Boston Celtics Looking to Join Teams That Overcame 3–0 Series Deficits

• Five teams in the North American leagues have overcome a 0-3 series deficit
• Four of those comebacks happened in the National Hockey League
• The Red Sox rallied from 0-3 down to beat the Yankees in Major League Baseball

The comeback is on for the Boston Celtics.

They avoided elimination on Tuesday night, beating the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics need to win the next three games to advance to the Finals and become the first team in NBA history to rally from a 0-3 series deficit successfully.

The odds are stacked against the Celtics, as NBA teams who have trailed 0-3 are 0-150 in those series.

They can draw inspiration, however, from NHL and MLB teams who have come back from 0-3 down to win a best-of-seven series.

Sports Brief looks at these miracle teams.

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MLB

Toronto Maple Leafs (1942)

The Maple Leafs were the first team in the North American leagues to overcome a 0-3 series deficit, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final.

This was the only time a comeback of such magnitude was recorded in the final of the NHL Playoffs.

The Maple Leafs started the comeback with a 4-3 win over the Red Wings on the road in Game 4. They cut Detroit’s series lead to 3-2 after winning Game 5 by a score of 9-3. The Leafs then tied the series at 3-3 with a 3-0 victory in Game 6.

Toronto completed the comeback with a 3-1 victory in Game 7 at Maple Leaf Gardens, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

New York Islanders (1975)

The Islanders were the second team in NHL history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals.

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NBA

The Islanders started the comeback with a 3-1 win over the Penguins at home in Game 4. They cut Pittsburgh’s series lead to 3-2 after winning Game 5 on the road by a score of 4-2. They then knotted the series at 3-3 with a 4-1 win in Game 6.

New York completed the stunning comeback on the road with a narrow 1-0 win in Game 7 at Civic Arena.

Boston Red Sox (2004)

The Red Sox were the first team in MLB history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit, defeating bitter rivals New York Yankees in seven games in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

Boston started the miraculous comeback with a thrilling 6-4 win in extra innings in Game 4, per Bleacher Report. The Sox recorded the win after Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera blew the save in the ninth inning.

Boston cut New York’s lead to 3-2 after winning Game 5 at home by a score of 5-4. They then needed 14 innings to record the victory, with David Ortiz delivering the walk-off hit for the second game running. All the momentum was with Boston as the series shifted to New York. The Red Sox evened the series at 3-3 after beating the Yankees 4-2 in Game 6.

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NBA

The Red Sox completed the stunning comeback with an emphatic 10-3 victory in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium.

Philadelphia Flyers (2010)

The Flyers were the third team in NHL history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit, beating the Boston Bruins in seven games in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Flyers started the comeback with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win over the Bruins at home in Game 4. They cut Boston’s series lead to 3-2 after winning Game 5 on the road by a score of 4-0. They leveled the series at 3-3 with a 2-1 win in Game 6.

Philadelphia completed the stunning comeback on the road with a 4-3 victory in Game 7 at TD Garden.

Los Angeles Kings (2014)

The Kings were the last team in the North American leagues to rally from a 0-3 series deficit, beating the San Jose Sharks in seven games in the 2014 Western Conference First Round, per NHL.com.

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NBA

The Kings recorded their first win of the series with a dominant 6-3 victory over the Sharks at home in Game 4. They cut San Jose’s series lead to 3-2 after winning Game 5 on the road by a score of 3-0. They tied the series at 3-3 with a 4-1 win at home in Game 6.

Los Angeles completed the comeback with a 5-1 win in Game 7 at SAP Center.

Celtics stay alive

Sports Brief recently reported on the Celtics’ win over the Heat in Game 4.

Jayson Tatum starred for Boston on Tuesday, scoring 34 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White also contributed, each scoring 16 points for the Celtics.