Every year, it’s one of the most commonly searched questions of the NBA playoffs: How often does a team defy their own NBA odds and come back from an 0-2 playoff series deficit?
I was frustrated by the lack of comprehensive answers available, so I combed through 25 years of playoff box scores to make a complete and accurate modern list.Â
The results – which I’ve assembled in the chart just below – are quite interesting.Â
Many of us have committed to memory a handful of prominent examples of teams that went down 0-2, only to come back and win the series. However, what seems to happen quite a bit more often is that Team B falls behind 0-2, then evens the series with Team A at 2-2 – only to quickly lose the series in six games.Â
Since the 2000 NBA postseason, a playoff team has blown a 2-0 series lead a total of 60 times. But in about two-thirds of those cases, the team that blew the lead still went on to win the series and advance to the next round.
This list includes every instance of a series in which one team trailed 0-2 but eventually erased the deficit— regardless of whether or not they ultimately won the series.Â
To make this list as easy as possible to read and extract data from, I have placed an asterisk next to all the 0-2 trailing teams who successfully came back and won their series.Â
NBA Teams That Erased 0-2 Playoff Deficits In a 7-Game Series
| Year (Round) | NBA Team Down 0-2 | Opponent | Eventual Winner (Series Score) |
| 2024 (First Round) | Magic | Cavaliers | Cavaliers (4-3) |
| 2023 (First Round) | Warriors* | Kings | Warriors (4-3) |
| 2023 (Second Round) | Suns | Nuggets | Nuggets (4-2) |
| 2023 (ECF) | Celtics | Heat | Heat (4-3) |
| 2022 (Second Round) | 76ers | Heat | Heat (4-2) |
| 2022 (Second Round) | Mavericks* | Suns | Mavericks (4-3) |
| 2021 (First Round) | Clippers* | Mavericks | Clippers (4-3) |
| 2021 (Second Round) | Bucks* | Nets | Bucks (4-3) |
| 2021 (Second Round) | Clippers* | Jazz | Clippers (4-2) |
| 2021 (NBA Finals) | Bucks* | Suns | Bucks (4-2) |
| 2020 (First Round) | Thunder | Rockets | Rockets (4-3) |
| 2020 (Second Round) | Raptors | Celtics | Celtics (4-3) |
| 2019 (Second Round) | Rockets | Warriors | Warriors (4-2) |
| 2019 (ECF) | Raptors* | Bucks | Raptors (4-2) |
| 2018 (First Round) | Wizards | Raptors | Raptors (4-2) |
| 2018 (First Round) | Bucks | Celtics | Celtics (4-3) |
| 2018 (ECF) | Cavaliers* | Celtics | Cavaliers (4-3) |
| 2017 (First Round) | Celtics* | Bulls | Celtics (4-2) |
| 2017 (First Round) | Hawks | Wizards | Wizards (4-2) |
| 2017 (First Round) | Grizzlies | Spurs | Spurs (4-2) |
| 2017 (Second Round) | Wizards | Celtics | Celtics (4-3) |
| 2016 (First Round) | Hornets | Heat | Heat (4-3) |
| 2016 (First Round) | Celtics | Hawks | Hawks (4-2) |
| 2016 (First Round) | Trail Blazers* | Clippers | Trail Blazers (4-2) |
| 2016 (ECF) | Raptors | Cavaliers | Cavaliers (4-2) |
| 2016 (NBA Finals) | Cavaliers* | Warriors | Cavaliers (4-3) |
| 2015 (First Round) | Nets | Hawks | Hawks (4-2) |
| 2014 (WCF) | Thunder | Spurs | Spurs (4-2) |
| 2013 (First Round) | Hawks | Pacers | Pacers (4-2) |
| 2013 (First Round) | Grizzlies* | Clippers | Grizzlies (4-2) |
| 2012 (First Round) | Nuggets | Lakers | Lakers (4-3) |
| 2012 (ECF) | Celtics | Heat | Heat (4-3) |
| 2012 (WCF) | Thunder* | Spurs | Thunder (4-2) |
| 2011 (First Round) | Trail Blazers | Mavericks | Mavericks (4-2) |
| 2010 (First Round) | Bucks | Hawks | Hawks (4-3) |
| 2010 (First Round) | Thunder | Lakers | Lakers (4-2) |
| 2010 (WCF) | Suns | Lakers | Lakers (4-2) |
| 2008 (First Round) | Hawks | Celtics | Celtics (4-3) |
| 2008 (Second Round) | Cavaliers | Celtics | Celtics (4-3) |
| 2008 (Second Round) | Jazz | Lakers | Lakers (4-2) |
| 2008 (Second Round) | Spurs* | Pelicans | Spurs (4-3) |
| 2007 (First Round) | Jazz* | Rockets | Jazz (4-3) |
| 2007 (ECF) | Cavaliers* | Pistons | Cavaliers (4-2) |
| 2006 (First Round) | Bulls | Heat | Heat (4-2) |
| 2006 (First Round) | Kings | Spurs | Spurs (4-2) |
| 2006 (Second Round) | Cavaliers | Pistons | Pistons (4-3) |
| 2006 (NBA Finals) | Heat* | Mavericks | Heat (4-2) |
| 2005 (First Round) | Wizards* | Bulls | Wizards (4-2) |
| 2005 (First Round) | Mavericks* | Rockets | Mavericks (4-3) |
| 2005 (Second Round) | SuperSonics | Spurs | Spurs (4-2) |
| 2005 (NBA Finals) | Pistons | Spurs | Spurs (4-3) |
| 2004 (First Round) | Hornets | Heat | Heat (4-3) |
| 2004 (Second Round) | Heat | Pacers | Pacers (4-2) |
| 2004 (Second Round) | Nets | Pistons | Pistons (4-3) |
| 2004 (Second Round) | Lakers* | Spurs | Lakers (4-2) |
| 2003 (First Round) | Trail Blazers | Mavericks | Mavericks (4-3) |
| 2003 (Second Round) | 76ers | Pistons | Pistons (4-2) |
| 2003 (Second Round) | Lakers | Spurs | Spurs (4-2) |
| 2001 (Second Round) | Hornets | Bucks | Bucks (4-3) |
| 2000 (ECF) | Knicks | Pacers | Pacers (4-2) |
NBA Teams That Erased 0-3 Deficit
No NBA team has ever won a series after going down 0-3.Â
However, three teams in the post-merger era have erased a 0-3 deficit and forced a Game 7. They are:
- 2023 Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference finals)
- 2003 Portland Trail Blazers (Western Conference first round)
- 1994 Denver Nuggets (Western Conference semifinals)
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