The Boston Celtics are on the verge of doing the unthinkable.
The storied franchise, despite being the No. 2 seed out East, trailed the No. 8 Miami Heat 3-0 in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. But they stormed back in extraordinary fashion, winning Game 4 on the road and Game 5 at home in a semi-blowout before a last-gasp buzzer-beater from Derrick White in Game 6 knotted it up at 3-3.
With the chance at a historic comeback on the line, let’s take a look at how many times a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.
How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs?
The unfortunate answer is zero times.
While no teams have come back to win after being down 3-0, there are three teams that have rallied to tie up a series 3-3 and went on to lose Game 7.
How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs? The unfortunate answer is zero times. While no teams have come back to win after being down 3-0, there are three teams that have rallied to tie up a series 3-3 and went on to lose Game 7.
No team in NBA playoff history has ever come all the way back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, but three teams have come close. The 1951 New York Knicks, the 1994 Denver Nuggets, and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers are the only teams in league history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a series.
Below is a list of the 15 NBA teams that forced at least a Game 6 in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series after dropping the first three games: 1947 BAA Semifinals: Washington Capitols trailed Chicago Stags 3-0, lost in six. 1949 BAA Finals: Washington Capitols trailed Minneapolis 3-0, lost in six.
The Cavaliers remain the only team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals when they bested the Warriors in 2016. The Cavaliers took down a Warriors team that set an NBA record with 73 wins in the regular season and ended Cleveland's 52-year championship drought.
The one team to do that was the 1994 Houston Rockets, who came back from an 0-2 deficit against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals that season. The 1969 Los Angeles Lakers are the only other team to make the NBA Finals after going down 0-2 in a playoff series while home-court advantage.
NBA history has seen 11 teams turn a 3-0 lead into a 4-2 series loss. Those teams, in chronological order, are: The 2022 Toronto Raptors, who lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. The 2015 Milwaukee Bucks, who lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
But only one, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, has completed the comeback. In light of the Boston Celtics looking to become the first NBA team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, here's a look at the MLB teams that made the best comeback attempts from a three-games-to-none deficit in the postseason.
Since the inception of the NBA, 148 game sevens have been played. Of those, only six went into overtime, and one into double overtime. 37 game sevens have been won by the road team.
The unfortunate answer is zero times. While no teams have come back to win after being down 3-0, there are three teams that have rallied to tie up a series 3-3 and went on to lose Game 7.
NBA teams have overcome 3–1 deficits 13 times, only one of which occurred in the NBA Finals. The NBA is the only major North American sport with seven-game playoff series where no team has overcome a 3–0 deficit. The Celtics won two games on the road during the comeback, and also won the NBA Finals.
Playoff series are best of 7... meaning the first team to win 4 games wins the series. Celtics (my favorite team) in 5 would mean the Celtics will win the series 4-1. Celtics in 7 would mean the Celtics will win the series 4-3... etc.
Their lone comeback was in the 2016 Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They squandered their own 3-1 advantage in the next round against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. "We made history before. The goal is to win one at home.
That was in the 2016 NBA Finals, when the 73-win Warriors team cruises to an easy 3-1 series lead -- until the LeBron-led comeback happened. The King lifted his team out of a deep, deep hole, an act of basketball greatness that didn't just bring his then-Cleveland Cavaliers team a championship.
In both of those series as well, Boston wasn't just bouncing back from down 3-2 but coming back from down 3-1. The first time Boston recovered from a 3-2 deficit against Philadelphia was in 1968. In Game 5 in Philly, Sam Jones and John Havlicek combined for 66 points, and then went for 48 in Games 6 and 7.
In addition to gaining all the momentum with their third straight win, Boston is closing the gap on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Championship market. Denver was +275 to win it all after sweeping the Lakers, while the Celtics were valued at 16/1 after falling into a 3-0 hole.
Brown's quote "don't let us get one" came after Boston went down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, which Miami went on to win in seven games. Even though he's not on the court due to injury, Butler has still found a way to talk trash.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
