The Boston Celtics aren’t in a good spot, not by a long shot. After dropping the first two games at home to the New York Knicks in excruciating fashion, the Cs now face an uphill climb just to get back into the series — let alone win it.
But there isn’t zero precedent for a team to come back and win it, although it is a lot harder to do so then your standard 0-2 hole. In NBA history, only five teams have recovered and come back to win the series.
- 1969 – Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors in six
- 1994 – Houston Rockets defeated the Phoenix Suns in seven
- 2005 – Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets in seven
- 2017 – Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls in six
- 2021 – Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in seven
The Celtics being on this list is notable, if only for the fact that there are some people in the building who were a part of that first round comeback. Both Jaylen Brown and Al Horford were on the roster, with Brad Stevens on the bench as head coach. Horford played significant minutes in those games, while Brown — who was a rookie at the time — hovered around the 10-minute mark.
“You don’t want to be in these situations but I’m excited about it,” Horford said Thursday. “I’m excited for this opportunity we have in front of us.”
Boston would go on to rattle off four-straight wins and eventually end up in the Eastern Conference Finals — its first appearance in five years. It’s a stark contrast from the group of Celtics who were just beginning their ascension to the top of the league, to these Celtics who many expected to repeat as NBA champions.
But Boston is much more talented in 2025 then it was eight years ago, and while it may be going up against a more talented team in the Knicks, it’s not out of the realm of possibility the Celtics could rattle off four wins, especially considering they held 20-point leads in the second half of both Games 1 and 2.
This group of Knicks also have a precedent of blowing 2-0 leads. In fact, they did it twelve months ago. Last season New York went up 2-0 on the Indiana Pacers before ultimately falling in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. This time is a little different considering these two wins have come on the road, but there is a precedent there already.
Now, none of this matters if the Celtics can’t pull out a Game 3 victory Saturday afternoon in New York. The ultimate death wish in the NBA Playoffs is facing an 0-3 deficit, as no team in league history has ever made the historic comeback.
Boston did come close in 2023 after falling behind 0-3 to Miami in the ECF — in which it lost the first two games at home — but it fell short in Game 7.
So, it’s not over yet, but the Celtics are dangerously close to a long summer full of questions about the future of this franchise. A couple good performances could stall those questions — at least for a few more weeks anyways.
