Somewhere, Pau Gasol let out a sigh of relief on Wednesday night.
Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals saw what announcer Mike Breen called “the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history” — and it felt like every bit of that. This was an iconic moment. New York trailed by 29 in the third quarter and by 20 with 9:30 left in the game. It should have been over… but Madison Square Garden had some magic left in her.
However, was this the greatest comeback in NBA postseason history? Here were the top three coming into the game.
Celtics vs. Lakers, 2008 NBA Finals Game 4
These Lakers featured Kobe Bryant at the peak of his powers and picked up Pau Gasol midseason from Memphis, but it was Lamar Odom who sparked the Lakers early in Game 4 — 13 first-quarter points — and they raced out to a 26-7 lead to open the game. The Lakers built up a 24-point first-half lead and were on their way to tying up the series with the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen Celtics. The Celtics chipped away at that lead some, but the Lakers still led 70-50 with 6:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter — the Lakers were in total control on their home court.
Then the Celtics went on a 21-3 run and made it a game behind a spark from James Posey off the bench, scoring 18 and punctuated by a P.J. Brown dunk over Kobe at the end of the third.
Boston scored 57 in the second half, went on to win Game 4 97-91, and that was the series.
Before this week, that was the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history, which is why Gasol may rest a little easier this week.
Rockets vs. Magic, 1995 NBA Finals Game 1
This series had all the star power — Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler against Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway — but very little drama as the Rockets swept that series.
The only drama came in Game 1, when the Magic raced out to a 20-point first-half lead, and it looked like the young legs and energy would have their day. Houston stormed back, and the end of the game became the stuff of legend: Orlando’s Nick Anderson missed four straight free throws that could have sealed the win, which opened the door for Kenny “The Jet” Smith to knock down an off-balance 3-pointer that forced overtime. In the extra frame, an Olajuwon tip-in won the game.
This remains the biggest comeback in playoff history statistically, even if it happened in the first round.
With 7:31 remaining in the third quarter, Kevin Durant scored an and-1 on a driving dunk and, after he knocked down the free throw, it was 94-63. The game was over… except nobody told the Clippers. Led by Lou Williams, the Clippers outscored the Warriors 72-37 the rest of the way and pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history, eventually taking the lead on a Landry Shammet 3-pointer in the final minute and going on to a 135-131 win.
“When I say we stopped playing, we stopped playing, like defense, offense, execution-wise we were not as engaged as we needed to be,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We got exactly what we deserved. The Clippers were great. They executed, they were hungry, they stayed connected. They were together.”
The Warriors went on to win that series and advance to the NBA Finals for the third straight year, then physically broke down and lost to a red-hot Toronto Raptors team with a young OG Anunoby.
Knicks top them all
A Celtics fan could argue that their 26-point comeback on the then New Jersey Nets in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, behind 41 points from Paul Pierce, should be included on the list.
However, the Knicks in 2026 top them all.
When you consider the stakes and the stage — and the history of the franchise having not won a title in 53 years — what the Knicks have done is now the greatest comeback in NBA history.
Without question.
Read the full article here
