How many NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit?

There are few things more exciting in professional sports than a comeback. The most magical moments happen when a beaten and bruised team manages to find the willpower, discipline and single-minded focus necessary to defy the odds.

In single-elimination tournaments, like the NFL postseason, comebacks happen in a condensed period of time. In the other three major American sports leagues, the comebacks play out over seven-game elimination tournaments. Teams have rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the NHL and MLB, such as when the Boston Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the indomitable New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, but no NBA team has been able to overcome a 3-0 deficit.

The NBA playoffs are designed for the more talented team to win in most instances, but that doesn't mean teams haven't rallied back from the brink of elimination.

Entering the 2023-24 NBA postseason, there were 281 playoff series that resulted in a 3-1 record entering Game 5. The team facing the deficit rallied back in just 4.6 percent of those series. Thirteen teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA playoffs. That's fewer than the 32 NHL teams and 14 MLB teams that have accomplished the feat, but it's enough to give hope to the four teams that are one game away from elimination right now.

So far, the 2023-24 NBA playoffs have not featured any Cinderella stories. The better teams have, for the most part, treated Round 1 of the postseason as a warm-up. The No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers and No. 5 Dallas Mavericks are tied at 2-2 in the Western Conference, while the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers and No. 5 Orlando Magic are tied at 2-2 in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the matchups have gone as expected.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by the heroics of Anthony Edwards, swept the Phoenix Suns. Teams are on the brink of elimination in four other series. Three teams hold a 3-1 lead — the New York Knicks over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a 3-0 lead over the New Orleans Pelicans.

If the 76ers, Pacers, or Lakers want to continue their season, they'll have to accomplish something few have managed to do. If the Pelicans want to move forward, they'll need to become the first team ever to finish Game 7 on a four-game winning streak.

NBA teams that won after a 3-1 deficit in NBA Playoffs