How Many Teams Have Come Back From Down 0-2 in the NBA Playoffs?

An 0-2 deficit is one that NBA teams face every postseason, but rarely come back from. Here's what the statistics say.

The Indiana Pacers are one of 34 teams all-time who have come back from an 0-2 deficit when they beat the New York Knicks in seven games in 2024. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

An 0-2 deficit is one that some unlucky NBA teams face every postseason.

It's a big hole to dig yourself out of in the NBA—in a seven-game series, a team subsequently needs to win four out of the remaining five games to survive and advance. It was even harder in earlier editions of the playoffs where there were best-of-five playoff series.

How insurmountable is an 0-2 deficit in the NBA playoffs? It's tough to recover from, but not impossible.

Through the 2024 NBA postseason, there are 459 different playoff series in the history of the league where a team has faced an 0-2 deficit. NBA teams have come back to win the series a total of 34 times—just a 7.4% come back rate, according to Land of Basketball.

The most recent team to complete the come back? The 2024 Indiana Pacers, who overcame an 0-2 deficit to the New York Knicks to win the Eastern Conference semifinals series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

Here is the full list of all 34 teams who have come back from an 0-2 deficit in NBA history.

Winning Team	Losing Team	Series Result	Playoff Round
Indiana Pacers	Sacramento Kings	4-3	2024 Eastern Conference semifinals
Golden State Warriors	Sacramento Kings	4-3	2023 Western Conference first round
Dallas Mavericks	Phoenix Suns	4-3	2022 Western Conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	Phoenix Suns	4-2	2021 NBA Finals
Los Angeles Clippers	Utah Jazz	4-2	2021 Western Conference semifinals
Milwaukee Bucks	Brooklyn Nets	4-3	2021 Eastern Conference semifinals
Los Angeles Clippers	Dallas Mavericks	4-3	2021 Western Conference first round
Toronto Raptors	Milwaukee Bucks	4-2	2019 Eastern Conference finals
Cleveland Cavaliers	Boston Celtics	4-3	2018 Eastern Conference finals
Boston Celtics	Chicago Bulls	4-2	2017 Eastern Conference first round
Cleveland Cavaliers	Golden State Warriors	4-3	2016 NBA Finals
Portland Trail Blazers	Los Angeles Clippers	4-2	2016 Western Conference first round
Memphis Grizzlies	Los Angeles Clippers	4-2	2013 Western Conference first round
Oklahoma City Thunder	San Antonio Spurs	4-2	2012 Western Conference finals
San Antonio Spurs	New Orleans Hornets	4-3	2008 Western Conference semifinals
Cleveland Cavaliers	Detroit Pistons	4-2	2007 Eastern Conference finals
Utah Jazz	Houston Rockets	4-3	2007 Western Conference first round
Miami Heat	Dallas Mavericks	4-2	2006 NBA Finals
Washington Wizards	Chicago Bulls	4-2	2005 Eastern Conference first round
Dallas Mavericks	Houston Rockets	4-3	2005 Western Conference first round
Los Angeles Lakers	San Antonio Spurs	4-2	2004 Western Conference semifinals
Dallas Mavericks	Utah Jazz	3-2	2001 Western Conference first round
Houston Rockets	Phoenix Suns	4-3	1995 Western Conference semifinals
Houston Rockets	Phoenix Suns	4-3	1994 Western Conference semifinals
Denver Nuggets	Seattle Supersonics	3-2	1994 Western Conference first round
Chicago Bulls	New York Knicks	4-2	1993 Eastern Conference finals
Phoenix Suns	Los Angeles Lakers	3-2	1993 Western Conference first round
New York Knicks	Boston Celtics	3-2	1990 Eastern Conference first round
Golden State Warriors	Utah Jazz	3-2	1987 Western Conference first round
Portland Trail Blazers	Philadelphia 76ers	4-2	1977 NBA Finals
Washington Bullets	New York Knicks	4-3	1971 Eastern Conference finals
Boston Celtics	Los Angeles Lakers	4-3	1969 NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers	San Francisco Warriors	4-2	1969 Western Division semifinals
Fort Wayne Pistons	St. Louis Hawks	3-2	1956 Western Division finals

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed