The 76ers might be ‘deadmen walking’ but here are the 13 teams to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in NBA History

The Philadelphia 76ers lost a heartbreaking Game 4 to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 97-92 and are now on the brink of what many Sixers consider an early playoff exit for the seventh straight season.

Can the Philadelphia 76ers comeback against the New York Knicks?

With the Sixers currently in a 3-1 series hole to the New York Knicks, it’s important to note that no NBA team ever has overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit and only a very small number of teams have managed to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

According to Land of Basketball, entering the 2024 NBA playoffs there had been 281 previous playoff series that have gone to 3-1 series. The team on the wrong side of that mark, who in this case would be our beloved Philadelphia 76ers, has rallied to win three straight games to win the series a total of 13 times (4.6%).

Well, if history tells us anything they obviously have a chance to pull off the almost-impossible comeback but given the fact that they appear on the wrong side of the list below twice, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

1968: Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics won Game 1 of the second-round playoff series in Philadelphia before dropping the next three games.

Sam Jones scored 37 points to lead the Celtics in a blowout Game 5 win. Boston followed it up with a 114–106 win at the Boston Garden to force Game 7. The Celtics had six players score in double digits, while their defense held Wilt Chamberlain to just 14 points in a tight 100–96 win in Philadelphia to take the series.

Boston would advance and ultimately win their 10th title in franchise history, beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

1981: The Boston Celtics yet again killed the 76ers’ hopes in advancing to the NBA Finals. The Celtics had a stacked roster that featured Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. After losing Game 1 to the Sixers at the Garden, they won Game 2.

The Sixers would temporarily take control of the series with a pair of wins at the Spectrum, but Boston would win the final three games to advance to the NBA Finals where they beat the Houston Rockets.

Full List: Teams who rallied from 3-1 deficits to win a playoff series:

1. 1968 Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers — Eastern Division Finals
2. 1970 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns — Western Division Semifinals
3. 1979 Washington Bullets vs. San Antonio Spurs — Eastern Conference Finals
4. 1981 Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers — Eastern Conference Finals
5. 1995 Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns — Western Conference Semifinals
6. 1997 Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks — Eastern Conference Semifinals
7. 2003 Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic — Eastern Conference First Round
8. 2006 Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers — Western Conference First Round
9. 2015 Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers — Western Conference Semifinals
10. 2016 Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Western Conference Finals
11. 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors — NBA Finals
12. 2020 Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz — Western Conference First Round
13. 2020 Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers — Western Conference Semifinals

I am a firm believer that the Philadelphia 76ers are a better basketball team this season than the New York Knicks. Game 2 was a toss up that ultimately fell to the Knicks (with the help of officiating) that swung this series to New York.

Embiid managed to lead the Sixers with a 50-point game in Game 3 win and even yesterday, while having a rough final quarter, he managed to finish with Embiid finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

We are now on the brink of the 7TH STRAIGHT “early exit” from the NBA playoffs. Can the pull-off the impossible? Probably not – but we never had a choice in believing that it’s a possibility.

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