The Golden State Warriors are famous for blowing a 3–1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. The Warriors find themselves up 3–0 on the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, which is good news because no NBA team has ever blown a 3–0 series lead.
National Basketball Association
| Year and series | Winner that overcame deficit | Loser that blew lead |
|---|
| 2015 Western Conference Semifinals | Houston Rockets | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2016 Western Conference Finals | Golden State Warriors | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2016 NBA Finals | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors |
James was reunited with the the four other members of the “Fab Five”: Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis, members of the 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary's team that won the Ohio state championship.
Not only do teams never come back from 0-3 deficits to win, they rarely even come back to extend the series at all. This Nationals-Cardinals series is the 37th series in MLB history, counting World Series and League Championship Series, in which one team has taken a 3-0 lead over the other one.
No team in the NBA has ever gone 82-0 or 0-82. Out of these four teams, the Warriors were the only ones to have the best overall season and lose in the NBA Finals.
Only 10 teams in NBA history have come back from 3-1 playoff series deficits to win the series. It's never happened in the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers
won the next three games to become the first team in
Finals history to successfully overcome a 3–1 deficit. It also marked the first time since 1978 that Game 7
was won by the road team.
Road to the Finals.
| Western Conference | Team | z – Golden State Warriors * |
|---|
| W | 73 |
|---|
| L | 9 |
|---|
| PCT | .890 |
|---|
| GB | – |
|---|
The Chicago Bulls won 3 consecutive championships twice, the first from 1991–1993, the second from 1996–1998. The Los Angeles Lakers won 3 consecutive championships from 2000–2002, which was the last NBA three-peat.
National Basketball Association
| Year and series | Winner that overcame deficit | Loser that blew lead |
|---|
| 2015 Western Conference Semifinals | Houston Rockets | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2016 Western Conference Finals | Golden State Warriors | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2016 NBA Finals | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors |
Teams leading 3-1 in the NBA Finals are 33-1 all-time in closing out the series. The Warriors, however, are familiar with this situation - the only team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in The Finals was the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, defeating the Warriors to win the title.
Kevin Durant Says He's 'Glad' Warriors Lost 2016 NBA Finals to Cavaliers. While the Golden State Warriors may still be feeling the sting of their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, new comments from Kevin Durant suggest that defeat netted the Dubs a major victory in free agency.
Two teams have also overcome 3-1 deficits in a single playoffs only to have the favor returned to them: the Golden State Warriors of the NBA in 2016, and the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL in 2003.
The Warriors, however, are familiar with this situation - the only team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in The Finals was the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, defeating the Warriors to win the title.
LeBron James is arguably the greatest basktball player of all-time. James holds a host of NBA achievements including three championships, three Finals MVP awards, four MVP awards and 14 All-Star appearances. The self-proclaimed King has also been to nine NBA Finals, winning three and losing five.
LeBron James
| No. 23 – Los Angeles Lakers |
|---|
| 2003–2010 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010–2014 | Miami Heat |
| 2014–2018 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2018–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
LeBron feels he's the GOAT after Cavs' 2016 title win.
In the latest episode of "More Than An Athlete," LeBron James says his historic 2016 NBA Finals win made him the greatest player ever.LeBron James Profile, All the Information:
| Season | Team | Rebounds |
|---|
| 2007-08 | Cavaliers | 7.9 |
| 2008-09 | Cavaliers | 7.6 |
| 2009-10 | Cavaliers | 7.3 |
| 2010-11 | Heat | 7.5 |
The Cavaliers switched to a modified version of the team's classic wine and gold scheme in the 2003–04 season (metallic gold and crimson shade of wine), with navy blue added to the color scheme.
5 … times in franchise history where the Cavaliers "won" the Lottery, earning the coveted No. 1 pick in 1986, 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Named the 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year, he soon established himself as one of the league's premier players, winning the NBA MVP Award in 2009 and 2010. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 to sign as a free agent with Miami.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Jerry Tomko, who suggested Cavaliers in the contest, wrote, "Cavaliers represent a group of daring fearless men, whose life pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds." (Tomko's son, Brett, went on to become a Major League pitcher.)James's teams have played in eight consecutive NBA Finals (2011–2018 seasons) between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. After failing to win a championship with Cleveland, James left in 2010 to sign as a free agent with Miami.
2016 NBA Finals
| The wordmark of the NBA Finals (2003–2017) |
|---|
| Team Coach Wins Cleveland Cavaliers Tyronn Lue 4 Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr 3 |
|---|
| Dates | June 2–19 |
| MVP | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) |
| Eastern Finals | Cavaliers defeated Raptors, 4–2 |
No team in the NBA has ever gone 82-0 or 0-82 : nba.
| Best Season Starts in the NBA |
|---|
| Start | Team | NBA season From - to |
|---|
| 24-0 | Golden State Warriors | 2015-16 Oct 27, 2015 - Dec 12, 2015 |
| 15-0 | Houston Rockets | 1993-94 Nov 5, 1993 - Dec 3, 1993 |
| 15-0 | Washington Capitols | 1948-49 Nov 3, 1948 - Dec 7, 1948 |
Philadelphia 76ers, 1966–67 - Regular season: 68-13
Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers did something the Celtics dynasty has never done -- finish with the best regular season in NBA history at the time with a 68-13 record. Their 46-4 start to the season is a record that still stands.| Best Season Starts in the NBA |
|---|
| Start | Team | NBA season From - to |
|---|
| 24-0 | Golden State Warriors | 2015-16 Oct 27, 2015 - Dec 12, 2015 |
| 15-0 | Houston Rockets | 1993-94 Nov 5, 1993 - Dec 3, 1993 |
| 15-0 | Washington Capitols | 1948-49 Nov 3, 1948 - Dec 7, 1948 |
The team finally lost on Dec. 12 to the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-95. The Warriors' 24-0 start shattered the previous NBA record for undefeated start to a season, a 15-0 mark the Houston Rockets (1993-94) and Washington Capitols (1948-49) both shared. In the 2015-16 season, the Golden State Warriors piled up 73 wins.
NBA Power Rankings: LeBron James, Lakers take top spot from Bucks after huge wins; Heat, Jazz make big leaps - CBSSports.com.
Jordan shot unusually bad with 9/23 from the field for 'only' 24 points. Kukoc added 20. The Bulls won the final game of the season to finish with an all-time NBA record 72 wins and 10 losses. The old record was the 1972 Lakers' 69-13.
