The Rockets will try to do something that’s occurred only 13 times in NBA playoff history: winning a best-of-7 series after trailing 3-1.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
History shows that it can be done.
But at the same time, history shows just what a daunting challenge is staring at the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets host the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night at Toyota Center facing a 3-1 deficit and the end of their season with one more loss.
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NBA playoff history shows teams in that situation face long odds. In 288 instances when a team has had a 3-1 lead entering Tuesday, it’s won the series 275 times, or 95.5% of the time.
There have only been 13 instances of teams coming back from 3-1 deficits, and none since 2020.
The Rockets did it twice, 20 years apart in the Western Conference semifinals. The 1995 team defending its championship famously rallied past Phoenix, beating the Suns on their home court in Game 7 thanks to Mario Elie’s famous “Kiss of Death” 3-pointer in the final seconds, arguably the most memorable shot in franchise history. That propelled the Rockets to a repeat title.
Then in 2015, the Rockets came back from down 3-1 against the Clippers, rallying to win Game 6 in Los Angeles after trailing by 19 points in the third quarter and with star James Harden on the bench for the bulk of the rally. The Rockets then completed the comeback in Game 7 at Toyota Center,
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Two Warriors veterans — Stephen Curry and Draymond Green — were part of the most infamous 3-1 collapse in NBA history, when Golden State lost to Cleveland in the 2016 Finals. That remains the only time a 3-1 comeback was pulled off in the championship round. For the Warriors, it was more humiliating given they’d tied the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the most regular-season wins with 73, but fell one win shy of the finish line.
This year’s series marks the 14th time the Rockets have faced a 3-1 deficit in their history. They’ve lost in five the past three times in that situation. All-time, the Rockets have lost in five games five times, six games on six instances and forced Game 7 twice after trailing 3-1.
