Teams who have rallied to win series after falling behind 3-1

553x0-349d631fe611ea6b70f1f53034103ee5

Here’s good news for Golden State: It’s not over.

Close, but not over.

There are nine teams in NBA history who have successfully overcome 3-1 deficits to win a series, which is the task the defending champion Warriors now face in their Western Conference finals matchup with Oklahoma City.

Otherwise, the greatest season in NBA regular-season history – 73-9 – will end without even a trip to the Finals.

Here are the nine who overcame the odds:

Boston vs. Philadelphia, 1968

Eastern Conference finals

Game 5: Celtics 122, at 76ers 104

Game 6: at Celtics 114, 76ers 106

Game 7: Celtics 100, at 76ers 96

The Celtics did it the super-hard way, winning two of the final three games on the road. Boston trailed 57-56 at the half of Game 5 but went on a 38-23 fourth-quarter run to extend the series, then survived 40 points from Hal Greer to win Game 6 and got double-digit scoring from six players to take Game 7. That sent Boston to the NBA Finals, where it topped the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.

L.A. Lakers vs. Phoenix, 1970

Western Conference semifinals

Game 5: at Lakers 138, Suns 121

Game 6: Lakers 104, at Suns 93

Game 7: at Lakers 129, Suns 94

Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West each scored 36 points in Game 5 as the Lakers pulled away late. Game 6 was tied going into the fourth quarter and the Lakers found separation again, and then Game 7 was a rout. The Lakers swept the next round against Atlanta to extend their winning streak to seven, but fell in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks 4-3.

Washington vs. San Antonio, 1979

Eastern Conference finals

Game 5: at Bullets 107, Spurs 103

Game 6: Bullets 108, at Spurs 100

Game 7: at Bullets 107, Spurs 105

George Gervin led a huge Spurs comeback try in Game 5 that fell just short, and the Bullets broke a tie with a 21-10 run late in Game 6. And in Game 7, Bobby Dandridge scored 37 points – the last of those a …

continue reading in source www.nba.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *