The Spurs face an uphill battle in the 2026 NBA Finals.San Antonio has held double-digit leads in both games of the Finals against the Knicks—a 14-point lead in Game 1 and a 12-point lead in Game 2—but has no wins to show for it. New York closed out Game 1 with an 11–0 run in the final two minutes, and Victor Wembanyama committed a costly turnover with 11 seconds to play in the Spurs’ Game 2 loss. Now, the Spurs find themselves where 37 other teams in NBA history have been before: facing a 2–0 series deficit in the NBA Finals. RELATED: Did the Spurs Exhaust Themselves vs. the Thunder? Wemby Thinks So, and NBA History AgreesOf those previous 37 teams, only five have come back to win the championship. Three others forced a Game 7 and lost. Since the first edition of the Finals in 1947, it’s been more common for teams facing a 2–0 Finals deficit to get swept (nine times) than to force a Game 7 and/or complete a comeback and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy (eight times).The Spurs don’t have to look too far back in league annals to find an example of a team to overcome it, though. In 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks trailed the Suns 2–0 after losing the first two games of the Finals by a total of 23 points. Just about every pundit proclaimed the series was over until Antetokounmpo turned things around in Game 3, and the Bucks went on to win the title in six games.Here’s a look at every team to face a 2–0 deficit in the Finals and how it went:A full list of every team to trail 2–0 in NBA FinalsYEARTEAM DOWN 2–0OPPONENTFINALS RESULT2026SpursKnicksTBD2024MavericksCelticsCeltics in 52021BucksSunsBucks in 62020HeatLakersLakers in 62018CavaliersWarriorsWarriors in 42017CavaliersWarriorsWarriors in 52016CavaliersWarriorsCavs in 72009MagicLakersLakers in 52008LakersCelticsCeltics in 62007CavaliersSpursSpurs in 42006HeatMavericksHeat in 62005PistonsSpursSpurs in 72002NetsLakersLakers in 42000PacersLakersLakers in 61999KnicksSpursSpurs in 51997JazzBullsBulls in 61996SuperSonicsBullsBulls in 61995MagicRocketsRockets in 41993SunsBullsBulls in 61989LakersPistonsPistons in 41987CelticsLakersLakers in 61986RocketsCelticsCeltics in 61983Lakers76ers76ers in 41977Trail Blazers76ersTrail Blazers in 61976SunsCelticsCeltics in 61975BulletsWarriorsWarriors in 41971BulletsBucksBucks in 41969CelticsLakersCeltics in 71967Warriors76ers76ers in 61965LakersCelticsCeltics in 51964WarriorsCelticsCeltics in 51963LakersCelticsCeltics in 61961HawksCelticsCeltics in 51959LakersCelticsCeltics in 41955PistonsNationalsNationals in 71951KnicksRoyalsRoyals in 71949CapitolsLakersLakers in 61947StagsWarriorsWarriors in 5However, the Spurs face a tougher task ahead than any of those five aforementioned championship-winning teams—the 2021 Bucks, 2016 Cavaliers, 2006 Heat, 1977 Trail Blazers and 1969 Celtics—did when they went down 2–0. All five of those teams lost the first two games of the Finals on the road, and returned to the friendly confines of their home arena for Game 3.San Antonio, on the other hand, will hit the road and will play Game 3 in front of a rowdy Madison Square Garden crowd that is starving to watch the Knicks win their first title since 1973. The Spurs are just the third team in history to start the NBA Finals by losing both games at home. The other two teams to do so—the 1995 Magic and 1993 Suns—lost in four and six games, respectively. Teams to trail 2–0 in NBA Finals after hosting first two gamesYEARTEAM DOWN 2–0OPPONENTFINALS RESULT2026SpursKnicksTBD1995MagicRocketsRockets in 41993SunsBullsBulls in 6Game 3 is a must-win for San Antonio. No team in NBA history has ever won a series—no matter the round—when facing a 3–0 deficit. The Spurs will have a chance to get their championship dreams back on track when they visit the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.More NBA from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow