It’s must-win time for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
The East’s top two teams each lost the first two games of their respective second-round series on their home courts, and they will now look to avoid facing a 3-0 deficit that no NBA team has managed to overcome.
The Cavs — the top-seeded team in the East after going 64-18, including 34-7 at home – dropped consecutive games to the Indiana Pacers, the latter on a buzzer-beating heartbreaker.
The Celtics – the East’s No. 2 seed and defending NBA champions – surrendered 20-point third-quarter leads in consecutive losses to the New York Knicks.
Many NBA teams have come back from a 2-0 series deficit – 34 to be exact — but all that managed to do so were victorious in Game 3.
As for the teams that lost Game 3 to go down 3-0, here’s a look at how they fared and why history shows it’s a must-win game for the Cavs and Celtics.
How many NBA teams have come back from being down 3-0 in the playoffs?
An NBA team has never come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series in the playoffs. Teams that opened a 3-0 series lead in an NBA postseason series have gone 159-0.
The Celtics nearly became the first NBA team to pull off the historic comeback just two seasons ago. After losing the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals to the No. 8 Miami Heat, No. 2-seeded Boston won the next three games before losing Game 7 at home.
As for other professional sports, the only Major League Baseball team to win a series after trailing 3-0 was the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Four National Hockey League teams have managed to do so: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
How many teams have forced Game 6 after being down 3-0 in the NBA playoffs?
Of the 159 teams to face a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA playoffs, only 15 managed to force a Game 6:
- 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
- 1951 NBA Finals: New York trailed Rochester Royals 3-0, lost in seven
- 1962 Western Division finals: Detroit trailed L.A. Lakers 3-0, lost in six
- 1994 Western Conference semifinals: Denver trailed Utah 3-0, lost in seven
- 1996 NBA Finals: Seattle trailed Chicago 3-0, lost in six
- 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals: Philadelphia trailed Indiana 3-0, lost in six
- 2003 Western Conference first round: Portland trailed Dallas 3-0, lost in seven
- 2007 Eastern Conference semifinals: Chicago trailed Detroit 3-0, lost in six
- 2010 Eastern Conference finals: Orlando trailed Boston 3-0, lost in six
- 2013 Eastern Conference first round: Boston trailed New York 3-0, lost in six
- 2013 Western Conference first round: Houston trailed Oklahoma City 3-0, lost in six
- 2015 Eastern Conference first round: Milwaukee trailed Chicago 3-0, lost in six
- 2022 Eastern Conference first round: Toronto trailed Philadelphia 3-0, lost in six
- 2023 Eastern Conference Finals: Boston trailed Miami 3-0, lost in seven
How many teams have forced Game 7 after being down 3-0 in the NBA playoffs?
Only four teams that went down 3-0 in an NBA playoff series forced a decisive Game 7:
- 1951 New York Knicks: lost to the Rochester Royals in Game 7 of the NBA Finals
- 1994 Denver Nuggets: lost to the Utah Jazz in Game 7 of the second round
- 2003 Portland Trail Blazers: lost to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the first round
- 2023 Boston Celtics: lost to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
How many NBA teams have come back from being down 3-1 in the playoffs?
Only 13 teams in NBA playoff history have managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. The most recent team to do so was the Denver Nuggets, who overcame 3-1 deficits in consecutive series during the 2020 playoffs, defeating the Utah Jazz in the first round and Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.
The only team to come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship was the 2016 Cavaliers, who won three straight games to stun the Golden State Warriors.
What teams have the best chance at landing potential No. 1 overall pick, Duke’s Cooper Flagg? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
