History of The 3-1 Deficit

Before the 2016 Cavs vs. Warriors Finals, which involved one of the greatest comebacks of all time, 3-1 deficits were written off as a death sentence. Let’s take a look at some of the teams that have crawled out of this seemingly insurmountable hole 👇

• Since 2015 there have been five instances where a 3-1 deficit was overcome — Rockets (2015 Conference Semi Finals), Warriors (2016 Conference Finals), Cavs (2016 Finals), Nuggets (2020 First Round and Conference Semi Finals)

• Before Houston was able to stun the Clippers in 2015, the 3-1 series deficit was only overcome five times from 1981-2015

Tonight, we have three teams facing 3-1 deficits all set to tip off. Each squad is a significant underdog, not only in regards to seeding/spread, but also talent wise 😅

• Atlanta will have to beat Boston on the road with no Dejounte Murray

• Minnesota will have to beat Denver on the road with no Jaden McDaniels or Naz Reid

• Los Angeles will have to beat Phoenix on the road with no Kawhi Leonard or Paul George (maybe?) 👀

The smallest spread of the night is the Wolves +9.5 in Denver, but I think most people have their eyes set on the Suns game ☀️

Clippers vs. Suns Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Suns -12.5

• Moneyline: Suns -900, Clippers +610

• O/U: 224.5

Game Previews

Unlike some of those instances mentioned above, the series that are all 3-1 in this current postseason do not exactly give off the feeling of a potential comeback. Maybe the Bucks can pull it off vs. the Heat (shoutout HIMothy Butler), but that’s a conversation for another night. Here’s tonight’s breakdown 👇

📍 Hawks @ Celtics

• The Celtics have consistently dominated this matchup, especially defensively, limiting an explosive Hawks offense to 99 and 106 in their first two meetings in Boston

• Trae Young has come alive as late, putting up 32 and 35 points in last two contests

• Really the story of this series has been Atlanta’s inability to contain the point of attack, allowing the Celtics perimeter initiators to get into the paint at will — expect more of the same tonight

📍 Timberwolves @ Nuggets 

• The Nuggets could have closed game three out after mounting a 12-0 run with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Jokic scored or assisted on each of those buckets to tie the game, but he missed the first of a pair of free throws to take the lead in the final 12 seconds

• Anthony Edwards has been the best player in this series, and was unstoppable last time out. He’ll need to bring it again tonight

📍 Clippers @ Suns

• What could’ve have been an epic series has mainly petered out as the games progressed, with Kawhi missing games three and four after aggravating his knee. He’s been ruled out for tonight as well

• Russell Westbrook has returned to form and even picked up his defensive intensity in this series — he’s averaging 26 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 7.3 APG through four games

The reality is, the Clippers just don’t have enough offense without PG or Kawhi, and can’t limit Booker and KD enough to make things interesting. Paul George was seen shooting around yesterday, but if he can’t go I wonder what the offseason will entail for this team 😳

Trivia Question: What teams did Denver take out in the first two rounds of the NBA Bubble after going down 3-1?

For My Parlay Gurus

Unfortunately I don’t really believe in any of the three teams currently down to pull off the impossible. However, if I had to take any of them, I think the Timberwolves have the best chance of making things interesting. I’ll take Minnesota to cover, and I’m expecting the Suns to cruise to an easy victory. Check it out 👇

• Timberwolves +9.5 @ Nuggets: -106

• Suns -12.5 vs. Clippers: -114

$100 on this bet would win you $265 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: The Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers after being down 3-1 in both series on their way to the WCF

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