Last night the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 and avoided being swept by the rivals in the Eastern Conference Finals. But now it is time to think of the future. Can the Celtics overcome a 3-0 deficit? Of course they can, there is no rule against that. But the real question here is, has it ever happened in NBA history?
Unfortunately to the Celtics fans, the answer is no. Worse than that, only three teams in history forced a Game 7 after trailing 0-3. And none of them have advanced. But there is one different factor this time. All of those teams which you will see below played Game 7 on the road. If the Celtics manage to force a Game 7, they will play in Boston.
Check out the list of teams that forced a Game 7 after trailing 0-3.
New York Knicks – 1951 NBA Finals
The NBA Finals in 1951 had the New York Knicks facing the Rochester Royals (after a lot of city and franchise changes, they are today the Sacramento Kings). After winning the first three games, the Royals lost Games 4, 5 and 6, but managed to win Game 7, at home, winning the trophy that season.
Denver Nuggets – 1994 Western Conference Semifinals
After losing the first three games of the series versus the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets gave their fans a hint of hope. But it all fell apart in Game 7 when Utah won and advanced to that season’s Conference Finals. The Houston Rockets knocked the Jazz out of the playoffs and ended up beating the New York Knicks in the Finals.
Portland Trail Blazers – 2003 1st-Round
Closing this short list we had the Portland Trail Blazers being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in 2003. But what seemed to be an easy series became much more interesting after the Blazers managed to force Game 7 after trailing 0-3. However, the Mavericks won and advanced in Game 7.
The Mavericks would still knock out the Sacramento Kings in the Conference Semifinals before being eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals. The Spurs beat the Nets in the Finals.
Odds
After all of that being said, it is time to talk about the odds. Before yesterday’s game, the odds for the Boston Celtics to win the Conference were +900. After the first win in the series, the odds dropped to +225. And the odds for the Celtics to win the NBA finals came from +1100 to +475 after last night’s game.
