LeBron James
 

The Cleveland Cavaliers made history Sunday night. Not only did they defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors to claim the NBA title, the Cavs became the first team in history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the NBA Finals.

Comebacks from large deficits, whether it's in a seven-game series or in a single-elimination game, are rare. But when the improbable -- sometimes the impossible -- becomes reality, it lives on as the stuff of legends. Here are the 10 most historic comebacks in sports:

10. Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa (2016 NCAA Tournament)

Texas A&M, Northern Iowa

The Panthers dominated the entire second-round game, up by 12 with 44 seconds left as the final score was all but a formality. But a funny thing happened to the Panthers on their way to the Sweet 16: Texas A&M refused to quit. Putting on the pressure and forcing Northern Iowa into turnover after turnover, the Aggies wiped out the deficit, sending the game into overtime on a steal-and-layup with 1.9 seconds left. Texas A&M went on to win in double OT, 92-88, in the biggest last-minute comeback win in NCAA basketball history.

Related: Ranking 2016's Sweet Sixteen By Jersey

9. TCU vs. Oregon (2016 Alamo Bowl)

TCU vs. Oregon

Things appeared hopeless at halftime for TCU, trailing 31-0 against Oregon and already without Heisman-candidate QB Trevone Boykin. Bram Kohlhausen, a fifth-year senior, was making his first collegiate start because Boykin had been suspended for the game after getting into a bar fight two nights before. Kohlhausen led the Horned Frogs on an unlikely rally, outscoring the Ducks 31-0 in the second half, tying the game with a 22-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Kohlhausen then completed the biggest comeback in bowl game history with an 8-yard TD run in the third overtime for a 47-41 victory.

Related: College Football's Offseason Winners And Losers

8. Fresno State vs. Georgia (2008 College World Series final)

Fresno State Baseball

Fresno State, the first (and so far, only) No. 4 seed to reach the College World Series championship final, looked to be out of it in the best-of-three series. After blowing a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning to lose the first game 7-6, the Bulldogs trailed 5-0 in the second game after just three innings. But Fresno State mounted an improbable comeback, scoring 15 runs in the next three innings to win Game 2, 19-10. The Bulldogs capped their Cinderella run with an 6-1 victory in Game 3, becoming the only fourth seed (the equivalent of a 13th-16th seed in NCAA basketball tournament) to win the College World Series.

Related: Remember The Titan: Augie Garrido

7. Liverpool vs. AC Milan (2005 Champions League final)

Liverpool

AC Milan was well on its way to a sixth European title, cruising with a 3-0 lead after scoring in the game's opening minute and adding two more, including one just before halftime. But Liverpool pulled off a stunning comeback in the second half, tying the game with three goals in the first 15 minutes after halftime. After that, the game in Istanbul settled into a tense affair through regulation and overtime. Liverpool finally prevailed in the penalty shootout, 3-2, winning the club's fifth European title in the biggest comeback in the history of Champions League final.

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6. Marlins vs. Cubs (2003 NLCS)

Marlins Cubs 2003

The Cubs were ready to lift the curse. After taking a 3-1 series lead, Chicago dropped Game 5 but was firmly in control of Game 6 back at the Friendly Confines. Up 3-0 entering the eighth innings, the Cubs were just five outs away from advancing to their first World Series since 1945. Then Steve Bartman happened. Then the floodgates opened. The Marlins scored eight runs in the eighth to force a seventh game and then rallied from a 5-3 deficit to win the pennant, 9-6. The Cubs are still looking to put an end of the Billy Goat hex.

Related: Why Baseball Managers Wear Uniforms

5. Bills vs. Oilers (1993 NFL playoffs)

Frank Reich

The two-time defending AFC champions were on the ropes. Not only did they trail the Houston Oilers 35-3 midway through the third quarter in the wild-card game, the Buffalo Bills were without Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly, who was hurt in the regular-season finale against these same Oilers. But behind backup QB Frank Reich, the Bills put together the biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. Reich, who had authored the biggest comeback in college football history (rallying Maryland from a 31-0 deficit against Miami), threw four second-half TD passes before setting up the Bills' game-winning field goal in OT for a 41-38 win.

Related: Understanding Why Bills Mean So Much To City, Fans Of Buffalo

4. Tigers vs. Cardinals (1968 World Series)

Tigers Cardinals 1968 World Series

In the year of the pitcher, the best pitcher was Bob Gibson, who finished the regular season with a 1.12 ERA and led the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 series lead with two dominating performances. But Detroit rallied to win Games 5 and 6 and manager Mayo Smith made the risky decision to start Mickey Lolich on two days' rest to face Gibson in the winner-take-all game. Lolich and Gibson matched zeroes for six innings before the Tigers broke through for three runs in the seventh inning. That was all Lolich needed as the Detroit completed the comeback with a 4-1 victory.

Related: The Bird: The Life And Legacy Of Mark Fidrych

3. Cavaliers vs. Warriors (2016 NBA Finals)

LeBron James, Kevin Love

Against a team that set an NBA regular-season record 73 wins, the Cavs were left for dead after losing three of the series' first four games. No team in NBA history has ever won the Finals after falling behind 3-1, going 0-32 previously. But Cleveland caught a break as the Warriors' Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 after a low blow on LeBron James in Game 4. From there, James took over, leading the series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, guiding the Cavs to three straight wins to claim Cleveland's first pro sports title since 1964.

Related: The Moment LeBron Became King Again

2. Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings (1942 Stanley Cup Final)

1942 Stanley Cup Final

The Detroit Red Wings were swept in the Stanley Cup Final the year before by the Boston Bruins, but appeared to be flipping the script on Toronto, winning the first three games and leading 2-0 in the fourth game halfway through, playing at home. The Maple Leafs rallied for a 4-3 win to stay alive and absolutely destroyed the Red Wings, 9-3 in Game 5. After that Detroit's spirits were broken as Toronto rolled to 3-0 and 3-1 victories to complete the first and only comeback from a 3-0 series deficit in the history of Stanley Cup Final.

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1. Red Sox vs. Yankees (2004 ALCS)

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox broke their 86-year championship drought and they did it in style. It did not look good after three games as the Red Sox lost each, getting clobbered 19-8 in Game 3 by their bitter archrival New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The Yankees were poised to finish off Boston with a sweep, leading 4-3 in Game 4 with Mariano Rivera on the mound in the ninth to nail down the save. But the Red Sox stole a run to send the game into extra innings and eventually prevailed, 6-4, in the 12th. After winning the next game in 14 innings to send the series back to New York, Curt Schilling's "bloody sock" performance and Johnny Damon's grand slam won the final two games for Boston. The Red Sox completed the only comeback from a 3-0 series deficit in MLB history and went on to win their first World Series since 1918.

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Samuel Chi is the managing editor of RealClearSports.com and proprietor of College Football Exchange. Follow him on Twitter at @ThePlayoffGuru.