Coming back from a 3-1 deficit is certainly not easy, but it is not impossible either.
While no team in NBA history has won a series after trailing 3-0, several have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the next round and, in one case, win it all.
The most recent team to overcome such a deficit is the Nuggets, who did so not once but twice in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. They remain the only team to date to come back from a 3-1 deficit in consecutive series.
Two teams from the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs are trying to get out of the same hole. The 76ers forced a Game 6 after losing 3-1 to the Knicks and the Bucks forced a Game 6 after losing 3-1 to the Pacers. Can either team pull off a rare comeback?
Here is the complete list of teams that came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.
How many teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit in NBA Playoff history?
Teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Playoffs a total of 13 times.
The Celtics were the first team to do so, beating the 76ers in the 1968 Eastern Division Finals to advance to the Finals, where they defeated the Lakers to add another championship to their trophy case.
Six different teams have come back from 3-1 in the playoffs since 2000. The most recent to join the list is the Nuggets, who overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Jazz in the first round and the Clippers in the second round. of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
| Year | Series | Winning team | losing team |
| 1968 | Eastern Division Finals | celts | 76ers |
| 1970 | Western Division Semifinals | Lakers | Suns |
| 1979 | Eastern Conference Finals | Bullets | Spurs |
| 1981 | Eastern Conference Finals | celts | 76ers |
| nineteen ninety five | Western Conference Semifinals | rockets | Suns |
| 1997 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | Heat | Knicks |
| 2003 | Eastern Conference First Round | Pistons | Magic |
| 2006 | Western Conference First Round | Suns | Lakers |
| 2015 | Western Conference Semifinals | rockets | Scissors |
| 2016 | Western Conference Finals | Warriors | Thunder |
| 2016 | NBA Finals | gentlemen | Warriors |
| 2020 | Western Conference First Round | nuggets | Jazz |
| 2020 | Western Conference Semifinals | nuggets | Scissors |
According to NBA expert Marc SteinTeams that win 3-1 in a best-of-seven series have a record of 258-13 for a winning percentage of 95.2.
Record of teams losing 3-1 in the NBA Finals
The odds certainly don’t favor the Heat, who return to Denver for Game 5 with their backs against the wall in the 2023 NBA Finals.
In the history of the NBA Finals, teams that have fallen into a 3-1 series hole are 1-35 all-time.
The Cavaliers remain the only team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals when they beat the Warriors in 2016. The Cavaliers defeated a Warriors team that set an NBA record with 73 wins in the regular season and ended Cleveland’s 52-52 streak. drought year in the championship.
