It's rare, and even very rare, but there is still hope. Trailing 2-0 and clearly dominated in Boston, the Mavericks are not in the best position to win the Finals. However, Luka Doncic's teammates will be able to draw inspiration from the five teams who managed to win the title after losing the first two away games.
In history, this situation has happened 36 times, and 31 teams have lost. Among the teams that reversed the situation, we find the 2016 Cavaliers where a certain… Kyrie Irving played.
That year, the final pitted the Cavs against the Warriors, and LeBron James and his teammates were down 2-0, then 3-1. At the time, Irving had not particularly shone during the first two meetings (36 points combined to start the series at 12 out of 36 on shots and 1 out of 7 from distance). This season, he has 28 points on 13 of 37 shots, including 0 of 8 from 3-point range.
“I have already participated in a final, being down 0-2, and I have a little experience in this area”, recalls the Mavericks leader. “I also didn't play particularly well in the first two games of this series in 2016. I really draw on what I experienced, what I learned and some of the lessons that I was able to understand to know how to get back into this series. It will take possession after possession, and it will be the hardest thing we have ever done. »
The Bucks in 2021
If we take the playoffs as a whole, 458 series started with a score of 2-0, and only 34 teams ended up winning, like the Pacers against the Knicks this season. Which gives a winning percentage of 7.4%.
For the Finals, on an obviously smaller sample, the percentage is almost doubled with 13.9% chance of winning the title. But also 86.1% to lose it…
- Milwaukee Bucks (2021): 4-2 against the Phoenix Suns
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2016): 4-3 against the Golden State Warriors
- Miami Heat (2006): 4-2 against the Dallas Mavericks
- Portland Trail Blazers (1977): 4-2 against the Philadelphia Sixers
- Boston Celtics (1969): 4-3 against the Los Angeles Lakers
