The Los Angeles Clippers could have made history on Thursday night by advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever. Instead, they made history for different reasons. Up 19 at one point in the third quarter and up 13 to start the final period, the Clippers appeared lifeless to end the game as they got demolished 40-15 in the final quarter. The Houston Rockets were toast, yet they stormed back behind role players Josh Smith and Corey Brewer, while stars Dwight Howard and James Harden didn’t score a single point in the fourth.
Luckily, the Clips still have a game seven in Houston to lean on come Sunday, so they could still exorcise these demons. Some others team in past NBA playoff collapses wouldn’t be so lucky, while this is far from the most epic collapse, all-time, either.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and take a quick look at quite arguably the five worst collapses in NBA playoff history:
This game is an old one not all of us can recall, nor was it one that really stood out in the general makeup of NBA history. It was truly insane, though, and it needs to make this list. The Washington Bullets were down 17 points to the #3 seeded 76ers with just over three minutes to go and they went on a crazy 18-0 run to end the game. The announcers don’t really do it justice, but the fact that Dudley Bradley banked in a game-winning three was just the icing on the cake.
If we’re raking the Clips over the coals to start this thing, it only seems right to include their amazing comeback win over the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012. L.A. was down 27 points at one point in this game and still down 21 at the end of three. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin stepped up in the final quarter, though, as L.A. used a 26-1 run to win the final quarter (35-13) and steal the win.
Paul Pierce is one of the greatest NBA players in history. Love him or hate him, he’s been the definition of clutch time and time again, and that was absolutely the case in a crazy 2005 playoff game against the Nets. Down 26 at one point and down 21 to begin the fourth, Pierce went nuts and helped the Celtics storm back via a 41-16 drubbing in the game’s final period.
The Big Ticket (Kevin Garnett) went to the Boston Celtics via trade in 2008 and restored all things of greatness for the franchise. He was clearly a huge part of their 2008 title run, and no game was more important than their crazy game four that saw Boston come back from a 24-point hole. Had the Los Angeles Lakers held onto their huge lead, this game could have pushed them to a title. Instead, it was Boston that used game four to earn them a championship.
Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat were down 2-0 in the 2006 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks and were specifically down 13 with roughly six minutes to go. Wade took over (42 points on the night), Gary Payton hit a clutch jumper and Dirk Nowitzki missed a free throw that could have tied the game as the Heat stormed back and made it a series. This game was high in scrutiny due to shady reffing, but the Mavs had their chances to fend off the Heat and take a commanding 3-0 lead. Instead, they squandered them and the Heat never looked back in a 4-2 series win.
What is the worst NBA playoff collapse ever? Let us hear your take in the comments below!
