MENU
The history of the NBA playoffs is filled with epic games.
From incredible individual performances to dramatic buzzer-beaters. Then there were also epic comebacks that saw teams win games after trailing by a huge margin. We’ve seen too many big comebacks in the postseason and this article, we will give you the 10 greatest comebacks in the history of the NBA playoffs.
Check them out here:
Blazers vs Mavericks
- 2011 NBA Playoffs First Round (23 points)
The Portland Trailblazers missed their first 15 shots of the second half and fell behind by 23 points. Then Brandon Roy’s magical Game 4 began.
Roy hit an awkward three-point basket to end the third period but the Blazers still trailed 67-49. Then in the fourth, he put on an offensive show that will never be forgotten.
He drove past Jason Terry, posted up Jason Kidd, hit a fadeaway against Dirk, and crossed over Shawn Marion. Roy scored with his left hand and right hand. He found open teammates and soon the Blazers had chopped down the lead. He made a leaning three-pointer and was fouled by Marion with 1:06 left finally tied the game, and with 39 seconds to go, he banked a pull-up that gave Portland the victory.
Spurs vs Clippers
- 2012 NBA Playoffs Second Round (24 points)
San Antonio entered Game 3 of their 2012 NBA playoff second-round series against the L.A. Clippers with 16 straight wins and were 6-0 in the 2012 playoffs.
The Clippers were 24-9 at home during the regular season and 2-1 in that postseason. They opened the game with a rush and finished the first quarter with a blistering 20-2 run. San Antonio shot just 5-20 from the field, committed six turnovers, and fell behind by as much as 24 points early on.
But the Spurs finished the first half with a 15-5 run to cut the lead to 43-53 at the break. After scoring just eight points in the first half, Tim Duncan helped the Spurs to a 26-8 third quarter where they took the lead for good. After three, San Antonio was up 69-61 and never looked back.
Celtics vs Lakers
- 2008 NBA Finals Game 4 (24 points)
The Celtics went all-in during the summer to assemble a team led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. They went straight to the NBA Finals and took a 2-1 series lead over league MVP Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. In Game 4 though, the Lakers were poised to tie the series with a fast start.
Sasha Vujacic’s three-pointer gave the Lakers a 45-21 lead. Los Angeles was still up by 20 points with 6:04 left in the third quarter but Boston rallied behind their Big Three to outscore Los Angeles 31-15 in the third period to pull within 71-73 heading to the final stanza.
Eddie House’s jumper game Boston their first lead of the game at 84-83 and they never looked back. It was the biggest comeback in the Finals since 1971 and another important chapter in the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry.
Lakers vs Kings
- 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 4 (24 points)
The Kings and Lakers were involved in some of the biggest playoff games at the start of the Millenium. This was no different. The two-time defending champions Lakers trailed the series and were looking at the possibility of going down 1-3 with Game 5 to be played in Sacramento.
The Kings roared to a 40-20 start, took a 24 point lead, and finished the first half with a 14-point lead. The Lakers refused to give up and rallied behind a solid defense. The Kings still led by eight points with four minutes to go in the final quarter but Robert Horry pulled the Lakers to within three points with 1:39 left to play. Shaq made two free throws to cut the lead to one before Divac made one free throw to give the Kings a 9-97 lead with 11.8 ticks to go.
In the final play of the game, Bryant drove to the basket but missed a lay-up. O’Neal had a chance to tip the ball in but he too missed. Divac then tapped the ball far from the basket but it went straight to Horry who was wide open from the top of the key. Big Shot Bob made the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a dramatic win.
Warriors vs Spurs
- 2017 Western Conference Finals Game 1 (25 points)
The Golden State Warriors were on a mission after their 73-win season went to naught after losing to the Cavs in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The Dubs added Kevin Durant in the offseason and were a super team by the time they faced the Spurs in the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
But San Antonio had other plans. Kawhi Leonard was emerging as a superstar. The Klaw scored 26 points and 8 rebounds as San Antonio erected a 20-point halftime lead. But Leonard hurt his ankle in the third quarter and the Warriors went on an 18-0 tear sparked by Stephen Curry who finished the game with 40 points.
Kevin Durant pounded the Leonard-less Spurs with 10 points in a decisive fourth-quarter run. Curry’s three-pointer tied the game with one minute left and he finished off San Antonio with a lay-up and floater.
Thunder vs Jazz
- 2018 NBA Playoffs First Round (25 points)
Down 3-1 in the series and looking ahead at an uncertain summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a rally for the ages. The Jazz took a 25 point lead in the third quarter and looked like they were ready to finish off the Thunder. But Russell Westbrook came to the rescue.
Westbrook started the game making just five out of his first 19 shots but he finished strong and made 12 out of his last 20 shots. The Thunder stormed back to tie the game at 78 apiece at the end of three quarters. They would finish the game on a 61-28 run that would stun Utah.
Russ would end up with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in the game. Nevermind if he shot just 17-39 from the floor because he did what he had to do to save the Thunder’s season.
Celtics vs Nets
- 2002 Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 (26 points)
The Celtics were in their first deep playoff run since the days of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. This was Boston’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1988 and the teams split the first two games of the series.
Behind Jason Kidd and reserve Aaron Williams, the New Jersey Nets took a 20-point halftime lead and were up by 26 points, 65-39, with eight minutes to go in the third quarter. New Jersey was up by 21 at the end of three quarters.
Celtic pride took over as Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker led a furious finish that saw Boston score the first 11 points of the final period. They outscored the Nets 52-25 in the final 20 minutes of the game to pull off the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the history of the NBA playoffs.
Cavaliers vs Pacers
- 2017 NBA Playoffs First Round (26 points)
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first two games of the series but the Pacers refused to go away. Indiana built a 26-point lead in the first half of Game 3 before LeBron James flipped the switch.
The Cavs defeated the Pacers 119-114 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse after trailing by 25 points at the end of the first half. Cleveland gave up 74 points in the first half but came back to score 70 in the second half to stun Indiana in a LeBron James classic.
King James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists to pass Kobe Bryant for third place in the all-time playoff scoring list and Wes Unseld for 7th place in the all-time postseason rebounding leaderboard. James scored or assisted on 73 Cavs points, which was also a personal-best for him.
Clippers vs Grizzlies
- 2012 NBA Playoffs First Round (27 points)
This was one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2012 NBA postseason. The Grizzlies looked ready to take the opener as they built a 20-point first-quarter lead and were up by 27 points twice in the third period.
Down 21 to start the final frame, Chris Paul asked head coach Vinny Del Negro to put him back in the game and that turned out to be the difference. Paul made two free throws with 23.7 seconds left that completed L.A.’s stunning comeback.
Memphis led for 47 minutes and had a 24-point cushion with nine minutes to go but the Clippers outscored the Grizzlies 35-13 in the fourth quarter while missing only four out of 17 shot attempts during that period.
Lakers vs Sonics
- 1989 NBA Playoffs Second Round (29 points)
The Lakers were rolling against the Seattle SuperSonics, winning the first three games of the series. With their backs against the proverbial wall, Seattle put on a gallant effort in Game 4, hoping to extend their season.
Seattle stormed out of the gates and took a 20-point lead over the Lakers at the end of the first quarter. The Sonics extended the lead to a game-high 29 points in the second quarter behind the exploits of Xavier McDaniel, Derrick McKey, and Dale Ellis. But the Lakers had too much depth.
James Worthy led the Lakers with 33 points on 15-19 shooting while Magic Johnson barely missed a triple-double with 17 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds. Mychal Thompson added 15 points off the bench as the Purple and Gold completed the sweep of the Sonics.
Clippers vs Warriors
- 2019 NBA Playoffs First Round (31 points)
The Warriors started 2019 as heavy favorites to win a third NBA title. They had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green on hand. The Clippers were the 8th seed and they looked very flat to start Game 2.
The Warriors busted the game wide open with a 31-point lead with only 20 minutes left to play in the game but despite having closers like KD, Steph, and Klay, the Dubs could not finish the job against the underdog Clippers.
L.A. turned to its vaunted bench to get back in the game. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell had monster games that enabled the Clippers to make history. Williams scored 36 points and had 11 assists while Harrell added 25 points and 10 rebounds in the epic come-from-behind win.
