In the world of playoff basketball, a certain mystique surrounds the words three and one.
A 3–1 margin in a best-of-seven series is not a 3–2 margin, which is quite common. It is not a 3–0 deficit, which no team has ever overcome. A 3–1 deficit lies in the space between normality and impossibility—that narrative driver of sports called improbability, which is where the magic happens.
Since the NBA's founding in 1947, 13 teams have rallied from 3–1 deficits to win best-of-seven series. That's the fewest out of the three major non-football North American men's sports leagues. The roster of comebacks runs the gamut from early-round obscurities to one of the most famous cultural moments of the 2010s.
Here's a look at the 13 comebacks, with commentary to follow.
How Many Teams Have Come Back From 3–1 Deficits in the NBA Playoffs?
YEAR
ROUND
RESULT
1968
Eastern Division finals
Celtics d. 76ers
1970
Western Division semifinals
Lakers d. Suns
1979
Eastern Conference finals
Bullets d. Spurs
1981
Eastern Conference finals
Celtics d. 76ers
1995
Western Conference semifinals
Rockets d. Suns
1997
Eastern Conference semifinals
Heat d. Knicks
2003
Eastern Conference first round
Pistons d. Magic
2006
Western Conference first round
Suns d. Lakers
2015
Western Conference semifinals
Rockets d. Clippers
2016
Western Conference finals
Warriors d. Thunder
2016
NBA Finals
Cavaliers d. Warriors
2020
Western Conference first round
Nuggets d. Jazz
2020
Western Conference semifinals
Nuggets d. Clippers
Like much about the NBA, the 3–1 comeback was first done by the Boston Celtics. Led by coach and center Bill Russell, the Celtics shook off three straight losses against the Philadelphia 76ers to triumph in the 1968 Eastern Division finals. Boston went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, winning its 10th title.
In addition to their '68 heroics, the Celtics may also have scored the most famous 3–1 comeback of the 20th century in 1981. Down 3–1 to the 76ers once again, Boston rallied behind young forward Larry Bird—winning Games 5, 6 and 7 by a combined five points. Again, the Celtics went on to win the championship, this time against the Houston Rockets.
After decades of accruing fan interest, the 3–1 phenomenon achieved critical mass in 2016. Never again would a team be written off after falling into that kind of hole; no one wanted to miss more history in the making.
First, the prelude: in the '16 Western Conference finals, the 73–9 Golden State Warriors wiped out a 3–1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series is notable for the events of Game 6—a game that may have punched Warriors guard Klay Thompson's Hall of Fame ticket. Thompson made 11 three-pointers (then a playoff record), propelling Golden State to a 108–101 victory.
Within two weeks, the Warriors put the Cleveland Cavaliers in a similar vise. After Golden State downed the Cavaliers 108–97 in Game 4, NBA TV memorably showed Cleveland forward LeBron James in its postgame coverage with a chyron noting that no team had ever rallied from 3–1 down in the Finals. James, in the signature feat of his storied career, promptly dragged the Cavaliers to three straight wins—the last a 93–89 victory that ranks among the great basketball games ever played.
Only two 3–1 comebacks have taken place in the 2020s thus far, and both were accomplished by the same team in the same year—the only time that has ever happened. The Denver Nuggets rallied past the Utah Jazz in the first round and Los Angeles Clippers in the conference semifinals before surrendering to the Lakers in the conference finals—demonstrating the intestinal fortitude that would make them champions three years later.
