20. Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz August 20
I don't care what anyone says the NBA bubble was some of the most entertaining basketball you will ever see. No fans no home court advantage just basketball all the time. We witnessed Jamal Murray and Donavan Mitchell put on one of the best performances in playoff history. I used to tell my friends that Jamal Murray can be on the same level as Donavan Mitchell and Devin Booker. Nobody believed me. But they started to believe me after that day. Jamal Murray scored 51 points and put the world on notice that the Nuggets had 2 stars instead of 1. Donavan Mitchell scored 51 points and added another great performance to his young career. Both of these stars couldn't miss not trying to be out done by the other making acrobatic jumpers and sensational plays at the rim. The Jazz won this battle but the Nuggets won the war. After this game the Jazz would go on to win the series coming back from a 3-1 deficit.
19. 1994 Eastern Conference Finals Knicks vs Pacers Game 5
Ahhh when the garden was Eden. This was prime Knicks rough tough and rugged. The Knicks were mean back then, Pat Riley would fine Knick players if they picked up an opposing player.Add in notorious shit talker Spike Lee on the sidelines and the only way this team could be more New York if they played in a pair of Timberlands. During most of game five the Kicks were smoking the Pacers and Spike Lee was letting Reggie Miller have it. It didn’t help that most of the game Miller was missing shots…. That is until the fourth quarter when it seemed like Reggie made everything and let Spike know about it after every shot. The ultimate middle finger to Spike was when he gave him the choke symbol then grabbed his crotch in front of Spike’s wife while scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter.
18. Nuggets vs Supersonics May 7th 1994
The NBA had a March Madness feel to it when the Denver Nuggets defeated the Seattle Supersonics. Dikembe Mutombo led his eighth seed Nuggets to a series win against Gary Payton and the Supersonics who most believed would be the NBA Champions that year. What made this so miraculous was that the Nuggets came back from a 0-2 deficit and in the final game they were down by 11. Dikembe Mutumbo played stifling defense, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking 8 shots and cemented himself as a star in the league. This upset sent shock waves throughout the league and if you ask a basketball fan from that era where you were when Dikembe held the ball in his hands on the floor in tears after shocking the world they’ll tell you.
17. May 12, 2003 Lakers vs Spurs Game 5
Dynasties fall all the time and usually we see the end before it actually happens. In the 2002-2003 season we knew the end of the Lakers as we knew them were coming but we were still holding out on hope that Kobe and Shaq could get it done. This was the year Kobe came into his own and made a case that he was finally the Lakers best player, as an out of shape Shaq started off the season slow Kobe took the baton and averaged 30 points a game on shooting 45 percent from the floor, 7 rebounds and 6 assist. Kobe was on a mission to prove he can’t be stopped and he was taking over the league. But the Lakers at this point are in shambles and the Kobe and Shaq relationship is reaching its boiling point and when they met the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals they finally met their match. Tim Duncan was a problem this series, the type of problem that the Spurs used to have with Shaq, not to mention the role players the Spurs were Ginobli, Tony Parker, Stephen Jackson, David Robinson and etc were all making key plays. It was pretty back and forth series up until this point but if you were a betting fan you would still have to bet on the Lakers as know one was confident that the Spurs could get it done when it mattered most. This game was almost an example of that in the third quarter the Spurs were up by 25. But then again Kobe would not let the Lakers lose; he had scored 17 points almost through three quarters and he would finish with 31 for the game. The Lakers stormed back in the 4th cutting the lead down to 4 with 3:20 left. The energy in the building started to flip as the Spurs fan worried will this be another season where they can’t get past the Spurs. The game would go back and forth with the Spurs being up by 7 with 49 seconds left but then once again showing that he will not die Kobe hits a ridiculous step back three to cut it to four. Shaq chipped in with an and 1 put back stepped to the line and threw in a free throw. Not kidding it looked like he threw it in the basket. The Lakers then foul All the Smoke co-host and Ray Allen hater Stephen Jackson who makes one out of two(PS Ray would have made both Captain Jack big fan though). Now the Spurs are only up 2 and the Lakers have the final shot. Kobe gets the ball on the left wing and dribbles it into the corner to where he is met with a double team. Shockingly Kobe passes it to Robert Horry, not a bad choice he had saved the Lakers time and time again. But not this time Horry misses the shot and Kobe never passed up a game winning shot again. The series is now 3-2 and even though the Lakers were heading home it didn’t matter the Spurs now knew they could beat the Lakers and the next game they closed out the series destroying them by 28 ending the Lakers chance of four in a row and ending the Dynasty that we all knew was on the verge of ending but we didn’t want to believe it.
16. May 22nd, 1988 Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 7
It was the day of almost. The day the Hawks almost beat the then Kings of the East and the day that Dominique almost became basketball royalty. But like they say almost only counts in horseshoes. The Celtics narrowly escaped defeat in a 102-110 win. Dominique Wilkins was an absolute BEAST! He scored 47 points and it felt like every bucket he got was disrespectful. After watching this game The Human Highlight had to have dunked on Kevin Mchale about 10 times. I know Kevin still has nightmares of Nique. Larry started off slow but once he noticed how dominant Dominique was playing he flipped the switch faster than a tik tok video. He scored 34 points 20 coming in the fourth, just to add to his legacy. Bird was in year 11 and by this time he didn’t have a whole lot more of those performances due to the deterioration of his back. But injuries never stopped him from giving his best effort and whenever the time came for him to rise to the occasion he did and May 22nd was no different.
15. May 5th 1969 Lakers vs Celtics Game 7 NBA Finals
“ Well Bill this must be a great win for you guys? Well Jack……” Bill Russel took a long pause before answering the reporters question I guess after winning his 11th ring in 13 years he had nothing to say. But this was the game that pretty much defined who Bill Russel was a WINNER! The Celtics captured the championship against the stacked Lakers 108-106. Russel not only won another championship that now gave him more rings than toes but he had to go through his arch nemesis Wilt Chamberlain to do so. The game was nip and tuck as the Lakers started the game off slow and stormed all the way back. Wilt famously injured his knee in the fourth quarter and leaves the game. By the time he is ready to return his coach for whatever reason says “We’re doing fine without him". I mean I didn’t want to say the coaches name but screw it coach Van Breda Kolff was the one who told a man who once scored 100 points in a game no you cannot play. Russell didn’t have a problem with that because he was the player and the coach. Russell was the definition of a leader and when he led the Celtics to victory he prevented Elgin Baylor from winning a championship, he prolonged Jerry West from winning a championship and he sent a message to Wilt Chamberlin that yea you might have all the records and the skill but when it matters most I’ll always come out on top. Maybe that’s what he was thinking before he answered the reporters question.
14. June 4th 1976 Game 5 NBA Finals Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns
Let’s pretend the world ended in 1976 this game would probably be the best game ever and it was on tape delay. This game had everything late game heroics, three overtimes, several controversial calls or missed calls and not to mention a near riot on the court. When you ask the old timers they’ll tell you that it seemed the game would never end but they weren’t complaining they didn’t want it to end. It was almost like those old buffalo wild wing commercials where they made sure the games kept on going. This game made me realize that Chris Webber shouldn’t feel too bad because before he forgot he didn’t have any timeouts Paul Silas and Paul Westphal did too. Silas was first as during the first overtime Silas signaled for a timeout but luckily for the Celtics the referees decided to ignore the signal. Had the referees not ignored the signal the Suns would have been awarded free throws and would have won the game.But the refs didn’t and the game entered a second overtime. At the end of the second overtime the game needed another one as the score was knotted up 101-101 due to a jumper by John Havlicek that did not count as the clock hadn’t started until he’d already dribbled to the baseline and pump-faked before his shot. The Boston Celtic fans thought they won the game and stormed the court. There was pandemonium in the arena as well as disappointment when the fans found out the shot didn’t count. One second was placed back on the clock and it was now Phoenix’s ball That’s when the Suns’ Paul Westphal asked for, and received, a timeout he knew his team did not have. The strategy resulted in a technical foul, which stretched Boston’s lead to two points, but it enabled the Suns to make the in bounds pass from mid court. Gar Heard caught the ensuing pass, turned and sank a jumper at the buzzer to send the game into its third overtime, stunning and nearly silencing the Garden faithful. In the third overtime with key players fouled out Glen Mcdonald rose to the occasion and scored 6 points in the third overtime to lead the Celtics to a 128-126 win.
13. June 7th 2012 Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
It was hard being a LeBron fan in the spring of 2012 and the summer of 2011 was even worse. The “Heatles” completely came apart in the 2011 NBA Finals and LeBron was receiving most of the criticism rightfully so. It just wasn’t the LeBron we came to know and love, he scored 8 points in a finals game 8 points!. How is that even possible? And down the stretch he looked like the moment was too big for him and that he didn’t even want the ball. All summer I had to deal with the no ring jokes and the “LeBron is a choker”. I just took it knowing LeBron and the Heat would come back stronger and get that ring. But the Celtics happened they came back wanting one more championship run and took a 3-2 lead on the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals going back home to end the series. This was the most Important game in LeBron James career. Had the Heat lost there would be no more King James, the Heatles probably would have gotten broken up and his quest for being the goat would be completely burnt to the ground. But that didn’t happen LeBron came out with a demon look and completely destroyed the Celtics. With every bucket he caved the Celtics chest in and shut the crowd up. When the Celtics thought they were making a run it was almost like LeBron told them to go in the corner with their back turns and shut before he gave them something to cry about. LeBron reminded every one of his haters that he is King James and nothing less than that. He put up one of the greatest stat lines ever 45 15 and 5 and led the Heat to a 98-79 win and eventually led the Heat to a championship against the Thunder resulting in me having a summer of talking my ish!
12. Game 1 NBA Finals 2001 Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers
I think we should rename 2001 the year of Allen Iverson. I mean what didn’t the man do he averaged 31 points and 5 rebounds. AI won all star game MVP, made all NBA first team, led his team to victories in two game 7’s and reached the NBA Finals with a below average roster. AI probably had one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history and it was just going to get more impressive. Heading into the NBA Finals the Lakers seemed like they were the second coming of Globo Gym “We’re better than you and we know it”. They hadn’t lost a game in the playoffs yet and were focused and determined to back to back championships. Sports Writers and media members touted this as David and Goliath saying the 76ers would get swept. Allen Iverson had other plans; he scored 48 points and literally took a man’s soul on national TV. AI did the impossible that day and took down Goliath that is until Goliath got up and smacked the Sixers the next four games. But like Stephen A Smith said “ AI will get you one”.
11. Game 6 Western Conference Finals 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors
This might be one of the most important games in NBA history at least in recent history. This game would change the NBA for the next five years. Can you just imagine what would have happened if the Thunder won this game. Let’s try to maybe. KD doesn’t leave the Thunder, LeBron has more than three rings and maybe the Warriors don’t ever win another championship. But Klay Thompson had other plans. He splashed home 11 three pointers on his way to 41 points. The Thunder had a chance to shut the door on the Warriors title hopes. They were up 3-2 at home and folded losing 108-101. They knew they folded and wouldn’t get a better opportunity than this as they would lose game 7 to the Warriors. Once the Thunder lost the series they lost Kevin Durant too as he walked out the door that Summer leaving them for Golden State shifting the power to the Bay for the next two years.
10. May 16th 1980 Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers
Kareem Abdul Jabar injured his ankle in game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals. Income corny one liner. But all the 76ers needed was a little bit of Magic. Not as corny as I thought it would be but non the less it’s true a rookie Magic Johnson jumped center in place of the captain and scored 42 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. The 76ers didn’t make it easy with five minutes left in the game, the lead was cut to two with a score of 103 to 101. That’s when the Showtime Lakers turned on the gas. They dominated the last stretch of the game. Magic scored nine points down the stretch to capture the first of his first of his five championships.
9.NBA Eastern Conference Finals Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons 1987 Game 5
Bird steals the ball! Bird steals the ball! By the time it was game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals the series was tied up 2-2. The Detroit Pistons were trying to get closer to knocking off the defending champions the Boston Celtics. The younger Pistons were on the verge of taking home court advantage. As they were up one in the waning moments of the game. Larry Bird drove to the basket but was blocked at the rim by a swarm of Pistons defenders. The ball was subsequently knocked out of bounds, and while it looked like Detroit touched it last, they were awarded possession with only five seconds remaining in regulation. A Pistons win seemed inevitable all they needed to do was inbound the ball and run out the time. The Hick from French Lick spoiled the plans of the Pistons as he flew through the lane to intercept Isiah Thomas’s pass out of nowhere. He immediately dumped the ball off to Dennis Johnson, who was cutting towards the basket. Johnson finished the layup, stealing the win for the Celtics as time expired. Bird stole the Ball! Bird stole the ball! Became a phrase Isaiah Thomas would have to hear for the rest of his life.
8. June 17th 2010 Lakers vs Celtics Game 7
It was another chapter in the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry and it wouldn’t disappoint. June 17th the night Kobe got his fifth ring. The game was a defensive struggle as both teams could not score consistently. This was the last Finals game that I remember that the winning team did not score more than 90 points. With Kobe struggling to score the Lakers role players contributed. Pau Gasol outplayed the man that seemed to bully him on a consistent basis Kevin Garnett as he had 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Metta World Peace showed the world he is a champion as he scored 20 points and hit the game winning three from a Kobe pass. In a game 7 of the NBA Finals where everyone thought Kobe was going to go off for 50 he instead leaned on his teammates for help. He actually passed the ball to Metta in 06 that would have never happened. But that just shows you how much Kobe had grown over the years and he had become the ultimate winner.
7. Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Game Seven May 12 2019
When I was attending Rowan University all I would hear about is the Philadelphia 76ers and how this year was going to be there year. "Trust the process" Is what they would preach to me. Well in 2019 I thought it was going to be there year as well and I trusted the process. . They had the second best roster in basketball next to the Golden St Warriors and in the spring that year Kevin Durant went down with an injury that would basically put an end to his season. All things pointed to a 76ers championship they had just equired star guard Jimmy Butler Joel Embiid was a monster and Ben Simmons enjoyed playing basketball. The only thing standing in their way was the Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leonard . Leonard had championship experience from his time with the Spurs where he won a finals MVP in 2014. He brought a swagger to this Toronto team a sense of belief that they could beat anyone. Kyle Lowry was running the show, Pascal Siakam had taken the leap to becoming one of the best second options in the league and first year coach Nick Nurse had emerged as one of the best coaches in the league. This series was like a heavy weight fight both teams showed heart and answered whatever the other team threw at them. It came down to 04.2 seconds game tied 90-90 Kawhi dribbled to the corner let go of a shot to the beat the buzzer over Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The ball must of bounced three times before falling in. The country of Toronto went crazy. Kawhi and the Raptors went on to win the championship that year and that summer he was top dog in the league.
6. NBA Finals Game 6 Lakers vs Detroit Pistons 1988
By the time the 1988 NBA Finals rolled around, the Showtime Lakers were an established dynasty. They won four championships in 8 years and made the finals 6 times. Meanwhile in Detroit Chuck Daly’s Pistons were emerging as a hungry and physical new powerhouse in the East, with a roster built around Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, Adrian Dantley, and Bill Laimbeer. And they felt they had arrived as they took care of the Boston Celtics that year spoiling another Lakers vs Celtics rematch. Early in the third quarter, the Pistons were trailing by eight points, 56-48. That’s when Isaiah caught fire.Zeke scored Detroit’s next fourteen points with Kyrie like finishes. Thomas kept the Pistons in the game but the Lakers continued to answer, and with five minutes left in the third, they were still ahead 74-66. That’s when Thomas seriously rolled his ankle and collapsed on the court after attempting to run on it.
Isiah limped into the locker room. However, he would return with 3:44 left in the quarter, despite being in severe pain. Zeke on a bad wheel continued his scoring on slot ,putting up another eleven points giving him a total of twenty-five for the quarter. The Pistons regained the lead entering the fourth up 81-79.
Isiah Thomas continued to play well, he finished with 43 points for the game. With a minute left in the game. Detroit was holding on to a 102-99 lead. Byron Scott cut the lead to a single point with 45 seconds left, and after a Thomas miss, the Lakers got the ball back down one with 27 seconds to play. Los Angeles predictably got the ball to Kareem for their final play of regulation. The refs screwed up and called what would be famously called a “phantom foul” on Bill Laimbeer. That call made the difference in the game, as the Lakers center would hit both free throws. The Pistons got one more shot off, but it missed. The young Detroit team had blown their chance, and LA would close out Game 7 for their second consecutive title and their fifth since 1980.
5. NBA Finals Game 5 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors
“Wait what did Klay say?”
“He said I guess he got his feelings hurt”
What was about to happen hurt Klay’s feelings that summer. The 3-1 comeback started in game five LeBron and Kyrie Irving went off for 41 points not combined each. There are moments where LeBron gets tired of people talking down on his name and this was one of those moments. The Cavs were facing elimination and LeBron on his way to being 2-5 in NBA Finals and once again the goat conversation would be dead. And a summer of LeBron slander would take place. LeBron said no I’m better than this and dominated on both ends of the floor. Kyrie showed he’s every bit as good as Steph Curry and resulted in them winning 112-97. And the greatest comeback in sports history was underway.
4. NBA Finals Game 5 June 11th 1997 Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz
The year is about 2016 and I was a freshman in college and the Flu Games came out a friend of mine. I mean he’s not really a friend of mine but he got the Flu Games and he was the big man on campus that day. That’s how big the impact of Michael Jordan has on our culture. At 2 am, the day before the game, MJ called his trainer to his hotel room, where he was experiencing flu-like symptoms such as sweating, body aches, and weakness. He could barely get out of bed. Jordan was told he’d be unable to compete in the game the next day but try telling Michael Jordan that he won’t be able to play in the NBA Finals. During the game he was visibly fatigued from the start and had trouble adjusting to the speed of the game. As the game progressed, he found his rhythm and began sinking shots like a healthy Mike would. The Bulls would need Jordan to play big minutes due to the fact that they could not get anything accomplished while he was on the bench. He mustered the energy to return to the contest in the fourth, where he began his heroic performance, putting up fifteen in the quarter. When the game was tied 85-85 late in the fourth Jordan made a three point to basically end the game. In the 90’s Jordan was wearing the infinity gauntlet and it didn’t matter who you were or what plans you thought you had if you had the honor and privilege of facing him in the finals you weren’t going to win. As soon as the game concluded, Michael collapsed into Scottie Pippen’s arms, unable to find any more energy to even walk off the court. The image of that moment has become a celebrated piece of NBA history and a symbol of Jordan’s perseverance and drive to win.
3. Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz Game 6 NBA Finals the 1998
The Chicago Bulls were going for their second three peat. And this might have been their toughest one yet. Michael Jordan never played in a game 7 and 1998 was the closest he got to ever playing a game 7. Scottie Pippen played with a bad back and you could see it every time he went up and down the floor. But Jordan was determine to have nothing stop him from getting his sixth ring.The Jazz entered the fourth quarter with a 66-61 lead. The veteran Bulls squad climbed back and tied the game with a minute left. Stockton came back and hit a clutch three and gave Utah an 86-83 lead with just over forty seconds to play. Jordan drove to the basket and brought the Bulls within one on the next position. With just under twenty seconds to play, the Jazz had possession of the ball and control of their own destiny. But the black cat had more magic up his sleeve, and he stole the ball from Karl Malone in the post and pushed the ball down the court. With the final seconds of the game ticking down Michael Jordan famously crossed over Bryon Russell, with Russell falling to the ground. Jordan rose up for a jumper and….SWISH It went in and Jordan held the pose for what would be his last shot in a Bulls uniform. He had won his sixth ring in dramatic moments. Moments like that is why he’s the goat. Everything he did was spectacular and impactful.
2. Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs Game 6 2013
I hear about this game every other day when Skip Bayles talks. “ And Ray Allen saved LeBron’s legacy!” This is the second greatest game I’ve ever seen in my life. Entering the fourth quarter the Spurs were up by 10 points and once again facing elimination LeBron said NO! Scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 straight points and losing his beloved head band in the process. Despite that the Spurs had a chance to win the game LeBron had two costly turnovers and the score was 94-89 after a Ginobli free throw. Once again LeBron will not die. He made a three pointer to cut the lead down to 2. Now Kawhi Leonard goes to the line and makes one of the two free throws, so the Heat have a chance to tie the game. LeBron tries to make another 3 but misses somehow Chris Bosh ends up with the rebound. Let’s rewind to why Chris Bosh got the rebound. Coach Popovich thought it would be best if Tim Duncan was in the game so that they could switch everything. Maybe if Chris Bosh doesn’t get the rebound but he does and Jesus Ray Shuttlesworth backpedals to the short corner three point line and drains a three. To tie the game up. The game heads into overtime and in overtime the Heat would win 103-100. In the fourth quarter the yellow tape was out and the Spurs were ready to claim their championship. You could see an older T-Mac ready to receive his first championship and the Heat said “sike nah” and would win in game 7.
Game 7 NBA Finals Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors
The day of the game I was playing basketball at 8:30 and when one of my friends said “yo the game comes on in 30 minute” Everyone scattered home with quickness. The Warriors had a 3-1 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cav’s stormed back to force a game 7. Watching the game you could feel the electricity in the building you could tell the players were nervous they understood the magnitude of the moment. Steph Curry was trying to take over the basketball world with a win he would have the Warriors had the best record in NBA history with 73-9, he was the first unanimous MVP and America’s favorite Dad. For most of the game it felt like the Warriors would win I mean Draymond had 35 points and was talking CRAZY. The Cavs stayed the course as LeBron remained cool making timely buckets and controlling the tempo of the game, Kyrie made his presence felt making shots against Klay and Steph. JR Smith also made big shots and great defense. In the last 5 minutes both teams struggled to score and then it happened the greatest defensive play in NBA History. THE BLOCK. Off a long rebound Steph Curry took the ball and passed it to Andre Iguadlo who thought he had a go ahead bucket that is until LeBron James hawked him down like Joe Budden did those kids that threw rocks at him and pinned his shot off the glass. It was just a superhuman play that if your name wasn’t LeBron James you wouldn’t make it. After the Cavs call timeout. Kyrie makes one of the biggest shots ever to put the Cavs up by three and eventually win the game. It was the first time any team had come back from a 3-1 deficit and Cleveland’s first title in 52 years. The King delivered on his promise.
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