Two 3-1 Comebacks in the SAME Playoff Round Just Happened for the First Time in NBA History
This is one of those numbers that makes your jaw drop when you see it. In all 79 years of NBA playoff history, never before has a single round seen TWO different teams come back from 3-1 down. Until now.
The 76ers did it first, beating the Celtics in 7. Boston had a 3-1 lead, lost Games 5, 6, and 7. Then the Pistons followed it up by coming back from 3-1 down on the Magic, also in 7. Same round. Same year. Boom. NBA history.
Both comebacks featured Game 7s at home for the team that came back. Both featured guys nobody really expected to be the difference. And both finished within 24 hours of each other this past weekend. If you’re a basketball fan who likes weird random history, this is your dream weekend.
The 76ers comeback
Philly was supposed to be done. Joel Embiid was out for the start of the series recovering from an appendectomy. The Celtics smashed them by 32 in Game 1 and looked like they were going to roll. Then Embiid came back, VJ Edgecombe started showing up like he’s been in the league 10 years, and Tyrese Maxey started cooking.
Game 5 in Boston, Philly punched them in the mouth. Game 6 in Philly, did it again. Game 7 back in Boston, Maxey hit big shots in the fourth and the 76ers walked out of TD Garden with a 109-100 win. The Celtics season is over. The defending Eastern Conference champs are gone.
Quick history note: this was the first time the 76ers have beaten the Celtics in a playoff series in 44 years. The two teams have played 23 playoff series against each other, more than any matchup in NBA history. Philly’s last series win against Boston was 1982. Embiid was 0-for-his-career in playoff matchups against Boston before this. So yeah, that one mattered.
The Pistons comeback
Different vibe, same result. Detroit lost three of the first four to an 8-seed that nobody picked to win a single game in this series. The home crowd was nervous. The Bickerstaff hot-seat conversations were starting. Then they just played better basketball.
Won Game 5 by 7 in a thriller (Cade 45, Banchero 45). Won Game 6 by 14 on the road in Orlando. Won Game 7 by 22 at home Sunday. The further it went, the more it looked like the Magic just couldn’t keep up with Detroit’s depth and Tobias Harris hitting tough shots.
Cade had 32 and 12 in Game 7. Tobias had 30. Jalen Duren dunked everything in sight. The Detroit bench was up and waving the entire fourth quarter.
Why this is so wild
The 3-1 lead has historically been considered an almost-guaranteed win. Until 2016 with Cleveland over Golden State, NO team had ever come back from 3-1 in the Finals. In the regular playoff rounds, it’s happened plenty of times but never two in the same round.
A few stats to chew on:
- The 76ers were the 14th team in NBA history to come back from 3-1 down. The Pistons made it 15.
- Before this series, the 76ers were 0-18 all time when trailing 3-1. Boston was 32-0 when leading 3-1. Both streaks broken in one night.
- The Pistons had only one prior 3-1 comeback in franchise history. It was also against the Magic, in 2003.
- Now we have two 3-1 comebacks in the same round, same year, same conference — first time in NBA history per NBA.com
Boston and Detroit, both top-2 seeds in the East, both blew it. You couldn’t write this if you tried.
What it means for round 2
Pistons-Cavs and Knicks-76ers in the East. Both East semifinals features at least one team that just survived a Game 7. Could be sloppy basketball. Could be amazing playoff theater. Probably some of both.
Out West, Thunder vs Lakers and Spurs vs Wolves. The Thunder are rested after a sweep. The Spurs are rested after a 5-game series. The Wolves and Lakers both had to work for it. Rest matters in the playoffs. We’ll see how much.
