Whats the recipe for a 0-3 comeback in the Playoffs?

[Cresy06]

Obviously it hasn’t happened in NBA History and I don’t know if it ever will. Although, with more time it probably will happen at some point.

I am just wondering how it could happen.

IND is up 2-0, could go up 3-0 at home vs Cleveland. They have a bunch of injured players, if Mobley, Hunter and Garland are healthy for game 4, who knows?
NYK is up 2-0, could also be 3-0 soon, but BOS is probably the better team, based on the Regular Season at least, and if they keep betting on their 3pt shooting and make them, they could potentially make a comeback.

Imo it has to be some crazy situation, where either injured players come back after 3 games, or a team playing a certain way finds their rythm (after not having it, probably shooting a lot of 3s).

What could be theoretically be other situations where a team could come back from beimg down 0-3?

[zimpy27]

Step 1: lose first 3 games
Step 2: win next 4 games



It's just a pattern that is incredibly unlikely.

[Wolfgang630]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

[hugepatsfan]

I think it takes the team being down 3-0 being the better or more talented team on paper and the first 3 games not going the other way as a result of schematic weakness or matchup that negates their overall advantage but just "circumstance". The team laying an egg, bad calls, shooting variance, superhero performance from players on the team up 3-0 that are somewhat uncharacteristic.

[madmaxmedia]

As huge as a task it is, I'm still pretty surprised it has never been done before. I would have thought at least once the better team might have missed their best player for a couple games, and then get him back to win the next 4. Or just random variance or whatever.

[kbitboc]

A couple teams have tied the series after going down 0-3. I think a team will eventually do it.

[CobraCommander]

Step 1: lose first 3 games
Step 2: win next 4 games



It's just a pattern that is incredibly unlikely.

Boston bout to test this

[NZB2323]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

Or a player has to return from injury to the team that is down 0-3.

[CobraCommander]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

I’m hoping for no injury....but Boston could do it...because the Knicks only got one or 2 real dogs...the rest of the guys are great players but soft...hart and Brunson are warriors - I don’t trust anyone else on Knicks if things get hard

[sp6r=underrated]

The closest to a comeback was 2003 WCR1. Portland was up with 5 minutes to go in G7.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2003-nba-western-conference-first-round-trail-blazers-vs-mavericks.html

Second closest was 2023 Heat-Celtics. I thought Boston was going to win G7 but Miami slaughtered em.

It will happen.

[Capn'O]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

I’m hoping for no injury....but Boston could do it...because the Knicks only got one or 2 real dogs...the rest of the guys are great players but soft...hart and Brunson are warriors - I don’t trust anyone else on Knicks if things get hard

What???

At the very least, you'd need to acknowledge OG, Mitch, and McBride. OG and Mitch have an injury history but they are definitely not soft.

[Cresy06]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

That scenario could actually happen easily, true. But still, you have the rest of the team thats hungry, probably still talented…makes me think…

Is it more likely to happen in the first round, or in the conference finals let’s say?

[CobraCommander]

I think the best player on the team up 3-0 definitely has to get hurt.

I’m hoping for no injury....but Boston could do it...because the Knicks only got one or 2 real dogs...the rest of the guys are great players but soft...hart and Brunson are warriors - I don’t trust anyone else on Knicks if things get hard

What???

At the very least, you'd need to acknowledge OG, Mitch, and McBride. OG and Mitch have an injury history but they are definitely not soft.

[zimpy27]

Cavs over GSW in 2016 was the closest we've ever had.

LLWLWWW

If you flipped the win and loss in game 3 and 4, then it would have happened.

I think 2016 Cavs is the only team to come back from 3-1 down where they had to win 2 games as the road team. Winning 2 road games is the hardest part of coming back from 3-0 down.

[Special_Puppy]

Vastly Inferior team benefits from Significant injury and significant shooting luck to go up 3-0.

[Capn'O]

I’m hoping for no injury....but Boston could do it...because the Knicks only got one or 2 real dogs...the rest of the guys are great players but soft...hart and Brunson are warriors - I don’t trust anyone else on Knicks if things get hard

What???

At the very least, you'd need to acknowledge OG, Mitch, and McBride. OG and Mitch have an injury history but they are definitely not soft.

So, let me get this straight, the guy that was +19 in a 1 point game against the defending champs and the guy that has a thread dedicated to him for his defensive tenacity in the playoffs... are soft... because gifs. Ohhhh Kayyyyyy.

[tamaraw08]

Hit your shots and play great defense.

[Wolfgang630]

Hit your shots and play great defense.

Thanks Coach you figured it out.

[Dr Aki]

Step 1: lose first 3 games
Step 2: win next 4 games.

Thanks Magic

[Jasen777]

The closest to a comeback was 2003 WCR1. Portland was up with 5 minutes to go in G7.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2003-nba-western-conference-first-round-trail-blazers-vs-mavericks.html

Both teams played hard.