With the NBA Finals in full swing, there’s no better time to take a dive into the best comebacks that have occurred in the ultimate series — whether it just be a single game or over the course of the entire series.
We divided them up into separate categories, providing the top five for each. We’ll begin with the greatest and most impressive comebacks in a single game in the NBA Finals, followed by the most miraculous series comebacks.
Top 5 Greatest Single-Game Comebacks in the NBA Finals
5) 2012 Finals, Game 1 | Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat
Hosting the first ever NBA Finals game in Oklahoma City, the Thunder quickly fell behind early to the more experienced Miami Heat featuring the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. A 10-4 run to begin the second quarter pushed Miami’s lead to 13 — a potential turning point to kick off the series.
The Thunder responded, bringing the score to within seven at halftime and entering the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. Fortunately for them, they had enough left in the tank to outscore the Heat 31-21 in the fourth quarter and cruise to a 105-94 victory.
4) 2011 Finals, Game 2 | Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
Facing an 88-73 deficit with 7:13 to go and down 1-0 on the road, the Dallas Mavericks looked to be headed back home in an 0-2 hole — until guard Jason Terry scored six consecutive points, cutting the lead to nine and giving the team some life.
With just under a minute to go, Dallas was able to even the score at 90 after a Dirk Nowitzki fast break layup — a sign of things to come.
After Wade missed a 3-pointer — a surprising miss considering he scored a game-high 36 points — Nowitzki fired up a triple of his own and nailed it, giving the Mavericks a three-point advantage with 26.7 seconds remaining.
The Heat answered right back, as Mario Chalmers nailed a tying corner trey with 24.5 seconds left. That set the stage for the play that has gone down in history: Nowitzki’s driving layup after he managed to get by Bosh and finish with his left hand — putting a cap on a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback.
3) 2025 Finals, Game 1 | Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Similar to the Mavericks, the Indiana Pacers found themselves down 15 with less than 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. What followed was exactly what the Pacers have done in every series — come back in eye-popping fashion.
In the fourth quarter alone, Indiana knocked down six 3-pointers while holding the Oklahoma City Thunder to 0 of 5 from deep — an 18-point difference.
Despite a push midway through the final quarter, the Pacers were still down nine with 2:52 left. But one triple apiece from Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard quickly cut the lead to three.
After a few back-and-forth scoring possessions, the Thunder held a 110-109 lead in the final 30 seconds with the ball in 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands. He missed an open fallaway 14-foot jumper, giving Indiana a chance to win the game.
That’s exactly what Tyrese Haliburton did, nailing a 20-foot pull-up jumper as just 0.3 seconds showed on the clock. It was his third game-winning shot of the postseason and another unbelievable comeback from the Pacers.
2) 1995 Finals, Game 1 | Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic
In 1995, the young Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, leaped out to a 20-point first-half lead in Game 1. But the defending champion Houston Rockets didn’t go down easy, shortening the lead to just 11 by halftime. Houston actually led by seven points heading into the fourth quarter before Orlando came alive.
The Magic appeared to have the game in hand, nursing a 110-107 lead with 10.5 seconds left and shooting guard Nick Anderson heading to the line for two free throws. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Anderson proceeded to miss both free throws before getting the rebound off his second miss. Needing the ball back, the Rockets fouled him again, and he missed another pair of free throws.
Down three points, Houston got the ball to its hottest shooter, Kenny Smith. He swished one of his seven 3-pointers on the night, sending the game to overtime, where it came down to the wire. A Hakeem Olajuwon tip-in with 0.3 seconds left sealed the comeback win for the Rockets.
1) 2008 Finals, Game 4 | Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Lakers to jump out to a big lead in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, leading 35-14 after the first quarter and 45-21 midway through the second. It looked to be inevitable that Los Angeles would tie the series as it headed back to Boston.
But the Celtics had other ideas. A 31-15 third-quarter outburst brought them to within two points entering the final quarter. Boston continued its onslaught, outscoring the Lakers by eight more points in the fourth and finishing with a 97-91 win.
The reserves were key in providing a finishing push, as James Posey (six points), Eddie House (three points), and Leon Pope (two points) each made an impact in the fourth quarter.
Hours after it seemed destined for the Lakers to tie the series, the Celtics stole the game right back in the pivotal Game 4 and went on to win the championship in six games.
Top 5 Greatest Series Comebacks in the NBA Finals
5) 2022 Finals | Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Though this was technically a rather routine 2-1 series comeback, it was the manner in which Game 4 played out that places it on this list. The Boston Celtics had won Games 1 and 3 by a combined 28 points and were on the brink of going up 3-1 as they held a five-point halftime lead.
That was before Stephen Curry got hot, scoring 24 of his 43 points in the second half and powering a 107-97 Golden State Warriors victory as the series shifted back to the Bay.
Golden State continued its defensive dominance, holding the Celtics to under 100 points in both Games 5 and 6 en route to winning the fourth title with the core of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
4) 1977 Finals | Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers
After losing the first two games of the series by six and 18 points, respectively, in Philadelphia, the Portland Trail Blazers faced a pivotal Game 3 at home.
Led by Bill Walton’s monster 20-point, 18-rebound, nine-assist, four-block, two-steal performance, the Blazers got on the board in the series with a 22-point win. And from there, they just kept on winning.
Portland took Game 4 by 32 points and then went into Philadelphia 76ers territory in Game 5 and pulled out a six-point victory. Back at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland for Game 6, the Blazers managed to pull out a two-point win and secured the first (and only) title in franchise history.
3) 2006 Finals | Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks
Similar to the Trail Blazers, the Heat fell down 0-2 on the road and looked dead in the water after managing just 80 and 85 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively. But between the first two games and the rest of the series, something shifted for Wade — the superstar guard tasked with leading the comeback.
Wase proceeded to score 42, 36, 43, and 36 again, respectively, between Games 3-6 — all Heat wins. In just his third season in the NBA, Wade had cemented himself amongst the top shooting guards after a run that wouldn’t soon be forgotten.
2) 2021 Finals | Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns
Another team to face an 0-2 deficit on the road, the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t look to be on the same level as the Phoenix Suns after losing by a combined 23 points in the first two games of the series.
But after two wins in Milwaukee, the same went for Phoenix — setting up an extremely important Game 5 with the Suns hosting.
Despite Devin Booker’s 40-point game, the Bucks managed to pull out a four-point victory on the road thanks to a combined 88 points from their Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday.
Heading back home for Game 6 and now holding a 3-2 series lead, it was all Antetokounmpo to give the Bucks their first championship in 50 years. In the biggest game of his career and a title within his grasp, the Greek star put forth one of the best performances of his career: 50 points, 14 rebounds, and an excellent 17 of 19 from the free throw line.
1) 2016 Finals | Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
Arguably the most memorable playoff series of the modern era, the 73-win Warriors were pitted against the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. It was a highly anticipated rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals that Golden State won in six games.
But when the Warriors jumped out to a commanding 3-1 lead, it looked to be over before it even started. However, James and Irving had other ideas.
Facing elimination in Game 5, they became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to each score 40 points or more, as they dropped 41 points apiece and spearheaded a 15-point win on the road.
READ MORE: Biggest Blowouts in NBA Finals History
Back home for Game 6, James once again dropped 41 points and was aided by 29 combined points from role players J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson. Cleveland cruised to a 14-point win, forcing a Game 7 — which turned out to be an all-time classic.
Back-and-forth the entire fourth quarter, Irving’s eventual game-winning 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining proved to be the difference in completing the most improbable series comeback in NBA history.
