Lakers and Celtics in Danger: How Many Teams Have Forced a Game 6, Game 7 When 0:3 Down?

• The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs
• The two giants are both 0-3 down in the conference finals and will need a miracle to bounce back
• No NBA team has erased a 0-3 deficit in playoffs history but can either team change this fact?

NBA giants, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of getting swept in their respective conference finals. The Lakers are down 0-3 against the Denver Nuggets, while the Celtics are down 0-3 against 8th seed, the Miami Heat.

NBA teams are 0-149 when trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, but how many teams have forced a Game 6 or Game 7 from 0-3 down?

The Heat destroyed the Celtics in Game 3, leading by as many as 33 points. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown struggled for the Celtics and will need a miracle to win four straight games, per ESPN.

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Meanwhile, the Lakers have been outfought and outthought by the Nuggets, who are playing like a number-one seed. For that reason, Sports Brief looks at NBA teams that have forced a Game 6 or a Game 7 from a 0-3 deficit.

NBA teams that forced Game 6

Lakers, Celtics statistically in danger

The Lakers and the Celtics face an uphill battle in Game 4. Only three teams in NBA history have forced a Game 7 from 0-3 down. Still, none of those teams came to win the series, per Sporting News.

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Can the two giants pull off a miracle?

Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers - 2003

The Mavericks, led by NBA legend, Dirk Nowitzki, jumped to a 3-0 series lead in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs, per LA Times. The Trail Blazers lost the three games by a margin of 8.7 points.

They fought back and registered a dominant win in Game 4, a narrow four-point win in Game 5 before forcing a Game 7 with a blowout Game 6 victory.

However, their dreams were crushed by Nowitzki (31 points and 11 rebounds) and the Mavericks, who won 107-95.

Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets - 1994

The Nuggets have made history in the NBA in the last few years. They erased two 1-3 deficits in the 2020 playoffs against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. Before that, they recovered from 0-3 down to force a Game 7 against Karl Malone's Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals, per New York Times.

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In that same year, they became the first 8th seed to advance past the first round. In Round 2, they made the Jazz sweat. It was a battle all through. Utah easily won the first two games but narrowly won Game 3 by one bucket. The Nuggets won Game 4 by one point, Game 5 by eight points on the road, and Game 6 by three points at home.

In Game 7 in Salt Lake City, Malone's 31 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists led the Jazz to a 10-point win.

Rochester Royals vs. New York Knicks - 1951

The Royals raced to a 3-0 series lead in the NBA Finals in 1951, but the Knicks were not dead yet.

They narrowly won Games 4, 5, and 6 to force an epic Game 7. However, they fell short as the Royals won the title with a 79-75 Game 7 victory.

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The Lakers and Celtics have a chance to make history, but things look bleak for both teams, who have won a combined 34 NBA titles.

History of LeBron at 0-2

Sports Brief earlier looked at what history says about James' teams being 0-2 down in the NBA playoffs.

The four-time champion has gone 0-2 down eight times prior to going 0-2 against the Denver Nuggets.

James went 0-2 down in three straight years (2006, 2007, and 2008) while still earning his NBA stripes.