NBA Finals History: 5 teams that overcame a 0-2 deficit to win the championship

#3 Miami Heat - 2006 NBA Finals

Antoine Walker (#8) hugs Dwyane Wade (#3) of the Miami Heat after the Heat won the 2006 NBA Finals.

The 2006 NBA Finals were all about Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal's Miami Heat beating the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki to win their first title. However, it was not a straightforward win for the Pat Riley-coached Miami team.

While O'Neal was not in his prime, he remained a dominant figure in the paint. However, it was Dwyane Wade who led the Heat's offense to win the NBA Finals. Before Miami got going and won the series, the Mavs were up 2-0 after Nowitzki and Jason Terry starred in the first two games.

From then on, it was all about the Heat, starting with Gary Payton's game-winning shot in Game 3. Wade, who was then a third-year player, led the Heat to the NBA championship averaging 39 points and eight rebounds per game in the last four games of the series.

The 2006 NBA Finals marked only the second time a team won a Finals series in six games after losing the first two. Wade was named the NBA Finals MVP due to his exploits in the series, averaging 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

---

#2 Portland Trail Blazers - 1977 NBA Finals

Bill Walton

The first team to win four straight games in the NBA Finals after falling into a 0-2 deficit is the Portland Trail Blazers. They stunned Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1977 NBA Finals.

Bill Walton was the on-court leader of the Blazers at the time, and his inspirational displays in the 1977 NBA Finals earned him the Finals MVP award and helped the Blazers stop Dr. J and his 76ers squad.

Dr. J and Doug Collins put the Sixers up 2-0 after the first two games of the series at the Philadelphia Spectrum. However, Walton, Maurice Lucas, Lionel Hollins and the Blazers stormed to tie the series at home with two blowouts before taking Game 5 by six points on the road.

In Game 6, the Blazers withstood a 40-point night from 'Doc' to win the 1977 NBA title. Walton was named the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 18.5 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.7 blocks per game in the series.

---

#1 Boston Celtics - 1969 NBA Finals

Bill Russell is the greatest winner in NBA history.

The first team to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals is the legendary 1968-69 Boston Celtics, who defeated Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain's LA Lakers.

The aging Celtics were then coached by player-coach Bill Russell, who was looking for his 11th NBA title.

The Lakers got off to a hot start in the NBA Finals, winning the first two games. West scored 53 points in Game 1 and 41 in a big Game 2 battle against John Havlicek (who had 43 points for the Celtics, while Baylor added 32 for the LA Lakers).

The Celtics tied the series by protecting their home court in the third and fourth games. The LA Lakers struck back in LA in Game 5, with Jerry West putting up 39 points.

Boston won Game 6 at home, thanks to 25 points from Don Nelson and a great all-around performance from the team. The Celtics also won Game 7 on the road with a 108-106 victory, riding on 26 points from Havlicek, 24 from Sam Jones and 20 for Em Bryant. Russell himself had six points, six assists and 21 rebounds in his final NBA game.

This series is also remembered because Jerry West won the first Finals MVP award in history, even though he was on the losing side. He remains the only player to have done so in NBA history.

---