Has An NBA Team Ever Come Back From 3-0?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes! In fact, it has happened multiple times in the NBA playoffs. The most recent example came in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, when the Golden State Warriors came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Introduction

There have been a total of seven 3-0 series leads in NBA history. All seven of those teams went on to win the series. So, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA.

The teams that have been down 3-0

Only eight teams in NBA history have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. It has only happened twice in the last 20 years. The most recent team to do it was the Los Angeles Lakers, who came back from 3-0 down to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals.

The other teams to do it are the Boston Celtics (1969 Eastern Conference Semifinals), Los Angeles Lakers (1971 Western Conference Semifinals), Denver Nuggets (1982 Western Conference Semifinals), Houston Rockets (1995 Western Conference Semifinals), New York Knicks (1999 Eastern Conference Semifinals), Portland Trail Blazers (2003 Western Conference First Round) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016 NBA Finals).

The teams that have come back from 3-0

In the history of the NBA, only five teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. It has happened only once in the Finals (Boston over Los Angeles in 1984) and four times in the playoffs.

The teams that have come back from 3-0 deficits are:

-Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 1984 Finals
-Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2015 Western Conference Semifinals
-Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets, 2019 Western Conference Semifinals
-Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors, 2020 Western Conference First Round

Why have teams been successful in coming back from 3-0?

In the history of the NBA playoffs, there have been seven instances in which a team has come back to win a series after falling behind 3-0. It’s a rare feat, but it has been done before. The most recent example came in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, when the Philadelphia 76ers stormed back to defeat the Miami Heat.

So, why have teams been successful in coming back from 3-0? There are a few factors that seem to play a role.

First, it’s important to have some star power on your side. All seven of the teams that have come back from 3-0 have had at least one player who was considered an elite talent. In some cases, like with the 2006 Phoenix Suns or the 2016 Golden State Warriors, a team is loaded with stars. But even if a team doesn’t have multiple All-Stars, as long as they have one player who can take over a game and will their team to victory, they give themselves a chance.

Second, momentum is key. Once a team gets one win under their belt, they gain confidence and start to believe that they can actually come back and win the series. All it takes is for things to start clicking and for shots to start falling, and suddenly a team that looked hopeless now has hope.

Finally, in order for a team to come back from 3-0 down, they need some luck. They need shots to fall, calls to go their way, and for their opponent to start missing shots they normally make. In short, they need everything to go right for them while also benefiting from some bad luck on the other side.

While it’s still an uphill battle for any team facing a 3-0 deficit, it’s not impossible. If a team has the stars and the role players clicking at the right time, they give themselves a chance to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in NBA history.

Conclusion

No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.