Have Philadelphia 76ers comeback from an 0-2 deficit? Closer look at franchise's NBA playoffs history
The Philadelphia 76ers are now on a 0-2 hole after losing to the higher-seeded New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs. As the series shifts the next two games to Pennsylvania, we check the odds of the Sixers possibly making a comeback.
In NBA history, there are only 33 teams that were down 0-2 in their playoff series and managed to defeat their opponents. However, no Philadelphia 76ers team managed to be on the list.
Looking further, the Sixers are on the list, but as a team that lost an 0-2 lead. This happened in the 1977 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. The 76ers during that time were led by Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Henry Bibby, and World B. Free and Doung Collins.
The most recent 0-2 lead that was eliminated was by the Golden State Warriors just last season when they outclassed the Sacramento Kings. Six teams have returned from similar situations this decade, including the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, that made them win the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns with Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Probably the most famous 0-2 comeback in NBA history was the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers when they went further, coming from a 0-3 lead to defeat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
Joel Embiid sees the Philadelphia 76ers can win the series vs New York Knicks
History has not been favorable for teams that are down 0-2, but reigning league MVP Joel Embiid is quite confident that the Philadelphia 76ers can come back in their current series with the New York Knicks.
“We should be 2-0," said Embiid right after the tough Game 2 loss. "We’re good. We’re going to win this series-- we know what we gotta fix.We did a better job today, so we're gonna fix it. But we are the better team and we're gonna keep fighting."
Embiid has been battling injuries throughout the 2023-24 season and had himself healthy in time for the playoffs. However, his team fell from a top three spot in the NBA Eastern Conference to become the 7th-seeded team facing the 2nd-placed Knicks.
In Game 2, the Cameroonian center tallied 34 points, ten rebounds, six assists, two three-pointers and a block. He was the Philadelphia 76ers' second-leading scorer behind Tyrese Maxey with a near triple-double performance of 35 points, ten assists, and nine boards.
Game 3 will be played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 24, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.