The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the postseason with the second-best record in the league and the best record in the Eastern Conference. Yet, they find themselves in a big hole in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. So far, 13 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit. Among them, we have the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. Can this Cavs team become the 14th team to come back? Cavs owner Dan Gilbert believes so.
Chasing No. 14: Cavs Owner Believes in the Impossible—Again
If you ask Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, the team has been there, done that, and can do it again. After they fell 3-1 to the Indiana Pacers, Gilbert went on social media and posted,
“Hey @cavs fans… yes, it was an ugly one, but we’ve been here before. Time to get 3 in a row, 2 of them coming at home. Let’s start with Game 5 on Tuesday. #Believeland”
Hey @cavs fans… yes it was an ugly one, but we’ve been here before. Time to get 3 in a row, 2 of them coming at home. Let’s start with Game 5 on Tuesday. #Believeland
— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) May 12, 2025
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While he might believe it, NBA fans were quick to respond to his Twitter post. They talked about how LeBron James is not walking through that door again. Some fans even said that it was so bad that the Cavs team quit in the first quarter. While no team likes to say they quit, the Cavs were down 80-39 at halftime. Now, the question is whether they can regroup and do the impossible?
Dan Gilbert Sees Similarities Between 2016 Cavs and 2025 Cavs
The 2016 Cavs team, led by LeBron and Kyrie Irving, managed to do the impossible and come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. Out of the 13 teams that have so far come back from a 3-1 deficit, only that Cleveland team has done it in the NBA Finals.
The 2025 Cleveland Cavaliers have homecourt advantage on their side. Unlike the 2016 Cavs, they need to win Game 5 on their home floor. The 2016 Cavs had to win Games 5 and 7 on the road. Cleveland will host Indiana on Tuesday, May 13, and hopefully get back in the series.
Another big difference is that the 2016 Cavs had LeBron, one of the best players in the league, on the roster. While Donovan Mitchell is a great player, he is nowhere near LeBron. The Cavs have also had injuries to key players throughout this series.
The similarity, however, is that both Cavs teams hung their hat on the defensive end. This Cavs team was eighth in defensive rating through the regular season. The 2016 Cavs were 10th.
How Many Teams Have Come Back From a 3-1 Deficit?
If the Cleveland Cavaliers come back from a 3-1 deficit, they will become only the 14th team to achieve such a feat. The latest example of a team coming back from a 3-1 deficit is the Denver Nuggets. They managed to do it two times during the 2020 playoffs, once in the first round against the Utah Jazz and then in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here is a fun fact: Out of the 13 teams that have come back from a 3-1 deficit, most of them, five, have done it in the Conference (Division) Semifinals. So, the Cavs have something to look forward to. The first step to coming back is winning Game 5 on their home floor.
Photo credit: © Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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