Comeback teams

CRAZY NBA FACTS FROM THE LAST 14 SEASONS!!!

This 6-article series presents some crazy and interesting findings from all NBA games over the last 14 seasons (from 2002/2003 to 2015/2016).

Today we answer question #5:

Over the past 14 NBA seasons, who made the most comebacks?

We investigate the number of comebacks to win the game made by each team after trailing through quarter 1, 2 or 3. Since the number of comebacks clearly depends on the number of comeback “opportunities” (i.e. the number of times a given team trailed after quarter 1, 2 or 3), we focus on:

Comeback % = Number of comebacks / Number of comeback opportunities

This basically amounts to the percentage of times a team won after trailing through quarter 1, 2 or 3.

Here are the numbers obtained from the past 14 NBA seasons regarding quarter #1:

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #1

Rank

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

1

San Antonio

Spurs

221

378

58,5%

2

Dallas

Mavericks

221

459

48,1%

3

Houston

Rockets

191

468

40,8%

4

Boston

Celtics

197

507

38,9%

5

Miami

Heat

200

523

38,2%

6

Chicago

Bulls

199

527

37,8%

7

Utah

Jazz

200

540

37,0%

8

Oklahoma City/Seattle

Thunder/Sonics

186

503

37,0%

9

Portland

Trail Blazers

200

541

37,0%

10

Cleveland

Cavaliers

199

540

36,9%

11

Denver

Nuggets

189

523

36,1%

12

Golden State

Warriors

198

548

36,1%

13

Indiana

Pacers

192

532

36,1%

14

Los Angeles

Lakers

185

525

35,2%

15

Detroit

Pistons

183

520

35,2%

16

Phoenix

Suns

180

518

34,7%

17

Memphis

Grizzlies

181

533

34,0%

18

New Orleans

Pelicans/Hornets

187

556

33,6%

19

Los Angeles

Clippers

177

556

31,8%

20

Orlando

Magic

175

554

31,6%

21

Toronto

Raptors

170

540

31,5%

22

Milwaukee

Bucks

186

604

30,8%

23

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

163

557

29,3%

24

Atlanta

Hawks

161

552

29,2%

25

Sacramento

Kings

155

558

27,8%

26

New York

Knicks

160

599

26,7%

27

Philadelphia

76ers

155

605

25,6%

28

Minnesota

Timberwolves

140

561

25,0%

29

Washington

Wizards

133

551

24,1%

30

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

126

524

24,0%

 

Texas seems to be the state where comebacks happen, as the three teams from that state (San Antonio, Dallas and Houston) hold the top 3 spots!!

The San Antonio Spurs comeback performance after trailing through the first quarter is truly stunning. All other teams have a comeback proportion which lies between 24.0% and 48.1%, while theirs is close to 59%. That’s a HUGE gap between them and any other team in the league!

The average comeback probability after quarter #1 turned out to be 34.3%.

 

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #2

Rank

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

1

San Antonio

Spurs

147

350

42,0%

2

Dallas

Mavericks

189

459

41,2%

3

Miami

Heat

160

499

32,1%

4

Boston

Celtics

155

499

31,1%

5

Houston

Rockets

141

463

30,5%

6

Chicago

Bulls

168

554

30,3%

7

Indiana

Pacers

161

531

30,3%

8

Portland

Trail Blazers

169

562

30,1%

9

Los Angeles

Lakers

161

537

30,0%

10

Phoenix

Suns

155

526

29,5%

11

Oklahoma City/Seattle

Thunder/Sonics

142

483

29,4%

12

Denver

Nuggets

150

527

28,5%

13

Detroit

Pistons

150

527

28,5%

14

Utah

Jazz

154

546

28,2%

15

Memphis

Grizzlies

153

555

27,6%

16

Cleveland

Cavaliers

155

569

27,2%

17

New Orleans

Pelicans/Hornets

146

561

26,0%

18

Orlando

Magic

139

553

25,1%

19

Golden State

Warriors

131

526

24,9%

20

Milwaukee

Bucks

153

615

24,9%

21

Los Angeles

Clippers

137

552

24,8%

22

Atlanta

Hawks

139

561

24,8%

23

Toronto

Raptors

138

561

24,6%

24

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

140

582

24,1%

25

Philadelphia

76ers

135

610

22,1%

26

Washington

Wizards

128

592

21,6%

27

Minnesota

Timberwolves

132

612

21,6%

28

Sacramento

Kings

122

591

20,6%

29

New York

Knicks

120

608

19,7%

30

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

101

530

19,1%

 

It’s no surprise that the rankings for comebacks after one quarter resemble the rankings after two quarters. San Antonio and Dallas still fill the top 2 spots, but this time Miami and Boston both surpass the Houston Rockets, breaking up the Texas domination!

It is interesting to note that a huge gap is observed between the first two performances versus the rest of the league. As can be seen from the table above, the Spurs and the Mavericks won more than 41% of their games after trailing at halftime, while that proportion drops to around 32% for the 3rd place Miami Heat.

The average comeback probability after quarter #2 turned out to be 27.3%.

 

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #3

Rank

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

1

San Antonio

Spurs

92

332

27,7%

2

Dallas

Mavericks

116

439

26,4%

3

Cleveland

Cavaliers

127

580

21,9%

4

Portland

Trail Blazers

120

556

21,6%

5

Houston

Rockets

99

459

21,6%

6

Miami

Heat

106

494

21,5%

7

Boston

Celtics

104

492

21,1%

8

Los Angeles

Lakers

114

547

20,8%

9

Chicago

Bulls

110

541

20,3%

10

Memphis

Grizzlies

108

546

19,8%

11

Denver

Nuggets

99

513

19,3%

12

Phoenix

Suns

94

490

19,2%

13

Detroit

Pistons

98

518

18,9%

14

Oklahoma City/Seattle

Thunder/Sonics

94

497

18,9%

15

Utah

Jazz

101

540

18,7%

16

Indiana

Pacers

94

504

18,7%

17

Golden State

Warriors

99

539

18,4%

18

Toronto

Raptors

100

588

17,0%

19

New Orleans

Pelicans/Hornets

98

580

16,9%

20

Atlanta

Hawks

95

563

16,9%

21

Orlando

Magic

90

559

16,1%

22

Los Angeles

Clippers

89

566

15,7%

23

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

89

604

14,7%

24

Milwaukee

Bucks

88

604

14,6%

25

Washington

Wizards

86

596

14,4%

26

Philadelphia

76ers

91

635

14,3%

27

Sacramento

Kings

84

609

13,8%

28

New York

Knicks

83

608

13,7%

29

Minnesota

Timberwolves

84

638

13,2%

30

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

73

565

12,9%

 

San Antonio and Dallas continue their dominance by getting the first two spots once again. At the other end of the spectrum, the Charlotte franchise finished last with respect to comeback proportions after each of the three quarters.

The case of the Cleveland Cavaliers is interesting: after finishing 10th and 16th for comebacks through quarters 1 and 2 respectively, they ended up in 3rd place in fourth quarter comebacks!!

The average comeback probability after quarter #3 turned out to be 18.3%.

 

We now turn our attention to the best/worst comeback accomplishments over the course of a single season.

Let’s start with the best at overcoming halftime deficits:

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #2

Rank

Season

 

 

#comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback%

T1

2007/2008

Boston

Celtics

14

21

66,7%

T1

2012/2013

Miami

Heat

20

30

66,7%

3

2008/2009

Los Angeles

Lakers

17

26

65,4%

4

2006/2007

Dallas

Mavericks

18

28

64,3%

5

2002/2003

Dallas

Mavericks

14

23

60,9%

6

2004/2005

Phoenix

Suns

14

24

58,3%

7

2008/2009

Cleveland

Cavaliers

11

19

57,9%

T8

2005/2006

San Antonio

Spurs

15

26

57,7%

T8

2008/2009

Boston

Celtics

15

26

57,7%

T10

2005/2006

Detroit

Pistons

14

25

56,0%

T10

2013/2014

Oklahoma City/Seattle

Thunder/Sonics

14

25

56,0%

12

2010/2011

Dallas

Mavericks

18

33

54,5%

13

2010/2011

Chicago

Bulls

15

28

53,6%

14

2009/2010

Cleveland

Cavaliers

13

25

52,0%

15

2005/2006

Dallas

Mavericks

15

29

51,7%

16

2013/2014

Portland

Trail Blazers

18

35

51,4%

17

2009/2010

Denver

Nuggets

20

39

51,3%

T18

2003/2004

Indiana

Pacers

15

30

50,0%

T18

2004/2005

Miami

Heat

18

36

50,0%

T18

2006/2007

San Antonio

Spurs

10

20

50,0%

T18

2010/2011

Los Angeles

Lakers

15

30

50,0%

T18

2010/2011

San Antonio

Spurs

13

26

50,0%

T18

2012/2013

San Antonio

Spurs

14

28

50,0%

T18

2015/2016

Golden State

Warriors

8

16

50,0%

 

No teams did better at prevailing following a halftime deficit than the 2007/2008 Boston Celtics and the 2012/2013 Miami Heat, who both reached a 66.7% win percentage in such cases. As a matter of fact, the Celtics went on a roll during the consecutive 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 seasons, winning 29 out of 47 which is good for 61.7% over that period of time. That’s more than double the league average of 27.3%: unreal!

Recall how the Spurs and Mavericks held the top two spots over the past 14 years. It is thus not surprising to see them appear in the list above, but it is still impressive to see them four times each, among the best 24 performances.

Also note that no team from last year (2015/2016) makes the list above.

 

Let’s move on to the worst performances at overcoming halftime deficits:

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #2

Season

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

2005/2006

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

4

40

10,0%

2011/2012

Washington

Wizards

4

40

10,0%

2003/2004

Atlanta

Hawks

4

41

9,8%

2015/2016

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

5

52

9,6%

2015/2016

Los Angeles

Lakers

6

63

9,5%

2004/2005

Atlanta

Hawks

5

54

9,3%

2013/2014

Milwaukee

Bucks

5

55

9,1%

2003/2004

Orlando

Magic

4

45

8,9%

2010/2011

Minnesota

Timberwolves

4

49

8,2%

2008/2009

Washington

Wizards

4

50

8,0%

2011/2012

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

4

51

7,8%

2005/2006

Portland

Trail Blazers

4

52

7,7%

2009/2010

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

4

52

7,7%

2015/2016

Phoenix

Suns

4

53

7,5%

2014/2015

New York

Knicks

4

57

7,0%

2013/2014

Boston

Celtics

3

44

6,8%

2014/2015

Denver

Nuggets

3

45

6,7%

2013/2014

Philadelphia

76ers

3

53

5,7%

2008/2009

Sacramento

Kings

2

51

3,9%

2015/2016

Philadelphia

76ers

2

57

3,5%

 

Recall earlier how the 2015/2016 Philadelphia 76ers team was the only one NOT to win a single close game in a season? This team also finished last in second half comebacks by winning only 2 games out of 57, which beat the 2008/2009 Sacramento Kings who won 2 out of 51 in such cases. The 76ers also hold the 3rd-worst performance.

Based on the numbers above, there were few 2nd half comebacks last year (2015/2016). As mentioned earlier, no team from last season made it in the top performances, but we now find 4 teams who finished among the worst 17 comeback proportions (76ers 3.5%, Suns 7.5%, Lakers 9.5% and Nets 9.6%).

The best teams at making 4th quarter comebacks over the course of one season are now presented below:

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #3

Rank

Season

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

1

2015/2016

Golden State

Warriors

10

17

58,8%

2

2008/2009

Boston

Celtics

12

22

54,5%

3

2006/2007

Dallas

Mavericks

13

25

52,0%

4

2012/2013

Miami

Heat

13

26

50,0%

5

2008/2009

Los Angeles

Lakers

12

25

48,0%

6

2008/2009

Cleveland

Cavaliers

11

23

47,8%

7

2007/2008

Boston

Celtics

8

17

47,1%

8

2009/2010

Cleveland

Cavaliers

11

24

45,8%

9

2014/2015

Portland

Trail Blazers

14

32

43,8%

10

2003/2004

Indiana

Pacers

11

27

40,7%

11

2010/2011

Chicago

Bulls

11

27

40,7%

12

2004/2005

Phoenix

Suns

8

20

40,0%

13

2010/2011

Dallas

Mavericks

12

30

40,0%

14

2004/2005

Boston

Celtics

15

39

38,5%

15

2004/2005

San Antonio

Spurs

10

26

38,5%

16

2010/2011

Miami

Heat

10

26

38,5%

17

2012/2013

Denver

Nuggets

11

29

37,9%

18

2004/2005

Sacramento

Kings

13

35

37,1%

19

2010/2011

San Antonio

Spurs

10

27

37,0%

20

2011/2012

Oklahoma City

Thunder

7

19

36,8%

 

A fourth quarter comeback occurs 18.3% of the time, on average. Last year’s Golden State Warriors succeeded 58.8% of the time, an all-time record (over the past 14 seasons).

It was shown earlier that the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 Boston Celtics were great at coming back from halftime deficits. They were also brilliant at making fourth quarter comebacks, taking the #2 and #7 spots. During those 2 seasons, they went 20/39 (51.3%). Similarly, the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 Cleveland Cavaliers went 22/47 (46.8%) in such occasions, which is good for the 6th and 8th spots.

We end this article with team editions that were least efficient at overcoming a deficit through 3 quarters:

COMEBACKS AFTER TRAILING THROUGH QUARTER #3

Season

 

 

# comebacks

# opportunities

Comeback %

2011/2012

Portland

Trail Blazers

2

36

5,6%

2007/2008

OKC/Seattle

Thunder/Sonics

3

56

5,4%

2010/2011

Minnesota

Timberwolves

3

56

5,4%

2007/2008

Miami

Heat

3

57

5,3%

2008/2009

Washington

Wizards

3

57

5,3%

2014/2015

New York

Knicks

3

58

5,2%

2012/2013

Minnesota

Timberwolves

2

40

5,0%

2008/2009

New York

Knicks

2

42

4,8%

2009/2010

Minnesota

Timberwolves

3

66

4,5%

2002/2003

Miami

Heat

2

47

4,3%

2006/2007

Houston

Rockets

1

24

4,2%

2013/2014

Utah

Jazz

2

50

4,0%

2004/2005

New Orleans

Pelicans/Hornets

2

57

3,5%

2008/2009

Sacramento

Kings

2

57

3,5%

2015/2016

Los Angeles

Lakers

2

63

3,2%

2009/2010

Brooklyn/NJ

Nets

2

67

3,0%

2013/2014

New York

Knicks

1

36

2,8%

2007/2008

Memphis

Grizzlies

1

52

1,9%

2011/2012

Charlotte

Hornets/Bobcats

1

54

1,9%

2015/2016

Philadelphia

76ers

0

59

0,0%

 

We add another not-so desirable feat to the 2015/2016 Philadelphia 76ers season: they were the only team NOT to make a single comeback after trailing through three quarters over the course of one season. They actually missed on all of their 59 occasions.

Both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks appear 3 times in the bottom 20 performances listed above. Each have a two-year streak where they did poorly regarding 4th quarter comebacks (Minnesota succeeded only 6 times out of 122 for 4.9% in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011, while New York succeeded 4 times out of 94 for 4.3% in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015).

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Thanks a lot for reading! Here is what’s coming up in next (final!) article:

Over the past 14 NBA seasons,

 

 

Source: https://www.basketball-live-betting.com/