List_of_teams_to_overcome_3–0_series_deficits
List of teams to overcome 3–0 series deficits
Notable comebacks in playoff series in sports
The following is the list of teams to overcome 3–0 series deficits, otherwise known as a reverse sweep. The listed teams won four consecutive games after being down three games to none in a best-of-seven playoff series.
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.[2] The only instance in the MLB to date was by the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series.[3] The only instance in a championship finals series was by the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals.[2] The NBA is the only league in which this has never happened, to date.[4]
Conversely, ten teams have evened a series after being behind 3–0, then lost in the final game of the series: five in the NHL, four in the NBA, and one in MLB. The most recent example is the Boston Celtics of the NBA in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
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 in 1985 for its semi-finals (the League Championship Series),[5] the NHL followed suit for its first round in 1987,[6] and the NBA did the same for its first round in 2003.[7]
Outside of the noted major North American leagues, various other leagues across multiple sports also use seven-game postseason series. There are several known instances of teams in such leagues overcoming 3–0 series deficits. In other cases, like the Swedish Hockey League, seven-game series are common but no team has yet overcome such a deficit.
| ^ | Indicates team down 3–0 was home team in game seven |
| ~ | Indicates game seven in the championship round |
| * | Indicates the series winner went on to win the championship |
Successful comebacks
In Stanley Cup Playoffs history, 209 times (as of April 26, 2024) a team has faced a 3–0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Only 4 times they overcame it – a success rate of just under 2% – and only one of those did so in the Stanley Cup Finals.[2]
3 comebacks were completed with game seven away, while 1 was completed on home ice.
| Year and series | Winner after trailing 0–3 | Loser after leading 3–0 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Stanley Cup Finals ~ | Toronto Maple Leafs^* | Detroit Red Wings | Only time in the Stanley Cup Finals and the comeback was completed at home. |
| 1975 Stanley Cup quarterfinals | New York Islanders | Pittsburgh Penguins | Won eight games while facing elimination this playoff year. |
| 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | Overcame 3–0 deficit in the seventh game. |
| 2014 Western Conference first round | Los Angeles Kings* | San Jose Sharks | Los Angeles won three game sevens in this playoff year, and hold the record for most elimination games won in a single playoff year for a Stanley Cup champion, with seven. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
Five other NHL teams have evened a series after being down 3–0, only to lose game seven.[8][9] Four of these teams were the visiting team in game seven, while the Detroit Red Wings were the only home team in game seven.
| Year and series | Loser after trailing 0–3 | Winner after leading 3–0 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Stanley Cup semifinals | New York Rangers | Boston Bruins* | Bruins won game seven in triple overtime. |
| 1945 Stanley Cup Finals ~ | Detroit Red Wings^ | Toronto Maple Leafs* | Red Wings nearly got revenge on Maple Leafs for a 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 seven 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 in the same year a team forced a game seven after being down 3–0. |
Successful comebacks
One MLB team has overcome a 3–0 deficit to win the series.[3]
| Year and series | Winner after trailing 0−3 | Loser after leading 3−0 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 American League Championship Series | Boston Red Sox* | New York Yankees | Went on to win the World Series for the first time since 1918. Boston trailed in the ninth inning in game four before tying the game and eventually winning in the 12th inning. Boston also trailed by two runs in the eighth inning of game five, before tying the game in that inning and eventually winning in the 14th inning. The Red Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four games in the World Series. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
One MLB team has evened a series after being down 3–0, but lost game seven.[10]
| Year and series | Loser after trailing 0−3 | Winner after leading 3−0 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 American League Championship Series | Houston Astros | Tampa Bay Rays | Series was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no off-days. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
To date, there has never been a successful comeback from a 3–0 series deficit in the NBA. Of the 154 times (as of April 27, 2024) an NBA team fell into a 3–0 deficit,[11] only 4 of them (~3%) forced a game seven where they ultimately lost. [12]
| Year and series | Loser after trailing 0–3 | Winner after leading 3–0 | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 NBA Finals ~ | New York Knicks | Rochester Royals* | |
| 1994 Western Conference Second Round | 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 | Trail Blazers scored a 21–0 run in the third quarter of game four to avoid a 4–0 sweep by Mavericks. First year the first round expanded to a best-of-seven series. First team to force a game 7 after trailing the series 3-0. |
| 2023 Eastern Conference Finals | Boston Celtics^ | Miami Heat | Celtics became the first team to host a game seven after trailing 3–0 in a series. |
Outside of MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, there are some other known instances of successful comebacks from 3–0 series deficits. The Slovak ice hockey club HK Dukla Trenčín and the Swiss ice hockey club EV Zug are the only teams that managed to overcome a 3–0 deficit twice.
Successful comebacks
Unsuccessful 3–0 comebacks
| Year and series | Loser after trailing 0−3 | Winner after leading 3−0 | Sports league | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Japan Series ~ | Yomiuri Giants^ | Hankyu Braves * | Nippon Professional Baseball | |
| 2015 Mexican Baseball League Playoffs Championship Series (South Region) | Leones de Yucatán^ | Tigres de Quintana Roo* | Mexican Baseball League | Yucatán was the home team in five of the seven games (games 1, 2, 5, 6, 7). |
| 2021 Mexican Baseball League Playoffs First Round | Algodoneros de Unión Laguna | Mariachis de Guadalajara | Mexican Baseball League | |
| 2023–24 Czech Extraliga Quarterfinals | České Budějovice | Třinec | Czech Extraliga | After avoiding the comeback, Třinec went on to complete a 3–0 comeback of their own in the next round. |
| 2024 Liiga Quarterfinals | Helsinki HIFK | Lahti Pelicans | SM-liiga (Finland) |
3–0 Comebacks in a best-of-seven with ties
While ties can prolong the series to eight games or more, these are still best-of-seven series in that only seven of the games can have a decisive winner. Four victories still takes the series, thus overcoming a 3–0 deficit is still equally difficult.
| Year and series | Winner after trailing 0−3 |
Loser after leading 3–0 |
Sports league | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Japan Series | Seibu Lions* | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Nippon Professional Baseball | Game one ended in a tie; games two, three, and four were lost; but games five, six, seven, and eight were won. Nippon Professional Baseball does allow for games to be ended in ties, and this is also, to date, the only time a Japan Series went to a game eight. |
- 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.
- 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.
- Elbaba, Julia (May 23, 2022). "NBA Playoffs: How many times has a team come back from a 3-0 deficit?". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs? The unfortunate answer is zero times.
- 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 (12 October 2017). "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.
- Barron, David (October 17, 2020). "Astros can't complete comeback in Game 7". houstonchronicle.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- Quinn, Sam. "Celtics vs. Heat: Why Boston is well-positioned to make NBA history by overcoming 3-0 deficit". cbssports.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- Mahoney, Andrew (May 9, 2018). "How many NBA teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3–0?". Boston.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- Due to the Mexican League playoff rules, Puebla also advanced to the following round as the losing team with the most wins in the first round despite losing the series.
- "El Águila: El Glorioso completa regreso histórico y va contra Leones". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2023-08-18.