The Celtics find themselves in a deep hole after dropping consecutive games at home to the New York Knicks to begin the second round – but has Boston ever recovered from a 2-0 series deficit?
Things have gone from bad to worse for the defending champions who find themselves in an almighty pickle following Wednesday’s Game 2 loss at the hands of their Atlantic division rivals.
New York became the first team in NBA history to erase 20-point deficits in back-to-back playoff games and in a stunning turn of events, the Knicks are in the driving seat heading back to Madison Square Garden.
It may be a surprise to some that the Celtics are still odds-on with sportsbooks to win the series, but in terms of league history the odds are certainly stacked against them.
Of the total 463 playoff series that have featured a 2-0 lead, 92.7% (429) went on to win while just 7.3% (34) mounted a successful comeback.
Have the Celtics ever recovered from a 2-0 series deficit?
Yes, the Celtics have – in fact they are two of the 34 teams to have successfully recovered from a 2-0 series deficit in history.
The most recent comeback came in 2017 when Boston went 2-0 down to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
Boston finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference that year for the first time since 2008 and began the series on the back foot to the eight seed Bulls.
That marked just the second occasion in NBA history when a No 1 seed dropped their first two games against a No 8 seed.
Jimmy Butler, Dwayne Wade and former Celtic legend Rajon Rondo were causing Boston all sorts of problems as the series shifted to the United Center.
From there, the revival began. Then-head coach Brad Stevens made a number of adjustments in the starting lineups and rotations, leading to an emphatic win on the road in Game 3.
Five Celtics finished with double-digit points as Boston cruised to a 17-point win in Illinois, holding a golden opportunity in Game 4 to reclaim homecourt advantage.
Led by Isaiah Thomas’ 33 points and seven assists, the Celtics levelled up the series and took a lead for the first time in Game 5 thanks to 24 from Thomas and the same output by Avery Bradley.
Going back to Chicago with a chance to put the final nail in the coffin, Boston won by an incredible 22 points and the team advanced to the second round.
WATCH: Celtics topple Bulls in Game 6 to erase 2-0 series deficit in 2017
The first occasion Boston recovered from a 2-0 series hole was in 1969 – on the biggest stage of all as the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
That series is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in league history as an aging Celtics overcame the big three of Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.
The Celtics only managed to finish as the No 4 seed in the East that season and their chances of even making the finals were considered slim at best.
Los Angeles won the first two games – both of which were close encounters at The Forum in Inglewood, California. West tallied 53 points in Game 1 and 41 in Game 2.
Bill Russell and John Havlicek led the way for Boston as the series went back to Massachusetts and the Celtics got right back in it with two straight wins.
The Lakers took Game 5 before the Celtics dominated Game 6 as Russell kept Chamberlain quiet throughout, scoring just eight points and setting up a mouthwatering Game 7 clash.
In Game 7 on the road the Celtics became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 2-0 series deficit to win the championship – a feat later achieved by the Portland Trail Blazers (1977), Miami Heat (2006), Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and Milwaukee Bucks (2021).
Boston also became the first to win a Game 7 in the NBA Finals on the road and it marked the final championship of the Russell dynasty.
WATCH: Lakers-Celtics Game 7 highlights from the 1969 NBA Finals
For any Celtics fans searching for a bit of hope as the team looks to bounce back on Saturday night in the Big Apple, the comeback is far from impossible and has been done before.
Boston is 1-3 all-time in series after losing the first two games at home, though – so there are still plenty of reasons to suggest the hole they’ve dug themselves may be too deep to get out of.
The only winning series in that scenario was against the Bulls in 2017. The Celtics were swept by the Bucks in 1983, lost in five to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 and lost in seven to the Miami Heat in 2023.
Of the 43 road teams who have taken a 2-0 series lead in NBA history, 38 won and five lost. It’s not over until it’s over, but it’s certainly an uphill battle.
