DALLAS — After losing game three, all odds are against the Mavericks.
Dallas is now down 3-0 to the Boston Celtics. While the Mavericks stay on their home court for Game 4, the Celtics still have home-court advantage for the series.
Moreover, history doesn't give the Mavs much of a chance for the Larry O'Brien trophy.
How many teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit?
When down 3-0, no team in NBA playoff history has ever come back to win the series.
In fact, only four teams have even forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, and only one did it in the Finals.
The first and only team to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals were the 1951 New York Knicks. On April 21, 1951, the Knicks lost Game 7 to the Rochester Royals, now the Sacramento Kings, by just four points.
Here is a list of the teams who forced a Game 7 after falling 3-0 in the NBA Playoffs:
- 1951 NBA Finals - New York Knicks fall to Rochester Royals
- 1994 Western Conference semifinals - Denver Nuggets lose to Utah Jazz
- 2003 Western Conference first-round - Portland Trailblazers lose to Dallas Mavericks
- 2023 Eastern Conference Finals - Boston Celtics fall to Miami Heat
How many times has there been a sweep in the NBA Finals?
The odds of a sweep are more likely. Of the 76 NBA Finals series, 10 have been sweeps.
The first sweep in NBA Finals history was delivered by the Boston Celtics in 1959. Bill Russell and Bob Cousy handed the then Minneapolis Lakers four straight losses.
The most recent Finals sweep came in 2018. The Golden State Warriors dynasty swept Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the teams' fourth-straight Finals matchup in as many years.
Here's a list of NBA Finals series sweeps:
- 1959: Boston Celtics sweep Minneapolis Lakers
- 1971: Milwaukee Bucks sweep Baltimore Bullets
- 1975: Golden State Warriors sweep Washington Bullets
- 1983: Philadelphia 76ers sweep Los Angeles Lakers
- 1989: Detroit Pistons sweep Los Angeles Lakers
- 1995: Houston Rockets sweep Orlando Magic
- 1999: San Antonio Spurs sweep New York Knicks
- 2002: Los Angeles Lakers sweep New Jersey Nets
- 2007: San Antonio Spurs sweep Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2018: Golden State Warriors sweep Cleveland Cavaliers
Hope for the Mavericks?
Though history is not on the side of the Mavericks, one Mavericks player has made Finals history before.
In 2016, Kyrie Irving, Lebron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were the first and only team to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors.
Now a Maverick, Irving has the chance to defy history again.