Prior to the 2021 NBA Finals, there had been 35 instances in which a team had taken a 2-0 series lead.
The 2021 championship series became the 36th as the Suns took a 2-0 series lead. However, the Milwaukee Bucks fought back and won four straight to win their second title in franchise history and first since 1971.
In doing so, they become only the fifth team in NBA history and the first since the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 to overcome a 2-0 series lead in the Finals.
That said, here's a look at the four previous instances when a team has overcome a 2-0 series deficit in the Finals.
Cleveland Cavaliers — 2016
Arguably the greatest comeback in NBA history.
Not only were the Cavaliers down 2-0 in the 2016 NBA Finals, they also trailed 3-1 heading into Game 5 of the series and still managed to bounce back to clinch the franchise's first-ever NBA title.
In the process, they became the first team ever to come back from 3-1 down in the Finals. The fact that they did it against a Golden State Warriors squad that had won an NBA record 73 games in the regular season only made it sweeter.
LeBron James, who was named Finals MVP, made history in this series by becoming the first player ever to lead both teams in a Finals series in all individual stat categories - points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Miami Heat — 2006
Through the first two games, the 60-win Dallas Mavericks were running away with the series, winning each game by a combined margin of 24 points. As the series shifted to Miami, Dwyane Wade decided to take over.
Over the final four games, all of which ended in wins for the Heat, Wade averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 50.5% from the field and attempting nearly 18.3 free throws per game.
He would go on to be named Finals MVP for those numbers as he led the Heat to their first title in franchise history.
Three of the final four games were decided by a combined margin of just six points while the other was a 24-point blowout.
Portland Trail Blazers — 1977
Led by Bill Walton, who would go on to be named Finals MVP, the Trail Blazers clinched their first and only championship in franchise history in 1977 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fresh off upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous round, the Trail Blazers bounced back into the Finals by winning Games 3 and 4 by a combined margin of 54 points. The series didn't need a Game 7 as the next two games were close ones but still clinched by Portland.
Boston Celtics — 1969
One of the greatest championships runs in NBA history.
A 48-win Celtics squad that had won 10 of the previous 12 titles was the fourth seed and repeated as champions by defeating three 50-win teams along the way.
In the Division Semifinals, they upset the 55-win Philadelphia 76ers in five games. They followed that up by defeating the 54-win New York Knicks in six games in the Division Finals. Last but not least, they defeated the 55-win Los Angeles Lakers in an epic seven-game Finals series.
This was the last of 11 titles that Bill Russell led the Celtics to over a 13-year span, from 1956 to 1969. They clinched this one by overcoming a 2-0 series deficit against the Lakers in the Finals.
The 1969 Finals win improved Boston's record against Los Angeles in the Finals to 7-0.
The views on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the NBA or its clubs.
