From 0-3 to Game 7: the mythical NBA comeback
With Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs getting underway on Friday, here’s what the dreaded zero-three means for the losing team.
Heading into the weekend’s NBA action, the likes of the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers have the chance to go 3-0 in their round one series. It’s a commanding lead in a seven-game series and across the long history of the NBA it has proved absolutely decisive.
If the Orlando Magic or Milwaukee Bucks were to fall to a third straight loss on Friday evening, past results would suggest that their postseason dreams are all-but over. In the history of the seven-game playoff series, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.
"It's not over till it's over. We just gotta believe."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 13, 2024
Luka Doncic speaks after the Mavericks went down 3-0 in the NBA Finals 🗣
(via @JoeyMistretta_ ) pic.twitter.com/Gy1NCBYJZU
However there have been a few spirited efforts, teams who managed to force a Game 7 despite losing the first three games. Here’s a look at the small group of teams who came the closest...
Will someone finally break the 3-0 rule?
Up to an including the 2024 NBA playoffs, 157 teams have found themselves facing a 3-0 deficit. None of them managed a 3-4 comeback victory but four did manage to force a Game 7, roughly 3%.
The first to do so were the New York Knicks, who went 3-0 down in the 1951 NBA Finals before tying the series against the Rochester Royals. Nevertheless the Royals went on to clinch the championship in Game 7.
That did not happen again until the 1994 Western Conference semi-finals, when the Denver Nuggets fought back from a three-game deficit before losing 4-3 to the Utah Jazz. In 2003 the Portland Trail Blazers went on a dramatic 21-0 run in the third quarter to avoid a 4-0 sweep by the Dallas Mavericks, before fighting back to 3-3. Portland then lost in Game 7.
Most recently, the 2023 Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat looked like it could finally break with tradition. Boston went 3-0 down before tying the series and were the first team in their position to host Game 7, setting them up for a historic comeback. However they fell just short and the Heat prevailed, going on to loss in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets.
But if 0-3 is the impossible task, a 1-3 deficit is a little more attainable. Teams trailing 3–1 in finals have managed to bounce back 13 times, giving some hope to struggling teams as we head into the Game 3 fixtures.
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