As the first-round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers shifts to Oklahoma City on Friday, the Thunder will be looking to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit.
For the Thunder to have a chance at advancing to the next round, they face a tough task in order to do so as the odds do not favor teams that trail 2-0 to begin a series.
According to OddsShark, only 20 teams out of 282 seven-game playoff series that trailed 2-0 have ever come back to win. As many may remember, the Thunder accomplished the feat in 2012.
The last team to do so: The 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers against Boston.
Back in 2012, the Thunder trailed the San Antonio Spurs 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals. It was nearly the same scenario the team faces now: Losing the first two games on the road with Games 3 and 4 back in OKC.
The Thunder went on to take both games at home to tie the series and they eventually defeated the Spurs 4-2 to advance to play the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
So, while the Thunder haven’t played well to this point of the series, playing back at Chesapeake Energy Arena will be much-needed. History has shown that anything can happen from there.
The Thunder are 7.5-point favorites in Game 3 on Friday.
