For the Dallas Mavericks, Game 3 of the NBA Finals is pretty much Game 7.
After losing the first two games of the series against the Boston Celtics, the Mavs return to Dallas with a score of 2-0. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, losing all 156 times, including nine of those Finals sweeps.
Only five teams have come back to win the championship after losing the first two games of the finals.
A member of the Mavericks was on one of those teams: Kyrie Irving.
Irving teamed with LeBron James to lead the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship after the team lost the first two games of the Finals to the Golden State Warriors. Irving made the go-ahead goal three times in the final minute to help the Cavs stun the 73-win Warriors.
“Having been in the final before, being down 0-2, I have a bit of experience in that area,” Irving told reporters. “I also didn’t play particularly well in the first two games of that series I’m referring to.
“So now I’m really relying on what I’ve been through and what I’ve learned and some of the lessons that I’ve been able to figure out to know how to get back on this show, because it’s a business possession by possession, and it will be the hardest thing we have ever done.
The Mavs will look to win on their home court against a Celtics team that has yet to lose a road game in the playoffs, with a 6-0 record. Boston is 43-1 in a series in which it took a 2-0 lead, with the only loss coming in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals during Jayson Tatum’s rookie season.
So yes, history suggests that Game 3 is a must-win situation for the Mavericks.
Here’s a look at the teams that came back from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship.
How many teams have come back from 2-0 in the NBA Finals?
Of the 36 teams that went down 2-0 in the NBA Finals, only five came back to win the series and capture a championship.
Which teams came back from 2-0 in the NBA Finals?
Here are the five teams that overcame a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship:
- Milwaukee Bucks 2021 (defeated Phoenix Suns in six games)
- 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers (defeated Golden State Warriors in seven games)
- 2006 Miami Heat (defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games)
- 1977 Portland Trail Blazers (defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games)
- 1969 Boston Celtics (defeated Los Angeles Lakers in seven games)
How many NBA teams have come back from 3-0 in the playoffs?
An NBA team has never come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series in the playoffs. Teams that have blown a 3-0 lead in an NBA playoff series have gone 156-0, including nine NBA Finals sweeps.
Only one team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the championship: the 2016 Cavaliers, who won three straight games to stun the Warriors.
How many sweeps have there been in the NBA Finals?
There have been nine 4-0 victories in NBA Finals history, with the most recent coming in 2018.
The Celtics took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals over the Mavericks with a 105-98 victory. Here’s a look at the best sneakers, pregame outfits and moments from Game 2 on Sunday.
