The field of 16 has now been cut to eight in the NBA Playoffs as we move on to the second round.
Just I did with the first round, I have come up with a list of the 25 greatest moments to occur in the second round, or round of 8.
As you read through the list, you will notice two notable omissions: the brawl in the 1997 Knicks-Heat series that changed turned the series in to Miami's favor as numerous suspensions of Knick players helped Miami come back from a 3-1 series deficit and the 2007 Suns-Spurs where Steve Nash was knocked down by Robert Horry leading to a suspension of some Suns players including Amare Stoudamire because they left the bench, helping the Spurs win that series.
I wanted to include great on the court moments and no brawls on this list, so that is why these two moments are not included.
Now that is explained, let's get started:
25. 2013-Spurs Comeback Against Warriors
Just I did with the first round, I have come up with a list of the 25 greatest moments to occur in the second round, or round of 8.
As you read through the list, you will notice two notable omissions: the brawl in the 1997 Knicks-Heat series that changed turned the series in to Miami's favor as numerous suspensions of Knick players helped Miami come back from a 3-1 series deficit and the 2007 Suns-Spurs where Steve Nash was knocked down by Robert Horry leading to a suspension of some Suns players including Amare Stoudamire because they left the bench, helping the Spurs win that series.
I wanted to include great on the court moments and no brawls on this list, so that is why these two moments are not included.
Now that is explained, let's get started:
25. 2013-Spurs Comeback Against Warriors
It looked like the Golden State Warriors were on their way to stealing Game 1 in San Antonio as they held a 16-point lead with 4 minutes to go in regulation and Spurs center Tim Duncan in the locker room because of a stomach virus.
But the Spurs would close regulation with a 18-2 run, that was capped off by Danny Green’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left which tied the game at 106, sending the game into overtime.
The game would go into a second overtime where the Warriors scored six straight points to take a 127-126 lead with 3.9 seconds left until Manu Ginobili drilled the game-winning 3-pointer from 26 feet out with 1.8 seconds left to give the Spurs a wild 129-127 double overtime win in the opener of a series which San Antonio would win in six games.
24.1992-Shootout in the Desert
The final NBA game played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum was a memorable one as the home Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers combined for 304 points, in the highest scoring game in NBA playoff history as the Blazers won Game 4 in double overtime 153-151 to take a 3-1 series lead as 13 players(7 for Portland, 6 for Phoenix) scored in double figures.
The Blazers would win Game 5 back in Portland to clinch the series. |
| Clyde Drexler dunks the ball for two of his 33 points in the highest scoring game in NBA playoff history. |
23. 2003-Almost Big Shot Bob
Robert Horry made several clutch or game-winning shots in the NBA playoffs in his 16-year career, but there is one shot that probably still haunts him to this day.In Game 5 of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs seemingly had the game in the bag as they held a 76-51 lead with over three minutes to go in the third quarter and were poised to take a 3-2 series lead.
But led by Kobe Bryant’s 19 points, which included five 3-pointers, the Lakers cut the lead to just two points at 96-94 with 14.7 seconds left and the ball in their possession.
As Spurs defensive ace Bruce Bowen was over Kobe in the left corner, Bryant passed to a wide open Horry, who fired up the potential go-ahead 3-pointer, that went halfway down the basket, before coming back up and into the hands of Spurs center David Robinson to preserve the win for San Antonio.
The Spurs would eliminate the Lakers in Game 6, ending Los Angeles’s chances of a 4th straight NBA title.
22. 1990-Strickland’s Bad Pass
With the game tied at 103 with 30 seconds left in overtime of Game 7, the San Antonio Spurs’ point guard Rod Strickland makes a costly mistake when he tries to make a no-look pass to Sean Elliott, only to have the Portland Trail Blazers’ Jerome Kersey, make the steal and then pass it to Clyde Drexler who is fouled by Strickland, which is ruled to be a breakaway foul meaning the Blazers got two free throws and possession of the ball.
Drexler makes both free throws then makes another pair of free throws when he is fouled again on the ensuing possession allowing for Portland to come away with the 108-105 win and sending the Blazers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1977.
21. 1993-Sir Charles’ Shot over The Admiral
The magical season of Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns continued with their second round series win against the San Antonio Spurs as Barkley, who would be named the MVP, drilled a 20-foot fadeaway jumper over “The Admiral” David Robinson with 1.8 seconds left in Game 6 to give the Suns a 100-98 win which clinched the series for Phoenix and sent them to the Western Conference Finals.
20.1989-Lakers' Large Comeback
Down 0-3 to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Seattle Supersonics played like a team with nothing to lose as they got off to a 43-14 lead, 14 minutes into the game.
But the Lakers began to chip at the 29-point lead as they outscored Seattle 22-6 over the last 8:02 of the first half to cut the deficit to 11 points, 54-43 at halftime, then finally take their first lead with 6:14 left in the 4th quarter when Orlando Woolridge sank a pair of free throws to give LA a 82-81 lead.
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| Magic Johnson looks to pass to Kareem Abdul-Jabaar during the Lakers' historic comeback against the Supersonics. |
19. 1985-Birth of “The Microwave”
With his team down 87-76 at the start of the 4th quarter of Game 4, Detroit Pistons guard Vinnie Johnson scores 22 of his team’s 26 points in the final 12 minutes on 11-of-12 shooting to lead the Pistons to a 102-99 win over the Boston Celtics to even the series at 2-2.
After the game, Celtics guard Danny Ainge was quoted “If that guy(William Perry) in Chicago is the Refrigerator, then Vinnie Johnson is the Microwave”.
While the Pistons would lose to the Celtics in six games, the “Microwave” would become Johnson’s nickname for his instant offense while coming off the bench. |
| Vinnie Johnson earned his nickname "The Microwave" after his performance against the Boston Celtics in 1985. |
18. 2016-Super Steph
After missing most of the playoffs with a sprained ankle and sprained knee, Warriors superstar Steph Curry comes off the bench to score 40 points, including Golden State's first 12 points of overtime on his way to a playoff record 17 points, the most points scored by one player in an overtime period in a NBA playoff game, as the Warriors knock off the Portland Trail Blazers 132-125 to take a 3-1 series lead as they would go on to win the series in five games.
After missing most of the playoffs with a sprained ankle and sprained knee, Warriors superstar Steph Curry comes off the bench to score 40 points, including Golden State's first 12 points of overtime on his way to a playoff record 17 points, the most points scored by one player in an overtime period in a NBA playoff game, as the Warriors knock off the Portland Trail Blazers 132-125 to take a 3-1 series lead as they would go on to win the series in five games.
17. 1976-The Miracle of Richfield
In their first ever postseason appearance, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the defending Eastern Conference Champion Washington Bullets in a seven-game series, thanks to game-winning shots in the final seconds of three of the Cavs’ four victories.
The first game-winner occurred in Game 2 as Bingo Smith drained a 27-footer with two seconds left to give Cleveland its first ever playoff win at 80-79 which evened up the series.
Then in Game 5, Smith tried to be the hero again as he fired up a 20-footer with four seconds left, but the ball was short, only for Jim Clemons to tip the airball back in for the game-winner as time expired to give the Cavs a 92-91 win and a 3-2 series lead.
Finally in Game 7, Dick Snyder hit a driving layup that bounced off the backboard and into the basket with four seconds left to give the Cavs a 87-85 win and completing the “Miracle of Richfield”. (The Cavaliers were playing at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, 20 miles south of Cleveland).16.1995-Jordan is The Goat
We often think of Michael Jordan as a superhero with his memorable game-winning shots and plays throughout his career, but in Game 1 of the Bulls’ 1995 series against the Orlando Magic, Jordan was shown to be human.
With about 18.1 seconds left and the Chicago leading 91-90, Toni Kukoc inbounded the ball to Jordan, who was covered by Nick Anderson as the Orlando forward was trying to make a steal before having to foul and sending Jordan to the free throw line.
With around 11 seconds to go, Anderson knocked the ball away from Jordan, which was picked up Orlando guard “Penny” Hardaway, who then passed it to former Bull Horace Grant, who threw it in for a slam dunk that gave the Magic a 92-91 lead with 6.2 seconds left.
Jordan got a chance to redeem himself but instead his pass to Scottie Pippen bounced off his hands and out of bounds, giving the ball back to Orlando with 1.5 seconds left allowing for Hardaway to ice the game and give the Magic a 94-91 win.
15. 2023-Tatum Takeover
Just two weeks after Steph Curry became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points in a Game 7, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum breaks that record with a 51-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tatum shoots 17-of-28 from the field, 6 of 10 from behind the three-point line, as he grabs 13 rebounds and dishes out five assists in the Celtics' 112-88 win over the Sixers.
14.1994-Scottie Sits While Toni Hits
With the game tied at 102 with 1.8 seconds left, Bulls head coach draws a play for the potential game-winning shot for rookie Toni Kukoc.
Angered by the move, Scottie Pippen decides to sit out the play and stay on the bench.
Pete Myers inbounds the ball to Kukoc, who turns around and drains a 19-footer as time expires to give the Bulls a 104-102 win for Chicago’s first win in their series with the New York Knicks.
For Pippen, it would not be the last time he was the center of attention in the series.
13. 1995-The Missed Layup
Down 97-95 with five seconds left in Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers, the New York Knicks had the ball and a chance to either win the game or at least force overtime.
Derek Harper inbounded the ball to Patrick Ewing, who caught the ball around the free throw line, then spun to his left side toward the middle of the lane and lofted a finger roll from 2 feet away from the basket that bounced off the back rim and into the hands of Pacers forward Dale Davis, to give Indiana the win and the series.
Perhaps if hadn’t been for the final seconds of Game 1 of this series, the Knicks wouldn’t been forced to play a Game 7…(read on to find out why)
12. 1993-The Shot II
Four years after demoralizing Cleveland fans with “The Shot”, Michael Jordan hit another walk-off series-ending buzzer beater over the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
This time, the Bulls held a 3-0 series lead and were trying to finish off a sweep of the Cavs as the game was tied at 101 with 18.5 seconds left and Chicago in possession to hold for the last shot.
Jordan got the ball and stopped at the top of the key, just a few feet away from his 1989 buzzer beater, where he fired up a 18-foot jumper over Gerald Wilkins that sailed through the basket as time expired to give the Bulls a 103-101 win to clinch the Bulls’ fifth straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
11. 2001-Iverson and Carter's 50-Point Performances
While it was officially the Toronto Raptors vs the Philadelphia 76ers, it seemed like the series was actually Vince Carter vs Allen Iverson.
After Philly dropped the opening game of the series, the Sixers’ Allen Iverson put his team on his back and scored 54 points to lead Philadelphia to a 97-92 win that evened up the series.
Carter responded to Iverson’s 54-point performance with 50 points in Game 3 as the Raptors’ star tied a NBA playoff record by hitting nine 3-pointers in Toronto’s 102-78 win.
Then in Game 5, Iverson came up with another 50+ point performance, this time scoring 52 points in the Sixers’ 121-88 victory to give Philly a 3-2 series lead.
Carter would strike back with 39 points in Game 6 forcing a Game 7 back in Philly where the series came down to the final shot as Carter’s 23-footer bounced off the rim as time expired, giving the Sixers a 88-87 win as Iverson dished out 16 assists as Philadelphia advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1985.
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| Allen Iverson averaged 33.7 points per game while Vince Carter averaged 30.4 points per game during their epic seven-game series in 2001. |
10. 2008-LeBron and Pierce’s Game 7 Duel
20 years after Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird engaged in a memorable Game 7 duel at the Boston Garden, LeBron James and Paul Pierce had their own mano a mano Game 7 duel in Boston.
Both men scored over 40 points as James had 45 for the Cavaliers while Pierce had 41 for the Celtics, including the two free throws that put the game away with 7.9 seconds to play to give Boston a 97-92 win and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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| LeBron James and Paul Pierce combined for 86 points in their memorable Game 7 duel in 2008. |
9.2004-Billups’ Half Court Shot Leads To Marathon
With time running out and his team down 88-85, Pistons guard Chauncey Billups banks in a 40-footer that sends the game into overtime with the game tied at 88.
Little did anyone know that Billups’ miracle shot would send Game 5 of this series into three overtime periods, the fourth time in NBA playoff history that a game had gone at least three overtime periods.
The Nets would eventually win the game 127-120 to take a 3-2 series lead, but the Pistons would storm back to win the next two games and the series.
8. 2019-A Long Night In Rip City
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets partake in only the second NBA Playoff game to ever go to four overtimes, the other being a 1953 game between the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals(Philadelphia 76ers), in Game 3 of their second round series, which is won by the Blazers 140-137 in a game that took nearly 3 1/2 hours to play.
The Blazers would go on to the win series in seven games.
7. 1987-Sleepy Awakens The Warriors
Warriors guard Eric “Sleepy” Floyd puts together a record-setting performance to save his team from a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.
After scoring 12 points in the first half, then adding another 10 in the third quarter, Floyd explodes for 29 points in the 4th quarter, the most points any player has scored in a single quarter in a NBA postseason game, as well as scoring the most points in a single half with 39, as Sleepy leads the Warriors to a 41-19 4th quarter to give Golden State a 129-121 win.
The Warriors would be eliminated in the next game, but Floyd’s performance is what is remembered most from this series as his playoff records for most points in a quarter and a half still stand to this day.
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| Sleepy Floyd scored 34 of the Warriors' last 46 points as they came back from a 98-83 deficit to win Game 4 of their series against the Lakers in 1987. 6. 1994-The Phantom Foul After winning Game 3 thanks to Kukoc’s buzzer beater(see moment 14), the Bulls go to win Game 4 in Chicago to tie their series with the Knicks as the series moves back to New York where Chicago has a chance to take a 3-2 series lead as they hold a 86-85 lead with 7.6 seconds to go. That is when one of the most controversial calls in NBA playoff history occurred when John Starks inbounded the ball to Hubert Davis, who took a shot from 20 feet out that missed, only to have official Hue Hollins call a foul on Scottie Pippen for making contact with Davis, though replays showed Pippen did not touch Davis until after he released the shot. Davis sank both free throws to give the Knicks a 87-86 win and a 3-2 series lead, though it would have to take a Game 7 back in New York for the Knicks to eliminate the Bulls and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. 5.1995-Kiss of Death The 1995 Houston Rockets just would not die in their 1995 series against the Phoenix Suns as they came back from a 0-2 and 1-3 series deficit to force a Game 7 in Phoenix as they came back from a 10-point halftime deficit and had a two-point lead going into the 4th quarter.But with the game tied at 110 and 20.4 seconds left, the Rockets were looking to give the ball to Clyde Drexler in hopes of breaking the tie. Instead, the ball found its way to Mario Elie, who drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Houston a 113-110 lead with 7.1 seconds left. After the shot, Elie blew a kiss to the Suns’ Joe Kliene, who Elie had been jawing with throughout the series. Elie’s kiss became known as the “Kiss of Death” as the Rockets would go on to win the game 115-114 to became the fifth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win a playoff series. 4. 2019-Kawhi's Buzzer Beater With 4.2 seconds left in Game 7 and the game tied at 90, the Toronto Raptors inbound the ball to Kawhi Leonard, who catches the ball around midcourt, then runs to the right side where he fires a 15-footer that bounces off the rim four times before finally going into the basket as time expires to give the Raptors a 92-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers and send them to the Eastern Conference Finals. 3. 2004-Fisher's Shot in 0.4 Seconds
It looked like the Spurs had won Game 5 of their series against the Los Angeles Lakers after Tim Duncan made a 20-footer as he fell to the floor to give San Antonio a 73-72 with 0.4 seconds left. All the Lakers could do was catch and shoot in one motion just to get a shot off as 0.3 seconds was the minimum time required in the NBA for such an act. Gary Payton inbounded the ball to Derek Fisher, who caught it and immediately fired up a 18-footer that went through the net for the game-winning basket to give the Lakers a shocking 74-73 win and a 3-2 series lead.
The Spurs protested that the clock did not start as soon as Fisher touched the ball, but it was heard to no avail as the Lakers would go on to win Game 6 to eliminate the Spurs. 2. 1995-Miller Time The Knicks appeared to be in great shape for a Game 1 victory in their series with the Pacers as they held a 105-99 lead with 18.7 seconds to play. That is when Reggie Miller, the “Knick-Killer” struck. First, Miller took the inbounds pass from Mark Jackson and drained a 3-pointer with 16.4 seconds left, to cut the Knicks’ lead in half to 105-102.
Then on the ensuing inbounds pass, Knicks guard Greg Anthony fell down, but Anthony Mason, the inbounder did not see Anthony’s fall and threw the pass right to Miller, who took a dribble and stepped behind the 3-point line where he buried the game-tying 3-pointer to tie the game at 105 with 13.2 seconds left. After the Knicks had made a mistake with the inbounds pass, it seemed the Pacers had returned the favor when Sam Mitchell fouled John Starks, sending Starks to the free throw line with still 13.2 seconds left and a chance to put New York back on top. But Starks missed both free throws only to have his teammate Patrick Ewing grab the rebound on the second miss free throw and miss a 8-foot fadeaway jumper that was rebounded by Miller, who was fouled by Mason, sending him to the free throw line with 7.5 seconds left. Unlike Starks, Miller made his free throws to give Indiana a 107-105 lead, erasing a six-point deficit in 8.9 seconds all by himself. The Knicks had a chance to save themselves as Anthony dribbled upcourt for a potential game-tying shot but fell down again as time expired to give the Pacers a shocking 107-105 win as Indiana would go on to win the series in seven games(see moment 13). 1.1988-You Are Watching What Greatness is All About That is what CBS announcer Brent Musberger said during the classic Game 7 duel between Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins and Celtics legend Larry Bird at the Boston Garden. Though during the first three quarters, it was Wilkins who had the better of the play as he had scored 31 points while Bird had been held in check scoring just 14 points as Boston held 84-82 lead as the 4th quarter began, thanks to Kevin McHale’s 21 1st half points.
With 10:03 to play and the game tied at 86, Bird hit a jumper that got him going as he would score the Celtics’ next seven points to give Boston a 93-90 lead only to have Wilkins drain a 3-pointer to tie the game at 93 and the duel was on. On two separate occasions in the final quarter, Bird and Wilkins combined to hit five baskets in a row. When it was all said and done, Wilkins finished with a game-high 47 points as he poured in 16 in the final 12 minutes, but Bird’ s 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting in the 4th, to finish the game with 34 points, gave Boston a 118-116 win in one of the great Game 7s in NBA playoff history.
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