A history of teams down 3-1 in the NBA Finals
Miami Heat fans, we're afraid we've got some bad news.
No team has ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win an NBA Finals. 31 teams have tried, and not a single one has been successful.
It gets more dire than that, actually. The 31 teams who have trailed 3-1 have won a total of just 17 games the rest of the way. 13 teams have forced a Game 6, and just two - Rochester in 1951 and Boston in 1966 - have even managed to force a Game 7.
It gets worse, though, because the Heat are on the road for Game 5. Teams who have enjoyed home-court to climb out of a 3-1 deficit have actually gone 9-7 in Game 5s, but teams trying to extend a series on the road are just 6-9.
Sure, the Heat are an excellent team, but so are most teams that make the NBA Finals. Even if they force a Game 7, fans would be wise to show some decorum; they may be special, but history suggests they're not special enough to come back from this.
Here is a history of all 31 teams who have faced a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals:
| Year | Up 3-1 | Down 3-1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Philadelphia | Chicago | Philadelphia in 5 |
| 1948 | Baltimore | Philadelphia | Baltimore in 6 |
| 1949 | Minneapolis | Washington | Minneapolis in 6 |
| 1950 | Minneapolis | Syracuse | Minneapolis in 6 |
| 1951 | Rochester | New York | Rochester in 7 |
| 1953 | Minneapolis | New York | Minneapolis in 5 |
| 1956 | Philadelphia | Fort Wayne | Philadelphia in 5 |
| 1961 | Boston | St. Louis | Boston in 5 |
| 1963 | Boston | Los Angeles | Boston in 6 |
| 1964 | Boston | San Francisco | Boston in 5 |
| 1965 | Boston | Los Angeles | Boston in 5 |
| 1966 | Boston | Los Angeles | Boston in 7 |
| 1967 | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Philadelphia in 6 |
| 1972 | Los Angeles | New York | Los Angeles in 5 |
| 1973 | New York | Los Angeles | New York in 5 |
| 1979 | Seattle | Washington | Seattle in 5 |
| 1982 | Los Angeles | Philadelphia | Los Angeles in 6 |
| 1986 | Boston | Houston | Boston in 6 |
| 1987 | Los Angeles | Boston | Los Angeles in 6 |
| 1990 | Detroit | Portland | Detroit in 5 |
| 1991 | Chicago | Los Angeles | Chicago in 5 |
| 1993 | Chicago | Phoenix | Chicago in 6 |
| 1996 | Chicago | Seattle | Chicago in 6 |
| 1998 | Chicago | Utah | Chicago in 6 |
| 1999 | San Antonio | New York | San Antonio in 5 |
| 2000 | Los Angeles | Indiana | Los Angeles in 6 |
| 2001 | Los Angeles | Philadelphia | Los Angeles in 5 |
| 2004 | Detroit | Los Angeles | Detroit in 5 |
| 2008 | Boston | Los Angeles | Boston in 6 |
| 2009 | Los Angeles | Orlando | Los Angeles in 5 |
| 2012 | Miami | Oklahoma City | Miami in 5 |