Has LeBron James ever come back from 3-1? Lakers star’s playoff history of overcoming deficits

Whenever it comes to the debate of the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the focal point. When discussing each one’s pros and cons, Jordan benefits from the number of championships he has. 

The Bulls legend has six NBA championships to James’ four. Both have been part of historic teams and moments, but Jordan consistently gets the championship nod. When you look at the numbers, James’ teams consistently find themselves between a rock and a hard place. No matter the regular season success, his teams always seem to end up down 3-1 in a playoff series. In fact, it has happened five times so far in his career. 

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James and the Cavaliers pulled off one of the rare feats of overcoming a 3-1 deficit when they beat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. While that was a high point facing that obstacle, it was the only time that he and his team have been able to not only pull off the comeback, but to even force a Game 6. 

Here is how James has fared when facing a 3-1 playoff series deficit. 

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Has LeBron James ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit?

Yes! There have only been 13 teams that have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in NBA history. Only one of those comebacks came in the NBA Finals, and it was by James and the Cavaliers. They were taking on the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. Golden State infamously went up 3-1. The Warriors won Game 1, Game 2, and Game 4 with the Cavs taking Game 3. 

Cleveland then had a huge upset win in Golden State 112-97 in Game 5, held strong at home 115-101 in Game 6, and then clinched the series and championship 93-89 in Game 7. 

LeBron James history down 3-1 in NBA Playoffs

While James has one of the best 3-1 comebacks in history, it isn’t the only time that he has faced that deficit in his career. He has been down 3-1 in a playoff series five times in his career. James has only been able to lead a comeback in one of them.

He and the Lakers faced a 3-1 deficit in the conference quarterfinals last year against the Nuggets. Los Angeles won Game 4 119-108, but fell in Game 5 108-106. The Lakers were down 3-1 to the Warriors in 2017. L.A. had just overcome 3-1 the year before, but Golden State didn’t let them hang around, eliminating the Lakers in Game 5 129-120. 

LeBron and the Heat were down 3-1 in the 2014 NBA Finals to the Spurs. Miami had one Game 2, but lost three in a row to end the series. 

How many teams have come back from 3-1 deficit in NBA history?