When we take what the Cleveland Cavaliers did to win the NBA Finals and put it in historical perspective, we find that it ranks very well on the list of the most dramatic and most amazing comebacks in a championship round in sports history.
But it’s hardly the only one that belongs on that list. Here are some of the best examples from past championship rounds. This isn’t necessarily a complete list (dramatic is in the eye of the beholder), but it should make for plenty of fun conversation and recollection.
NBA Finals
2013 NBA Finals: Heat def. Spurs
The Spurs led the NBA Finals 3-games-to-2 and led the Heat in Game 6 by 10 points after three quarters, and five points with less than 30 seconds remaining. The Heat got a game-tying 3-pointer from Ray Allen in the final seconds of regulation and won in overtime. They then took Game 7 by seven points to win the title.
2006 NBA Finals: Heat def. Mavericks
The Mavericks had a 2-0 series lead against the Heat and a 13-point lead with less than seven minutes to play in Game 3. But the Heat outscored Mavericks, 22-7, in the final 6:15 of the game to get the win. The Heat got a big win in Game 4 to tie the series and won the last two games by a total of four points to complete the comeback.
1969 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Lakers
Bill Russell's last championship required a Celtics comeback from a 3-games-to-2 deficit. They won Game 6 in Boston, 99-90, then won Game 7 in Los Angeles, surviving a triple-double from Lakers guard Jerry West. This was a very close series throughout. Only one of the seven games was decided by double figures. The final game was a two-point contest, with the key basket coming when Don Nelson's shot hit the rim, went high in the air and in to add to the Celtics lead.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
2008 National Championship: Kansas def. Memphis
Memphis led by nine points with 2:12 left in regulation but Kansas came back to tie the score on a Mario Chalmers 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to go in regulation. The 3-pointer came after Memphis missed 4-of-5 free throws that would have put the game out of reach in the final seconds. The Tigers were outscored 12-5 in overtime, giving the Jayhawks their first title since 1988.
Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots def. Seahawks
The Seahawks were going for their second straight championship and led 24-14 entering the fourth quarter. But Tom Brady led the Patriots to two scores, one on a short pass to Danny Amendola and the other to Julian Edelman, to take the lead. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to be driving his team to a win, but was intercepted on the 1 with just under 30 seconds remaining.
Super Bowl XLIV: Saints def. Colts
The Colts, a team that started 14-0, led the Saints, 10-6 at halftime took a 10-6 lead into halftime but scored only once the rest of the way. The Saints scored three touchdowns and a field goal -- capping off the victory with a Tracy Porter 74-yard interception return for a score with just over three minutes to go.
Super Bowl XLII: Giants def. Patriots
The Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and led a 10-6 Giants team 14-10 with under three minutes remaining. With 1:15 to go, Eli Manning completed a 32-yard pass to David Tyree that he famously caught on his helmet to keep a drive alive. That drive ended in a Plaxico Burress game-winning touchdown, as the Giants won their third Super Bowl in shocking fashion.
Super Bowl XXIII: 49ers def. Bengals
The Bengals led the 49ers 16-13 after Jim Breech’s field goal with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter. But Joe Montana led the 49ers on a game-winning drive, capped by a John Taylor 10-yard touchdown reception with 34 seconds left.
College Football
2006 Rose Bowl: Texas def. USC
Led by quarterback Vince Young, Texas overcame a 12-point deficit with under five minutes left to defeat USC, 41-38, for the school’s first national title since 1970. USC entered Rose Bowl on a 34-game winning streak and was seeking its third straight national title.
World Series
2011 World Series: Cardinals def. Rangers
The Rangers headed to St. Louis for Game 6 with the Cardinals needing just one win for a title. But the Cardinals rallied from being one strike from elimination to tie in both the ninth and 10th inning. David Freese, who tied the game with a ninth-inning triple, homered in the 11th to win. The Cardinals fell behind early in Game 7 but rallied to win. They joined the 1986 Mets as the only teams to be one strike away from postseason elimination that won the World Series.
2002 World Series: Angels def. Giants
The Giants were six outs away from their first championship in San Francisco, leading 5-0 in the seventh inning. But the Angels rallied against the Giants bullpen, scoring three times in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth inning to win. They won Game 7 behind rookie righty John Lackey to take their first World Series title.
1986 World Series: Mets def. Red Sox
The Red Sox led the World Series, 2-games-to-none and 3-games-to-2, and were an out away from winning Game 6, up two runs with two outs in the 10th inning. But three singles, a wild pitch and an error by Bill Buckner, gave the Mets one of the most amazing wins in World Series history. They then trailed 3-0 in Game 7, but the Mets rallied to win, 8-5, to take their second World Series title.
1985 World Series: Royals def. Cardinals
The Royals, who trailed 3-games-to-1 in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, rallied to win that, then came back from 3-games-to-1 to defeat the Cardinals. They rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the ninth inning of Game 6 (aided by a missed call at first base), then won Game 7 in a rout, 11-0.
The Royals are the last team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 World Series. Other notables to do so include the 1968 Tigers and 1979 Pirates.
Stanley Cup
1942 Stanley Cup Final: Maple Leafs def. Red Wings
The Maple Leafs are the only team in Stanley Cup history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Red Wings had that lead in the series, but lost Game 4 at home, 4-3, keeping the series even. The Maple Leafs then won Game 5 and 6 to even the series. The Red Wings led 1-0 heading into the 3rd period of Game 7, but the Maple Leafs scored twice to take the lead for good to win the Cup.