13 Teams To Overcome A 2-1 Deficit In The NBA Finals

There has been a total of 63 NBA Finals series that have started out 2-1. Of those 63 teams to fall behind early, just 13 have been able to successfully dig themselves out of the hole, which comes out to a success rate just below 21%.

Essentially, four in every five teams that’s faced the 2-1 deficit has wound up being eliminated from championship contention. That’s the position the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves in following a 116-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals. They’ll look to become the 14th team to join this group.

Can the Thunder add to that total? History suggests it’s a slim possibility.

Below is a list of the previous squads to hoist a championship trophy despite being put in the undesired circumstance. Six of those teams have achieved the feat across the last 15 years.

Let’s dive in!

1957 Boston Celtics

The 1957 Boston Celtics fell behind early in an NBA Finals series against the St. Louis Hawks. They’d overcome the disadvantage to win the seven-game set, 4-3.

Hall of Fame players Bill Russell and Bob Cousey led the way for the C’s though Boston needed two overtime sessions to complete the comeback in Game 7. The series was highly contested with just two matchups being decided by more than five points.

1962 Boston Celtics

Some of those same stars were still with the organization in 1962 when the Celtics again pulled off the 1-2 comeback. This time, they did so against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bill Russell and Bob Cousey were able to hold off Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to win three of the last four games in the series. Overtime was needed in a decisive Game 7, which Boston won 110-107.

1969 Boston Celtics

That same NBA Finals matchup was seen in 1969 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. Again, the Celtics emerged victorious after falling behind early on in the seven-game set.

Boston actually lost the first two games of the series before ripping off four wins in five tries. While the Lakers were heavily favored, boasting the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West, they were unable to capitalize on their early lead. Player-Coach Bill Russell led the way for Boston.

1977 Portland Trailblazers

A new franchise joined the list in 1977 thanks to NBA Finals MVP Bill Walton. The Portland Trailblazers bested the Philadelphia 76ers after going down early on in the series.

This represented the first time in the scenario in which a Game 7 was not needed. The 76ers won the first two games of the set before watching the Trailblazers rip off four straight victories. Walton averaged 18.5 points and 19 rebounds per night.

1978 Washington Bullets

The Washington Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games after starting off at a 2-1 disadvantage in 1978. Led by MVP Wes Unseld and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, Washington snagged three wins in the last four matchups.

Seattle’s three wins came by a combined nine points as they were outscored by 42 points in the series. The Bullets were the last road team to win Game 7 in the NBA Finals for nearly four decades before another team on this list ended the drought.

1984 Boston Celtics

The 1984 Celtics were the fourth Boston team to dig itself out of a 2-1 NBA Finals deficit, and the third to do so against the Los Angeles Lakers. This was one of the noted championship battles between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Bird won MVP honors in ’84 after leading the team in minutes played, shooting (48.4%), scoring (27.4 ppg), rebounding (14.0 rpg), and steals (2.1 spg).

2006 Miami Heat

The Miami Heat became just the third team to overcome a 2-0 NBA Finals deficit, and the second to do so in six games. Like the 1977 Trailblazers, the Heat ripped off four straight wins after losing the first two matchups.

They did so as underdogs against a heavily favored Dallas Mavericks squad. Miami got three of their four wins by three points or less with a lineup that consisted of Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, and Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.

2011 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs got revenge in 2011 by giving the Heat a dose of their own medicine. After falling behind 2-1 early in the series, Dallas rolled to three straight wins to end the NBA Finals set in six games.

Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd led the way with Nowitzki winning the NBA Finals MVP award. He became just the second European to win the honor.

2013 Miami Heat

The 2013 Miami Heat fell behind 2-1 to a San Antonio Spurs bunch that boasted the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Miami’s “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were able to overcome a deficit and emerge victorious.

The Heat famously avoided elimination with an incredible Game 6 comeback that saw a Ray Allen three-pointer tie the contest in the final seconds of regulation. Miami would go onto win, 103-100, before taking Game 7.

2015 Golden State Warriors

The 2015 Golden State Warriors took down the Cleveland Cavaliers after digging an early hole. They’d do so in six games after falling behind two games to one.

The Warriors used an MVP performance from Andre Iguodala to win three straight matchups and close out the NBA Finals series. Golden State won with relative ease in that three-game stretch, outscoring the Cavs by an average of 14 points per night.

2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers got revenge the following year. In 2016, they crawled out of a 2-0 deficit to win the NBA Finals versus the Golden State Warriors in seven games. They became the first road team since the 1978 Washington Bullets to win Game 7.

LeBron James led the way, earning MVP honors after averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists per contest. He led the Cavs in scoring, boards, assists, steals, and blocks.

2021 Milwaukee Bucks

The 2021 Milwaukee Bucks ended a 50-year franchise NBA championship drought by besting the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Suns took an early 2-0 lead in the series. The Bucks then got hot.

Milwaukee won four straight games to win the NBA Finals, 4-2. Giannis Antetokounmpo landed MVP honors after averaging an insane 35.2 points and 13.2 boards per night.

2022 Golden State Warriors

The 2022 Golden State Warriors are the most recent team to dig themselves out of a 2-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. That group fell behind to the Boston Celtics before cruising to three double-digit wins.

In their four victories, Golden State outscored Boston by an average of 13 points. Steph Curry won the NBA Finals MVP award by scoring 31.2 points per game.