List of teams to overcome 3–1 series deficits
The following is the list of teams to overcome 3–1 series deficits. The listed teams won three consecutive games after being down three games to one in a best-of-seven playoff series.
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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 3–1 in a series have come back to win the series 56 times; 14 times in MLB, 13 times in the NBA, and 29 times in the NHL. The most recent instance was accomplished by the Los Angeles Dodgers of the MLB in the 2020 National League Championship Series.[1] There have been three instances of a team coming back from a 3–1 deficit in the same postseason; occurring once in the MLB, NBA, and NHL. The most recent instance was by the Denver Nuggets in 2020.
Key
| ~ | Indicates series in the championship round |
| Eventual champion* | Indicates the winner went on to win the championship |
Major League Baseball
Successful comebacks
MLB teams have overcome 3–1 deficits 14 times (including one 3–0 deficit), six of which occurred in the World Series.[2] This does not count the 1903 World Series, during which the Boston Americans (or Puritans, or Pilgrims, depending on your source, and later known as the Red Sox) came back from a 3–1 deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, five games to three, as that was a best-of-nine series.[3]
| Year and series | Won after trailing 1–3 | Lost after leading 3–1 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 World Series~ | Pittsburgh Pirates* | Washington Senators | First major North American pro sports team to overcome 3–1 deficit |
| 1958 World Series~ | New York Yankees* | Milwaukee Braves | Yankees win games six and seven in Milwaukee. |
| 1968 World Series~ | Detroit Tigers* | St. Louis Cardinals | Tigers won games six and seven in St. Louis. Outscored Cardinals 17–2 during those games. |
| 1979 World Series~ | Pittsburgh Pirates* | Baltimore Orioles | Pirates won games six and seven in Baltimore. |
| 1985 ALCS | Kansas City Royals* | Toronto Blue Jays | The Royals became the first MLB team to overcome two 3–1 deficits in the same postseason year. First year the LCS became a seven-game series. |
| 1985 World Series~ | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| 1986 ALCS | Boston Red Sox | California Angels | Were one strike away from elimination in Game 5. As for the Angels, they were one strike away from clinching the pennant. |
| 1996 NLCS | Atlanta Braves | St. Louis Cardinals | Braves outscored the Cardinals 32–1 over last three games. |
| 2003 NLCS | Florida Marlins* | Chicago Cubs | The Steve Bartman incident in Game 6; went on to win the World Series |
| 2004 ALCS | Boston Red Sox* | New York Yankees | Also overcame 3–0 deficit; went on to win the World Series for first time since 1918 |
| 2007 ALCS | Cleveland Indians | Went on to win the World Series | |
| 2012 NLCS | San Francisco Giants* | St. Louis Cardinals | Also overcame 2–0 deficit in the NLDS; went on to win the World Series. St. Louis' fourth blown 3–1 lead in franchise history. |
| 2016 World Series~ | Chicago Cubs* | Cleveland Indians | First World Series championship since 1908. Cubs won games six and seven in Cleveland. |
| 2020 NLCS | Los Angeles Dodgers* | Atlanta Braves | Also trailed 2–0 in the series before rallying to win; went on to win the World Series for the first time since 1988. Series was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no off-days. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
Six other MLB teams have evened the series after being down 3–1 (including one down 3–0), only to lose Game 7.
| Year and series | Lost after trailing 1–3 | Won after leading 3–1 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 World Series~ | New York Giants | Boston Red Sox* | This was Game 8 was played in Boston following a tie in Game 2 due to darkness. The Giants were leading 2–1 heading to the bottom of tenth inning before Boston rallied to win 3–2, which began with Giants' Fred Snodgrass committing an error in center field on an easy fly ball. |
| 1967 World Series~ | Boston Red Sox | St. Louis Cardinals* | Cardinals won game seven in Boston in Bob Gibson's third complete game victory of the Series. Of the five times the Cardinals have been forced into a Game 7 after leading a best-of-seven series 3–1, this is the only time have been victorious in Game 7. |
| 1972 World Series~ | Cincinnati Reds | Oakland Athletics* | Athletics won game seven in Cincinnati, becoming the first team ever to win two winner-take-all games in the same year in MLB postseason history. |
| 1992 NLCS | Pittsburgh Pirates | Atlanta Braves | Game seven took place in Atlanta. The Pirates entered the bottom of the ninth leading 2–0, and were still ahead 2–1 and one out away from advancing to the World Series, but lost in the ninth inning courtesy of Francisco Cabrera's two-run single with the bases loaded as the Braves defeated the Pirates in the NLCS in seven games for the second straight year. |
| 2008 ALCS | Boston Red Sox | Tampa Bay Rays | Rays won the first League Championship Series after blowing 3–1 lead since the 1992 Braves, and dethroned the defending champions. |
| 2020 ALCS | Houston Astros | Rays also won the League Championship Series after blowing 3–0 lead. Series was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no off-days. |
National Basketball Association
NBA teams have overcome 3–1 deficits 13 times, only one of which occurred in the NBA Finals.[4] The NBA is the only major North American sport with a seven-game playoffs series where no team has overcome a 3–0 deficit.
| Year and series | Won after trailing 1–3 | Lost after leading 3–1 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Eastern Division Finals | Boston Celtics* | Philadelphia 76ers | The Celtics won two games on the road during the comeback, and also won the NBA Finals. |
| 1970 Western Division Semifinals | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | |
| 1979 Eastern Conference Finals | Washington Bullets | San Antonio Spurs | |
| 1981 Eastern Conference Finals | Boston Celtics* | Philadelphia 76ers | Won the NBA Finals |
| 1995 Western Conference Semifinals | Houston Rockets* | Phoenix Suns | Won the NBA Finals; second time a team won 2 away games from the 1–3 deficit. |
| 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals | Miami Heat | New York Knicks | A players' fight in Game 5 resulted in the suspension of several key Knicks players, including Ewing, Houston, and Ward for Game 6, and Starks and Larry Johnson for Game 7 in Miami |
| 2003 Eastern Conference First Round | Detroit Pistons | Orlando Magic | First year the first round expanded to a best-of-seven series. |
| 2006 Western Conference First Round | Phoenix Suns | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 2015 Western Conference Semifinals | Houston Rockets | Los Angeles Clippers | Doc Rivers became first coach to blow multiple 3-1 leads after also coaching the Magic in 2003. |
| 2016 Western Conference Finals | Golden State Warriors | Oklahoma City Thunder | Leandro Barbosa became the first player to be part of multiple 3-1 comebacks after also playing for the Suns in 2006. |
| 2016 NBA Finals | Cleveland Cavaliers* | Golden State Warriors | The first time a 3–1 deficit has been overcome in the NBA Finals; Golden State also had the NBA's best-ever regular season record of 73–9 and were considered heavy favorites to win the title; third time a team won 2 away games from the 1–3 deficit; the Warriors became first NBA team to overcome a 3–1 deficit and then surrender a 3–1 lead in the same playoff year |
| 2020 Western Conference First Round | Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | First NBA team to come back from 1–3 deficit back-to-back in a playoff run; fourth team to win two games as the designated road team during the comeback. Second blown 3–1 series lead in Clippers' franchise history and second such blown lead in five years; only the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns have blown two 3–1 series leads (albeit in a much longer time period). Third such blown lead for head coach Doc Rivers. |
| 2020 Western Conference Semifinals | Los Angeles Clippers |
National Hockey League
NHL teams have overcome 3–1 deficits 29 times, the most recent instance being accomplished by the San Jose Sharks during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.[5] Only one instance has occurred during the Stanley Cup Finals, accomplished in 1942 by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who initially trailed three games to zero.[6]
References
- Grott, Connor (October 18, 2020). "NLCS: Dodgers beat Braves in Game 7, advance to World Series". UPI.com. UPI. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- Simon, Andrew (October 29, 2016). "From down 3-1, Cubs working on more history". MLB.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- "1903 World Series". MLB.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- "NBA Playoff 3-1 Comebacks". Sports Illustrated. May 18, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- "NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Comebacks". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- Prewitt, Alex (June 9, 2016). "Flying fish, fists and fines: Toronto's epic 0-3 Stanley Cup comeback". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 19, 2020.