The Mavericks find themselves in a sticky situation in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Despite a late rally on Thursday night, Dallas was unable to complete the comeback against Boston, dropping Game 3 106-99. With the loss, the Mavericks fell behind 3-0 in the series to the Celtics, and now face elimination.
It marks the first time this postseason that the Mavs have their backs against the wall. Jason Kidd’s crew did not drop three games in any of its previous series in the Western Conference, so this is unfamiliar territory for Dallas.
The basketball club is tasked with the improbable but not impossible task of winning four consecutive games to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy. With that said, history is not on the side of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Co.
Here is a look at the history of 3-0 leads in the NBA Finals.
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Full history of sweeps in NBA Finals
If you’re a Mavericks fan, look away.
Teams that have gone up 3-0 in the NBA Finals have gone on to win 100 percent of the time. This year marks the 15th time one side has won the first three games of the series, and all 15 winners have ended up with the title. That should be music to the ears of the Boston faithful.
Out of those 15 circumstances, nine of those series have resulted in sweeps. Only one Game 7 has ever been forced after one side goes up 3-0. That came back in 1951 when the Rochester Royals went up 3-0 but lost three straight to the New York Knicks before prevailing in the winner-take-all finale.
In fact, there has never been an NBA team to come back from down 3-0 at any point in a playoff. It does not matter the round, clubs are 156-0 when up three games to none in the postseason.
Here are all of the series that have resulted in one team going up 3-0 in the NBA Finals, courtesy of Land of Basketball:
| Year | Team to go up 3-0 | Opponent | Result |
| 2024 | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks | TBD |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | Warriors won 4-0 |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | Warriors won 4-1 |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | Cleveland Cavaliers | Spurs won 4-0 |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers | New Jersey Nets | Lakers won 4-0 |
| 1996 | Chicago Bulls | Seattle Supersonics | Bulls won 4-2 |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets | Orlando Magic | Rockets won 4-0 |
| 1989 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | Pistons won 4-0 |
| 1983 | Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | 76ers won 4-0 |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors | Washington Bullets | Warriors won 4-0 |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks | Washington Bullets | Bucks won 4-0 |
| 1959 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics won 4-0 |
| 1951 | Rochester Royals | New York Knicks | Royals won 4-3 |
| 1949 | Los Angeles Lakers | Washington Capitols | Lakers won 4-2 |
| 1947 | Philadelphia Warriors | Chicago Stags | Warriors won 4-1 |