May 29 update: The Heat were able to hold onto the series with a blowout win in Game 7 to advance to the 2023 NBA Finals against the Nuggets. The Celtics were unable to make history as the only NBA team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
May 27 update: We are going to get a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics have clawed back from a 3-0 deficit to tie this series at 3-3, becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to do. The Celtics will attempt to make history by becoming the only team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series in the playoffs, while the Heat try to avoid being on the wrong side of that feat.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have been battling it out in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat, as the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, were up 3-0 and on their way to the NBA Finals for the second time in the past four seasons. Or is there a chance the Celtics mount perhaps the most incredibly comeback in NBA history? Well, that begs the question: Has any team ever come back down 3-0 in a playoff series to win? Let’s investigate.
NBA playoff history: 3-0 series comebacks
You know when Nathan Fielder brings out that platter and asks if the person is “Hungry for nothing!” That’s basically what you’re getting here. No team has ever come back down 3-0 to win an NBA playoff series. This feat has happened in other sports, most notably in the NHL and MLB. But even in those leagues this comeback almost never happens.
The Celtics were able to stay alive to play another game, which will be at home in Game 5. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown even tweeted to not let the Celtics win in Game 4, hinting at the potential for a comeback (that has never happened). Boston has a chance to make good on Brown’s tweet and make history.