The following is the list of teams that have overcome 3–0 series deficits in a best-of-seven playoff series, otherwise known as a reverse sweep.[1][2] The listed teams won four consecutive games after losing the first three. Unsuccessful comebacks are also listed, in which teams evened a series after being behind 3–0, then lost game seven of the series.
Background
edit
Three major North American professional sports leagues have playoff series that can reach a seventh game: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL). In MLB, only the semi-final League Championship Series and the final World Series are best-of-seven series.[3] In the NBA and NHL, all four rounds of their respective playoffs are best-of-seven series.[4][5]
In the history of these leagues, teams that were down 3–0 in a series have come back to win the series five times; four times in the NHL and once in MLB.[6] The most recent example is the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs first round.[7] The only instance in the MLB to date was by the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series.[8] The only instance in a championship series was by the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. The NBA is the only league in which this has never happened, to date.[9]
Conversely, eleven teams have evened a series after being behind 3–0 and then lost in the final game: six in the NHL, four in the NBA, and one in MLB. The most recent example is the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
No team has overcome multiple 3–0 deficits in a single postseason, although the 1974–75 New York Islanders of the NHL nearly did so; they successfully overcame a 3–0 series deficit in the 1975 Stanley Cup quarterfinals, then rallied from a 3–0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup semifinals before losing the seventh game.
While, traditionally, a best-of-seven series was only played in the final (championship) round of a postseason, MLB adopted a best-of-seven format in 1985 for the League Championship Series,[10] the NHL followed suit for its first round in 1987,[11] and the NBA did the same for its first round in 2003.[12]
Outside of the noted major North American leagues, various other leagues across multiple sports also use seven-game postseason series. There are several known instances of teams in such leagues overcoming 3–0 series deficits. In other cases, like the Swedish Hockey League, seven-game series are common but no team has yet overcome such a deficit.
Key
edit| Indicates the team down 3–0 was the home team in game seven | |
| Indicates series in the championship round | |
| Eventual champion | Indicates the series winner went on to win the championship |
National Hockey League
editSuccessful comebacks
editIn Stanley Cup Playoffs history, 211 teams faced a 3–0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. Of these teams, only four overcame the deficit (~2%). Only one overcame the deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals.[13] Three comebacks were completed with game seven away, while the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs completed the comeback on home ice.
| Year and series | Series Winner | Series Loser | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 Stanley Cup Finals | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | Only time in the Stanley Cup Finals. |
| 1975 Stanley Cup quarterfinals | New York Islanders | Pittsburgh Penguins | New York won eight games while facing elimination this playoff year. |
| 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | Philadelphia also overcame a 3–0 goal deficit in the seventh game. |
| 2014 Western Conference first round | Los Angeles Kings | San Jose Sharks |
Los Angeles won three game sevens in this playoff year and holds the record for most elimination games won in a single playoff year for a Stanley Cup champion, with seven. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
editSix other NHL teams have evened a series after being down 3–0, only to lose game seven (~3%).[14] Five of these teams were the visiting team in game seven, while the 1945 Detroit Red Wings were the only home team in game seven.
| Year and series | Series Loser | Series Winner | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Stanley Cup semifinals | New York Rangers | Boston Bruins | Boston won game seven in triple overtime. |
| 1945 Stanley Cup Finals | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit nearly got revenge on Toronto for a blown 3–0 lead three years previously. |
| 1975 Stanley Cup semifinals | New York Islanders | Philadelphia Flyers | New York came back from a 3–0 deficit to win in the previous round. |
| 2011 Western Conference quarterfinals | Chicago Blackhawks | Vancouver Canucks | The Presidents' Trophy-winning Canucks won game seven in overtime after Chicago tied it 1–1 with a shorthanded goal by forward and captain Jonathan Toews with 1:56 left in the third period. Should Chicago have won, it would have been the third straight playoff year that they beat Vancouver, as they eliminated them in six games in the conference semifinals in both 2009 and 2010. It also would've been the fourth time in NHL history and first time a Presidents' Trophy winner would lose a series after initially taking a 3–0 series lead. |
| 2011 Western Conference semifinals | Detroit Red Wings | San Jose Sharks | For the second time in the same year, a team forced a game seven after being down 3–0. Except for an empty net goal in game six, every game in this series was decided by one goal. |
| 2024 Stanley Cup Finals | Edmonton Oilers | Florida Panthers | Florida won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Edmonton forward and captain Connor McDavid became only the sixth player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite losing the Finals. |
Major League Baseball
editSuccessful comebacks
editOne MLB team has overcome a 3–0 deficit to win the series.[8]
| Year and series | Series Winner | Series Loser | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 American League Championship Series | Boston Red Sox | New York Yankees | Boston trailed in the ninth inning in game four before tying the game and eventually winning in the 12th inning. Boston also trailed by two runs in the eighth inning of game five before tying the game in that inning and eventually winning in the 14th inning. Boston would then go on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series for the first time since 1918. |
Unsuccessful comebacks
editOne MLB team has evened a series after being down 3–0, but lost game seven.[15]
| Year and series | Series Loser | Series Winner | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 American League Championship Series | Houston Astros | Tampa Bay Rays | Series was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no off-days. |
National Basketball Association
editUnsuccessful comebacks
editThere has never been a successful comeback from a 3–0 series deficit in the NBA to date. Of the 157 NBA teams (as of June 17, 2024[update]) that faced a 3–0 deficit, only 4 of them (~3%) forced a game seven which they ultimately lost.[16]
| Year and series | Series Loser | Series Winner | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 NBA Finals | New York Knicks | Rochester Royals | New York became the first team to force a game seven after trailing 3–0 in the series. |
| 1994 Western Conference semifinals | Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | Denver overcame a 2–0 deficit to win a best-of-five series in the previous round. |
| 2003 Western Conference first round | Portland Trail Blazers | Dallas Mavericks | Portland went on a 21–0 run in the third quarter of game four to avoid a 4–0 sweep by Dallas. Portland led game seven 90–88 with 4:43 left and tied the score 93–93 with 4:28 left, but Dallas dominated in the final minutes to win by 12 points.[17] This was the first year the first round expanded to a best-of-seven series; the series would have been a 3–0 sweep if played one year earlier.[18] |
| 2023 Eastern Conference finals | Boston Celtics | Miami Heat | Boston became the first team to host a game seven after trailing 3–0 in a series. |
Other leagues
editOutside of MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, there are some other known instances of successful comebacks from 3–0 series deficits. The Slovak ice hockey club HK Dukla Trenčín and the Swiss ice hockey club EV Zug are the only teams that managed to overcome a 3–0 deficit twice.
Successful comebacks
editBaseball
editBasketball
edit| Year and series | Series Winner | Series Loser | Sports league | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup Finals | San Miguel Beermen | Alaska Aces | Philippine Basketball Association | Games 4 and 5 of the comeback went to overtime. |
Ice hockey
editUnsuccessful comebacks
editBaseball
edit| Year and series | Series Loser | Series Winner | Sports league | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Japan Series | Yomiuri Giants | Hankyu Braves | Nippon Professional Baseball | |
| 2000 Korean Series | Doosan Bears | Hyundai Unicorns | KBO League | |
| 2015 Mexican Baseball League Playoffs Championship Series (South Region) | Leones de Yucatán | Tigres de Quintana Roo | Mexican Baseball League | Yucatán was the home team in five of the seven games (games 1, 2, 5, 6, 7). |
| 2021 Mexican Baseball League Playoffs first round | Algodoneros de Unión Laguna | Mariachis de Guadalajara | Mexican Baseball League |
Ice hockey
edit3–0 Comebacks in a best-of-seven with ties
editWhile ties can prolong the series to eight games or more, these are still best-of-seven series in that only seven of the games can have a decisive winner. Four victories still takes the series, thus overcoming a 3–0 deficit is still equally difficult.
| Year and series | Series Winner | Series Loser | Sports league | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Japan Series | Seibu Lions | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Nippon Professional Baseball | Game one ended in a tie; games two, three, and four were lost; but games five, six, seven, and eight were won. Nippon Professional Baseball does allow for games to be ended in ties, and this is also, to date, the only time a Japan Series went to a game eight. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Salvian, Hailey (February 11, 2024). "Canada completes reverse sweep of U.S. in Game 7 to capture Rivalry Series title". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ Ngabo, Gilbert (July 19, 2023). "The Leafs pulled off the reverse sweep 81 years ago. Only three other NHL teams have accomplished the feat". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (August 10, 2023). "MLB's postseason format, explained". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "Playoff format". NHL.
- ^ "How do the NBA playoffs work? NBA playoffs explained". April 17, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ Hooks, Kalan (June 21, 2024). "Oilers are the latest team to attempt a comeback from 3-0 deficit". Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ Brehm, Mike (June 22, 2024). "Edmonton Oilers look to join rare company by overcoming 3-0 deficit vs. Florida Panthers". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Schoenfield, David (October 17, 2020). "2020 MLB playoffs: Could the 2020 Astros join the 2004 Red Sox on Saturday? The anatomy of a 3-0 comeback". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Reidy, Paul (June 13, 2024). "Has any team come back from a 3-0 series deficit in NBA Playoffs history?". Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Consolazio, Dave (October 8, 2019). "MLB 2 Reasons Baseballs Best-of-5 Playoff Series Format is Terrible". Sportscasting. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "All-Time Playoff Formats". NHL Records. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Kraetsch, Rich (12 October 2017). "Throwback Thursday: The history of NBA playoff reformatting". Fansided. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (June 14, 2024). "Oilers have 'a strong belief in our group' despite facing 3-0 series deficit". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ Li, David (June 24, 2024). "Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt". nbcnews.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ Barron, David (October 17, 2020). "Astros can't complete comeback in Game 7". houstonchronicle.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ "Stats of Playoff Series with a 3-0 Lead". Land Of Basketball.com.
- ^ https://www.espn.com/nba/playbyplay/_/gameId/230504006
- ^ https://en.as.com/nba/when-did-the-nba-change-the-playoffs-from-best-of-five-to-best-of-7-games-n/
- ^ Due to the Mexican League playoff rules, Puebla also advanced to the following round as the losing team with the most wins in the first round despite losing the series.
- ^ "El Águila: El Glorioso completa regreso histórico y va contra Leones". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ "Resumen y Carreras Diablos Rojos vs. Guerreros: Trevor Bauer brilla desde el bullpen para concretar histórica remontada y pase a la Serie del Rey". Marca México (in Mexican Spanish). 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
- ^ "FOTO: 7. FINĀLSPĒLE: HK MOGO - HK KURBADS 1:2". LHF.lv (in Latvian). Latvijas Hokeja Federācija. June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Jeff (2015-04-30). "73's hit the road for final shot at Schmalz Cup title". Windsor Star. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "Local sports roundup: Essex wins seventh provincial junior C title". Windsor Star. 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2024-07-24.