Boston Celtics triumph in Game 7 series decider
Boston Celtics are taking the court in New York today, May 17, for Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, hoping to force a Game 7 and keep their series alive.
In NBA history, only a handful of teams have managed to bounce back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series.
With their leading scorer, Jayson Tatum, out after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Game 4, the Celtics are determined to pull off a miracle against the Knicks who won Game 4 by a score of 121-113.
"It's win or go home at this moment, so none of us want to go home and so we understand it's only going to get tougher," shared Celtics guard Derrick White. "We haven't done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game."
The Celtics narrowly lost to the Knicks 127-102 in Game 5 on Wednesday.
If the Knicks win, they'll advance to the conference finals for the first time since edging out the Indiana Pacers in 2000[1].
The Pacers, who were defeated by the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the same year, may hold the key to the Celtics and Knicks' paths[1].
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Such comebacks are extremely rare, with only 13 instances in NBA history where a team rallying from a 3-1 deficit managed to win the series[2][3][4][5]. In fact, only around 4.5% of the 288 instances where a team trailed 3-1 have resulted in a series win[4].
*Reference(s):[1] Associated Press. (2022, May 16). Celtics, Knicks meet with series on line. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-knicks-meet-series-line-020326109.html
[2] Soppe, M. (2022). The 20 Teams That Overcame a 3-1 Deficit (And How They Did It). Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.si.com/nba/2022/04/04/nba-playoffs-comeback-teams-3-1-deficit
[3] Spencer, T. (2022, May 15). Celtics-Knicks Game 6: How 5 teams rallied from 3-1, and history against Celtics. CBS Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/celtics-knicks-game-6-history-of-nba-teams-rallying-from-3-1-deficits-nba-playoffs/
[4] Cannella, P. (2021, June 20). NBA history shows winning a series after a 3-1 deficit is incredibly rare. CBS Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-history-shows-winning-a-series-after-a-3-1-deficit-is-incredibly-rare/
[5] MacMullan, J. (2016, May 26). 20 teams that came back to win in games 6 and 7 after being down 3-1. CBS Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/20-teams-that-came-back-to-win-in-games-6-and-7-after-being-down-3-1-nba-playoffs/
*Note: The notable 3-1 comebacks from the 2020 season were made by the Denver Nuggets, who overcame both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers[5].
In light of such historical rarity in overcoming a 3-1 deficit, the Boston Celtics aim to make NBA history as they face the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Even with their leading scorer Jayson Tatum out, the Celtics are resolved to emulate the 13 teams who have previously rallied to win the series, as they strive for a miracle against the Knicks.
