In all of NBA postseason history, no team has ever come back to win after trailing 3–0 in a playoff series. It’s a feat that quite a few NBA teams have come close to achieving, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Teams that go up 3–0 in an NBA playoff series have gone 157–0 in league history. That doesn’t mean some teams haven’t come close to making history, though.
The most recent series resulting in a team going up 3–0 occurred during last year’s NBA Finals when the Boston Celtics took an early lead over the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks won one game to avoid being swept, but didn’t make it a close comeback.
As mentioned, NBA teams have taken a 3–0 lead in the NBA playoffs 157 times in history. Out of those 157 occasions, here’s 15 of the closest instances to a team completing a reverse sweep of sorts. These series either went to six or seven games, with just four of those series going to seven games.
|
Year |
Round |
Matchup |
|---|---|---|
|
1947 |
BAA Semifinals |
Washington Capitols lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Chicago Stags. |
|
1948 |
BAA Finals |
Washington Capitols lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Minneapolis Lakers. |
|
1951 |
NBA Finals |
New York Knicks lost in seven games after trailing 3–0 to Rochester Royals |
|
1962 |
Western Division Finals |
Detroit Pistons lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Los Angeles Lakers. |
|
1994 |
Western Conference Semifinals |
Denver Nuggets lost in seven games after trailing 3–0 to Utah Jazz. |
|
1996 |
NBA Finals |
Seattle SuperSonics lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Chicago Bulls. |
|
2000 |
Eastern Conference Semifinals |
Philadelphia 76ers lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Indiana Pacers. |
|
2003 |
Western Conference First Round |
Portland Trail Blazers lost in seven games after trailing 3–0 to Dallas Mavericks. |
|
2007 |
Eastern Conference Semifinals |
Chicago Bulls lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Detroit Pistons. |
|
2010 |
Eastern Conference Finals |
Orlando Magic lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Boston Celtics. |
|
2013 |
Eastern Conference First Round |
Boston Celtics lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to New York Knicks. |
|
2013 |
Western Conference First Round |
Houston Rockets lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Oklahoma City Thunder. |
|
2015 |
Eastern Conference First Round |
Milwaukee Bucks lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Chicago Bulls. |
|
2022 |
Eastern Conference First Round |
Toronto Raptors lost in six games after trailing 3–0 to Philadelphia 76ers. |
|
2023 |
Eastern Conference Finals |
Boston Celtics lost in seven games after trailing 3–0 to Miami Heat. |
Out of the four instances of series reaching seven games after a team took a 3–0 lead, it’s only happened once in the NBA Finals, all the way back in 1951. The New York Knicks nearly won their first franchise title while also making history if they would’ve been victorious in Game 7 of the series vs. the Rochester Royals. The Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) won the first three games of the series, including a dominant Game 1 92–65 win. The Knicks went on to win the next three games, but then fell in Game 7 79–75. History was nearly made then.
A near Game 7 comeback then didn’t happen again until the 1994 Western Conference semifinals matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, led by Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton, took the 3–0 lead thanks to Malone’s game-tying shot to force overtime in Game 3. The Nuggets had a tough time forcing a Game 7 in the series as Game 5 even went into double overtime. Denver fell to Utah 91–81 in the final game of the series.
A seven-game series after a 3–0 lead wouldn’t happen again until the 2003 Western Conference first round when the Portland Trail Blazers attempted to come back from an early Dallas Mavericks lead. Dallas, led by Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, won the first three games, but Portland came back and clocked some double-digit victories to force a Game 7. The Mavericks ended up winning 107–95 in that final game.
NBA fans may remember most recently the Eastern Conference finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The No. 2 Celtics were seen as a championship favorite, so it was surprising when the Heat went up 3–0 in the series. The Celtics charged back to win the next three games, including a one-point victory in Game 6. However, the Heat concluded their upset in Game 7, winning 103–84 in Boston to seal a spot in the NBA finals.
Can history be made during this year’s NBA playoffs?
