For the Dallas Mavericks and Edmonton Oilers, their comeback efforts are just beginning and they still have a long road ahead of them.
That being said, they’re off to an unprecedented start.
Dallas’ 38-point win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday and Edmonton’s seven-point win over the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday were both by far the largest wins ever by a team facing a 3-0 deficit in an NBA or NHL title series.
It was only the third time a team has won after trailing 3-0 in the NBA Finals and the ninth time a team in the same predicament has won the Stanley Cup Finals.
Look at the last time a team went from 3-0 down to winning Game 4 of a title round in the NBA and NHL, and what happened afterward.
NBA
2024 — Dallas 122, Boston 84
The Mavericks won by 38 points, the third-largest margin of victory in an NBA Finals game, and it could have been much worse, as Boston lost by as many as 48 points.
What happens next: TBD. Game 5 is Monday in Boston.
1996 — Seattle 107, Chicago 86
The SuperSonics avoided elimination with a ferocious 28-11 second quarter run.
What happened next: Seattle won Game 5, but Chicago clinched the championship in Game 6.
2017 — Cleveland 137, Golden State 116
Golden State was looking to improve to a 16-0 record in the playoffs, but Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and Cleveland added 49 points in the first quarter and 37 in the second. LeBron James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
What happened afterwards: Golden State won Game 5 and clinched the title.
NHL
2024 — Edmonton 8, Florida 1
The game was one-sided from the start, with the Oilers quickly taking a 2-0 lead and then setting a 6-1 lead at the end of the second period, before adding two more goals late in the game.
What happens next: TBD. Game 5 is Tuesday in Florida.
2021 — Montreal 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT)
Josh Anderson extended the series with a goal at 3:57 into overtime, but it turned out to be Montreal’s final goal of the season.
What happened next: Andrei Vasilievskiy stopped 22 shots for a 1-0 shutout victory as the Lightning won Game 5 and claimed the Cup.
2014 — New York Rangers 2, Los Angeles 1
Martin St. Louis’ second-period goal gave the Rangers the win, cutting the Kings’ lead to 3-1.
What happened afterwards: The Kings won the Cup in five games, winning a thrilling double-overtime game 3-2 on the 51st and final shot aimed at Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
2012 — New Jersey 3, Los Angeles 1
Adam Henrique (now playing for Edmonton) scored the winning goal and the Devils won Game 4 to extend the series.
What happened next: The Devils also won Game 5, but the Kings won the Cup in Game 6.
1981 — Minnesota 4, New York Islanders 2
Minnesota scored two points with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left to avoid elimination and send the series to Game 5 in New York.
What happened next: The Islanders won Game 5, 5-1, to win their second Cup, part of a four-year winning streak.
1957 — Boston 2, Montreal 0
Fleming McKell scored both goals and Don Simmons stopped 21 shots to lead Boston to a season-saving shutout victory.
What happened afterwards: Game 5 at the Montreal Forum was a huge win, with the Canadiens winning 5-1 to claim another title.
1946 — Boston 3, Montreal 2, overtime
Terry Reardon scored in the 15th minute of extra time to extend the series.
What happened next: Toe Blake started a three-goal spree in Game 3 and Montreal went on to win Game 5 for the championship.
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The Wings scored three goals in the third quarter to overturn a 3-2 deficit and extend the series.
What happened next: Detroit won Games 5 and 6, but Toronto won the Cup on a power-play goal by Babe Pratt with 7:46 left in Game 7.
1942 — Toronto 4, Detroit 3
Nick Metz’s goal with 7 minutes, 15 seconds left in the game sealed the Maple Leafs’ third-period comeback and set in motion history: it was the first time an NHL team had come back from a 3-0 series deficit in a Stanley Cup Final, a feat that has yet to be achieved.
What happened next: Toronto won the next three games by scores of 9-3, 3-0 and 3-1 to take the championship.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
