the fourth and ultimately the game.

One might have expected the Mavericks to come out and make their mark with a Game 3 win, but, ya know, Westbrook, Durant and Harden -- remember? The Thunder held Dallas to 79 points while scoring 95 themselves, making this the only blowout of the series.

In Game 4, Dallas made a heroic attempt at a last stand. Nowitzki racked up 34 points (including a 13-of-13 showing from the free throw line) and the Mavs bounced back to score 97 as a team, only to see the Thunder put up 103. Despite just 12 from Westbrook, the OKC charge proved too powerful, as Durant and Harden combined for 53 points.