The Dallas Mavericks found themselves in early trouble on Thursday night in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics jumped out to a 17-point lead after the first 12 minutes before settling down at TD Garden — the largest first quarter lead in Game 1 in NBA Finals history. Boston continued to score and led by 29 points in the second quarter, but Dallas began to chip away at the lead.
The Mavericks got within eight points in the third quarter but couldn't quite make the comeback, losing 107-89 in a game that would have made NBA history.
The largest comeback in a single game in the NBA playoffs is 31 points, when the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 31-point deficit to win Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors in 2019. The Clippers outscored Golden State 85-58 in the second half to win that game.
But when it comes to the NBA Finals, the greatest comeback ever came when the Celtics rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the 2008 Finals.
|
date |
Match |
deficit |
Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
June 12, 2008 |
Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers |
Lakers lead by 24 points |
Celtics 97, Lakers 91 |
The Celtics entered Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals trailing 2-1, having won the first two games of the series at TD Banknorth Garden before losing Game 3, 87-81, in a tough defensive battle at what was then the Staples Center.
Los Angeles started well in the first quarter of Game 4, shooting 64.7% from the field and taking a 35-14 lead after the first 12 minutes, while the Celtics shot just 27.3% (6-of-22). The Lakers extended their lead to 24 points in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Sasa Vujacic off a pass from Kobe Bryant, making it 45-21.
Nearly two minutes into the game, with both teams making mistakes and the score remaining at 45-21, Celtics forward Kevin Garnett made a mid-range jump shot to start the Celtics' comeback.
Boston trailed the Lakers by 18 points at halftime, but they caught fire in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 31-15. They tied the game at 73-73 with 10:13 left in the fourth quarter, then took their first lead at 84-83 with 4:07 to play, then used a 13-8 run to win 97-91 and take a 3-1 series lead.
The Lakers led for the full 40:30 of the game. They were error-free in the first half, but shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the final two quarters and missed all eight of their three-pointers. Bryant and Pau Gasol were both plus-minus-24 in the second half.
Garnett recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes, but James Posey came off the bench to add 18 points, making 5-of-10 shots and four 3-pointers.
Was he down 24 points in the NBA Finals? “Anything can happen,” Garnett said after Boston won Game 6 to clinch the championship.
