Who Blew a 3-1 Lead in the NBA Finals?

We all know the feeling. You’re leading in the NBA Finals, and you have a comfortable 3-1 lead. But then, somehow, you blow it. All of a sudden, the other team is winning and you’re left wondering, “Who blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals?”

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most infamous cases of a team blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. We’ll also

The 2016 NBA Finals

The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2016 season and the conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers played the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors, with the Warriors winning the series 4–3.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the 2016 NBA Finals, becoming the first team in NBA history to do so. The Cavaliers had lost the first two games of the series at home, but won Game 3 in Oracle Arena to avoid going down 0-3. The Cavaliers then won Game 4 at home to even the series, before losing Game 5 in Oakland. In a must-win Game 6 back in Cleveland, the Cavaliers pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind victory, erasing a late deficit to force a seventh and deciding game. In Game 7, the Cavaliers trailed for most of the game before coming back to win and clinch the series. With the victory, the Cavaliers became NBA champions for the first time in franchise history.

The Golden State Warriors

In 2016, the Golden State Warriors became the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games after leading the series 3-1.

The Warriors were favored to win the series, but they were unable to close out the Cavaliers. LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers, averaging nearly a triple-double throughout the series.

The collapse by the Warriors was one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.

The 2017 NBA Finals

The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions, the Golden State Warriors, swept the Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–0. This marks the first time in NBA history that a team has come back to win the Finals after being down 3–1.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champions and Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the Western Conference champions and eventual NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, for the fourth consecutive year. This marked the 14th time in NBA history that two teams have met in four straight Finals.

The Cavaliers entered the Finals after comprehensively defeating the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. The Cavaliers won Game 1 by a score of 113–91, becoming the first team to ever win a Finals game by more than 20 points while playing on the road. They went on to lose Games 2 and 3, as well as an opportunity to close out the series at home in Game 4, as Kevin Durant delivered a clutch performance in each contest to lead his team to a 13–0 record in Finals games when he scores 30 or more points. The Warriors became only the 10th team in NBA history—and first since 1985—to come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a seven-game series after they claimed victory in Game 5 with a score of 112–97. Durant was named MVP for his efforts.

The Golden State Warriors

The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In the Finals, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors faced the Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers. This was the third consecutive matchup of these two teams in the Finals, after their meeting in 2015 and 2016. These Finals were also memorable because it was the first time in NBA history that a team came back from being down 3-1 to win the championship. The Warriors won the series 4-1, becoming NBA champions for a second straight year.

The 2018 NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In the best-of-seven playoff series held from June 1 to June 17, 2018, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference finalists Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers, four games to zero. This was the fourth consecutive Finals meeting between these two teams, after they met in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

The Warriors won all three previous meetings while being led by head coach Steve Kerr and stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson (the “Core Four”). Entering the Finals, many basketball analysts believed that the Cavaliers had no viable chance of winning without their star player Kyrie Irving, who had missed most of their playoff run due to injury. However, LeBron James posted record numbers throughout the playoffs and led his team to their fourth straight Finals appearance despite being underdogTest Text

The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Oracle Arena.

The Warriors have reached nine NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, and most recently in 2015 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their four NBA Finals appearances are tied for the third most appearances of any team in the NBA, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics with 31 and 26 appearances respectively. According to Forbes magazine, they are also one of the most valuable teams in NBA history being worth $1.125 billion in 2017, up 25% from $900 million a year earlier.