In the NBA playoffs, losing the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home can seem like a major setback to a team’s championship hopes. However, history has shown that teams can still make remarkable comebacks by showing determination and resilience.
- The 1969 Los Angeles Lakers Over The San Francisco Warriors (4-2)
- The 1994 Houston Rockets Over The Phoenix Suns (4-3)
- The 2005 Dallas Mavericks Over The Houston Rockets (4-3)
- The 2017 Boston Celtics Over The Chicago Bulls (4-2)
- The 2021 Los Angeles Clippers Over The Dallas Mavericks (4-3)
- The Nuggets Have Joined A Terrible List Of Defending Champions
This feat is rare, however. Only five teams have recovered from losing the first two games at home to win a best-of-seven series. In 1993, the Phoenix Suns dropped their first two home games to the Los Angeles Lakers and came back to win the series, but that was a best-of-five series. We will only focus on best-of-seven series in this article.
The defending champion Denver Nuggets are facing this dilemma after dropping their first two games at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite having the favorite to win this year’s MVP in Nikola Jokic, the Timberwolves Anthony Edwards is looking like the best player in this year’s playoffs.
Denver will face a tough challenge against Edwards and the Timberwolves as they try to become the sixth team in history to win after losing the first two games at home. Will Denver make history?
Here’s a look at the five teams that have achieved the remarkable feat of winning a series after losing the first two games at home.
The 1969 Los Angeles Lakers Over The San Francisco Warriors (4-2)
The 1968-69 NBA season was a historic year for the league. Bill Russell led his Boston Celtics to their 11th NBA title, cementing himself as the winningest player of all time.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers won 55 games to lead the conference. In the first round, the Lakers met the San Francisco Warriors, who won 41 games.
After losing the first two games in LA, many doubted the Lakers would even win a game in the playoffs despite being considered the favorites in the Western Conference. In Game 3, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain led the Lakers to victory.
The Lakers dominated the Warriors with a 115-98 win, thanks in part to Jerry West’s 25 points and 9 assists and Wilt Chamberlain’s 22 points and 28 rebounds. The Lakers kept their winning ways in Game 4, defeating the Warriors 103-88. This game belonged to West, who scored 36 points on 12-22 shooting.
With the series shifting back to Los Angeles, the Lakers looked to take command of the series. That’s exactly what happened, as West scored 29 more points to lead LA to a 103-98 victory.
As the series shifted back to San Francisco, the Lakers were looking to end it and move on. Led by West’s 29 points and Chamberlain’s 25 rebounds, the Lakers blew out the Warriors 118-78.
The Los Angeles Lakers made history by becoming the first team in the NBA to lose the first two games of a series at home and come back to win the series. It would take 25 years for another team to achieve this feat.
The 1994 Houston Rockets Over The Phoenix Suns (4-3)
The Houston Rockets were a team of destiny in the 1993-94 season. Michael Jordan was out of the league, and the championship was up for grabs.
Hakeem Olajuwon quickly proved he was the best player in the league, winning the league’s MVP award. As for his team, the Houston Rockets went 58-24, which was the second-best record in the NBA.
After a 3-1 first-round series victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston met last year’s Western Conference champions, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns were led by Charles Barkley and won 56 games on the season.
The Suns strolled into Houston and used their experience of reaching the NBA Finals the year prior to pull out two wins. With their backs against the wall, the Rockets needed Olajuwon to step up, and he did, but he would get some help.
Olajuwon had a dominant Game 3, scoring 26 points while grabbing 15 rebounds and collecting 6 blocks. As mentioned, Olajuwon would get some help and it would be from Vernon Maxwell, who scored 34 points, to help Houston win 118-102 over Phoenix.
In Game 4, the Suns were led by point guard Kevin Johnson, who scored 38 points and completed a monster slam dunk over Olajuwon.
May 15, 1994: The Suns' Kevin Johnson dunks on Hakeem Olajuwon in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semis.
Johnson had 38 PTS/12 AST but Houston beat Phoenix, 107-96, to tie the series at 2-2. Olajuwon had 28 PTS/12 REB/8 AST/5 BLK and Kenny Smith scored 21 PTS for the Rockets. pic.twitter.com/KQ1wmNmkxW
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) May 15, 2023
Despite Johnson’s performance, Olajuwon led the Rockets past the Suns. Olajuwon scored 28 points while adding 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 blocks. Houston managed to even up the series at 2-2 with their 107-96 victory in Game 4.
The Rockets blew out the Suns in Game 5, winning 109-86. Houston looked to complete the epic comeback from 0-2 down in the series, but the Suns had other plans.
The Suns won Game 6 back in Phoenix, 103-89. The series shifted back to Houston for one last game in the series, and the Rockets looked to etch their name in the record book.
Houston would achieve this with their 104-94 Game 7 victory. Once again, the Rockets were led by Olajuwon, who gave an all-time great performance.
Olajuwon scored 37 points on 18-33 shooting. He added 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. The Rockets and Olajuwon would eventually go on to win their first NBA championship, and Olajuwon completed one of the greatest individual seasons the league has ever seen.
The 2005 Dallas Mavericks Over The Houston Rockets (4-3)
In the 2004-05 season, the Dallas Mavericks were feeling good heading into the playoffs. This was after they won 58 games and secured the fourth seed.
The Houston Rockets weren’t feeling so bad, either. They won 51 games and earned the fifth seed. More importantly, the Rockets had a superstar duo in Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.
For Dallas, they were led by their young superstar Dirk Nowitzki and nine-year veteran Jerry Stackhouse. Most gave the Mavericks the edge in the series, especially since they held the home court.
So, when Houston defeated Dallas 98-86 in Game 1, followed by a 113-111 victory in Game 2, thanks to a McGrady game-winner, Mavs fans started to worry.
However, Dallas made a comeback in Games 3 and 4 and won both matches, evening the series at 2-2. Dirk Nowitzki, who performed poorly in the first two games, scored 28 points in Game 3 and led the Mavericks to a 106-102 win.
In Game 4, behind Jason Terry’s 32 points, the Mavericks won again 97-93. Game 5 saw the series shift back to Dallas, and the Mavs won 103-100. This time, McGrady missed a clutch three at the buzzer, which would have tied the game.
The Rockets easily won Game 6 101-83 to force a Game 7. It wouldn’t matter for the Rockets as the Mavericks dominated at home in the series-deciding game.
The final score was 116-76 in favor of Dallas. Jason Terry led Dallas with 31 points, as Nowitzki chipped in 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Mavericks completed an incredible comeback from a 0-2 series deficit, making this series a fan favorite amongst Dallas fans.
The 2017 Boston Celtics Over The Chicago Bulls (4-2)
The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls boasted a roster that included Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, and Rajon Rondo. Despite this, the Bulls inched their way into the playoffs as the eighth seed, with just 41 wins on the season.
The Boston Celtics, led by Isaiah Thomas, held the top seed in the East after winning 53 games. So, Boston should have no problem with Chicago, right?
The Bulls quickly proved this narrative as false. Chicago won Game 1 106-102 behind Butler’s 30 points and 111-97 in Game 2, thanks to 11 points and 14 assists from Rondo.
It was Rondo who was the Bulls’ clear MVP. He controlled every aspect of the game and was looking to defeat his former team in the postseason.
This all changed toward the end of Game 2, when Rondo fractured his thumb. Although the injury would have only kept him out for a couple of weeks, the Bulls would not last that long.
Rajon Rondo says doctors have told him he will be out for "a couple of weeks."
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 22, 2017
The Celtics took full advantage of Rondo’s absence, led by their star point guard, Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics star, who finished fifth in MVP voting that season, scored 16, 33, 24, and 12 to help his Celtics win four straight and the series.
The most incredible part of Thomas’ performance has to do with how he handled himself all series long. The day before Game 1, Thomas’ sister tragically passed away in a car accident.
Thomas’ play was heartwarming and this can be said of his team, as well. Everyone rallied around their star guard to help the Celtics become just the fourth team to win a series after losing the first two at home.
The 2021 Los Angeles Clippers Over The Dallas Mavericks (4-3)
In the pandemic-impacted season, the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, staged an epic comeback against the Dallas Mavericks. The 47-win Clippers hosted the 42-win Dallas Mavericks, who were led by their young phenom, Luka Doncic, in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
For once, the Leonard-George duo remained healthy for an entire playoff series, and it showed. After dropping the first two games at home, largely because of Doncic’s 31 points in Game 1 and his 39 points in Game 2, the Clippers duo took over.
Leonard scored 36 in Game 3, while George added 29 in the Clippers 118-108 victory. The Clippers blew the Mavs out in Game 3, 106-81, as Leonard scored 29 and George chipped in 20.
The Mavericks surprisingly won again in Los Angeles, winning 105-100 in Game 5. This was largely thanks to Doncic, who scored 42, while adding 14 assists.
The Clippers bounced back with yet another road victory for themselves, winning 104-97, setting up a classic Game 7 in Los Angeles. This time, the Clippers would defend their home court.
The Clippers won 126-111 behind Leonard’s 28 and George’s 22. It wasn’t just the two superstars who helped Los Angeles win Game 7.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3Q2baZSMk
The Clippers had seven players reach double digits in the game and it was much needed. Dallas saw its star, Doncic, drop 46 points in an epic performance. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop the Clippers from completing an epic comeback from being down 0-2.
The Nuggets Have Joined A Terrible List Of Defending Champions
To make things worse for Denver, only three defending champions, including this year’s Nuggets, have fallen into a 0-2 hole after losing the first two games at home. This was the 1984 Philadelphia 76ers and the 2011 Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams lost the series.
The Denver Nuggets rolled through the playoffs last year and after defeating the Lakers in the first round, most people figured this year would be the same. Denver head coach Michael Malone has been disgusted by the effort from his team in Game 2.
“I was disappointed with our reaction to the adversity,” said Malone. “I haven’t seen that in my nine years here. As things got tough, we fell apart and separated. I reminded our guys today. ‘Fellas, we’re the reigning world champions. Act like it and play like it.’”
The Nuggets need to figure out a few key things if they are to get back into the series and win it. For starters, the Nuggets need to figure out how to contain Anthony Edwards. Of course, this is easier said than done. Still, if Denver wants any chance of winning, they need to halt Edwards’ impressive playoff run.
The second thing Denver needs to figure out is how to get past the Timberwolves’ stifling defense. Minnesota has played impressive defense both inside and outside, making Jokic work harder than he normally does.
The next key improvement for the Nuggets is getting Jamal Murray involved. In the first round, Murray was a straight killer. He torched the Lakers, averaging 23.6 Points per game while making two game-winning shots.
After the first two games against the Timberwolves, Murray is averaging just 12.5 points per game on 28.1% shooting. Murray truly looks like a shell of himself, and it’s thanks to the Timberwolves’ incredible defensive effort.
If the Nuggets can correct these errors, along with having their role players step up, they would have a great chance at becoming the sixth team on this impressive list. Will this happen? Only time will tell.
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