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The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat both swept the first three games of their NBA Conference finals series. The odds are now overwhelming in their favor to be the protagonists in the 2023 NBA Finals.
However, all is not yet lost for Lakers and Celtics. They still have a shot at history by being the first team ever to overcome a 0-3 deficit.
Out of the 149 times that a franchise fell 0-3 in a playoff series, only three had managed to win the next three games and force a game seven. In each of those series, however, the team that drew first blood had taken the victory.
A closer look at those historic NBA deficit playoff matchups
#1 Rochester Royals vs. New York Knicks, 1951 NBA Finals
It the first time in history that a team who went down 0-3 had forced a Game 7. It was also the first NBA Finals to go full distance.
The Knicks rallied to force a Game 7 after the Royals won the first three games. It was a cliffhanger as the game was tied late, 75-75. But Bob Davies put the Royals up for good, making his two free throws and eventually leading Rochester to the title with a 79-75 victory.
The hard-earned championship is still the only one for the Rochester Royals, now the Sacramento Kings. The Knicks actually had reached the finals the next two seasons, but their first title would come 19 years later in 1970.
#2 Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets, 1994 NBA Western Conference semifinals
43 seasons later, the No. 5 seed Utah Jazz pushed the Denver Nuggets on the brink of elimination by sweeping the first three games. However, Denver had barely avoided a sweep by edging out Utah, 83-82, and went on to win the next two games.
However, Utah dominated Game 7, leading by 15 going into the payoff period. They went on to win, 91-81, to advance to the Western Conference finals to face Houston Rockets. The Jazz were led by Karl Malone with his 31 points.
However, the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets would prevail over the Jazz in the conference finals. The Jazz led by the duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton had reached the NBA finals In 1997 and 1998, but lost to the Chicago Bulls on both occasions.
In 1994, the Nuggets would become the first eighth-seed team to defeat a top seed. They came back from a 0-2 deficit to beat the Seattle Supersonics in the first round.
#3 Dallas vs. Portland 2003 Western Conference first round
Led by Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks were pushed to a Game 7 in 2003 after blowing a 3-0 lead. The Trail Blazers were still smarting from a heartbreaking conference finals Game 7 loss in 2000, blowing a large lead against the Lakers in the fourth quarter.
After dropping the first three games, Arvydas Sabonis and Scottie Pippen would lead Portland to make one last stand against the Mavericks. They won three games in a row to force Game 7 at Dallas.
After a close three quarters, Dallas pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 107-95 win behind Dirk Nowitzki’s 31 points and Nick Van Exel’s 26 off the bench. It turned out to be Sabonis’ last season in the NBA, while Pippen would play for Chicago for one last season.
After 20 years, two teams have a shot at finally going all the way after three successive setbacks. The odds may be more than overwhelming for Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics to be the first team to overcome a 0-3 hole. In a season full of surprises, however, anything is possible.
