The Los Angeles Clippers made NBA history on Monday night, racing back from a 31-point deficit in the second half to beat the Golden State Warriors 135-131, knotting the teams' first-round series at one game apiece.

Time, unfortunately, is likely to render Los Angeles' stunning come-from-behind victory moot, at least when it comes to big-picture significance. The two-time defending champions are still heavily favored to advance past the Clippers, of course, and even win an unprecedented fourth championship in five seasons despite the likely absence of DeMarcus Cousins.

But by shocking the basketball world at Oracle Arena on Monday, Los Angeles, regardless of how the remainder of this series plays out, etched its name in NBA lore forever, joining a select group of teams who have overcome seemingly insurmountable deficits to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on the playoff stage.

Below are three games in the modern postseason era that preceded the Clippers' comeback, and are also deserving of a lasting place in the memories of basketball fans everywhere.

3. The Birth of Swaggy P: Clippers beat Grizzlies 99-98, April 29th, 2012

The fact that this was Game 1 of a first-round series between four and five seeds fails to convey just how significant it seemed at the time. The 2011-12 season, shortened to 66 games by a lockout that lasted until Christmas, featured a Western Conference playoff field loaded with teams that had legitimate championship aspirations, and the Clippers and Grizzlies, both upstarts, were among them.

Fourth-seeded Memphis was one year removed from knocking the San Antonio Spurs out in the first round as an eight seed, while Los Angeles, the five seed, was in its first year of the Lob City era, back when Chris Paul was one of the game's top-three players and Blake Griffin's ceiling seemed limitless. It was Nick Young, though, acquired in a midseason trade with the Washington Wizards, who proved most instrumental to the Clippers' ridiculous series-opening victory.

After being outscored by 18 in the first quarter, Los Angeles entered the final stanza down 85-64. The road team slowly chipped away the Grizzlies' lead, pulling within 12 points with just under three minutes remaining before Young went crazy. After taking and missing just one three-pointer over the game's first 45 minutes, Young drained triples on three consecutive possessions to turn a 12-point hole into a one-possession game in exactly one minute of game time.

The Clippers went on to win after Paul made two free throws with 23.7 seconds, giving his team a one-point lead, and Rudy Gay's fading jumper over the outstretched arms of Kenyon Martin fell short as the buzzer sounded. Los Angeles badly needed the win, too – this series went the distance, with the Clippers taking Game 7 on Memphis' home floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hNnPMtuVdw

2. Boston Storms Back: Celtics beat Lakers 96-91, June 12th, 2008

After losing the first two games at T.D. Garden during Kobe Bryant's first trip to the NBA Finals without Shaquille O'Neal, all seemed right for the Lakers at halftime of Game 4 when they led the Celtics 58-40, poised to tie the series at two games apiece with one more to come from the friendly confines of Staples Center. But Boston, it turned out, had other plans.

Behind their typically stifling defense and balanced scoring effort, the Celtics won the third quarter 31-15, forcing Los Angeles into 5-of-17 from the field while shooting 11-of-18 overall themselves. The fourth quarter proved a back-and-forth affair, with Bryant, who scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, failing to receive offensive support from his teammates that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen receiver from theirs.

James Posey hit two huge three-pointers in the last six minutes, one that pushed Boston's lead to five points with just over a minute remaining. After Los Angeles again made it a one-possession game, Allen blew past Sasha Vujacic from the top of the key for a lefty layup that iced the game with 16 seconds left, and pulled the “Ubunte” Celtics within a single victory of the franchise's first championship since 1986.

1. Big Shot Bob Strikes Again: Lakers beat Kings 99-98, May 26th, 2002

Say what you will about the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Former referee Tim Donaghy, who spent more than a year in prison for betting on NBA games, claimed in 2008 that Game 6 of the series was rigged by the officiating crew to ensure a Lakers victory, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 between two fierce California rivals that also happened to be the league's most popular teams.

Sacramento, though, could have prevented Game 6 altogether if it hadn't failed to secure a defensive rebound two games earlier. Los Angeles badly needed a victory in Game 4 after falling behind 2-1 in the series, but hardly played like it from the outset at Staples Center. The Kings, behind scorching 15-of-21 shooting, jumped out to a 40-20 lead after the first quarter, forcing the Lakers to play catch up for the game's remainder.

Los Angeles almost didn't complete the long road toward a comeback. The home team trailed by seven entering the fourth quarter after slowly chipping away at Sacramento's lead, and didn't make it a one-possession game until Horry's three-pointer with one minute and 39 seconds remaining. His third and final triple of the fourth quarter, and one of the biggest shots in NBA history, came just a short time later, after Bryant failed to convert in the paint, Shaquille O'Neal missed a follow-up bunny, and Scot Pollard tipped the ball back out to Horry at the top of they, in perfect rhythm.

Splash.