List of teams to overcome 3–0 series deficits
The following is the list of teams to overcome 3–0 series deficits. The listed teams won four consecutive games after being down three games to none in a best-of-seven playoff series.
Background
Three major North American professional sports leagues have playoff series that can reach a seventh game: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL).
In the history of these leagues, teams that were down 3–0 in a series have come back to win the series five times; four times in the NHL and once in MLB.[1] The most recent example is the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The only instance in a championship finals series was by the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals.[2]
Conversely, teams have had their 3–0 comeback fall short after evening a series nine times: five in the NHL, three in the NBA, and one in MLB. The most recent example is the Houston Astros of MLB in the 2020 American League Championship Series.[3]
No team has overcome multiple 3–0 deficits in a single postseason, although the 1974–75 New York Islanders of the NHL nearly did so; they successfully overcame a 3–0 series deficit in the 1975 quarterfinals, then rallied from a 3–0 series deficit in the semifinals before losing the seventh game.[2]
While seven-game series were traditionally used only for the final series of a postseason, MLB adopted a best-of-seven format for its semi-finals (the League Championship Series) in 1985,[4] the NHL followed suit for its first round in 1987,[5] and the NBA did the same for its first round in 2003.[6]
Outside of the noted major North American leagues, various other leagues across multiples sports also use seven-game postseason series. There are several known instances of teams in such leagues overcoming 3–0 series deficits.
List of teams
Key
| Home^ | Indicates team down 3–0 was home team in game 7 |
| ~ | Indicates game 7 in the championship round |
| * | Indicates the series winner went on to win the championship |
Successful comebacks
Four NHL teams have overcome 3–0 deficits, only one of which occurred in the Stanley Cup Finals.[2] Three comebacks were completed with game 7 on road ice, while one was completed on home ice.
| Year and series | Team down 0–3, won 4–3 | Team up 3–0, lost 3–4 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Stanley Cup Finals~ | Toronto Maple Leafs^* | Detroit Red Wings | Only time in the Stanley Cup Finals. Only time the comeback was completed at home. |
| 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals | New York Islanders | Pittsburgh Penguins | Won 8 games while facing elimination this playoff year. |
| 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | Overcame 3–0 deficit in the 7th game. Were the first NHL team since the Islanders did twice in 1975 to even force a seventh game. |
| 2014 Western Conference First Round | Los Angeles Kings* | San Jose Sharks | Los Angeles won three game sevens in this playoff year. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
Five other NHL teams have evened a series after being down 3–0, only to lose game 7.[7][8] Four of these teams were the visiting team in game 7, while the Detroit Red Wings were the only home team in game 7.
| Year and series | Team down 0–3, lost 3–4 | Team up 3–0, won 4–3 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Stanley Cup Semifinals | New York Rangers | Boston Bruins* | Bruins won game 7 in triple overtime. |
| 1945 Stanley Cup Finals~ | Detroit Red Wings^ | Toronto Maple Leafs* | Red Wings nearly got revenge on Maple Leafs for blown 3–0 lead three years previously. |
| 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals | New York Islanders | Philadelphia Flyers* | Islanders came back from 3–0 deficit to win in the previous round. |
| 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals | Chicago Blackhawks | Vancouver Canucks | Canucks won game 7 in overtime after Blackhawks tied it 1–1 with a shorthanded goal with 1:56 left. |
| 2011 Western Conference Semifinals | Detroit Red Wings | San Jose Sharks | Second time this year a team forced a game 7 after down 3–0. |
Successful comeback
One MLB team has overcome a 3–0 deficit to win the series.[9]
| Year and series | Team down 0–3, won 4–3 | Team up 3–0, lost 3–4 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 ALCS | Boston Red Sox* | New York Yankees | Went on to win the World Series for the first time since 1918. |
Unsuccessful comeback
One MLB team has evened a series after being down 0–3, but lost game 7.[3]
| Year and series | Team down 0–3, lost 3–4 | Team up 3–0, won 4–3 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 ALCS | Houston Astros | Tampa Bay Rays | Series was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no off-days. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
Three NBA teams have evened a series after being down 0–3, only to lose in game 7.[10] All three teams were the visiting team in game 7.
| Year and series | Team down 0–3, lost 3–4 | Team up 3–0, won 4–3 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 NBA Finals~ | New York Knicks | Rochester Royals* | |
| 1994 Western Conference Semifinals | Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | Nuggets also overcame a 2–0 deficit to win a best-of-five series in the previous round. |
| 2003 Western Conference First Round | Portland Trail Blazers | Dallas Mavericks |
Other leagues
Outside of MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, there are three known instances of successful comebacks from 3–0 series deficits.
Successful comebacks
| Series | Team down 0–3, won 4–3 | Team up 3–0, lost 3–4 | Sports league |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Liiga Quarter-finals | KalPa | Espoo Blues | Finnish Elite League (ice hockey) |
| 2015 Gagarin Cup Western Conference Finals | SKA St. Petersburg | CSKA Moscow | Kontinental Hockey League |
| 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup Finals | San Miguel Beermen | Alaska Aces | Philippine Basketball Association |
References
- Brisbee, Grant (October 21, 2015). "A brief history of teams down 0-3 in a best-of-seven series". SB Nation. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- Madden, Mark (April 16, 2019). "A look at the 0-3 series comebacks in NHL history". NHL.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- Barron, David (October 17, 2020). "Astros can't complete comeback in Game 7". houstonchronicle.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- Consolazio, Dave (October 8, 2019). "MLB 2 Reasons Baseballs Best-of-5 Playoff Series Format is Terrible". Sportscasting. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- "All-Time Playoff Formats". Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- Kraetsch, Rich. "Throwback Thursday: The history of NBA playoff reformatting". Fansided. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- "History shows Game 7 tough on clubs who rally". Sportsnet. May 13, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- "Sharks close it out". PressReader. May 13, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- Schoenfield, David (October 17, 2020). "2020 MLB playoffs: Could the 2020 Astros join the 2004 Red Sox on Saturday? The anatomy of a 3-0 comeback". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- Mahoney, Andrew (May 9, 2018). "How many NBA teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0?". Boston.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.