Earlier this week, the Boston Celtics were just one game away from being eliminated in the 2023 playoffs. The scorching hot Miami Heat – led by Jimmy Butler – took over the heavily favored Celtics as they take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite previously having a 97% chance of being the East champions, the Celtics seemed like they were about to get swept. But, with the odds against the C’s, there still seems a light left at the end of the tunnel. As of now, they regained their momentum and won two consecutive games (games 4 and 5), as they bring the series to 3-2. There has never been a team that came back from being down 3-0 in the history of the NBA. But, could the Boston Celtics do the impossible and rewrite history? What are their chances of winning and advancing to the Finals?
Facts: No team has ever come back from 3-0, but there have been a lot of teams that came back from 3-2
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Celtics managed to steal 2 games against the Miami Heat and now force a game 6, which will be held in Miami, Florida. They were down 3-0 last Sunday but are still alive after making it 3-2. In the history of the NBA, there have been 150 teams that experienced being down by 3-0.
However, the number of times a team overcame a 3-0 deficit is – ZERO. No team has ever come back from that kind of challenge. History and odds aren’t definitely on the Celtics’ side, but their past two wins may reshape their future in this year’s playoffs.
Now that Boston has two wins against Miami’s three, another scenario may unfold in the history books
Less than a week ago, they had a 0% chance of advancing to the NBA Finals after the 3-0 deficit. But, when the Celtics won game 4 and brought it to a 3-1 series, their chances goes up slightly higher. There have been 258 teams who experienced a 3-1 deficit, but only 13 have ever made a comeback. In that case, the Celtics had a 5.04% chance of winning the series.
Then, they make another great run as they force a game 6. Now that they are 3-2 against the Heat, the Celtics bump their chances of winning it in 7. As of now, they have a 16.1% chance on their hands. Surprisingly, out of the 150 teams who were ever down 3-0 in a playoff series, 136 (90.67%) of those were already done in just five or four games. With their two consecutive victories, and forcing game 6, Boston already surpassed 90% of those NBA teams.
Celtics in 7: What are the chances and odds that the Boston Celtics come out of the Eastern Conference Finals and advance to the NBA Finals?
The Boston Celtics are in familiar territory once again. In the semifinal round against the Philadelphia 76ers, they were almost eliminated when they were down 3-2 against Joel Embiid’s team. But, with their playoff experience, the Celtics overcame that difficult hurdle against the 2023 MVP.
They are currently in a very difficult situation, but the Celtics could make history by becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. After forcing game 6, they have a chance to take this series with a 16.1% chance. Four days ago, they were already ruled out of the NBA Finals, but now, they seem to be showing signs of life. There are only 3 teams – who were down 3-0 – to ever force a game 7, but none of them won. But, this kind of situation is where the Celtics thrive.
They have experienced being down 3-2 twice in two consecutive playoffs. Last year, they were down 3-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals. However, Jayson Tatum took over and blew the Bucks in game 7.Ā This year, it was the same scenario with the Sixers, and we knew what happened. It’s safe to say they have been in this type of challenge and they haven’t failed yet in the hands of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The ball is round and anything could happen at any moment. But, will the Celtics prevail or will they become the 151st team who still lost from being down 3-0?
To summarize, here’s the full list of Boston Celtics’ chances to overcome the 3-0 deficit (statistically and historically)
| SCENARIOS IN NBA HISTORY | CHANCES (OUTCOME) |
| Teams in a 3-0 deficit to win series | 0% (0/150) |
| Teams in a 3-1 deficit to win series | 5.04% (13/258) |
| Teams in a 3-2 deficit to win series | 16.1% (55/342) |
| Teams in a 3-0 deficit to force game 6 (lost 4-2) | 7.33% (11/150) |
| Teams in a 3-0 deficit to force game 7 (lost 4-3) | 2% (3/150) |
Do you think the Boston Celtics will become the first team to ever come back from 3-0? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times.Ā Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us onĀ Spiel Anime,Ā Twitter,Ā Instagram, andĀ YouTube. Until next time!