Historic Comebacks Define NBA Playoffs: Three straight Days See 20-point Deficits Overcome
For the first time in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which began nearly 30 years ago, playoff history is being written with stunning comebacks. An unprecedented three consecutive days have seen teams rally from 20-point deficits to secure victories, marking a postseason of dramatic shifts and unwavering resilience.
A Deep Dive into the comebacks
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May 7: Knicks Defeat Celtics After Falling Behind by 20
The pivotal Moment: The Celtics surged to a 73-53 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Final Score: New York emerged victorious with a 91-90 win against Boston.
How it Happened: Sparked by Mikal Bridges’ 14 points, the Knicks outscored the Celtics 38-17 in the final 14:19, capitalizing on Boston’s struggles from the field. Boston made only five of 25 shots in that stretch. Jayson Tatum was unable to get a good look on the final play.
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May 6: Pacers Overcome 20-Point Deficit to Beat Cavaliers
The pivotal Moment: The Cavaliers held an 81-61 lead with nearly seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Final Score: Indiana triumphed with a 120-119 victory over Cleveland.
How it Happened: Tyrese haliburton’s late three-pointer sealed the win for the Pacers, capping an 8-0 run in the final minute. Indiana only led .00046% of the last 40 minutes.
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May 5: Knicks stage Another 20-point Comeback Against celtics
The pivotal Moment: The Celtics jumped to a 75-55 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Final Score: New York rallied to win 108-105 in overtime.
How it Happened: OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson led the charge as the Knicks outscored Boston 39-30 after falling behind by 20. Boston struggled mightly making only 9 of 39 shots.
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April 29: Pacers Erase 20-Point Deficit to Beat Bucks in overtime
The pivotal Moment: The Bucks built a 33-13 lead early in the game.
The Final Score: Indiana prevailed with a 119-118 overtime victory against Milwaukee.
How it Happened: Tyrese Haliburton’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining secured the win after the Pacers erased the deficit and then closed the game on an 8-0 run at the end of overtime after trailing by seven with 40 seconds left.
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april 24: Thunder Surge Back From 29 Down to Beat Grizzlies
The pivotal Moment: The grizzlies led 69-40 with just over three minutes left in the first half— a 29 point lead.
The Final Score: Oklahoma city completed the comeback to beat Memphis 114-108.
How it happened: Chet Holmgren’s 23 points fueled the Thunder’s comeback after Ja Morant’s injury impacted the Grizzlies’ performance. Memphis missed 30 of their last 41 shots.
A Postseason of Epic Proportions
These five games define a postseason already etched in NBA history.The five comebacks of at least 20 points are the most in the play-by-play era of the NBA playoffs, signaling a new chapter of unpredictable playoff basketball.
What common factor contributed to the losing teams’ inability to hold thier leads in these comeback games?
Historic Comebacks Define NBA Playoffs: Three straight days See 20-point Deficits Overcome
For the first time in the NBA’s play-by-play era, which began nearly 30 years ago, playoff history is being written with stunning comebacks. An unprecedented three consecutive days have seen teams rally from 20-point deficits to secure victories, marking a postseason of dramatic shifts and unwavering resilience.
A Deep Dive into the comebacks
-
may 7: Knicks Defeat Celtics After Falling Behind by 20
The pivotal Moment: The Celtics surged to a 73-53 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Final Score: New York emerged victorious with a 91-90 win against Boston.
How it Happened: Sparked by Mikal Bridges’ 14 points, the Knicks outscored the Celtics 38-17 in the final 14:19, capitalizing on Boston’s struggles from the field. Boston made only five of 25 shots in that stretch. Jayson Tatum was unable to get a good look on the final play.
-
May 6: Pacers Overcome 20-Point Deficit to beat cavaliers
The pivotal Moment: The Cavaliers held an 81-61 lead with nearly seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Final Score: Indiana triumphed with a 120-119 victory over Cleveland.
How it Happened: Tyrese haliburton’s late three-pointer sealed the win for the Pacers, capping an 8-0 run in the final minute. Indiana only led .00046% of the last 40 minutes.
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May 5: knicks stage Another 20-point Comeback Against celtics
The pivotal Moment: The celtics jumped to a 75-55 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
the Final Score: New York rallied to win 108-105 in overtime.
How it Happened: OG anunoby and Jalen Brunson led the charge as the Knicks outscored Boston 39-30 after falling behind by 20. Boston struggled mightly making only 9 of 39 shots.
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April 29: Pacers Erase 20-Point Deficit to Beat Bucks in overtime
the pivotal Moment: The Bucks built a 33-13 lead early in the game.
The Final Score: Indiana prevailed with a 119-118 overtime victory against Milwaukee.
How it Happened: Tyrese Haliburton’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining secured the win after the Pacers erased the deficit and then closed the game on an 8-0 run at the end of overtime after trailing by seven with 40 seconds left.
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april 24: Thunder Surge Back From 29 Down to Beat Grizzlies
The pivotal Moment: The grizzlies led 69-40 with just over three minutes left in the first half— a 29 point lead.
The final Score: Oklahoma city completed the comeback to beat Memphis 114-108.
How it happened: Chet Holmgren’s 23 points fueled the Thunder’s comeback after Ja Morant’s injury impacted the Grizzlies’ performance. Memphis missed 30 of their last 41 shots.
A Postseason of Epic Proportions
These five games define a postseason already etched in NBA history.The five comebacks of at least 20 points are the most in the play-by-play era of the NBA playoffs, signaling a new chapter of unpredictable playoff basketball.
Q&A: Unforgettable NBA Playoff Comebacks
Q: What’s so special about these comebacks?
A: These playoffs have seen an unprecedented number of teams overcoming huge deficits.Scoring 20+ points behind and still winning is tough, but this year, it’s happened multiple times, making it a historic postseason.
Q: Which team has been involved in the most comebacks?
A: The Knicks and Celtics have both been involved in 2 of the comebacks listed.
Q: what’s the biggest comeback in these playoffs?
A: The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 29-point deficit against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Q: How frequently enough do we see comebacks of this magnitude?
A: Not vrey often! this year’s playoffs have already set a record for the most 20+ point comebacks in the play-by-play era.
Q: What can we learn from these games?
A: Never give up! In the NBA, no lead is safe until the final buzzer. These games highlight the importance of resilience, teamwork, and the ability to adjust strategies.
Witnessing these incredible comebacks firsthand is a reminder of the unpredictable and thrilling nature of the NBA Playoffs. Keep watching – you never know what will happen next!
