The deepest hole an NBA winner has climbed out of is 7.5 games: the San Antonio Spurs sat that far behind in the 1994-95 West on January 27, 1995, and won it by 2 games. The biggest lead lost: the Chicago Bulls led the 2014-15 Central by 6.5 games as late as January 11, 2015, and finished behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. Every charted race since 1946-47 is ranked below; how the numbers are read is spelled out under the tables.
Companion page: Closest NBA races.
| Rank | Race | Winner | Deficit (games) | Deepest on | Won by (games) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-95 West | San Antonio Spurs | 7.5 | January 27, 1995 | 2 |
| 2 | 2006-07 Southeast | Miami Heat | 7.5 | January 28, 2007 | 3 |
| 3 | 1992-93 Midwest | Houston Rockets | 7 | January 9, 1993 | 6 |
| 4 | 2001-02 Central | Detroit Pistons | 7 | January 21, 2002 | 6 |
| 5 | 2014-15 Central | Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 | January 11, 2015 | 3 |
| 6 | 1989-90 Atlantic | Philadelphia 76ers | 6.5 | January 15, 1990 | 1 |
| 7 | 2016-17 East | Boston Celtics | 6.5 | January 2, 2017 | 2 |
| 8 | 2016-17 Southeast | Washington Wizards | 6.5 | November 16, 2016 | 6 |
| 9 | 1963-64 West | San Francisco Warriors | 6 | January 5, 1964 | 2 |
| 10 | 1997-98 West | Utah Jazz | 6 | January 9, 1998 | 1 |
| Rank | Race | Team that led | Lead (games) | Held as late as | Eventual winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014-15 Central | Chicago Bulls | 6.5 | January 11, 2015 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2 | 1994-95 Midwest | Utah Jazz | 6 | January 30, 1995 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 3 | 2003-04 Pacific | Sacramento Kings | 6 | March 14, 2004 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 4 | 1987-88 Midwest | Dallas Mavericks | 5.5 | March 14, 1988 | Denver Nuggets |
| 5 | 2006-07 Southeast | Orlando Magic | 5.5 | December 5, 2006 | Miami Heat |
| 6 | 1947-48 East | New York Knicks | 5 | February 18, 1948 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 7 | 1979-80 Midwest | Kansas City Kings | 5 | February 4, 1980 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 8 | 1988-89 Central | Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | March 2, 1989 | Detroit Pistons |
| 9 | 1992-93 Midwest | Utah Jazz | 5 | January 6, 1993 | Houston Rockets |
| 10 | 2011-12 Atlantic | Philadelphia 76ers | 5 | January 30, 2012 | Boston Celtics |
| Rank | Race | Winner | First place for good | Charted days left | Days in first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-04 Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | April 13, 2004 | 1 | 67 of 170 |
| 2 | 1947-48 West | St. Louis Bombers | March 20, 1948 | 1 | 31 of 131 |
| 3 | 2014-15 Southwest | Houston Rockets | April 13, 2015 | 2 | 40 of 170 |
| 4 | 2000-01 Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | April 15, 2001 | 3 | 12 of 170 |
| 5 | 2008-09 Southwest | San Antonio Spurs | April 12, 2009 | 3 | 106 of 170 |
| 6 | 1989-90 Midwest | San Antonio Spurs | April 18, 1990 | 4 | 55 of 171 |
| 7 | 1949-50 West | Indianapolis Olympians | March 14, 1950 | 5 | 63 of 142 |
| 8 | 2021-22 Northwest | Utah Jazz | April 5, 2022 | 5 | 168 of 174 |
| 9 | 2001-02 Midwest | San Antonio Spurs | April 11, 2002 | 6 | 61 of 170 |
| 10 | 1994-95 Pacific | Phoenix Suns | April 17, 1995 | 6 | 139 of 171 |
Everything on this page comes from the same day-by-day season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day ended. All 429 charted NBA races from 80 finished seasons enter: every division and conference race from 1946-47 to 2025-26. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.
Biggest comebacks: the deepest end-of-day deficit the eventual winner faced, in games behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest end-of-day lead over second place held by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer.
Latest deciding day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good; a day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.