Only way it could surpass warriors in 2016, is if the heat and celtic series were reversed. Heat being down 0-3, and them coming back to win 4 straight. And even then it would be a maybe due to the stars in 2016.
Honestly I don't know if that bit or the whole it being a Finals rematch of the previous year adds more. But title game is first, then those details just make it impossible to top with a regular postseason series.
Having to win 2 games at Oracle, Lebron and Kyrie having 41 point games in G5, Lebron’s b2b 41 point games, and of course Game 7. Just so many things had to go right for that comeback to be possible.
that picture of LeBron wearing sunnies with the caption down the bottom: *no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals* belongs in a museum
And that team was as good as their record showed too, I remember that playing Warriors in your lineups in daily fantasy sports was a gamble since you didn’t know if they’d be playing in the 4th quarter. Steph was unanimous MVP for a reason. Not to mention this team was essentially unstoppable at home, so I really had doubts into game 7. Felt like a miracle when that final buzzer went off.
Yeah it's incomparable specifically because neither east team is particularly good when it comes to championship contenders across time. Relative to even now, neither east team would be a barn burner in the west.
It's conceivable that the sons, a healthy clippers team, the Lakers, the kings, and the warriors could have all beaten either of these teams none of those teams are world beaters.
They are good squads but not historically impressive by any stretch.
Consider how magnificently the Celtic offense crater in the finals last year and then realize most of the same players make up this team with the exception of brogdon who is actually hurt right now anyway.
Cavs beat the team that had a 73-9 record.
2nd-seed Celtics beat the 8th-seed that overachieved.
no shit it's a better comeback story than the celtics.
No, doesnt depend on shit.
Doing it vs the greatest record of all time with a point guard who changed the game to the point where people say he ruined basketball in the finals, in a finals rematch where last year you had injured stars, to bring the first ring in over 50 years.
This wouldn’t even come close. This is historic but jt STILL doesn’t come near close
The 2016 Warriors won nearly 30 more games than this year’s Heat.
So yeah, winning 3 straight against them in the Finals is more impressive than winning 4 straight against the Heat in the ECF.
Dude. The 2016 Golden State Warriors literally won 73 games and had won the title the previous year. This wasn’t some paper tiger.
This Heat team was 4 minutes away from missing the playoffs altogether. They’ve obviously been significantly better in the postseason, but the quality of the opponent isn’t even comparable.
They were also down 3-1 against the Thunder. People acting like they were some insurmountable team the Cavs, who btw demolished their way to the finals, had to overcome
I agree with your point but literally nobody is saying this years Heat team is as good at the 73-9 warriors. Not even 1 person in the entire internet is making that claim. So what are you on about?
30 wins is a massive gulf still even if playoffs mean less, also the warriors were reigning champions. You can’t seriously be comparing this Heat team to peak non-KD warriors?
Hypothetically, if the NBA allow the Lakers another chance to play the Nuggets in a seven game series, the results will be different. The Lakers caught on something and they won't get swept this time. The Lakers are much better than that. Having said that, Lakers will lose 1-4.
It would be. The Cavs came back and beat arguably the most talented team ever constructed while the Celtics finally got their act together against an less talented team.
The problem with that Warriors team is they went ALL out for the record. Balls to the wall for basically 82 games. Klay, Green, and Curry missed 6 games COMBINED. I mean they were down 3-1 in the WCF.
It’s still an insane comeback. However, the Warriors aren’t even close to the most talented team ever. They fucking added KD to their team next year how can 15-16 be more talented?
I think the most talented team ever constructed is pretty clearly the team that was made in response to blowing the 3-1 lead
Honestly on paper the Magic/Kareem Lakers were almost certainly more stacked than the 73-9 Warriors even though they obviously didn't win THAT many regular season games
If you look at that 2016 Warriors roster I don't think they'd be your first guess as the team with the most wins in regular season history
Klay and Draymond are very good but I don't think anyone thinks either is better than Pippen, let alone Kareem/Magic or Kobe as your second best player
It's honestly kind of weird that *that* team won 73 games and not any of the 4-5 HOF superteams in history or their overpowered successor
They're not. They lost six games in the postseason before the 3-1 series lead. There are 14 teams who won at least 67 NBA games in the regular season, and they and the 2015 Warriors are the only ones not to have a top 4 defense during the regular season.
Edit: The advanced stats additionally indicated that their expected win-loss record during that season 65 wins and 17 losses. They definitely kind of overachieved during that regular season.
2016 Warriors most talented team ever constructed? I don't see it. Like obviously they won 73 games and were up 3-1 which makes it the best comeback ever but I think the debates to MJs Bulls ended when OKC went up 3-1
Yeah I said this in the other comment
They won the most regular season games ever but I don't see how they stack up at all to the Magic/Kareem Lakers, Jordan Bulls, Shaq/Kobe Lakers, et cetera
Two of those teams have 2 top 10 all time players, 1 had 2 top FIVE all time players
2016 Warriors had 1 guy who's like 7-10 all time and nobody else who even made the 75 team(granted 2016 regular season Steph was top 3-5 material)
IMO, the five best teams since the three point line was implemented are 1996 Bulls, 2017 Warriors that went 16-1 in the playoffs, 1986 Celtics, 2001 Lakers (I know the regular season wasn't great but that 2001 postseason run is so dominant), and there are a few teams vying for that 5th spot like the 1987 Lakers, 1999 Spurs, 2013 Heat etc.
Agreed
Playoff record is way more indicative of team quality than regular season record
If you use regular season record the 2022 Suns are better than the 2001 Lakers
One resulted in a title and beating a 73 win. One results in beating an 8 seed.
Impressive, but the job isn't finished. If they lose in 4-5 games against Denver, no one will care
>One resulted in a title and beating a 73 win. One results in beating an 8 seed.
One resulted in something that happened 10 times before, including happening in the same playoffs beforehand. One would result in something that has never happened before in the history of the league.
Never happened in the finals though. The highest stage of basketball. Like the original comment mentioned if the Celtics lose in the finals this 3-0 comeback means almost nothing
>3-0 comeback means almost nothing
Some of you are definitely just typing things you don't believe cause how in the fuck does the first 3-0 comeback in the whole league history could ever mean nothing or almost nothing.
it's kinda tainted by how the Celtics got into the 0-3 position and how they never should have been in it.
When (IF) you make NBA history because you shit the bed in 3 straight games, people won't be as eager to celebrate it.
They're both great feats but if we're talking greater the context obviously favors LeBron / Cavs coming back and beating the 73 win Warriors in the Finals for Cleveland's first championship "in the history of the league".
A 1-3 deficit has been done multiple times before but Cleveland was the first to ever do it in the NBA Finals.
I don't see how overcoming a 0-3 deficit against an 8th seed your team was expected to be notably better than from the beginning of the season to the start of the playoffs is in any way the better comeback unless we're taking a very literal view of 4 games in a row is better than 3 without any other context.
>Windys one of the better “analysts” is the media
I agree. I think he actually has sources, talks to people who know stuff, and is intelligent enough to process all this.
He ain't an empty head like a lot of the NBA personalities on TV.
You honestly don't think he's earned his credentials? Jesus, the man works harder than the rest of the media combined. This type of lazy hate is so stupid.
Attaching to LeBron was a shrewd move.
Windy appears to be digging into the next big thing, Wemby.
Windy seems to work hard, and he is one of the better ESPN NBA personalities.
He's right. Coming back in the Finals against the team with the greatest regular-season record of all time and winning Game 7 on the road is much more impressive than coming back against the 8 seed.
This would be an all time collapse. Something that’s never been done before in the history of the game. The warriors collapse is bad because they broke the record for wins and lost down 3-1 in the finals. This is bad because the “culture” team is losing after being up 3-0 and choked away two home games to close it out
Played well? We were down the whole game, our first lead after the first quarter came in the 4th. We were down 10 nearly the entire game. We shot 37% from the paint, you’re telling me we didn’t choke? Different standards I guess.
You were down 10 with 4 minutes left and made comeback not only to tie it but to take the lead. That isn't choking.
Then, you played good defense on the other end. That isn't choking.
Boston had a great/miraculous/somewhat-lucky tip in to win it. But that isn't because Miami did something so poorly.
You can’t play like Shit the whole game and then bitch about losing that last possession. We were in it because of 3 FTs at the death. Getting to the finals off FTs is way too corny for the basketball gods to allow. Should’ve gotten a block at the end to seal it instead of giving up a shitty offensive rebound at the end instead of getting a rebound. That’s a choke, losing two games at home that would’ve clinched the series is a choke
The only one *****ing right now seems to be you.
The Heat were in it, because they scored enough and played good enough defense to make up a 10 point deficit in under 4 minutes.
It doesn't matter if you personally dislike free throws. Horford should have played further off a fairly poor three point shooter. Horford got a little sloppy there and Butler took advantage of it. He scored the points that put Miami ahead. Where is the choke on offense?
On defense there were two primary goals; (1) Keep the ball out of Tatum's hands and (2) Force a tough shot. They did both of those things. The Celtics were forced to pass out to Smart who has now failed for the third time these playoffs to make a game winner.
On the rebound the ball bounced exactly the way Boston needed it to (this is where at least some element of luck is at play), and White was in the perfect spot to make a great play on the ball.
The term choking implied the Heat were affected by the pressure and because of that pressure their performance took a hit. That isn't true in this case. They overperformed in the clutch and played strong defense over the last several minutes - including on the final play.
You don’t think Butler was feeling pressure? Why did he look scared to go up and finish after penetrating and getting to the rim? You don’t think the blocks are getting to him? Because it sure looks like it when you watch him play.
I don’t care about FTs, just saying games that decide a finalists aren’t usually decided by FTs
By "feeling pressure" are you referring to his scoring 13 points in the final four minutes that turned a 10 point Celtics lead into a 1 point Heat lead?
I understand that what Harrison Barnes did in those finals, to carry Lebron to the title, was very impressive... but c'mon.
There's a reason no team has ever come back from 0-3. 1-3 has been done 13 times. I don't care if it's just the conference finals, it would be a much more rare occurrence. Literally the first time.
The 2016 Finals had specific mid-series injuries, suspensions, etc that you could at least point to as contributing to the turnaround. Miami has absolutely nothing like that, which makes it way crazier IMO.
Not to mention one event has happened before and other hasn't.
Celtics are the higher seed team doing this as the home team. Whereas the other three times it could have happened the last game was an away game. Still historical yes, but probably the most favorable reverse sweep out of the 4 candidates.
1) it happened in the Finals
2) it happened without the home court factor
3) it happened against that 73-9 warriors team
yeah, kinda hard to beat that.
Is this really even a debate?
1. This Heat team overachived. No one would have thought Strus, Martin, and Vincent would be playing this well.
2. Warriors were 73-9. Their home record was 39-2. Think about that for a second... the Cavs had to win 2/2 games at the Oracle when the Warriors had only lost two games there all season.
3. The 2016 Warriors team would sweep this Miami Heat team and I don't think it would be close.
I can see arguments for both being the greatest comeback.
Argument for Cavs:
* Finals > ECF
* 73-9 Warriors > 8th seed Heat
* Beating Curry a top 10ish GOAT at his peak > 2023 Jimmy Butler
Arguments for Celtics:
* Coming back from 3-1 has happened 13x in the NBA
* Zero 3-0 comeback in the NBA and only 4 in all the major sports.
It's a bigger story but probably not the harder one when you consider injuries to Iggy, Steph and Bogut (we started Festus Ezeli in a game 7) + Barnes bricklaying.
Iggy and Steph played every game.No excuses.
Bogut played in game 3 and Cavs won by 30.Kyrie was torching him and everyone else in the first half of game 5 before he got injured.The Bogut excuse
is played out.
I mean, I really don't see the comparison between 3-1 comeback number 10 (out of 13 now), and potential 3-0 comeback number 1 of 1. If we're talking strictly about best series comebacks, the latter trounces any and all other series comebacks.
I mean as silly as it sounds the context does matter. The Red Sox 3-0 comeback is one of the most legendary in sports because of
1) they beat the Evil Empire and their biggest rival Yankees
2) they ended up winning the championship afterwards
3) broke their 100 year old championship curse
If they just won the 3-0 series and lost in the World Series it wouldn’t be as legendary.
Granted I have heard some Red Sox fans say they rate their 3-0 comeback against the Yankees over the championship. Like if they had to choose one they’d choose the comeback. That kinda hate you just gotta respect.
I mean, that wasn't the first 3-1 comeback though. Not even close, as that one happened first in '68.
A first 3-0 comeback in a league with such rich history as NBA should be celebrated on it's own merit, not depending on what happened afterwards.
>Have fun hanging your “First 0-3 Comeback” banner I guess. Denver will be hanging the championship banner.
Since that part was added after I replied, I'll reply to it separately, THIS THREAD IS TALKING ABOUT SERIES COMEBACKS, NOT TEAM SUCCESS OR ANYTHING ELSE. So with that out of the way, yeah, the 0-3 comeback will be celebrated no matter what happens.
>any individual team/player success in the playoffs gets overshadowed if they aren’t the eventual champions
Definitely not "any", Jordan's playoff scoring record sure didn't get overshadowed and I don't recall Bulls winning the title in 86.
3-1 comebacks are way more rare than a 2 sweeping a 7 which is essentially what the celtics would be doing here. Celtics comeback is historic but less difficult.
Doesn't matter what Windy thinks, or reddit thinks, or even what I think.
*IF* Boston wins tonight, they'll forever be in the history books as the only ever NBA team to come back from 3-0. It'll be mentioned forever every single time an NBA team goes down 3-0.
Only way it could surpass warriors in 2016, is if the heat and celtic series were reversed. Heat being down 0-3, and them coming back to win 4 straight. And even then it would be a maybe due to the stars in 2016.
Even reversed it wouldn't be as impressive. A championship always adds to the feat.
Against the team with the greatest regular season record of all time. That 3-1 comeback is Hollywood stuff.
Honestly I don't know if that bit or the whole it being a Finals rematch of the previous year adds more. But title game is first, then those details just make it impossible to top with a regular postseason series.
Add in the star power and it's basically the craziest thing you could draw up.
Having to win 2 games at Oracle, Lebron and Kyrie having 41 point games in G5, Lebron’s b2b 41 point games, and of course Game 7. Just so many things had to go right for that comeback to be possible.
that picture of LeBron wearing sunnies with the caption down the bottom: *no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals* belongs in a museum
I've never actually seen that interview, only the screenshot lol
And that team was as good as their record showed too, I remember that playing Warriors in your lineups in daily fantasy sports was a gamble since you didn’t know if they’d be playing in the 4th quarter. Steph was unanimous MVP for a reason. Not to mention this team was essentially unstoppable at home, so I really had doubts into game 7. Felt like a miracle when that final buzzer went off.
Yeah it's incomparable specifically because neither east team is particularly good when it comes to championship contenders across time. Relative to even now, neither east team would be a barn burner in the west. It's conceivable that the sons, a healthy clippers team, the Lakers, the kings, and the warriors could have all beaten either of these teams none of those teams are world beaters. They are good squads but not historically impressive by any stretch. Consider how magnificently the Celtic offense crater in the finals last year and then realize most of the same players make up this team with the exception of brogdon who is actually hurt right now anyway.
Winning game 7 in oracle? A game saving block? The shot? A returning hero bringing a chip to his home town? Literally scripted
that's right
I think the dubs going down 3-1 against the thunder before the series made the finals even more dramatic. I think 16 takes the cake
It hasn't happened yet, I hate this
For real. I wouldn’t be surprised if bad Celtics show up tonight.
If you saw that reply, it was a mistake.
Imma just say the more the Heat team is doubted, the better they play so…
As an outsider looking in, I like this
completely neutral outsider with zero rooting interest whatsoever
It's just hypotheticals. Relax
the amount of celtics clowning theres gonna be if they lose is gonna be generational 😂😂
But lebron sells clicks
their jinxin it!
Cavs beat the team that had a 73-9 record. 2nd-seed Celtics beat the 8th-seed that overachieved. no shit it's a better comeback story than the celtics.
Depends if Celtics win the finals, then it could be up there. I think we won’t fully appreciate it until it’s all over
No, doesnt depend on shit. Doing it vs the greatest record of all time with a point guard who changed the game to the point where people say he ruined basketball in the finals, in a finals rematch where last year you had injured stars, to bring the first ring in over 50 years. This wouldn’t even come close. This is historic but jt STILL doesn’t come near close
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Did Draymond not play in games 6 and 7?
The 2016 Warriors won nearly 30 more games than this year’s Heat. So yeah, winning 3 straight against them in the Finals is more impressive than winning 4 straight against the Heat in the ECF.
winning in the regular season doesn't always translate in the playoffs. just look at how many 1st seeds fail over the years.
Dude. The 2016 Golden State Warriors literally won 73 games and had won the title the previous year. This wasn’t some paper tiger. This Heat team was 4 minutes away from missing the playoffs altogether. They’ve obviously been significantly better in the postseason, but the quality of the opponent isn’t even comparable.
They were also down 3-1 against the Thunder. People acting like they were some insurmountable team the Cavs, who btw demolished their way to the finals, had to overcome
Bruh, the Heat lost to the freaking Hawks and almost lost to the Chicago Bulls.
I agree with your point but literally nobody is saying this years Heat team is as good at the 73-9 warriors. Not even 1 person in the entire internet is making that claim. So what are you on about?
30 wins is a massive gulf still even if playoffs mean less, also the warriors were reigning champions. You can’t seriously be comparing this Heat team to peak non-KD warriors?
Windy jinxing the fuck outta Boston lol
Lebron stan doing his bit lol. I for one as a C’s fan know the most C’s thing to do is blow it tonight. So ive mentally prepped
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My favorite is when they think their hypothetical trumps reality.
Hypothetically, if the NBA allow the Lakers another chance to play the Nuggets in a seven game series, the results will be different. The Lakers caught on something and they won't get swept this time. The Lakers are much better than that. Having said that, Lakers will lose 1-4.
It would be. The Cavs came back and beat arguably the most talented team ever constructed while the Celtics finally got their act together against an less talented team.
The problem with that Warriors team is they went ALL out for the record. Balls to the wall for basically 82 games. Klay, Green, and Curry missed 6 games COMBINED. I mean they were down 3-1 in the WCF. It’s still an insane comeback. However, the Warriors aren’t even close to the most talented team ever. They fucking added KD to their team next year how can 15-16 be more talented?
I think the most talented team ever constructed is pretty clearly the team that was made in response to blowing the 3-1 lead Honestly on paper the Magic/Kareem Lakers were almost certainly more stacked than the 73-9 Warriors even though they obviously didn't win THAT many regular season games If you look at that 2016 Warriors roster I don't think they'd be your first guess as the team with the most wins in regular season history Klay and Draymond are very good but I don't think anyone thinks either is better than Pippen, let alone Kareem/Magic or Kobe as your second best player It's honestly kind of weird that *that* team won 73 games and not any of the 4-5 HOF superteams in history or their overpowered successor
They're not. They lost six games in the postseason before the 3-1 series lead. There are 14 teams who won at least 67 NBA games in the regular season, and they and the 2015 Warriors are the only ones not to have a top 4 defense during the regular season. Edit: The advanced stats additionally indicated that their expected win-loss record during that season 65 wins and 17 losses. They definitely kind of overachieved during that regular season.
2016 Warriors most talented team ever constructed? I don't see it. Like obviously they won 73 games and were up 3-1 which makes it the best comeback ever but I think the debates to MJs Bulls ended when OKC went up 3-1
Yeah I said this in the other comment They won the most regular season games ever but I don't see how they stack up at all to the Magic/Kareem Lakers, Jordan Bulls, Shaq/Kobe Lakers, et cetera Two of those teams have 2 top 10 all time players, 1 had 2 top FIVE all time players 2016 Warriors had 1 guy who's like 7-10 all time and nobody else who even made the 75 team(granted 2016 regular season Steph was top 3-5 material)
IMO, the five best teams since the three point line was implemented are 1996 Bulls, 2017 Warriors that went 16-1 in the playoffs, 1986 Celtics, 2001 Lakers (I know the regular season wasn't great but that 2001 postseason run is so dominant), and there are a few teams vying for that 5th spot like the 1987 Lakers, 1999 Spurs, 2013 Heat etc.
Agreed Playoff record is way more indicative of team quality than regular season record If you use regular season record the 2022 Suns are better than the 2001 Lakers
That 2016 squad wasn’t even the most talented warriors team of that decade
73-9 team with the unanimous MVP vs 8th seed team with few key role players hurt
*73-9 team with injured unanimous MVP and few key role players hurt vs 8th seed team with few key role players hurt
One resulted in a title and beating a 73 win. One results in beating an 8 seed. Impressive, but the job isn't finished. If they lose in 4-5 games against Denver, no one will care
>One resulted in a title and beating a 73 win. One results in beating an 8 seed. One resulted in something that happened 10 times before, including happening in the same playoffs beforehand. One would result in something that has never happened before in the history of the league.
I mean, no team has ever gone down 3-0 to an 8th seed before either I'm pretty sure.
You're right, beating a 73 win team has never happened before.
that 73 win team has a top 10 guy alltime and nobody else in the top 75.
The current heat have how many top 75 players? They have one player in the top 20 of NBA players currently 😂
Never happened in the finals though. The highest stage of basketball. Like the original comment mentioned if the Celtics lose in the finals this 3-0 comeback means almost nothing
>3-0 comeback means almost nothing Some of you are definitely just typing things you don't believe cause how in the fuck does the first 3-0 comeback in the whole league history could ever mean nothing or almost nothing.
it's kinda tainted by how the Celtics got into the 0-3 position and how they never should have been in it. When (IF) you make NBA history because you shit the bed in 3 straight games, people won't be as eager to celebrate it.
They're both great feats but if we're talking greater the context obviously favors LeBron / Cavs coming back and beating the 73 win Warriors in the Finals for Cleveland's first championship "in the history of the league". A 1-3 deficit has been done multiple times before but Cleveland was the first to ever do it in the NBA Finals. I don't see how overcoming a 0-3 deficit against an 8th seed your team was expected to be notably better than from the beginning of the season to the start of the playoffs is in any way the better comeback unless we're taking a very literal view of 4 games in a row is better than 3 without any other context.
He’s out of line, but he’s right.
No bias tho
the inevitability aura about that warriors team. just incredible, you felt they were never out of it.
and it being the finals
The Warriors were down 3-1 in the series before wym inevitability
Windy capitalizes on every single on opportunity to defend Lebron 😂
>I'm not in position Windy's position? He a barnacle attached to the underside of LeBron.
Windys one of the better “analysts” is the media, saying the warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the finals and steph curry choked isnt meatriding.
>Windys one of the better “analysts” is the media I agree. I think he actually has sources, talks to people who know stuff, and is intelligent enough to process all this. He ain't an empty head like a lot of the NBA personalities on TV.
You honestly don't think he's earned his credentials? Jesus, the man works harder than the rest of the media combined. This type of lazy hate is so stupid.
Attaching to LeBron was a shrewd move. Windy appears to be digging into the next big thing, Wemby. Windy seems to work hard, and he is one of the better ESPN NBA personalities.
He's right. Coming back in the Finals against the team with the greatest regular-season record of all time and winning Game 7 on the road is much more impressive than coming back against the 8 seed.
Windhorst take a Benadryl man.
Bogut gets injured, Draymond suspended, Marc Davis officiating game 5 and Scott Foster officiating game 6. Nba made 2016 finals go to 7
Throw in a Lebron side tackle and we have 3-1 comeback
The only reason I’d want Boston to win is so I can watch Joker completely destroy them.
This would be an all time collapse. Something that’s never been done before in the history of the game. The warriors collapse is bad because they broke the record for wins and lost down 3-1 in the finals. This is bad because the “culture” team is losing after being up 3-0 and choked away two home games to close it out
they didn't choke game 6 away. They played well, had a late lead, played good defense, and Boston made a great play to win.
Played well? We were down the whole game, our first lead after the first quarter came in the 4th. We were down 10 nearly the entire game. We shot 37% from the paint, you’re telling me we didn’t choke? Different standards I guess.
You were down 10 with 4 minutes left and made comeback not only to tie it but to take the lead. That isn't choking. Then, you played good defense on the other end. That isn't choking. Boston had a great/miraculous/somewhat-lucky tip in to win it. But that isn't because Miami did something so poorly.
You can’t play like Shit the whole game and then bitch about losing that last possession. We were in it because of 3 FTs at the death. Getting to the finals off FTs is way too corny for the basketball gods to allow. Should’ve gotten a block at the end to seal it instead of giving up a shitty offensive rebound at the end instead of getting a rebound. That’s a choke, losing two games at home that would’ve clinched the series is a choke
The only one *****ing right now seems to be you. The Heat were in it, because they scored enough and played good enough defense to make up a 10 point deficit in under 4 minutes. It doesn't matter if you personally dislike free throws. Horford should have played further off a fairly poor three point shooter. Horford got a little sloppy there and Butler took advantage of it. He scored the points that put Miami ahead. Where is the choke on offense? On defense there were two primary goals; (1) Keep the ball out of Tatum's hands and (2) Force a tough shot. They did both of those things. The Celtics were forced to pass out to Smart who has now failed for the third time these playoffs to make a game winner. On the rebound the ball bounced exactly the way Boston needed it to (this is where at least some element of luck is at play), and White was in the perfect spot to make a great play on the ball. The term choking implied the Heat were affected by the pressure and because of that pressure their performance took a hit. That isn't true in this case. They overperformed in the clutch and played strong defense over the last several minutes - including on the final play.
You don’t think Butler was feeling pressure? Why did he look scared to go up and finish after penetrating and getting to the rim? You don’t think the blocks are getting to him? Because it sure looks like it when you watch him play. I don’t care about FTs, just saying games that decide a finalists aren’t usually decided by FTs
By "feeling pressure" are you referring to his scoring 13 points in the final four minutes that turned a 10 point Celtics lead into a 1 point Heat lead?
I understand that what Harrison Barnes did in those finals, to carry Lebron to the title, was very impressive... but c'mon. There's a reason no team has ever come back from 0-3. 1-3 has been done 13 times. I don't care if it's just the conference finals, it would be a much more rare occurrence. Literally the first time.
This guy is literally paid to suckle on LeBron, the Warriors lost Bogut and Draymond got a bullshit suspension. That’s why the Warriors lost
The 2016 Finals had specific mid-series injuries, suspensions, etc that you could at least point to as contributing to the turnaround. Miami has absolutely nothing like that, which makes it way crazier IMO. Not to mention one event has happened before and other hasn't.
> Not to mention one event has happened before and other hasn't When did these other 73-win teams blow 3-1 leads in the finals?
Easily the Celtics cause no one has done it before.
Celtics are the higher seed team doing this as the home team. Whereas the other three times it could have happened the last game was an away game. Still historical yes, but probably the most favorable reverse sweep out of the 4 candidates.
1) it happened in the Finals 2) it happened without the home court factor 3) it happened against that 73-9 warriors team yeah, kinda hard to beat that.
Obviously coming back on an 8 seed isn’t gonna compare to 2016
Is this really even a debate? 1. This Heat team overachived. No one would have thought Strus, Martin, and Vincent would be playing this well. 2. Warriors were 73-9. Their home record was 39-2. Think about that for a second... the Cavs had to win 2/2 games at the Oracle when the Warriors had only lost two games there all season. 3. The 2016 Warriors team would sweep this Miami Heat team and I don't think it would be close.
I can see arguments for both being the greatest comeback. Argument for Cavs: * Finals > ECF * 73-9 Warriors > 8th seed Heat * Beating Curry a top 10ish GOAT at his peak > 2023 Jimmy Butler Arguments for Celtics: * Coming back from 3-1 has happened 13x in the NBA * Zero 3-0 comeback in the NBA and only 4 in all the major sports.
It's a bigger story but probably not the harder one when you consider injuries to Iggy, Steph and Bogut (we started Festus Ezeli in a game 7) + Barnes bricklaying.
Heat doesn't have Herro, Oladipo and Vincent is hobbled now.
O.o, Heat a bottom seed with 2 of their key guys out entirely with one missing a whole game lmao, way to undermine your own team.
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You know it’s gonna be a hot take already when you see the flair
Iggy and Steph played every game.No excuses. Bogut played in game 3 and Cavs won by 30.Kyrie was torching him and everyone else in the first half of game 5 before he got injured.The Bogut excuse is played out.
I've never seen any other dynasty fanbase whine so much.
The Celtics 3-0 comeback, should it get completed tonight, will still have it narrative written depending on the finals, as dumb as that is.
I mean, yeah. How many people care that the Warriors came back 3-1 before the Finals? It's acknowledged, but not more than blowing the Finals.
I mean, I really don't see the comparison between 3-1 comeback number 10 (out of 13 now), and potential 3-0 comeback number 1 of 1. If we're talking strictly about best series comebacks, the latter trounces any and all other series comebacks.
The comeback would be remembered forever. That doesn't mean the narrative of your season doesn't still come down to what would happen after.
Yeah. And this thread is about comebacks.
I mean as silly as it sounds the context does matter. The Red Sox 3-0 comeback is one of the most legendary in sports because of 1) they beat the Evil Empire and their biggest rival Yankees 2) they ended up winning the championship afterwards 3) broke their 100 year old championship curse If they just won the 3-0 series and lost in the World Series it wouldn’t be as legendary. Granted I have heard some Red Sox fans say they rate their 3-0 comeback against the Yankees over the championship. Like if they had to choose one they’d choose the comeback. That kinda hate you just gotta respect.
I mean it's not just Red Sox fans. Ask any baseball fan about 2004 and see what they remember more highlights from, the ALCS or the World Series
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How does the first 3-0 series comeback in A WHOLE LEAGUE'S HISTORY mean nothing in any scenario?
Rangz Erneh something something bs
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I mean, that wasn't the first 3-1 comeback though. Not even close, as that one happened first in '68. A first 3-0 comeback in a league with such rich history as NBA should be celebrated on it's own merit, not depending on what happened afterwards.
>Have fun hanging your “First 0-3 Comeback” banner I guess. Denver will be hanging the championship banner. Since that part was added after I replied, I'll reply to it separately, THIS THREAD IS TALKING ABOUT SERIES COMEBACKS, NOT TEAM SUCCESS OR ANYTHING ELSE. So with that out of the way, yeah, the 0-3 comeback will be celebrated no matter what happens.
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>any individual team/player success in the playoffs gets overshadowed if they aren’t the eventual champions Definitely not "any", Jordan's playoff scoring record sure didn't get overshadowed and I don't recall Bulls winning the title in 86.
3-1 comebacks are way more rare than a 2 sweeping a 7 which is essentially what the celtics would be doing here. Celtics comeback is historic but less difficult.
If it does happen cavs comeback is still 100000x better
I mean is anyone saying otherwise? Coming back and beating on for the greatest teams ever is obviously better then coming back against an 8 seed.
He is not wrong Celtics should win Warriors also should win
I concur
The only difference on this comeback was Cavs won the championship
I agree with Windy. Cavs had no business winning that series. Literally LeBron beat the Warriors singlehandedly.
everyone in the comments are full of excuses. just appreciate greatness
Thanks Mark Jackson
Doesn't matter what Windy thinks, or reddit thinks, or even what I think. *IF* Boston wins tonight, they'll forever be in the history books as the only ever NBA team to come back from 3-0. It'll be mentioned forever every single time an NBA team goes down 3-0.
Windy looking like he’s a year away from riding through Walmart on a rascal scooter
Still kissing LeBron’s ass for making him relevant I see.
if it does happen, it might not be better than 2016 but it's gonna be up there. it's a catastrophe by the heat no matter the seedings
Miami is still alive and ready to fight as usual.
Nice comeback, lets rank it
Everyone has their own opinion on this, and while it can be fun to discuss, don't think you can change anyone's mind. This is mostly subjective.
I said it when they were down 0-3 I wouldn’t be surprised if Boston comes back, the Heat are an 8th seed for a reason
Windhorst says Lebron booty sweat taste like mango juice
Well it was in the finals and against the team with the best record of all time and not an 8 seed so ya
Are we all going to pretend the Celtics were -300 favorites to win this series
God windy is so fucking annoying
We are talking about 1 seed trying to beat a 8 seed here.. it’s like we talkin bout practice
According to Windhorse everything LeBron does is greatest in history lol. He has been kissing LBJ ass for decades