As the Rockets Try to Make History, What Other NBA Teams Forced a Game 7 Down 3-0?

The Houston Rockets have newfound confidence after a 99-93 win in Game 5 of their first-round battle with the Los Angeles Lakers. Going down 3-0, their fate looked sealed, but the Rockets have extended their season with tough defense and a quick pace amid the absence of Kevin Durant.

Meanwhile, the goal for the Lakers has become clearer than ever: don't be the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead in the playoffs. Of the 160 teams that have faced such a deficit, just four have forced a Game 7. Houston has the chance to become the fifth, but who are those before it?

New York Knicks, 1951 NBA Finals

The Knicks entered the 1951 playoffs with an underwhelming 36-30, despite being the third seed in the Eastern Division. They managed to go to the NBA Finals, facing Arnie Risen. Bob Davies and the Rochester Royals.

After going down 3-0 in ugly fashion, New York clawed its way back with three wins by an average of just 5.3 points. Unfortunately, the Royals took Game 7, 79-75, with Risen putting up 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Denver Nuggets, 1994 Western Conference Semifinals

After becoming the first No. 8 seed in league to upset a No. 1, the Nuggets faced a stacked Utah Jazz led by Karl Malone and John Stockton. However, Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Reggie Williams helped rattle off three wins to force a Game 7 in Utah.

Denver outscored the Jazz in the fourth quarter, 22-17, but the visitors were already down a wide margin for most of the game. Utah held the Nuggets to 12 first-quarter points, outscoring them 74-49 across the first 36 minutes. Malone's 31 points and 14 rebounds sent the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals.

Portland Trail Blazers, 2003 Western Conference First Round

The great Dirk Nowitzki's biggest stain on his NBA resume is being a part of a No. 1-No. 8 upset in 2007, but he almost added another major blunder four years earlier, nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Portland Trail Blazers, then referred to as the "Jail Blazers."

This comeback was a collective effort, but the biggest headliners were Zach Randolph, Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire. All five starters hit double-digit scoring in Games 4 and 5, while four recorded at least 13 points in Game 6. But Nowitzki came up clutch in Game 7 with an incredible 31 points and 11 rebounds. Steve Nash helped supplement the win with 21 points and seven assists.

Boston Celtics, 2023 Eastern Conference Finals

Basketball fans remember this series all too well. Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat to become the second No. 8 seed ever to reach the NBA Finals, but not without a scare in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics crumbled amid the emergence of Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson, as the Heat took a commanding 3-0 lead.

But Boston rallied in dramatic fashion, blowing out the Heat in Games 4 and 5. The Celtics stole Game 6 on the famous Derrick White putback at the buzzer, and at the point, Boston had all the momentum in the world.

But Tatum suffered a sprained ankle on the first possession of Game 7, which allowed the Heat to respond with a 103-84 victory at TD Garden.

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