14 biggest single-game comebacks in Cleveland Cavaliers history
The Cleveland Cavaliers stole a win away from the league-best Boston Celtics at home following a 22-point comeback in the fourth quarter, snapping the Celtics' 11-game win streak.
Since the All-Star break, the Cavaliers have been in a rut, falling to the third seed in the Eastern Conference after losing to the New York Knicks in Cleveland on Sunday, March 3. For the majority of their game with Boston, it seemed the Cavs were about to repeat their lifeless and uninspired performance from the last contest. In a surprise twist of fate, Cleveland surged past the Celtics to claim a 105-104 last-minute victory.
The Celtics had played tremendous defense the entire game; nothing came easy for the Cavs. In the final period, though, Cleveland got a burst of energy from Dean Wade, and the Celtics never adjusted their gameplan to stick to him on the perimeter. Wade had a perfect fourth quarter, hitting five-of-five from deep and seven-of-seven from the field. He also scored the final basket for the Cavaliers, a putback dunk over two Boston defenders. Wade alone outscored the Celtics 20-17 in the final 12 minutes of regulation.
It was not only the largest comeback in the fourth quarter the Cavs have ever had, but it was also the second iconic comeback fueled by a perfect fourth quarter since the break. Any fan of the Cavaliers knows the city's history with comeback wins. The 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals will eternally hang in the rafters for the Cavs, but they also have a long list of single-game comebacks alongside their first title.
In honor of Dean Wade's stupendous work and Cleveland's comeback win, these are the 14 largest single-game comebacks in Cavaliers history.
14-10: Cavaliers overcome 20-point deficits
One of Cleveland's largest comebacks came earlier this very season against the Dallas Mavericks. On the road, the Cavs overthrew Luka Doncic and the Mavs without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. In one of his many breakout games this year, rookie Craig Porter, Jr. guided the Cavaliers to the win with nine points, seven assists, 12 rebounds (career high) and three steals.
The earliest 20-point comeback for Cleveland came on April 11, 1998 when they hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers gave the Mavericks their 20-point lead early in the game but mounted a spirited comeback behind Wesley Person's 7-of-10 three-point shooting and Zydrunas Ilgauskas' 16-point, 15-rebound double-double.
The Cavaliers came back by 20 against the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers in 2008, 2013 and 2022, respectively. In all but one of these five games, the Cavs fell behind by halftime.