OFFICIAL 2010-2011 NBA PLAYOFFS THREAD : VOL. MOST. ANTICIPATED. PLAYOFFS. EVER?
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by bigmike23,
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[h3]
very good read IMO
[/h3][h3]How to stop an extended lockout[/h3]
June, 2, 2011
Jun 2
3:46
PM ET
By Player X
Player X is an anonymous NBA star. This is his fourth column.
ON JULY 1, THE NBA WILL LOCK OUT ITS PLAYERS. That is for sure. And it may do more than wipe out next season. I've been told to prepare to miss the following one, too. The owners and players are that far apart.
Well, I can tell you that the players are ready. For more than a year our union reps have been advising us to save money. All my friends have cut back -- on cars, bling, you name it. Me too. I won't need another paycheck until 2013.
But the problems between the two sides are real, and they've got to be dealt with. Here's my chance to do my part. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant; I'm not even a union rep. So I can't speak about numbers or CBAs. But I can present to my fellow players and our owners a road map that will not only end the battle but also prevent any further troubles.
1. Remember the stakes.
Without basketball, our fans will turn to the NFL and MLB. And once they go, it will take a long time to win them back. If they're not spending on our tickets and gear, we aren't earning to our potential. (You got money; we want it. Welcome to the food chain.) But while the stoppage will hurt the players some, we ain't sweating. Can the owners say the same? I predict a full-season lockout causes more than one franchise to fold.
2. Find new resources.
Owners say they're losing money. If that's true, it's their fault and makes me think they're not very bright. (I'll explain in a second.) We need owners who are smarter, hungrier, bolder and richer. The NBA was onto something when it okayed the sale of the Nets to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Just like that, a dying franchise had a legit shot at landing LeBron. How many other rich foreigners are smiling as they monitor our sexy, cash-strapped league? We need to become a league where only the strong survive -- no matter where they call home.
[+] Enlarge
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for New Jersey NetsPlayer X likes the sale of the Nets to Mikhail Prokhorov.
3. Clean house.
The owners need to stop blaming us for their hardships and start scrutinizing the "geniuses" in the front office who handle their dough. Our teams are run by one weak GM after another, guys who blow millions on overvalued players, then blame the rest of us for driving the league into the ground. The only way to win is to spread the money around. You can't max out on a bold-faced name like Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay or Joe Johnson and still fill a roster with a worthy support crew. And you can't get a ring with that kind of incomplete team. Owners need to find some new GMs, or become de facto GMs themselves, like Mark Cuban. When you hold your own purse strings, you open them more carefully.
4. Lower the max salary.
Hear me out, players. Owners want to cut our salaries by a third, and that's just ridiculous. They've built a billion-dollar business on our shoulders, and suddenly we're worth a third less? Of course we're never going to go for that. But if they brought that max number down, owners could put a little something in their pockets and still build a contender. Kobe can live on a few million less, I promise you.
5. Take a look in the mirror.
We players are our own worst enemy. The guys I know don't watch their bank accounts or even know how to do their taxes, and we lend money like crazy. I haven't seen a dime on 70 percent of the loans I've given out. If family wants money, cool. Friends? Forget it. Most of us aren't good with investments, either. Ever since real estate went to hell, we've been buying car washes (dumb) and record companies (really dumb). We have to go back to the basics. I know few NBA guys who carry cash or can even find their checkbook. While we're at it, the league, or maybe the union, should start requiring every rookie to take a business class.
6. Change the tone.
I don't sit in on the negotiations, but from what I hear, David Stern is a beast -- a tough bargainer, to say the least. Now, we have a lot of smart fellas -- guys like Derek Fisher -- running the Players Association, and we stand by them. If my union asks me to march with signs or to hand out PB&Js, I'm there. But deep down, I blame them, too. We need to chill the hell out. This isn't war; it's business. We have a chance to save our season and strengthen our league. I pray we do. Because, damn, I hate watching baseball.
very good read IMO
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i dont know if any of you care but heres the new cover of Slam.
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Nope nobody cares...
Losing money? Cut teams plzzzzzzzzzzz
Losing money? Cut teams plzzzzzzzzzzz
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Oh you guys forget Curry just finished his 2nd year? Where was Nash in his 2nd year? Curry's shot is already great and will only get more consistent. His playmaking is decent, but again that will only get better.
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Originally Posted by Zyzz
i dont know if any of you care but heres the new cover of Slam.
my man
shoeking2101
Banned
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Originally Posted by Bigmike23
[h3][/h3][h3]How to stop an extended lockout[/h3]
June, 2, 2011
Jun 2
3:46
PM ET
By Player X
Player X is an anonymous NBA star. This is his fourth column.
ON JULY 1, THE NBA WILL LOCK OUT ITS PLAYERS. That is for sure. And it may do more than wipe out next season. I've been told to prepare to miss the following one, too. The owners and players are that far apart.
Well, I can tell you that the players are ready. For more than a year our union reps have been advising us to save money. All my friends have cut back -- on cars, bling, you name it. Me too. I won't need another paycheck until 2013.
But the problems between the two sides are real, and they've got to be dealt with. Here's my chance to do my part. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant; I'm not even a union rep. So I can't speak about numbers or CBAs. But I can present to my fellow players and our owners a road map that will not only end the battle but also prevent any further troubles.
1. Remember the stakes.
Without basketball, our fans will turn to the NFL and MLB. And once they go, it will take a long time to win them back. If they're not spending on our tickets and gear, we aren't earning to our potential. (You got money; we want it. Welcome to the food chain.) But while the stoppage will hurt the players some, we ain't sweating. Can the owners say the same? I predict a full-season lockout causes more than one franchise to fold.
2. Find new resources.
Owners say they're losing money. If that's true, it's their fault and makes me think they're not very bright. (I'll explain in a second.) We need owners who are smarter, hungrier, bolder and richer. The NBA was onto something when it okayed the sale of the Nets to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Just like that, a dying franchise had a legit shot at landing LeBron. How many other rich foreigners are smiling as they monitor our sexy, cash-strapped league? We need to become a league where only the strong survive -- no matter where they call home.
[+] Enlarge
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for New Jersey NetsPlayer X likes the sale of the Nets to Mikhail Prokhorov.
3. Clean house.
The owners need to stop blaming us for their hardships and start scrutinizing the "geniuses" in the front office who handle their dough. Our teams are run by one weak GM after another, guys who blow millions on overvalued players, then blame the rest of us for driving the league into the ground. The only way to win is to spread the money around. You can't max out on a bold-faced name like Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay or Joe Johnson and still fill a roster with a worthy support crew. And you can't get a ring with that kind of incomplete team. Owners need to find some new GMs, or become de facto GMs themselves, like Mark Cuban. When you hold your own purse strings, you open them more carefully.
4. Lower the max salary.
Hear me out, players. Owners want to cut our salaries by a third, and that's just ridiculous. They've built a billion-dollar business on our shoulders, and suddenly we're worth a third less? Of course we're never going to go for that. But if they brought that max number down, owners could put a little something in their pockets and still build a contender. Kobe can live on a few million less, I promise you.
5. Take a look in the mirror.
We players are our own worst enemy. The guys I know don't watch their bank accounts or even know how to do their taxes, and we lend money like crazy. I haven't seen a dime on 70 percent of the loans I've given out. If family wants money, cool. Friends? Forget it. Most of us aren't good with investments, either. Ever since real estate went to hell, we've been buying car washes (dumb) and record companies (really dumb). We have to go back to the basics. I know few NBA guys who carry cash or can even find their checkbook. While we're at it, the league, or maybe the union, should start requiring every rookie to take a business class.
6. Change the tone.
I don't sit in on the negotiations, but from what I hear, David Stern is a beast -- a tough bargainer, to say the least. Now, we have a lot of smart fellas -- guys like Derek Fisher -- running the Players Association, and we stand by them. If my union asks me to march with signs or to hand out PB&Js, I'm there. But deep down, I blame them, too. We need to chill the hell out. This isn't war; it's business. We have a chance to save our season and strengthen our league. I pray we do. Because, damn, I hate watching baseball.
jpzx
Supporter
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Wolves/Raptors Trade In The Works? DeRozan/#5 for Flynn/#2?
Spoiler [+]
The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the highest draft pick in the team's history, selecting in the number two spot in the upcoming NBA draft. As is the luck of a franchise needing a bit of luck, they just missed out on the opportunity to draft in the number one slot, giving them even more options on draft night. However, with recent reports of Ricky Rubio finally ready to sign on the dotted line and join the team next year—if there is a season—it eases the pain of missing out on the top pick some and also helps aid in the decision making process.
After all the discussions and waiting for Rubio the past two seasons, you can expect he will receive as many of the minutes as he can handle. The Timberwolves have already discussed options to bring in another veteran point guard along with Luke Ridnour to help mentor Rubio during his first season in the league. That is, someone who would understand they would not receive much playing time behind both Rubio and Ridnour. That is one of the many reasons why Jonny Flynn is out there in trade rumors and it is expected he played his last game with the Timberwolves already.
This brings us back to the number two pick in the draft and what the Timberwolves should do with it.
Recent reports state the Timberwolves are in discussion with the Toronto Raptors regarding a deal which would send Jonny Flynn and the number two pick to Toronto for guard DeMar DeRozan and the number five selection. While the Timberwolves should continue their due diligence to see if they are able to get more from their assets than only DeRozan, if this is the best they can do, they should think long and hard about it.
Without question, the Timberwolves have a nice core of talented, young players. To name a few, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson and, apparently, Ricky Rubio. If they were able to add a player of DeRozan's athleticism and promise, it would be difficult to pass on it since he plays a position of need for the team. As a young player, he does have flaws in his game, such as his difficulty in shooting the three, but coming into his third year, he may be ready to completely break out.
Receiving a significant jump in playing time in his second season, DeRozan was able to bring the additional boost in production. He is shaping into a flat-out scorer, despite his limitations shooting the ball. The Timberwolves are coming off a season in which both Kevin Love and Michael Beasley made great strides in their own respective third seasons, so it is more than possible to imagine the same happening for DeRozan in Minnesota knowing his work ethic.
These recent reports also beg the question: what is the plan for the Timberwolves at the center position? Darko Milicic put up respectable numbers last year when properly focused and motivated, but the ability to project his production from game to game is nearly impossible. Nikola Pekovic showed progress throughout his rookie season and gave great effort, but still has a long ways to go in his development. While most teams in the NBA don't have a terribly imposing center dominating the ball, the Timberwolves can get away with adding big bodies to the mix, but do they really think Anthony Randolph can play a majority of his minutes at that position?
MORE BY STEPHEN LITEL
NBA Chat With Stephen Litel: Stephen Litel will stop by tonight at 8:30pm EST (Note the time change)....
Iman Shumpert Working On Weaknesses: Shumpert knows there are questions regarding his game and he's doing what...
Tyler Honeycutt Answering Critics: Honeycutt is talented, but questions surround him. He believes he's...
View Stephen Litel Archive
Both the shooting guard and center positions are the glaring weaknesses for the Timberwolves, but with the players they already have on the perimeter it may make more sense to address the center position first. Some reports have the Timberwolves trading down in the draft to pick up Enes Kanter to play the position, while also picking up any of a number of unnamed veterans and unknown positions as well.
This is why the DeRozan trade would make sense for the Timberwolves. If the trade goes down as currently discussed, the Timberwolves would be able to address both positions. DeRozan immediately takes over the shooting guard position and Minnesota could take a bit of a flyer on Kanter at the number five selection, adding to their center position. This could give the Timberwolves a hypothetical lineup that would look like this:
PG – Rubio, Ridnour
SG – DeRozan, Ellington, Webster
SF – Beasley, Johnson, Hayward
PF – Love, Tolliver, Pekovic
C – Randolph, Kanter, Milicic
Of course, there are many areas of flux in that rotation depending on how training camp would shake out and which players play their way into a starting spot or getting big minutes off the bench. However, as is well-known, draft days for the Minnesota Timberwolves are anything but ordinary. David Kahn may have something up his sleeve where he believes he is pulling one over on the rest of the league, but by moving on this trade - if it goes down as rumored - he could add more talent to his team. He would solidify roles more than they were last year as well, allowing the players a bit more comfort on the court.
More deals may present themselves before the draft or on draft day, so the Timberwolves should continue to shop around. However, if this is the deal that occurs, it would not be the worst thing for Minnesota as they continue to attempt to rebuild.
After all the discussions and waiting for Rubio the past two seasons, you can expect he will receive as many of the minutes as he can handle. The Timberwolves have already discussed options to bring in another veteran point guard along with Luke Ridnour to help mentor Rubio during his first season in the league. That is, someone who would understand they would not receive much playing time behind both Rubio and Ridnour. That is one of the many reasons why Jonny Flynn is out there in trade rumors and it is expected he played his last game with the Timberwolves already.
This brings us back to the number two pick in the draft and what the Timberwolves should do with it.
Recent reports state the Timberwolves are in discussion with the Toronto Raptors regarding a deal which would send Jonny Flynn and the number two pick to Toronto for guard DeMar DeRozan and the number five selection. While the Timberwolves should continue their due diligence to see if they are able to get more from their assets than only DeRozan, if this is the best they can do, they should think long and hard about it.
Without question, the Timberwolves have a nice core of talented, young players. To name a few, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson and, apparently, Ricky Rubio. If they were able to add a player of DeRozan's athleticism and promise, it would be difficult to pass on it since he plays a position of need for the team. As a young player, he does have flaws in his game, such as his difficulty in shooting the three, but coming into his third year, he may be ready to completely break out.
Receiving a significant jump in playing time in his second season, DeRozan was able to bring the additional boost in production. He is shaping into a flat-out scorer, despite his limitations shooting the ball. The Timberwolves are coming off a season in which both Kevin Love and Michael Beasley made great strides in their own respective third seasons, so it is more than possible to imagine the same happening for DeRozan in Minnesota knowing his work ethic.
These recent reports also beg the question: what is the plan for the Timberwolves at the center position? Darko Milicic put up respectable numbers last year when properly focused and motivated, but the ability to project his production from game to game is nearly impossible. Nikola Pekovic showed progress throughout his rookie season and gave great effort, but still has a long ways to go in his development. While most teams in the NBA don't have a terribly imposing center dominating the ball, the Timberwolves can get away with adding big bodies to the mix, but do they really think Anthony Randolph can play a majority of his minutes at that position?
MORE BY STEPHEN LITEL
NBA Chat With Stephen Litel: Stephen Litel will stop by tonight at 8:30pm EST (Note the time change)....
Iman Shumpert Working On Weaknesses: Shumpert knows there are questions regarding his game and he's doing what...
Tyler Honeycutt Answering Critics: Honeycutt is talented, but questions surround him. He believes he's...View Stephen Litel Archive
Both the shooting guard and center positions are the glaring weaknesses for the Timberwolves, but with the players they already have on the perimeter it may make more sense to address the center position first. Some reports have the Timberwolves trading down in the draft to pick up Enes Kanter to play the position, while also picking up any of a number of unnamed veterans and unknown positions as well.
This is why the DeRozan trade would make sense for the Timberwolves. If the trade goes down as currently discussed, the Timberwolves would be able to address both positions. DeRozan immediately takes over the shooting guard position and Minnesota could take a bit of a flyer on Kanter at the number five selection, adding to their center position. This could give the Timberwolves a hypothetical lineup that would look like this:
PG – Rubio, Ridnour
SG – DeRozan, Ellington, Webster
SF – Beasley, Johnson, Hayward
PF – Love, Tolliver, Pekovic
C – Randolph, Kanter, Milicic
Of course, there are many areas of flux in that rotation depending on how training camp would shake out and which players play their way into a starting spot or getting big minutes off the bench. However, as is well-known, draft days for the Minnesota Timberwolves are anything but ordinary. David Kahn may have something up his sleeve where he believes he is pulling one over on the rest of the league, but by moving on this trade - if it goes down as rumored - he could add more talent to his team. He would solidify roles more than they were last year as well, allowing the players a bit more comfort on the court.
More deals may present themselves before the draft or on draft day, so the Timberwolves should continue to shop around. However, if this is the deal that occurs, it would not be the worst thing for Minnesota as they continue to attempt to rebuild.
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I don't know why the Raptors would give away their up and coming young player DeRozan who was averaging close to 20 PPG post All-star for Derrick Williams an undersized athletic forward when they already have an entire roster of them...
jpzx
Supporter
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21-year old DeRozan and 20-year old Rubio backcourt for the next decade
|A-Man|
formerly atgd7154xbbxmz
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Nice deal for Minny. Terrible for TOR. If that goes through it's like they don't want a new head coach at all
What Min doing with Telfair? You'd trade him for a 2nd round pick to the Knicks right? We could even give you a veteran "big" in Renaldo Balkman.
What Min doing with Telfair? You'd trade him for a 2nd round pick to the Knicks right? We could even give you a veteran "big" in Renaldo Balkman.
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Please let that Monta trade happen. Jrue and Turner are both very good defenders, we need someone to score the damn ball.
Now I know there has to be SOME possible way that we can get rid of Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes. Re-sign Thad Young and draft Faried or Jimmer and I might be a fan again.
Now I know there has to be SOME possible way that we can get rid of Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes. Re-sign Thad Young and draft Faried or Jimmer and I might be a fan again.
My bad, thought they were all free.
Greatest playoff series #'s 1-5.
Greatest playoff series #'s 1-5.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]1. 1981 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: 76ERS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]PHI 105
BOS 104[/td][td]PHI 99
BOS 118[/td][td]BOS 100
PHI 110[/td][td]BOS 105
PHI 107[/td][td]PHI 109
BOS 111[/td][td]BOS 100
PHI 98[/td][td]PHI 90
BOS 91[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 31.5[/td][/tr][/table]
The 1981 Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers has to be the best of the post-merger era. This one had everything. For starters, both teams won 62 games, tying for the league's best regular-season record. It had the old rivalry between Boston and Philly, going back to the Russell-Chamberlain days. It had the Bird-era Celtics and the Erving-era Sixers, each yearning for their first championship.
And the games … oh, my. Not only was there the improbable rally from a 3-1 series deficit by the Celtics, one of only eight times in league history that's happened, but these were all white-knuckle games. Amazingly, five of the seven games were decided by two points or fewer, including each of the last four.
Boston trailed by double digits in each of the final three games, and was down by six with 1:51 left in Game 5, before rallying to win each. The key play of the series was Kevin McHale's block of an Andrew Toney drive at the end of Game 6, preserving the key road win for the Celtics.
The finale was an especially grueling battle that featured just one basket in the last three minutes. A crucial missed free throw by Mo Cheeks allowed Boston to escape, 91-90, bookending a series that began with the Sixers' one-point win thanks to Andrew Toney's free throws with two seconds left.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]2. 1998 NBA FINALS: BULLS VS. JAZZ[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]CHI 85
UTA 88 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 93
UTA 88[/td][td]UTA 54
CHI 96[/td][td]UTA 82
CHI 86[/td][td]UTA 83
CHI 81[/td][td]CHI 87
UTA 86[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 34.1[/td][/tr][/table]
This series featured perhaps the most memorable shot in NBA Finals history -- Michael Jordan taking a hard dribble right, pushing Bryon Russell aside with his off arm, and then hitting a series-clinching jumper while basically waving goodbye. This shot sent him off into his second retirement, but not before Utah gave his Bulls all they could handle in a six-game grinder in which five of the games were decided by five points or fewer. Jordan, in fact, had a chance to win Game 5 at the buzzer as well, but his desperation 3-pointer was off the mark and the series was sent back to Utah.
The Jazz won the opener in another thriller, this one in overtime, but the Bulls won the next three to assume command. Oddly, given that the other five games were so tight, the Bulls' 96-54 win in Game 3 was the biggest rout in Finals history, and the Jazz set a record (since broken) for the fewest points in the shot-clock era. While Utah scored more easily in other games, it didn't exceed 88 points in any contest in the series.
And finally, here's a trivia question: Who took the last shot of this series? Everyone thinks it was Jordan, but his shot came with 5.2 seconds left. The Bulls weren't champions until John Stockton's last-second 3-point try bounced off the rim.
Photo credit: Fernando Medina/Getty Images
[h4]3. 2006 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: MAVS VS. SPURS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]DAL 85
SAS 87[/td][td]DAL 113
SAS 91[/td][td]SAS 103
DAL 104[/td][td]SAS 118
DAL 123 (OT)[/td][td]DAL 97
SAS 98[/td][td]SAS 91
DAL 86[/td][td]DAL 119
SAS 111 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 34.4[/td][/tr][/table]
Due to a quirk in seeding, Dallas and San Anotnio met each other in the second round in 2006 despite each winning 60 regular-season games. But even though it happened a little early, these Texas rivals gave us an absolute classic -- in fact, this series had the highest raw score of any series, at 34.4.
Five of the seven games were within two points at the end of regulation, including two that went to overtime. One of those OT games was the last one, with a Dirk Nowitzki and-1 basket, tying the game with 21 seconds left in regulation. That proved the difference, as the Mavs won in overtime on the road en route to their first Finals appearance.
But up until then it looked like the Mavs would be lamenting the one that got away. Dallas was up 3-1 in the series and led by 20 in the finale before falling behind. The Mavs also lost Game 6 in part because guard Jason Terry was suspended after punching Michael Finley in a scrum near the end of Game 5. That contest was another classic, with neither team scoring in the final 1:59, and Bruce Bowen's last-second block of Nowitzki's shot saving the 98-97 San Antonio win.
The opener wasn't too shabby either, with Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse memorably passing up an open 2-pointer to dribble out to the 3-point line on the last play -- even though his team was down only two points. His contested look missed badly.
Photo credit: Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]4. 1984 NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]LAL 115
BOS 109[/td][td]LAL 121
BOS 124 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 104
LAL 137[/td][td]BOS 129
LAL 125 (OT)[/td][td]LAL 103
BOS 121[/td][td]BOS 108
LAL 119[/td][td]LAL 102
BOS 111[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.0[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of score, this one should be farther down the list. But the importance of this series to the league can't possibly be overstated. This is the series that made the NBA what it is today, drawing in young NBA fans and fueling the Bird-Magic and Boston-L.A. rivalries.
It wasn't bad on the court either, with overtime losses in Games 2 and 4 proving especially painful for the Lakers. Up 1-0 after a 115-109 win in Game 1, L.A. lost the second game at home with horrid execution at the end of regulation, as James Worthy threw a bad pass that Gerald Henderson stole and converted for a lay-up and then Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled out the clock. Game 4 was a series-turning contest, one that also featured Kevin McHale's now-infamous clothesline of Kurt Rambis. Johnson again struggled in the clutch, missing two big free throws and making a key turnover as L.A. blew a five-point lead in the last minute of regulation.
Boston went on to win the "heat game" in Game 5 -- there was no air conditioning in Boston Garden, so the teams were forced to play in 97-degree heat -- and unlikely hero Cornbread Maxwell finally led the Celtics to the series victory in the seventh game.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]5. 1997 NBA FINALS: JAZZ VS. BULLS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]UTA 82
CHI 84[/td][td]UTA 85
CHI 97[/td][td]CHI 93
UTA 104[/td][td]CHI 73
UTA 78[/td][td]CHI 90
UTA 88[/td][td]UTA 86
CHI 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 25.1[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of wins and losses, this was the second-best matchup in playoff history and the best of any on this list. The Bulls (69) and Jazz (64) combined for 133 wins in the 1996-97 regular season, and showed everyone why in a thrilling six-game series that included four games decided by five points or fewer and three that came down to the final shots.
Of course, Michael Jordan took center stage. He made a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to win Game 1 -- after Utah's Karl Malone bricked two free throws -- and the series would ultimately come full circle in the clinching Game 6. When Utah went to double-team Jordan to prevent the same shot, he dished to an open Steve Kerr for the game-winning points. Once Scottie Pippen deflected Utah's inbound pass, the celebration was on.
In between, an ill Jordan gave one of the greatest performances in playoff history in what's now referred to as "Flu Game." Barely able to stand up at timeouts, he nonetheless scored 38 points, including the game-winning 3, to rally Chicago from a 16-point deficit and win a pivotal Game 5 in Utah.
Utah had its moments too -- most notably the Stockton-to-Malone touchdown pass that gave Utah the lead in Game 4 and tied the series. But the series belonged to Jordan and the Bulls.
#'s 6-10.
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
BOS 104[/td][td]PHI 99
BOS 118[/td][td]BOS 100
PHI 110[/td][td]BOS 105
PHI 107[/td][td]PHI 109
BOS 111[/td][td]BOS 100
PHI 98[/td][td]PHI 90
BOS 91[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 31.5[/td][/tr][/table]
The 1981 Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers has to be the best of the post-merger era. This one had everything. For starters, both teams won 62 games, tying for the league's best regular-season record. It had the old rivalry between Boston and Philly, going back to the Russell-Chamberlain days. It had the Bird-era Celtics and the Erving-era Sixers, each yearning for their first championship.
And the games … oh, my. Not only was there the improbable rally from a 3-1 series deficit by the Celtics, one of only eight times in league history that's happened, but these were all white-knuckle games. Amazingly, five of the seven games were decided by two points or fewer, including each of the last four.
Boston trailed by double digits in each of the final three games, and was down by six with 1:51 left in Game 5, before rallying to win each. The key play of the series was Kevin McHale's block of an Andrew Toney drive at the end of Game 6, preserving the key road win for the Celtics.
The finale was an especially grueling battle that featured just one basket in the last three minutes. A crucial missed free throw by Mo Cheeks allowed Boston to escape, 91-90, bookending a series that began with the Sixers' one-point win thanks to Andrew Toney's free throws with two seconds left.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]2. 1998 NBA FINALS: BULLS VS. JAZZ[/h4]
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
UTA 88 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 93
UTA 88[/td][td]UTA 54
CHI 96[/td][td]UTA 82
CHI 86[/td][td]UTA 83
CHI 81[/td][td]CHI 87
UTA 86[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 34.1[/td][/tr][/table]
This series featured perhaps the most memorable shot in NBA Finals history -- Michael Jordan taking a hard dribble right, pushing Bryon Russell aside with his off arm, and then hitting a series-clinching jumper while basically waving goodbye. This shot sent him off into his second retirement, but not before Utah gave his Bulls all they could handle in a six-game grinder in which five of the games were decided by five points or fewer. Jordan, in fact, had a chance to win Game 5 at the buzzer as well, but his desperation 3-pointer was off the mark and the series was sent back to Utah.
The Jazz won the opener in another thriller, this one in overtime, but the Bulls won the next three to assume command. Oddly, given that the other five games were so tight, the Bulls' 96-54 win in Game 3 was the biggest rout in Finals history, and the Jazz set a record (since broken) for the fewest points in the shot-clock era. While Utah scored more easily in other games, it didn't exceed 88 points in any contest in the series.
And finally, here's a trivia question: Who took the last shot of this series? Everyone thinks it was Jordan, but his shot came with 5.2 seconds left. The Bulls weren't champions until John Stockton's last-second 3-point try bounced off the rim.
Photo credit: Fernando Medina/Getty Images
[h4]3. 2006 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: MAVS VS. SPURS[/h4]
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
SAS 87[/td][td]DAL 113
SAS 91[/td][td]SAS 103
DAL 104[/td][td]SAS 118
DAL 123 (OT)[/td][td]DAL 97
SAS 98[/td][td]SAS 91
DAL 86[/td][td]DAL 119
SAS 111 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 34.4[/td][/tr][/table]
Due to a quirk in seeding, Dallas and San Anotnio met each other in the second round in 2006 despite each winning 60 regular-season games. But even though it happened a little early, these Texas rivals gave us an absolute classic -- in fact, this series had the highest raw score of any series, at 34.4.
Five of the seven games were within two points at the end of regulation, including two that went to overtime. One of those OT games was the last one, with a Dirk Nowitzki and-1 basket, tying the game with 21 seconds left in regulation. That proved the difference, as the Mavs won in overtime on the road en route to their first Finals appearance.
But up until then it looked like the Mavs would be lamenting the one that got away. Dallas was up 3-1 in the series and led by 20 in the finale before falling behind. The Mavs also lost Game 6 in part because guard Jason Terry was suspended after punching Michael Finley in a scrum near the end of Game 5. That contest was another classic, with neither team scoring in the final 1:59, and Bruce Bowen's last-second block of Nowitzki's shot saving the 98-97 San Antonio win.
The opener wasn't too shabby either, with Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse memorably passing up an open 2-pointer to dribble out to the 3-point line on the last play -- even though his team was down only two points. His contested look missed badly.
Photo credit: Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]4. 1984 NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
Los Angeles Lakers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
BOS 109[/td][td]LAL 121
BOS 124 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 104
LAL 137[/td][td]BOS 129
LAL 125 (OT)[/td][td]LAL 103
BOS 121[/td][td]BOS 108
LAL 119[/td][td]LAL 102
BOS 111[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.0[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of score, this one should be farther down the list. But the importance of this series to the league can't possibly be overstated. This is the series that made the NBA what it is today, drawing in young NBA fans and fueling the Bird-Magic and Boston-L.A. rivalries.
It wasn't bad on the court either, with overtime losses in Games 2 and 4 proving especially painful for the Lakers. Up 1-0 after a 115-109 win in Game 1, L.A. lost the second game at home with horrid execution at the end of regulation, as James Worthy threw a bad pass that Gerald Henderson stole and converted for a lay-up and then Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled out the clock. Game 4 was a series-turning contest, one that also featured Kevin McHale's now-infamous clothesline of Kurt Rambis. Johnson again struggled in the clutch, missing two big free throws and making a key turnover as L.A. blew a five-point lead in the last minute of regulation.
Boston went on to win the "heat game" in Game 5 -- there was no air conditioning in Boston Garden, so the teams were forced to play in 97-degree heat -- and unlikely hero Cornbread Maxwell finally led the Celtics to the series victory in the seventh game.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]5. 1997 NBA FINALS: JAZZ VS. BULLS[/h4]
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
CHI 84[/td][td]UTA 85
CHI 97[/td][td]CHI 93
UTA 104[/td][td]CHI 73
UTA 78[/td][td]CHI 90
UTA 88[/td][td]UTA 86
CHI 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 25.1[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of wins and losses, this was the second-best matchup in playoff history and the best of any on this list. The Bulls (69) and Jazz (64) combined for 133 wins in the 1996-97 regular season, and showed everyone why in a thrilling six-game series that included four games decided by five points or fewer and three that came down to the final shots.
Of course, Michael Jordan took center stage. He made a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to win Game 1 -- after Utah's Karl Malone bricked two free throws -- and the series would ultimately come full circle in the clinching Game 6. When Utah went to double-team Jordan to prevent the same shot, he dished to an open Steve Kerr for the game-winning points. Once Scottie Pippen deflected Utah's inbound pass, the celebration was on.
In between, an ill Jordan gave one of the greatest performances in playoff history in what's now referred to as "Flu Game." Barely able to stand up at timeouts, he nonetheless scored 38 points, including the game-winning 3, to rally Chicago from a 16-point deficit and win a pivotal Game 5 in Utah.
Utah had its moments too -- most notably the Stockton-to-Malone touchdown pass that gave Utah the lead in Game 4 and tied the series. But the series belonged to Jordan and the Bulls.
#'s 6-10.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]6. 2002 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LAKERS VS. KINGS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Sacramento Kings[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]LAL 106
SAC 99[/td][td]LAL 90
SAC 96[/td][td]SAC 103
LAL 90[/td][td]SAC 99
LAL 100[/td][td]LAL 91
SAC 92[/td][td]SAC 102
LAL 106[/td][td]LAL 112
SAC 106 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 25.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Seven games wasn't enough to decide the 2002 Western Conference finals, but the Lakers finally prevailed in overtime in Sacramento when the Kings kept missing free throws. This classic series had everything -- game-winning shots by Robert Horry and Mike Bibby, a 24-point Lakers comeback in Game 4 to even the series, and the first road win in a Game 7 in more than 20 years. Even before the Game 7 overtime, the previous three games were decided by a total of six points.
Of course, this series has also become synonymous with scandal because of a 106-102 Laker victory in Game 6 that featured a series of dubious calls in favor of L.A, most notably a late fourth-quarter Kobe Bryant elbow that left Bibby bleeding but drew a whistle against the Kings. The Lakers took 27 fourth-quarter free throws, and by the end Sacramento was guarding Shaquille O'Neal with little-used backup forward Lawrence Funderburke.
Nonetheless, the most crucial moment came in Game 4, when the Lakers capped off a miraculous comeback with Horry's 3-pointer at the buzzer to win 100-99. The Kings seemingly had it won after Vlade Divac tapped a Lakers miss away from the basket area and the clock wound down, only to have the ball go straight to Horry at the 3-point line.
Photo credit: Robert Sullivan/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]7. 2006 NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. MAVS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Miami Heat
Dallas Mavericks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]MIA 80
DAL 90[/td][td]MIA 85
DAL 99[/td][td]DAL 96
MIA 98[/td][td]DAL 74
MIA 98[/td][td]DAL 100
MIA 101 (OT)[/td][td]MIA 95
DAL 92[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 23.6[/td][/tr][/table]
The 2006 playoffs were probably the league's best ever, and this Finals series capped it off. Underdog Miami was down 2-0 and trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 before improbably rallying to win behind a huge fourth quarter from Dwyane Wade and a couple of key free throw misses from Dirk Nowitzki.
Things went steadily downhill from there for Dallas. The Mavs were blown away in Game 4, lost Jerry Stackhouse to a suspension, and then lost the final two games about as painfully as possible. Game 5 went to overtime before Wade's controversial free throws and an equally controversial timeout call by Dallas put the Heat up 3-2. Mavs owner Mark Cuban was so furious afterward he was fined $250,000 for "acts of misconduct," reportedly including yelling at commissioner David Stern that the league was fixed.
Wade dominated again in Game 6, finishing with one of the greatest playoff series in history by averaging 34.7 points per game. But the series wasn't decided until Jason Terry's 3 fell off the rim at the buzzer.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]8. 1978 NBA FINALS: BULLETS VS. SONICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Washington Bullets
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]WAS 102
SEA 106[/td][td]SEA 98
WAS 106[/td][td]SEA 93
WAS 92[/td][td]WAS 120
SEA 116 (OT)[/td][td]WAS 94
SEA 98[/td][td]SEA 82
WAS 117
[/td][td]WAS 105
SEA 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 22.8[/td][/tr][/table]
The Washington Bullets only won 44 games in 1978 but won the title in dramatic fashion with a Game 7 victory in Seattle. For an emerging Sonics team led by star guard Dennis Johnson, it was a heartbreaking entry into contender status. They had started the season 5-17 before making an unlikely run to the Finals (seriously, stop and think about that for a second -- they started 5-17 and ended up with home-court advantage in the Finals) but closed the season with Johnson missing all 14 of his shots from the field in a 105-99 defeat on their home floor.
Five of the seven games went to the final seconds, including a Seattle rally from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1. The series had a bizarre 1-2-2-1-1 format because of arena availability issues, and Game 4 was played in the Kingdome because Seattle Center had a mobile home show. (This was the NBA in 1978, kids. A freaking mobile-home show trumped the Finals.)
This series was also notable for one of the great out-of-nowhere performances in playoff history. Lightly regarded reserve guard Charles Johnson essentially won Game 4 for the Bullets with three quick buckets in overtime and scored 19 points in Game 7.
Photo credit: NBA Photo Library/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]9. 1995 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: PACERS VS. KNICKS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]IND 107
NYK 105[/td][td]IND 77
NYK 96[/td][td]NYK 95
IND 97 (OT)[/td][td]NYK 84
IND 98
[/td][td]IND 95
NYK 96
[/td][td]NYK 92
IND 82[/td][td]IND 97
NYK 95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 19.6[/td][/tr][/table]
Eight points. Nine seconds. Seven games. In six words, that's what made this series special. Reggie Miller's Game 1 heroics are what everyone remembers, but how about the six games that followed? This second-round series between archenemies who had clashed memorably in the previous two postseasons featured three other games decided by two points or fewer.
Of course, everyone remembers Miller turning a six-point Pacer deficit into a 109-107 win in the opener by making two 3-pointers and two free throws in the final 10 seconds. But New Yorkers also lament Patrick Ewing's missed layup at the Game 7 buzzer, a turnaround from Game 5 when Ewing hit the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds left. All told, three of the four games played in New York went to the buzzer.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
[h4]10. 1988 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]DET 105
LAL 93[/td][td]DET 96
LAL 108[/td][td]LAL 99
DET 86[/td][td]LAL 86
DET 111[/td][td]LAL 94
DET 104[/td][td]DET 102
LAL 103[/td][td]DET 105
LAL 108[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 17.7[/td][/tr][/table]
Not only did this go seven games, but the last two were as good as you'll ever see. The Pistons set the tone in Game 1 by surprising the favored Lakers, 105-93. But from there it took a little while for the drama to ramp up; each of the first five games ended with a double-digit margin.
However, the last two made up for it. While hopping up and down the court on a sprained ankle, Isiah Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter of Game 6 and nearly led Detroit to victory. The Pistons were up by three with a minute left, but L.A. hung on to win 103-102 after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's late free throws, a rushed Detroit miss, and a wild scene as Dennis Rodman and Byron Scott nearly came to blows just before the buzzer.
The seventh game was just as tight. After leading by as many as 15, the Lakers hung on to a three-point win (after rushing the court before the buzzer while the Pistons tried to get off a final shot), thanks in large part to 36 points, 16 boards and 10 assists from James Worthy -- the only triple-double of the Finals MVP's career.
#'s 11-15.
Sacramento Kings[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
SAC 99[/td][td]LAL 90
SAC 96[/td][td]SAC 103
LAL 90[/td][td]SAC 99
LAL 100[/td][td]LAL 91
SAC 92[/td][td]SAC 102
LAL 106[/td][td]LAL 112
SAC 106 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 25.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Seven games wasn't enough to decide the 2002 Western Conference finals, but the Lakers finally prevailed in overtime in Sacramento when the Kings kept missing free throws. This classic series had everything -- game-winning shots by Robert Horry and Mike Bibby, a 24-point Lakers comeback in Game 4 to even the series, and the first road win in a Game 7 in more than 20 years. Even before the Game 7 overtime, the previous three games were decided by a total of six points.
Of course, this series has also become synonymous with scandal because of a 106-102 Laker victory in Game 6 that featured a series of dubious calls in favor of L.A, most notably a late fourth-quarter Kobe Bryant elbow that left Bibby bleeding but drew a whistle against the Kings. The Lakers took 27 fourth-quarter free throws, and by the end Sacramento was guarding Shaquille O'Neal with little-used backup forward Lawrence Funderburke.
Nonetheless, the most crucial moment came in Game 4, when the Lakers capped off a miraculous comeback with Horry's 3-pointer at the buzzer to win 100-99. The Kings seemingly had it won after Vlade Divac tapped a Lakers miss away from the basket area and the clock wound down, only to have the ball go straight to Horry at the 3-point line.
Photo credit: Robert Sullivan/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]7. 2006 NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. MAVS[/h4]
Dallas Mavericks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
DAL 90[/td][td]MIA 85
DAL 99[/td][td]DAL 96
MIA 98[/td][td]DAL 74
MIA 98[/td][td]DAL 100
MIA 101 (OT)[/td][td]MIA 95
DAL 92[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 23.6[/td][/tr][/table]
The 2006 playoffs were probably the league's best ever, and this Finals series capped it off. Underdog Miami was down 2-0 and trailed by 13 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 before improbably rallying to win behind a huge fourth quarter from Dwyane Wade and a couple of key free throw misses from Dirk Nowitzki.
Things went steadily downhill from there for Dallas. The Mavs were blown away in Game 4, lost Jerry Stackhouse to a suspension, and then lost the final two games about as painfully as possible. Game 5 went to overtime before Wade's controversial free throws and an equally controversial timeout call by Dallas put the Heat up 3-2. Mavs owner Mark Cuban was so furious afterward he was fined $250,000 for "acts of misconduct," reportedly including yelling at commissioner David Stern that the league was fixed.
Wade dominated again in Game 6, finishing with one of the greatest playoff series in history by averaging 34.7 points per game. But the series wasn't decided until Jason Terry's 3 fell off the rim at the buzzer.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]8. 1978 NBA FINALS: BULLETS VS. SONICS[/h4]
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
SEA 106[/td][td]SEA 98
WAS 106[/td][td]SEA 93
WAS 92[/td][td]WAS 120
SEA 116 (OT)[/td][td]WAS 94
SEA 98[/td][td]SEA 82
WAS 117
[/td][td]WAS 105
SEA 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 22.8[/td][/tr][/table]
The Washington Bullets only won 44 games in 1978 but won the title in dramatic fashion with a Game 7 victory in Seattle. For an emerging Sonics team led by star guard Dennis Johnson, it was a heartbreaking entry into contender status. They had started the season 5-17 before making an unlikely run to the Finals (seriously, stop and think about that for a second -- they started 5-17 and ended up with home-court advantage in the Finals) but closed the season with Johnson missing all 14 of his shots from the field in a 105-99 defeat on their home floor.
Five of the seven games went to the final seconds, including a Seattle rally from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1. The series had a bizarre 1-2-2-1-1 format because of arena availability issues, and Game 4 was played in the Kingdome because Seattle Center had a mobile home show. (This was the NBA in 1978, kids. A freaking mobile-home show trumped the Finals.)
This series was also notable for one of the great out-of-nowhere performances in playoff history. Lightly regarded reserve guard Charles Johnson essentially won Game 4 for the Bullets with three quick buckets in overtime and scored 19 points in Game 7.
Photo credit: NBA Photo Library/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]9. 1995 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: PACERS VS. KNICKS[/h4]
New York Knicks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
NYK 105[/td][td]IND 77
NYK 96[/td][td]NYK 95
IND 97 (OT)[/td][td]NYK 84
IND 98
[/td][td]IND 95
NYK 96
[/td][td]NYK 92
IND 82[/td][td]IND 97
NYK 95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 19.6[/td][/tr][/table]
Eight points. Nine seconds. Seven games. In six words, that's what made this series special. Reggie Miller's Game 1 heroics are what everyone remembers, but how about the six games that followed? This second-round series between archenemies who had clashed memorably in the previous two postseasons featured three other games decided by two points or fewer.
Of course, everyone remembers Miller turning a six-point Pacer deficit into a 109-107 win in the opener by making two 3-pointers and two free throws in the final 10 seconds. But New Yorkers also lament Patrick Ewing's missed layup at the Game 7 buzzer, a turnaround from Game 5 when Ewing hit the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds left. All told, three of the four games played in New York went to the buzzer.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
[h4]10. 1988 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
LAL 93[/td][td]DET 96
LAL 108[/td][td]LAL 99
DET 86[/td][td]LAL 86
DET 111[/td][td]LAL 94
DET 104[/td][td]DET 102
LAL 103[/td][td]DET 105
LAL 108[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 17.7[/td][/tr][/table]
Not only did this go seven games, but the last two were as good as you'll ever see. The Pistons set the tone in Game 1 by surprising the favored Lakers, 105-93. But from there it took a little while for the drama to ramp up; each of the first five games ended with a double-digit margin.
However, the last two made up for it. While hopping up and down the court on a sprained ankle, Isiah Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter of Game 6 and nearly led Detroit to victory. The Pistons were up by three with a minute left, but L.A. hung on to win 103-102 after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's late free throws, a rushed Detroit miss, and a wild scene as Dennis Rodman and Byron Scott nearly came to blows just before the buzzer.
The seventh game was just as tight. After leading by as many as 15, the Lakers hung on to a three-point win (after rushing the court before the buzzer while the Pistons tried to get off a final shot), thanks in large part to 36 points, 16 boards and 10 assists from James Worthy -- the only triple-double of the Finals MVP's career.
#'s 11-15.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]11. 1980 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: BUCKS VS. SONICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Seattle SuperSonics
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]MIL 113
SEA 114 (OT)[/td][td]MIL 114
SEA 112 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 91
MIL 95[/td][td]SEA 112
MIL 107[/td][td]MIL 108
SEA 97[/td][td]SEA 86
MIL 85[/td][td]MIL 94
SEA 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 27.1[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of pure competitiveness, it's tough to beat this series. It's the only matchup since the merger in which six of the seven games were decided by five points or fewer, and it also matched up the two current leaders in coaching wins, Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens.
Both Games 1 and 2 went to overtime; the Sonics won the opener on a desperate 3-point heave by Dennis Johnson with one second left, but the road team would win four of the next five games. That includes the one "laugher" in this series, Milwaukee's 108-97 Game 5 win, which was played before then the largest crowd in NBA history (40,172) in Seattle's Kingdome.
But the Bucks' 3-2 lead on the defending champs wouldn't hold. Milwaukee dropped the final two games by a total of five points and blew a fourth-quarter lead in the finale.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Grant M. Haller
[h4]12. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: BULLS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]CHI 105
BOS 103
(OT)[/td][td]CHI 115
BOS 118[/td][td]BOS 107
CHI 86[/td][td]BOS 118
CHI 121
(2OT)[/td][td]CHI 104
BOS 106
(OT)[/td][td]BOS 127
CHI 128
(3OT)[/td][td]CHI 99
BOS 109[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 30.8[/td][/tr][/table]
Seven overtimes. No playoff series can touch the Celtics and Bulls on that front, with four different contests going to extra time and two requiring multiple extra sessions to declare a winner. The back-and-forth battle between the two storied franchises and the mano-a-mano battle between rising young point guards Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo made this a series to remember, despite its lack of big-picture significance.
Boston had won 21 games more than Chicago in the regular season, but Kevin Garnett's knee injury made this one a fair fight until the final game. Chicago's prowess in extra sessions helped, as each of the Bulls' wins came in overtime, but Boston finished off the series in Game 7 at home.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]13. 1993 NBA FINALS: BULLS VS. SUNS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]CHI 100
PHX 92[/td][td]CHI 111
PHX 108[/td][td]PHX 129
CHI 121 (3OT)[/td][td]PHX 105
CHI 111[/td][td]PHX 108
CHI 98[/td][td]CHI 99
PHX 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 30.8[/td][/tr][/table]
An odd series in which the home team won only once in six games, this rumble included a classic triple-overtime Game 3 and the series-winner from John Paxson in Game 6, surrounded by the usual brilliance from Michael Jordan.
At first, it didn't feel like a classic, as Chicago won the first two games in Phoenix and seemed poised for a sweep. But the home team would win only once all series, in Game 4, and it took 55 points from Jordan to do it. The Suns would send the series back to the desert behind Charles Barkley's famous "Save the City" boast following worries that Chicagoans would riot after a Game 5 win, but Phoenix couldn't hang on to a four-point lead in the final minute of Game 6.
Photo credit: John McDonough/Icon SMI
[h4]14. 1988 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]DET 104
BOS 96[/td][td]DET 115
BOS 119 (2OT)[/td][td]BOS 94
DET 98[/td][td]BOS 79
DET 78[/td][td]DET 102
BOS 96 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 90
DET 95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 23.9[/td][/tr][/table]
The Bad Boys finally got over the hump in this series and knocked off their Eastern Conference rivals, with the help of an unlikely rally from 16 points down in Game 5 in Boston to win in overtime, 102-96 -- the second game to require an extra session. Prior to that point it looked like Boston would hold on again, as the Celtics held Detroit to 10 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to steal a hard-fought 79-78 win in the Silverdome.
No game was decided by more than eight points, and things weren't settled until Detroit's Vinnie Johnson ignited a rally for a 95-90 Detroit win in Game 6. Celtics star Larry Bird, hampered in equal part by painful bone spurs and Detroit's harassing defense, averaged only 10.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting for the series.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Peter Southwick
[h4]15. 1994 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS-SONICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Denver Nuggets
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][/tr][tr][td]DEN 82
SEA 106[/td][td]DEN 87
SEA 97[/td][td]SEA 93
DEN 110[/td][td]SEA 85
DEN 94 (OT)[/td][td]DEN 98
SEA 94 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 22.4[/td][/tr][/table]
The most memorable scene of the 1994 playoffs came at the end of this upset, with a crying Dikembe Mutombo on the floor with ball raised as the eighth-seeded Nuggets celebrated an overtime win in the deciding Game 5 before a shocked Seattle crowd. Denver had won only 42 games while Seattle won a league-best 63, and the Sonics comfortably won the first two games of the series.
But Mutombo's shot-blocking was the perfect antidote to the Sonics' slashing attack, and with unlikely offensive performances from the likes of Robert Pack and Reggie Williams, the Nuggets won three straight -- the last two in overtime -- to become the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 and rob the Payton-Kemp era Sonics of their best shot at a title.
#'s 16-20.
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
SEA 114 (OT)[/td][td]MIL 114
SEA 112 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 91
MIL 95[/td][td]SEA 112
MIL 107[/td][td]MIL 108
SEA 97[/td][td]SEA 86
MIL 85[/td][td]MIL 94
SEA 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 27.1[/td][/tr][/table]
In terms of pure competitiveness, it's tough to beat this series. It's the only matchup since the merger in which six of the seven games were decided by five points or fewer, and it also matched up the two current leaders in coaching wins, Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens.
Both Games 1 and 2 went to overtime; the Sonics won the opener on a desperate 3-point heave by Dennis Johnson with one second left, but the road team would win four of the next five games. That includes the one "laugher" in this series, Milwaukee's 108-97 Game 5 win, which was played before then the largest crowd in NBA history (40,172) in Seattle's Kingdome.
But the Bucks' 3-2 lead on the defending champs wouldn't hold. Milwaukee dropped the final two games by a total of five points and blew a fourth-quarter lead in the finale.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Grant M. Haller
[h4]12. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: BULLS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
Chicago Bulls[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
BOS 103
(OT)[/td][td]CHI 115
BOS 118[/td][td]BOS 107
CHI 86[/td][td]BOS 118
CHI 121
(2OT)[/td][td]CHI 104
BOS 106
(OT)[/td][td]BOS 127
CHI 128
(3OT)[/td][td]CHI 99
BOS 109[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 30.8[/td][/tr][/table]
Seven overtimes. No playoff series can touch the Celtics and Bulls on that front, with four different contests going to extra time and two requiring multiple extra sessions to declare a winner. The back-and-forth battle between the two storied franchises and the mano-a-mano battle between rising young point guards Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo made this a series to remember, despite its lack of big-picture significance.
Boston had won 21 games more than Chicago in the regular season, but Kevin Garnett's knee injury made this one a fair fight until the final game. Chicago's prowess in extra sessions helped, as each of the Bulls' wins came in overtime, but Boston finished off the series in Game 7 at home.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]13. 1993 NBA FINALS: BULLS VS. SUNS[/h4]
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
PHX 92[/td][td]CHI 111
PHX 108[/td][td]PHX 129
CHI 121 (3OT)[/td][td]PHX 105
CHI 111[/td][td]PHX 108
CHI 98[/td][td]CHI 99
PHX 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 30.8[/td][/tr][/table]
An odd series in which the home team won only once in six games, this rumble included a classic triple-overtime Game 3 and the series-winner from John Paxson in Game 6, surrounded by the usual brilliance from Michael Jordan.
At first, it didn't feel like a classic, as Chicago won the first two games in Phoenix and seemed poised for a sweep. But the home team would win only once all series, in Game 4, and it took 55 points from Jordan to do it. The Suns would send the series back to the desert behind Charles Barkley's famous "Save the City" boast following worries that Chicagoans would riot after a Game 5 win, but Phoenix couldn't hang on to a four-point lead in the final minute of Game 6.
Photo credit: John McDonough/Icon SMI
[h4]14. 1988 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
BOS 96[/td][td]DET 115
BOS 119 (2OT)[/td][td]BOS 94
DET 98[/td][td]BOS 79
DET 78[/td][td]DET 102
BOS 96 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 90
DET 95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 23.9[/td][/tr][/table]
The Bad Boys finally got over the hump in this series and knocked off their Eastern Conference rivals, with the help of an unlikely rally from 16 points down in Game 5 in Boston to win in overtime, 102-96 -- the second game to require an extra session. Prior to that point it looked like Boston would hold on again, as the Celtics held Detroit to 10 points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 to steal a hard-fought 79-78 win in the Silverdome.
No game was decided by more than eight points, and things weren't settled until Detroit's Vinnie Johnson ignited a rally for a 95-90 Detroit win in Game 6. Celtics star Larry Bird, hampered in equal part by painful bone spurs and Detroit's harassing defense, averaged only 10.0 points on 35.1 percent shooting for the series.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Peter Southwick
[h4]15. 1994 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS-SONICS[/h4]
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
SEA 106[/td][td]DEN 87
SEA 97[/td][td]SEA 93
DEN 110[/td][td]SEA 85
DEN 94 (OT)[/td][td]DEN 98
SEA 94 (OT)[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 22.4[/td][/tr][/table]
The most memorable scene of the 1994 playoffs came at the end of this upset, with a crying Dikembe Mutombo on the floor with ball raised as the eighth-seeded Nuggets celebrated an overtime win in the deciding Game 5 before a shocked Seattle crowd. Denver had won only 42 games while Seattle won a league-best 63, and the Sonics comfortably won the first two games of the series.
But Mutombo's shot-blocking was the perfect antidote to the Sonics' slashing attack, and with unlikely offensive performances from the likes of Robert Pack and Reggie Williams, the Nuggets won three straight -- the last two in overtime -- to become the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 and rob the Payton-Kemp era Sonics of their best shot at a title.
#'s 16-20.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]16. 2007 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CAVS VS. PISTONS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]CLE 76
DET 79[/td][td]CLE 76
DET 79[/td][td]DET 82
CLE 88
[/td][td]DET 87
CLE 91[/td][td]CLE 109
DET 107 (2OT)[/td][td]DET 82
CLE 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.1[/td][/tr][/table]
This series is notable for one of the great individual performances in playoff history. LeBron James scored 25 straight points at the end of regulation and in the two overtimes to lead underdog Cleveland to a stunning Game 5 win in Detroit. The Pistons then melted down in Game 6 as the Cavs completed their rally from a 2-0 deficit.
This was a tight series throughout, with the first two games won by the Pistons by identical 79-76 scores and the first five decided by six points or fewer. And before his heroics, James was criticized for a decision to pass to Donyell Marshall rather than shoot it himself at the end of Game 1.
But that was all forgotten after his heroics in Game 5. James rallied Cleveland from a seven-point deficit with 3:15 to play and hit the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left in the second overtime to finish with 48 points.
Photo credit: Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]17. 1996 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: JAZZ VS. SONICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Seattle SuperSonics
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]UTA 72
SEA 102[/td][td]UTA 87
SEA 91[/td][td]SEA 76
UTA 96[/td][td]SEA 88
UTA 86[/td][td]UTA 98
SEA 95 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 83
UTA 118[/td][td]UTA 86
SEA 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 21.8[/td][/tr][/table]
This was the classic battle of the tortoise versus the hare, as the running, pressing Sonics fought the methodical Jazz for seven games, and a classic battle at point guard between John Stockton and Gary Payton. At first it seemed all hare, with Seattle winning the opener by 30 and taking a 3-1 series lead. But things got interesting when Utah slowed things down and stole Game 5 in Seattle in overtime, 98-95.
The Jazz then hammered the Sonics by 35 in Game 6 and went down to the wire in a slow-paced Game 7. The Sonics, haunted by the ghosts of playoff failures in the previous two seasons, nonetheless hung on. Karl Malone missed two free throws with 8.2 seconds left to seal Utah's doom; he would finish 6-of-12 from the line.
Photo credit: Getty Images
[h4]18. 1995 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS VS. MAGIC[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Orlando Magic
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]IND 101
ORL 105[/td][td]IND 114
ORL 119[/td][td]ORL 100
IND 105[/td][td]ORL 93
IND 94[/td][td]IND 106
ORL 108[/td][td]ORL 96
IND 123[/td][td]IND 81
ORL 105
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 21.3[/td][/tr][/table]
If this had been a best-of-five it might be remembered among the best ever; the first five games were won by a total of 17 points before home-court blowouts in the final two games. Rik Smits' step-through jumper at the Game 4 buzzer provided the most memorable moment, as well as the fourth lead change in the final minutes.
Nobody knew it at the time, but this series was also the pinnacle for the Shaq-and-Penny era in Orlando. The Magic seemingly had a dynamic duo for the ages, but these would be their final victories together after the second round in Orlando uniforms. The Magic were swept in the Finals by Houston, swept by the Bulls in the conference finals a year later, and soon lost Shaquille O'Neal to the Lakers and Penny Hardaway to knee problems.
Photo credit: Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]19. 1998 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS VS. BULLS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]IND 79
CHI 85[/td][td]IND 98
CHI 104[/td][td]CHI 105
IND 107[/td][td]CHI 94
IND 96
[/td][td]IND 87
CHI 106[/td][td]CHI 89
IND 92[/td][td]IND 83
CHI 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.7[/td][/tr][/table]
The home team won all seven games in this series, but it was never easy. With all but one game decided by six points or fewer, the "last dance" Bulls ran into surprisingly stiff resistance from the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals -- one of only two teams against whom the Bulls were forced to play a seventh game in their six championship runs.
Indiana trailed 2-0 but won three times at home by a total of seven points, aided by a spectacular push-off by Reggie Miller to launch the game-winning shot in Game 4. Reserve guard Travis Best had the heroics in Game 6, making go-ahead free throws with eight seconds left to force the rubber match.
When the Pacers took a lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 it appeared they may do the impossible. But in an ugly, brick-filled finale, the Bulls dominated the boards and held Miller scoreless over the final 15 minutes to prevail.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]20. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAGIC VS. CAVS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]ORL 107
CLE 106[/td][td]ORL 95
CLE 96[/td][td]CLE 89
ORL 99[/td][td]CLE 114
ORL 116 (OT)[/td][td]ORL 102
CLE 112[/td][td]CLE 90
ORL 103[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.4[/td][/tr][/table]
This Eastern Conference finals was interesting right from the start, with one-point games in each of the first two contests. Game 2 was won memorably on a miraculous LeBron James 3 at the buzzer, while Orlando claimed the opener on a slightly less dramatic 3-pointer from Rashard Lewis after trailing by 15 at halftime. Orlando even more improbably rallied from 23 points down in Game 2 to take the lead before James' shot evened the series.
James scored 49 points in the opener and averaged 38.5 for the series, but was foiled by Orlando's combination of fearsome center Dwight Howard and a flotilla of 3-point shooters that bombed away around him. The pivotal contest was Game 4, when the Magic won by two in overtime as James' try at a second miracle 3-pointer fell just short.
This series also grades high on quality. Although neither team has won a championship, only three conference finals in history featured more combined wins than the 125 by Orlando and Cleveland in 2008-09.
#'s 21-25.
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
DET 79[/td][td]CLE 76
DET 79[/td][td]DET 82
CLE 88
[/td][td]DET 87
CLE 91[/td][td]CLE 109
DET 107 (2OT)[/td][td]DET 82
CLE 98[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.1[/td][/tr][/table]
This series is notable for one of the great individual performances in playoff history. LeBron James scored 25 straight points at the end of regulation and in the two overtimes to lead underdog Cleveland to a stunning Game 5 win in Detroit. The Pistons then melted down in Game 6 as the Cavs completed their rally from a 2-0 deficit.
This was a tight series throughout, with the first two games won by the Pistons by identical 79-76 scores and the first five decided by six points or fewer. And before his heroics, James was criticized for a decision to pass to Donyell Marshall rather than shoot it himself at the end of Game 1.
But that was all forgotten after his heroics in Game 5. James rallied Cleveland from a seven-point deficit with 3:15 to play and hit the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left in the second overtime to finish with 48 points.
Photo credit: Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]17. 1996 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: JAZZ VS. SONICS[/h4]
Utah Jazz[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
SEA 102[/td][td]UTA 87
SEA 91[/td][td]SEA 76
UTA 96[/td][td]SEA 88
UTA 86[/td][td]UTA 98
SEA 95 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 83
UTA 118[/td][td]UTA 86
SEA 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 21.8[/td][/tr][/table]
This was the classic battle of the tortoise versus the hare, as the running, pressing Sonics fought the methodical Jazz for seven games, and a classic battle at point guard between John Stockton and Gary Payton. At first it seemed all hare, with Seattle winning the opener by 30 and taking a 3-1 series lead. But things got interesting when Utah slowed things down and stole Game 5 in Seattle in overtime, 98-95.
The Jazz then hammered the Sonics by 35 in Game 6 and went down to the wire in a slow-paced Game 7. The Sonics, haunted by the ghosts of playoff failures in the previous two seasons, nonetheless hung on. Karl Malone missed two free throws with 8.2 seconds left to seal Utah's doom; he would finish 6-of-12 from the line.
Photo credit: Getty Images
[h4]18. 1995 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS VS. MAGIC[/h4]
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
ORL 105[/td][td]IND 114
ORL 119[/td][td]ORL 100
IND 105[/td][td]ORL 93
IND 94[/td][td]IND 106
ORL 108[/td][td]ORL 96
IND 123[/td][td]IND 81
ORL 105
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 21.3[/td][/tr][/table]
If this had been a best-of-five it might be remembered among the best ever; the first five games were won by a total of 17 points before home-court blowouts in the final two games. Rik Smits' step-through jumper at the Game 4 buzzer provided the most memorable moment, as well as the fourth lead change in the final minutes.
Nobody knew it at the time, but this series was also the pinnacle for the Shaq-and-Penny era in Orlando. The Magic seemingly had a dynamic duo for the ages, but these would be their final victories together after the second round in Orlando uniforms. The Magic were swept in the Finals by Houston, swept by the Bulls in the conference finals a year later, and soon lost Shaquille O'Neal to the Lakers and Penny Hardaway to knee problems.
Photo credit: Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]19. 1998 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS VS. BULLS[/h4]
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
CHI 85[/td][td]IND 98
CHI 104[/td][td]CHI 105
IND 107[/td][td]CHI 94
IND 96
[/td][td]IND 87
CHI 106[/td][td]CHI 89
IND 92[/td][td]IND 83
CHI 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.7[/td][/tr][/table]
The home team won all seven games in this series, but it was never easy. With all but one game decided by six points or fewer, the "last dance" Bulls ran into surprisingly stiff resistance from the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals -- one of only two teams against whom the Bulls were forced to play a seventh game in their six championship runs.
Indiana trailed 2-0 but won three times at home by a total of seven points, aided by a spectacular push-off by Reggie Miller to launch the game-winning shot in Game 4. Reserve guard Travis Best had the heroics in Game 6, making go-ahead free throws with eight seconds left to force the rubber match.
When the Pacers took a lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 it appeared they may do the impossible. But in an ugly, brick-filled finale, the Bulls dominated the boards and held Miller scoreless over the final 15 minutes to prevail.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]20. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAGIC VS. CAVS[/h4]
Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
CLE 106[/td][td]ORL 95
CLE 96[/td][td]CLE 89
ORL 99[/td][td]CLE 114
ORL 116 (OT)[/td][td]ORL 102
CLE 112[/td][td]CLE 90
ORL 103[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 20.4[/td][/tr][/table]
This Eastern Conference finals was interesting right from the start, with one-point games in each of the first two contests. Game 2 was won memorably on a miraculous LeBron James 3 at the buzzer, while Orlando claimed the opener on a slightly less dramatic 3-pointer from Rashard Lewis after trailing by 15 at halftime. Orlando even more improbably rallied from 23 points down in Game 2 to take the lead before James' shot evened the series.
James scored 49 points in the opener and averaged 38.5 for the series, but was foiled by Orlando's combination of fearsome center Dwight Howard and a flotilla of 3-point shooters that bombed away around him. The pivotal contest was Game 4, when the Magic won by two in overtime as James' try at a second miracle 3-pointer fell just short.
This series also grades high on quality. Although neither team has won a championship, only three conference finals in history featured more combined wins than the 125 by Orlando and Cleveland in 2008-09.
#'s 21-25.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]21. 1981 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: ROCKETS-LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers[/td][td]2
1[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][/tr][tr][td]HOU 111
LAL 107[/td][td]LAL 111
HOU 106[/td][td]HOU 89
LAL 86[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 24.2[/td][/tr][/table]
This three-game series (that's all the first round was in '81) is in the top 50 largely because it was such a monumental upset. In fact, they would change the first round to best-of-five largely because of this series, when a 40-win Houston team led by Moses Malone stunned the defending champion Lakers in a series where the road team won every game. All three were close contests too, decided by a combined total of a dozen points.
Houston, the No. 6 seed in the West, would use the series as momentum to the most improbable Finals run in league history, while the Lakers would use it as fuel for a dynasty that would last a decade.
Photo credit: AP Photo/C. Smith
[h4]22. 2000 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: KNICKS VS. HEAT[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]New York Knicks
Miami Heat[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]NYK 83
MIA 87[/td][td]NYK 82
MIA 76[/td][td]MIA 77
NYK 76 (OT)[/td][td]MIA 83
NYK 91[/td][td]NYK 81
MIA 87[/td][td]MIA 70
NYK 72[/td][td]NYK 83
MIA 82[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 17.2[/td][/tr][/table]
While other Knicks-Heat series produced more individually memorable moments -- P.J. Brown's body slam of Charlie Ward was in 1997, Alonzo Mourning dragging Jeff Van Gundy across the floor in 1998, Allan Houston's Game 5 game-winner came in 1999 -- this one had by far the best body of work across the entire series, with all seven games decided by eight points or fewer.
Included was the notable overtime Game 3 that was won by a seemingly illegal shot by Miami's Anthony Carter that appeared to go over the backboard before improbably dropping in. However, the Heat would blow a 15-point lead in Game 6 and another double-digit lead at home in Game 7, losing the two games by a combined three points. It marked the third straight year Miami lost a rubber match to the Knicks on its home floor.
The victors had a little help, as officials awarded New York's Latrell Sprewell a timeout he wasn't attempting to call with 2.1 seconds left and Sprewell falling out of bounds, leading to Tim Hardaway famously calling official **** Bavetta "Knick Bavetta." Chris Childs then ran off the remaining time by taking an inbound pass and hurling the ball high in the air, which makes you wonder why nobody else has copied this tactic.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]23. 1997 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: SONICS VS. ROCKETS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Houston Rockets
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]SEA 102
HOU 112[/td][td]SEA 106
HOU 101[/td][td]HOU 97
SEA 93[/td][td]HOU 110
SEA 106 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 100
HOU 94[/td][td]HOU 96
SEA 99[/td][td]SEA 91
HOU 96[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 18.7[/td][/tr][/table]
With two 57-win teams and plenty of star power on both sides (Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley for Houston; Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton for Seattle), this was a good series on paper and an even better one on the court. None of the seven games were decided by more than 10 points and four straight were won by the road team. Houston built a 3-1 lead after winning Games 3 and 4 at KeyArena, but the Sonics stormed back to force a seventh game in Houston.
The key contest was Game 4, which went to overtime before unheralded Rockets point guard Matt Maloney carried Houston to the win with his eighth 3-pointer of the game. But in the finale, the Rockets' three stars carried the day: Barkley, Olajuwon and Drexler scored 35 of the Rockets' 41 second-half points in a 96-91 win, including the game-icing dunk by Olajuwon in the final seconds.
Photo credit: Paul K. Buck/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]24. 1987 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: BUCKS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]MIL 98
BOS 111[/td][td]MIL 124
BOS 126[/td][td]BOS 121
MIL 126 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 138
MIL 137 (2OT)[/td][td]MIL 129
BOS 124[/td][td]BOS 111
MIL 121[/td][td]MIL 113
BOS 119
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 18.5[/td][/tr][/table]
It was just a second-round series, but the Bucks and Celtics played a classic in 1987. Five of the final six games were decided by six points or fewer, Games 3 and 4 went to overtime, and the Bucks nearly joined the small fraternity of teams to rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
Boston won 59 games in the regular season and was the defending champ but lost Bill Walton to a foot injury and had a half-strength Kevin McHale battling his own foot problems. When Sidney Moncrief blew up for a combined 67 points in Games 5 and 6 -- his first two 30-point games of the season -- it appeared the basketball gods were smiling on Milwaukee. But thanks to 13 fourth-quarter points from Larry Bird in Game 7, Boston rallied from an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to avert disaster.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]25. 1992 NBA FINALS: BLAZERS VS. BULLS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Portland Blazers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]POR 89
CHI 122[/td][td]POR 115
CHI 104 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 94
POR 84[/td][td]CHI 88
POR 93[/td][td]CHI 119
POR 106[/td][td]POR 93
CHI 97[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.4[/td][/tr][/table]
A somewhat forgotten series in the first Chicago trilogy, this one is most well-known for the "Jordan shrug" after Mike torched Portland for a Finals-record 35 points, including six 3-pointers, in the first half of Game 1. However, the series wasn't decided until Jordan's supporting cast made an amazing rally in Game 6, also known as the second-most-famous blown 15-point fourth-quarter lead in Blazers history. Chicago's subs shaved 12 points off the lead in just three minutes while Jordan rested up for a presumptive seventh game, and then he came back in the game and finished off the Blazers from there, 97-93.
An earlier turning point came when the Blazers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the last five minutes of Game 2, even though star guard Clyde Drexler had fouled out, with a technical foul on Jordan providing the impetus and the Blazers winning in overtime behind Danny Ainge. The Blazers also rallied from 13 down to even the series at 2 in Game 4 before Jordan's 46 points in Game 5 put the Bulls in command.
#'s 26-30.
Los Angeles Lakers[/td][td]2
1[/td][td]
LAL 107[/td][td]LAL 111
HOU 106[/td][td]HOU 89
LAL 86[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 24.2[/td][/tr][/table]
This three-game series (that's all the first round was in '81) is in the top 50 largely because it was such a monumental upset. In fact, they would change the first round to best-of-five largely because of this series, when a 40-win Houston team led by Moses Malone stunned the defending champion Lakers in a series where the road team won every game. All three were close contests too, decided by a combined total of a dozen points.
Houston, the No. 6 seed in the West, would use the series as momentum to the most improbable Finals run in league history, while the Lakers would use it as fuel for a dynasty that would last a decade.
Photo credit: AP Photo/C. Smith
[h4]22. 2000 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: KNICKS VS. HEAT[/h4]
Miami Heat[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
MIA 87[/td][td]NYK 82
MIA 76[/td][td]MIA 77
NYK 76 (OT)[/td][td]MIA 83
NYK 91[/td][td]NYK 81
MIA 87[/td][td]MIA 70
NYK 72[/td][td]NYK 83
MIA 82[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 17.2[/td][/tr][/table]
While other Knicks-Heat series produced more individually memorable moments -- P.J. Brown's body slam of Charlie Ward was in 1997, Alonzo Mourning dragging Jeff Van Gundy across the floor in 1998, Allan Houston's Game 5 game-winner came in 1999 -- this one had by far the best body of work across the entire series, with all seven games decided by eight points or fewer.
Included was the notable overtime Game 3 that was won by a seemingly illegal shot by Miami's Anthony Carter that appeared to go over the backboard before improbably dropping in. However, the Heat would blow a 15-point lead in Game 6 and another double-digit lead at home in Game 7, losing the two games by a combined three points. It marked the third straight year Miami lost a rubber match to the Knicks on its home floor.
The victors had a little help, as officials awarded New York's Latrell Sprewell a timeout he wasn't attempting to call with 2.1 seconds left and Sprewell falling out of bounds, leading to Tim Hardaway famously calling official **** Bavetta "Knick Bavetta." Chris Childs then ran off the remaining time by taking an inbound pass and hurling the ball high in the air, which makes you wonder why nobody else has copied this tactic.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]23. 1997 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: SONICS VS. ROCKETS[/h4]
Seattle SuperSonics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
HOU 112[/td][td]SEA 106
HOU 101[/td][td]HOU 97
SEA 93[/td][td]HOU 110
SEA 106 (OT)[/td][td]SEA 100
HOU 94[/td][td]HOU 96
SEA 99[/td][td]SEA 91
HOU 96[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 18.7[/td][/tr][/table]
With two 57-win teams and plenty of star power on both sides (Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley for Houston; Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton for Seattle), this was a good series on paper and an even better one on the court. None of the seven games were decided by more than 10 points and four straight were won by the road team. Houston built a 3-1 lead after winning Games 3 and 4 at KeyArena, but the Sonics stormed back to force a seventh game in Houston.
The key contest was Game 4, which went to overtime before unheralded Rockets point guard Matt Maloney carried Houston to the win with his eighth 3-pointer of the game. But in the finale, the Rockets' three stars carried the day: Barkley, Olajuwon and Drexler scored 35 of the Rockets' 41 second-half points in a 96-91 win, including the game-icing dunk by Olajuwon in the final seconds.
Photo credit: Paul K. Buck/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]24. 1987 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: BUCKS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
BOS 111[/td][td]MIL 124
BOS 126[/td][td]BOS 121
MIL 126 (OT)[/td][td]BOS 138
MIL 137 (2OT)[/td][td]MIL 129
BOS 124[/td][td]BOS 111
MIL 121[/td][td]MIL 113
BOS 119
[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 18.5[/td][/tr][/table]
It was just a second-round series, but the Bucks and Celtics played a classic in 1987. Five of the final six games were decided by six points or fewer, Games 3 and 4 went to overtime, and the Bucks nearly joined the small fraternity of teams to rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
Boston won 59 games in the regular season and was the defending champ but lost Bill Walton to a foot injury and had a half-strength Kevin McHale battling his own foot problems. When Sidney Moncrief blew up for a combined 67 points in Games 5 and 6 -- his first two 30-point games of the season -- it appeared the basketball gods were smiling on Milwaukee. But thanks to 13 fourth-quarter points from Larry Bird in Game 7, Boston rallied from an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to avert disaster.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]25. 1992 NBA FINALS: BLAZERS VS. BULLS[/h4]
Portland Blazers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
CHI 122[/td][td]POR 115
CHI 104 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 94
POR 84[/td][td]CHI 88
POR 93[/td][td]CHI 119
POR 106[/td][td]POR 93
CHI 97[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.4[/td][/tr][/table]
A somewhat forgotten series in the first Chicago trilogy, this one is most well-known for the "Jordan shrug" after Mike torched Portland for a Finals-record 35 points, including six 3-pointers, in the first half of Game 1. However, the series wasn't decided until Jordan's supporting cast made an amazing rally in Game 6, also known as the second-most-famous blown 15-point fourth-quarter lead in Blazers history. Chicago's subs shaved 12 points off the lead in just three minutes while Jordan rested up for a presumptive seventh game, and then he came back in the game and finished off the Blazers from there, 97-93.
An earlier turning point came when the Blazers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the last five minutes of Game 2, even though star guard Clyde Drexler had fouled out, with a technical foul on Jordan providing the impetus and the Blazers winning in overtime behind Danny Ainge. The Blazers also rallied from 13 down to even the series at 2 in Game 4 before Jordan's 46 points in Game 5 put the Bulls in command.
#'s 26-30.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]26. 1980 NBA FINALS: 76ERS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]PHI 102
LAL 109[/td][td]PHI 107
LAL 104[/td][td]LAL 111
PHI 101[/td][td]LAL 102
PHI 105[/td][td]PHI 103
LAL 108[/td][td]LAL 123
PHI 107[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 14.5[/td][/tr][/table]
This series ranks where it does because of the two defining moments it gave us. First, in defeat, there's the greatest reverse layup in NBA history -- Julius Erving's effortless glide along the baseline, around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the other side of the rim, curling his arm around to the front of the backboard to lay it in during Philadelphia's Game 4 victory that evened the series at two games apiece.
But that highlight-reel staple was overshadowed by the improbable feat of a rookie Magic Johnson playing center in Game 6 in Philadelphia after Abdul-Jabbar sprained his ankle ... and compiling an amazing 42 points and 15 rebounds to lead L.A. to the title.
The rest of the series wasn't so shabby, either -- Games 2, 4 and 5 were 3-point games, and no team won consecutive games until Magic put on his Superman cape in Game 6. And Magic's heroics were possible only because Abdul-Jabbar returned on a sprained ankle at the end of Game 5, getting a dunk and foul in the final minute to break a tie.
Photo credit: Jim Cummins/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]27. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: ROCKETS VS. SPURS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]HOU 94
SAS 93[/td][td]HOU 106
SAS 96[/td][td]SAS 107
HOU 102[/td][td]SAS 103
HOU 81[/td][td]HOU 111
SAS 90[/td][td]SAS 95
HOU 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.1[/td][/tr][/table]
Olajuwon (v.) -- To respond to an opponent's MVP trophy with a show of force so overwhelming that it leaves no doubt who the more valuable player really is. This series began with San Antonio's David Robinson receiving the MVP trophy but ended with Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon completing a six-game domination of his rival Texas center.
This was a bizarre series in which the road team won the first five games -- including two by more than 20 points -- before Houston restored home-court order in the clinching Game 6. The closest was the opener, when Robert Horry -- who else? -- made a foul-line jumper with six seconds left to win it for Houston 94-93.
This series also was one of only six times in post-merger history that teams separated by more than 15 wins met after the second round and the only one in which the team with fewer wins prevailed.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]28. 1981 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: KINGS VS. SUNS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Kansas City Kings
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]KCK 80
PHX 102[/td][td]KCK 88
PHX 83[/td][td]PHX 92
KCK 93[/td][td]PHX 95
KCK 102[/td][td]KCK 89
PHX 101[/td][td]PHX 81
KCK 76[/td][td]KCK 95
PHX 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.0[/td][/tr][/table]
Talk about an upset. No. 1 seeds have played No. 5 seeds in the second round 35 times since the merger; this is the only one in which the No. 5 seed prevailed. The upstart Kings won only 40 games and lost the opener by 22, making them seem easy prey for a 57-win Phoenix team. But Kansas City won the next three, and the Suns had to win a Game 6 on the road just to force a Game 7.
In an event that would be par for the course of Suns history, they dropped the seventh game at home 95-88. Not only did it make them the only team to lose a 1-5 matchup, they're the only one to lose a second-round series after winning at least 13 more games than the opponent in the regular season -- the other 31 teams in that position all advanced.
What makes it more amazing is that the Kings were missing their two best players. Leading scorer Otis Birdsong sprained his ankle in the blowout loss in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series, while speedster Phil Ford had been lost at midseason. But the plodding Kings -- using a backcourt of Ernie Grunfeld and Scott Wedman -- frustrated Phoenix nonetheless, with the heretofore anonymous Reggie King scoring 23 in Game 7.
Photo credit: NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]29. 2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: WARRIORS-MAVS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]G.S. Warriors
Dallas Mavericks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]GSW 97
DAL 85[/td][td]GSW 99
DAL 112[/td][td]DAL 91
GSW 109[/td][td]DAL 99
GSW 103[/td][td]GSW 112
DAL 118[/td][td]DAL 86
GSW 111[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 15.8[/td][/tr][/table]
While the games weren't all close, the shocking, big-picture nature of this series is what puts it on the list. Golden State was a No. 8 seed that was 26-35 before a late rally into the postseason; Dallas, meanwhile, had league MVP Dirk Nowitzki and had won 67 games (since Michael Jordan left the Bulls, no team has won more).
What happened next was shocking -- the Warriors controlled the series from the word go, nearly winning in five before Nowitzki sparked a late comeback to stay the execution, and then blew Dallas away 111-86 in the clincher. It was only the third time in league history a No. 8 beat a No. 1, and the 25-win differential between the two makes it the biggest upset in league annals.
In fact, in the 20 series in which there was a 25-win or greater difference between the two teams, this is one of only two in which the underdog managed to win more than once.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
[h4]30. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: ROCKETS VS. SUNS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]HOU 108
PHX 130[/td][td]HOU 94
PHX 118[/td][td]PHX 85
HOU 118[/td][td]PHX 114
HOU 110[/td][td]HOU 103
PHX 97 (OT)[/td][td]PHX 103
HOU 116[/td][td]HOU 115
PHX 114[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 15.8[/td][/tr][/table]
The second and better of the two Suns-Rockets second-round epics in the inter-Jordan years, this one featured the Rockets rallying from series deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, and coming back from 10 points down in Phoenix in the seventh game by shooting 73 percent in the second half. The Rockets won in dramatic fashion on a Mario Elie corner 3-pointer -- followed by Elie blowing a kiss to Phoenix's bench. This game is also renowned for one of the league's most memorable dunks -- little Kevin Johnson's facial on Hakeem Olajuwon.
Before then, the Rockets had to survive an overtime Game 5 in Phoenix -- with the help of an inexplicable decision to give Wesley Person the last shot in regulation. Amazingly, the Rockets were blown out by a combined 57 points in the series' first two games and survived punting a 15-point lead at home in Game 4 before coming back to win.
#'s 31-35.
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
LAL 109[/td][td]PHI 107
LAL 104[/td][td]LAL 111
PHI 101[/td][td]LAL 102
PHI 105[/td][td]PHI 103
LAL 108[/td][td]LAL 123
PHI 107[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 14.5[/td][/tr][/table]
This series ranks where it does because of the two defining moments it gave us. First, in defeat, there's the greatest reverse layup in NBA history -- Julius Erving's effortless glide along the baseline, around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the other side of the rim, curling his arm around to the front of the backboard to lay it in during Philadelphia's Game 4 victory that evened the series at two games apiece.
But that highlight-reel staple was overshadowed by the improbable feat of a rookie Magic Johnson playing center in Game 6 in Philadelphia after Abdul-Jabbar sprained his ankle ... and compiling an amazing 42 points and 15 rebounds to lead L.A. to the title.
The rest of the series wasn't so shabby, either -- Games 2, 4 and 5 were 3-point games, and no team won consecutive games until Magic put on his Superman cape in Game 6. And Magic's heroics were possible only because Abdul-Jabbar returned on a sprained ankle at the end of Game 5, getting a dunk and foul in the final minute to break a tie.
Photo credit: Jim Cummins/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]27. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: ROCKETS VS. SPURS[/h4]
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
SAS 93[/td][td]HOU 106
SAS 96[/td][td]SAS 107
HOU 102[/td][td]SAS 103
HOU 81[/td][td]HOU 111
SAS 90[/td][td]SAS 95
HOU 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.1[/td][/tr][/table]
Olajuwon (v.) -- To respond to an opponent's MVP trophy with a show of force so overwhelming that it leaves no doubt who the more valuable player really is. This series began with San Antonio's David Robinson receiving the MVP trophy but ended with Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon completing a six-game domination of his rival Texas center.
This was a bizarre series in which the road team won the first five games -- including two by more than 20 points -- before Houston restored home-court order in the clinching Game 6. The closest was the opener, when Robert Horry -- who else? -- made a foul-line jumper with six seconds left to win it for Houston 94-93.
This series also was one of only six times in post-merger history that teams separated by more than 15 wins met after the second round and the only one in which the team with fewer wins prevailed.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]28. 1981 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: KINGS VS. SUNS[/h4]
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
PHX 102[/td][td]KCK 88
PHX 83[/td][td]PHX 92
KCK 93[/td][td]PHX 95
KCK 102[/td][td]KCK 89
PHX 101[/td][td]PHX 81
KCK 76[/td][td]KCK 95
PHX 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 16.0[/td][/tr][/table]
Talk about an upset. No. 1 seeds have played No. 5 seeds in the second round 35 times since the merger; this is the only one in which the No. 5 seed prevailed. The upstart Kings won only 40 games and lost the opener by 22, making them seem easy prey for a 57-win Phoenix team. But Kansas City won the next three, and the Suns had to win a Game 6 on the road just to force a Game 7.
In an event that would be par for the course of Suns history, they dropped the seventh game at home 95-88. Not only did it make them the only team to lose a 1-5 matchup, they're the only one to lose a second-round series after winning at least 13 more games than the opponent in the regular season -- the other 31 teams in that position all advanced.
What makes it more amazing is that the Kings were missing their two best players. Leading scorer Otis Birdsong sprained his ankle in the blowout loss in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series, while speedster Phil Ford had been lost at midseason. But the plodding Kings -- using a backcourt of Ernie Grunfeld and Scott Wedman -- frustrated Phoenix nonetheless, with the heretofore anonymous Reggie King scoring 23 in Game 7.
Photo credit: NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]29. 2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: WARRIORS-MAVS[/h4]
Dallas Mavericks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
DAL 85[/td][td]GSW 99
DAL 112[/td][td]DAL 91
GSW 109[/td][td]DAL 99
GSW 103[/td][td]GSW 112
DAL 118[/td][td]DAL 86
GSW 111[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 15.8[/td][/tr][/table]
While the games weren't all close, the shocking, big-picture nature of this series is what puts it on the list. Golden State was a No. 8 seed that was 26-35 before a late rally into the postseason; Dallas, meanwhile, had league MVP Dirk Nowitzki and had won 67 games (since Michael Jordan left the Bulls, no team has won more).
What happened next was shocking -- the Warriors controlled the series from the word go, nearly winning in five before Nowitzki sparked a late comeback to stay the execution, and then blew Dallas away 111-86 in the clincher. It was only the third time in league history a No. 8 beat a No. 1, and the 25-win differential between the two makes it the biggest upset in league annals.
In fact, in the 20 series in which there was a 25-win or greater difference between the two teams, this is one of only two in which the underdog managed to win more than once.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
[h4]30. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: ROCKETS VS. SUNS[/h4]
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
PHX 130[/td][td]HOU 94
PHX 118[/td][td]PHX 85
HOU 118[/td][td]PHX 114
HOU 110[/td][td]HOU 103
PHX 97 (OT)[/td][td]PHX 103
HOU 116[/td][td]HOU 115
PHX 114[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 15.8[/td][/tr][/table]
The second and better of the two Suns-Rockets second-round epics in the inter-Jordan years, this one featured the Rockets rallying from series deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, and coming back from 10 points down in Phoenix in the seventh game by shooting 73 percent in the second half. The Rockets won in dramatic fashion on a Mario Elie corner 3-pointer -- followed by Elie blowing a kiss to Phoenix's bench. This game is also renowned for one of the league's most memorable dunks -- little Kevin Johnson's facial on Hakeem Olajuwon.
Before then, the Rockets had to survive an overtime Game 5 in Phoenix -- with the help of an inexplicable decision to give Wesley Person the last shot in regulation. Amazingly, the Rockets were blown out by a combined 57 points in the series' first two games and survived punting a 15-point lead at home in Game 4 before coming back to win.
#'s 31-35.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]31. 2001 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: MAVS VS. JAZZ[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Dallas Mavericks
Utah Jazz[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][/tr][tr][td]DAL 86
UTA 88
[/td][td]DAL 98
UTA 109
[/td][td]UTA 91
DAL 94
[/td][td]UTA 77
DAL 107
[/td][td]DAL 84
UTA 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.5[/td][/tr][/table]
A rare matchup of two 53-win teams in the first round produced one of the best of the old best-of-five series, witnessed in full by a young Marc Stein. This one wasn't decided until Calvin Booth's layup in the final seconds of Game 5 in Utah gave the Mavs an 84-83 win. Dallas trailed 2-0 before rallying to win the last three and trailed by 17 in the finale before a Michael Finley-fueled comeback.
All the odd-numbered games were white-knucklers -- Utah took the opener 88-86 and Dallas squeaked out Game 3, 94-91, staying alive on a Steve Nash jumper with 22 seconds left. Amazingly, Dallas trailed by double figures in all five games, rallying to win each of the final three. This was one of only 12 first-round series in history in which each team had won at least 53 games and one of only two of those to go the distance. It also featured a shouting match between a brash, young owner named Mark Cuban and Utah coach Jerry Sloan.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
[h4]32. 2000 NBA FINALS: PACERS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]IND 87
LAL 104[/td][td]IND 104
LAL 111[/td][td]LAL 91
IND 100[/td][td]LAL 120
IND 118 (OT)[/td][td]LAL 87
IND 120[/td][td]IND 111
LAL 116[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.9[/td][/tr][/table]
The Lakers wouldn't become Kobe Bryant's team for a few more years, but our first glimpse came in overtime of Game 4 when Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with just less than three minutes left. Bryant took over, scoring six of the final eight Lakers points to lead L.A. to a crucial 120-118 win over Indiana, and that in turn gave L.A. the impetus for a 4-2 series win and its first title of the Shaq era. Making Kobe's feat more impressive, he was playing on an ankle he sprained early in Game 2, which had caused him to miss all of Indiana's Game 3 win.
Many viewed this series as a rubber stamp after L.A.'s vanquishing of Portland, and it seemed that way after Shaq threw down 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a Game 1 romp. But it ended up closer than most expected -- Indiana won Game 5 by 33, and the Lakers' final three wins came by single digits, including a 116-111 trial in the finale in a game that wasn't decided until Bryant's game-icing free throws with 5.4 seconds left.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]33. 1981 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: BUCKS VS. 76ERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Philadelphia 76ers
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]MIL 122
PHI 125[/td][td]MIL 109
PHI 99[/td][td]PHI 108
MIL 103[/td][td]PHI 98
MIL 109[/td][td]MIL 99
PHI 116[/td][td]PHI 86
MIL 109[/td][td]MIL 98
PHI 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.0[/td][/tr][/table]
With how good the Sixers-Celtics series was in the next round, it's easy to forget what a strong prelude we had. Milwaukee won 60 games to Philadelphia's 62 -- one of only three times that two 60-win teams have met in the second round -- and gave it all it could handle in a back-and-forth series in which no team won consecutive games.
The 99-98 finale featured a tussle between Bob Lanier and Steve Mix, a Milwaukee rally from 16 down to take a fourth-quarter lead and a 36-point eruption from Marques Johnson, and came down to the Bucks' inability to grab a rebound in the final minute. Apparently nobody in Philadelphia noticed, though. The crowd at the Spectrum for Game 7 was an embarrassing 6,704.
Photo credit: Getty Images
[h4]34. 1986 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: 76ERS VS. BUCKS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]PHI 118
MIL 112[/td][td]PHI 107
MIL 119[/td][td]MIL 103
PHI 107[/td][td]MIL 109
PHI 104[/td][td]PHI 108
MIL 113[/td][td]MIL 108
PHI 126[/td][td]PHI 112
MIL 113[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.0[/td][/tr][/table]
For the second time in six years, the Bucks and Sixers played a seven-game second-round series that the home team won by a single point in the final game. This time the Bucks survived, winning 113-112 behind Terry Cummings' 27 points ... but only after Julius Erving's attempted game winner couldn't find the net, a shot that would have sent Milwaukee home at the Sixers' hands for the fifth time in six years. The game ended with rookie Charles Barkley on top of the Bucks' Ricky Pierce, who was sprawled on the floor with the ball as the Milwaukee crowd celebrated finally surviving the Sixers.
It was the fifth of the seven games that were decided by six points or less, one of which was Philly's 118-112 Game 1 win in which it trailed by 18 points. Unfortunately for the Bucks, they would go on to be swept by Boston in the conference finals.
AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy
[h4]35. 2000 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLAZERS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Portland Trail Blazers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]POR 94
LAL 109[/td][td]POR 106
LAL 77[/td][td]LAL 93
POR 91[/td][td]LAL 103
POR 91[/td][td]POR 96
LAL 88[/td][td]LAL 93
POR 103[/td][td]POR 84
LAL 89[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Clang! Portland had one foot in the Finals, holding a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead in L.A. in Game 7, before one of the worst cold streaks in history struck at the worst time possible. The Blazers missed 13 shots in a row while the Lakers rallied, eventually taking command on an epic alley-oop dunk from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal that is a staple of highlight reels to this day. Prior to the L.A. rally, the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a seventh game had been just six points.
Combined with Portland's 59 wins, this made it among the best matchups in playoff history -- with 126 wins, it was the third-most combined wins of any conference finals series since the merger and the most of any that went more than five games.
#'s 36-40.
Utah Jazz[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
UTA 88
[/td][td]DAL 98
UTA 109
[/td][td]UTA 91
DAL 94
[/td][td]UTA 77
DAL 107
[/td][td]DAL 84
UTA 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.5[/td][/tr][/table]
A rare matchup of two 53-win teams in the first round produced one of the best of the old best-of-five series, witnessed in full by a young Marc Stein. This one wasn't decided until Calvin Booth's layup in the final seconds of Game 5 in Utah gave the Mavs an 84-83 win. Dallas trailed 2-0 before rallying to win the last three and trailed by 17 in the finale before a Michael Finley-fueled comeback.
All the odd-numbered games were white-knucklers -- Utah took the opener 88-86 and Dallas squeaked out Game 3, 94-91, staying alive on a Steve Nash jumper with 22 seconds left. Amazingly, Dallas trailed by double figures in all five games, rallying to win each of the final three. This was one of only 12 first-round series in history in which each team had won at least 53 games and one of only two of those to go the distance. It also featured a shouting match between a brash, young owner named Mark Cuban and Utah coach Jerry Sloan.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
[h4]32. 2000 NBA FINALS: PACERS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
LAL 104[/td][td]IND 104
LAL 111[/td][td]LAL 91
IND 100[/td][td]LAL 120
IND 118 (OT)[/td][td]LAL 87
IND 120[/td][td]IND 111
LAL 116[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.9[/td][/tr][/table]
The Lakers wouldn't become Kobe Bryant's team for a few more years, but our first glimpse came in overtime of Game 4 when Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with just less than three minutes left. Bryant took over, scoring six of the final eight Lakers points to lead L.A. to a crucial 120-118 win over Indiana, and that in turn gave L.A. the impetus for a 4-2 series win and its first title of the Shaq era. Making Kobe's feat more impressive, he was playing on an ankle he sprained early in Game 2, which had caused him to miss all of Indiana's Game 3 win.
Many viewed this series as a rubber stamp after L.A.'s vanquishing of Portland, and it seemed that way after Shaq threw down 43 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a Game 1 romp. But it ended up closer than most expected -- Indiana won Game 5 by 33, and the Lakers' final three wins came by single digits, including a 116-111 trial in the finale in a game that wasn't decided until Bryant's game-icing free throws with 5.4 seconds left.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]33. 1981 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: BUCKS VS. 76ERS[/h4]
Milwaukee Bucks[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
PHI 125[/td][td]MIL 109
PHI 99[/td][td]PHI 108
MIL 103[/td][td]PHI 98
MIL 109[/td][td]MIL 99
PHI 116[/td][td]PHI 86
MIL 109[/td][td]MIL 98
PHI 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.0[/td][/tr][/table]
With how good the Sixers-Celtics series was in the next round, it's easy to forget what a strong prelude we had. Milwaukee won 60 games to Philadelphia's 62 -- one of only three times that two 60-win teams have met in the second round -- and gave it all it could handle in a back-and-forth series in which no team won consecutive games.
The 99-98 finale featured a tussle between Bob Lanier and Steve Mix, a Milwaukee rally from 16 down to take a fourth-quarter lead and a 36-point eruption from Marques Johnson, and came down to the Bucks' inability to grab a rebound in the final minute. Apparently nobody in Philadelphia noticed, though. The crowd at the Spectrum for Game 7 was an embarrassing 6,704.
Photo credit: Getty Images
[h4]34. 1986 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: 76ERS VS. BUCKS[/h4]
Philadelphia 76ers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
MIL 112[/td][td]PHI 107
MIL 119[/td][td]MIL 103
PHI 107[/td][td]MIL 109
PHI 104[/td][td]PHI 108
MIL 113[/td][td]MIL 108
PHI 126[/td][td]PHI 112
MIL 113[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 12.0[/td][/tr][/table]
For the second time in six years, the Bucks and Sixers played a seven-game second-round series that the home team won by a single point in the final game. This time the Bucks survived, winning 113-112 behind Terry Cummings' 27 points ... but only after Julius Erving's attempted game winner couldn't find the net, a shot that would have sent Milwaukee home at the Sixers' hands for the fifth time in six years. The game ended with rookie Charles Barkley on top of the Bucks' Ricky Pierce, who was sprawled on the floor with the ball as the Milwaukee crowd celebrated finally surviving the Sixers.
It was the fifth of the seven games that were decided by six points or less, one of which was Philly's 118-112 Game 1 win in which it trailed by 18 points. Unfortunately for the Bucks, they would go on to be swept by Boston in the conference finals.
AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy
[h4]35. 2000 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLAZERS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
Portland Trail Blazers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
LAL 109[/td][td]POR 106
LAL 77[/td][td]LAL 93
POR 91[/td][td]LAL 103
POR 91[/td][td]POR 96
LAL 88[/td][td]LAL 93
POR 103[/td][td]POR 84
LAL 89[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Clang! Portland had one foot in the Finals, holding a 15-point, fourth-quarter lead in L.A. in Game 7, before one of the worst cold streaks in history struck at the worst time possible. The Blazers missed 13 shots in a row while the Lakers rallied, eventually taking command on an epic alley-oop dunk from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal that is a staple of highlight reels to this day. Prior to the L.A. rally, the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in a seventh game had been just six points.
Combined with Portland's 59 wins, this made it among the best matchups in playoff history -- with 126 wins, it was the third-most combined wins of any conference finals series since the merger and the most of any that went more than five games.
#'s 36-40.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]36. 1985 NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]LAL 114
BOS 148[/td][td]LAL 109
BOS 102[/td][td]BOS 111
LAL 136[/td][td]BOS 107
LAL 105[/td][td]BOS 111
LAL 120<[/td][td]LAL 111
BOS 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.4[/td][/tr][/table]
The Boston Massacre, it was called. The Lakers were blown out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 148-114, but quickly bounced back. L.A. stole Game 2 to even the series, and then shocked the Boston locals by clinching the title on the parquet floor in Game 6 with the help of a command performance by series MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The two powers combined for 125 wins in 1985, and like their Finals faceoff the year prior, these rivalry games effectively put the NBA on the national sports map. Alas, this series can't rank higher because only one of the games -- Game 4, won by a late jump shot by the Celtics' Dennis Johnson -- was close at the end.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]37. 2005 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. SPURS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]San Antonio Spurs
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]DET 69
SAS 84[/td][td]DET 76
SAS 97[/td][td]SAS 79
DET 96[/td][td]SAS 71
DET 102[/td][td]SAS 96
DET 95 (OT)[/td][td]DET 95
SAS 86[/td][td]DET 74
SAS 81[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.2[/td][/tr][/table]
This series loses style points because it did as much to turn off viewers as it did to invigorate them, but it featured the two top defensive teams of the era and the last three games were thrillers. Game 5 was the crucial one, decided on a Robert Horry 3-pointer in overtime, and then the Spurs rallied in the second half of Game 7 after it appeared Detroit might pull of the unprecedented feat of winning Games 6 and 7 on the road.
The problem with this series was that it was more for the purist than the fan. The Spurs and Pistons defended like gangbusters and shared the ball offensively, but the clash produced a series of defensive-minded games with few individual highlights. The other thing that hurts this series is the first four games -- none of them were close.
Photo credit: Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]38. 2011 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: GRIZZLIES-SPURS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]MEM 101
SAS 98[/td][td]MEM 87
SAS 93[/td][td]SAS 88
MEM 91[/td][td]SAS 86
MEM 104[/td][td]MEM 103
SAS 110 (OT)[/td][td]SAS 91
MEM 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.5[/td][/tr][/table]
The Grizzlies, a franchise that had never won a playoff game, became only the fourth No. 8 seed in history to knock off a No. 1, doing so despite the heroics of Manu Ginobili -- still suffering from the effects of a dislocated elbow that knocked him out of Game 1 -- and Gary Neal in a series-saving Game 5 overtime win for San Antonio. Memphis got the necessary road win in the first game on a Shane Battier 3-pointer, and hung on to another white-knuckle win at home in Game 3.
In total, five of the six first-round games were decided by eight points or fewer. And it was one of only six times in 100 series since the NBA-ABA merger that the losing team had 15 wins or more than its opponent.
Jerome Miron/US Presswire
[h4]39. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAGIC VS. CELTICS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]ORL 95
BOS 90[/td][td]ORL 94
BOS 112[/td][td]BOS 96
ORL 117[/td][td]BOS 95
ORL 94[/td][td]ORL 88
BOS 92[/td][td]BOS 75
ORL 83
[/td][td]ORL 101
BOS 82[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.4[/td][/tr][/table]
Only four second-round series had more combined wins than Boston and Orlando's 121 in 2009, and it went the distance. A wounded Celtics team tried valiantly to defend its title and nearly succeeded, with Glen Davis' winning jumper and resultant celebratory wipeaway of a courtside child in Game 4 providing what seemed to be the turning point. But the Magic dominated Game 7 in Boston to knock the Celtics from their perch.
This series would rank higher were it not for the giant asterisk that each side was missing an All-Star -- Kevin Garnett missed the series for the Celtics and Orlando's Jameer Nelson also was sidelined -- seriously dragging down what was a clash of the titans on paper.
Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]40. 2004 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: KINGS VS. WOLVES[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Minn. Timberwolves
Sacramento Kings[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]SAC 104
MIN 98[/td][td]SAC 89
MIN 94[/td][td]MIN 114
SAC 113 (OT)[/td][td]MIN 81
SAC 87[/td][td]SAC 74
MIN 86[/td][td]MIN 87
SAC 104[/td][td]SAC 80
MIN 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.0[/td][/tr][/table]
While 2002 is the more famous Sacramento tragedy, this one is right up there on the list. The Kings blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Game 2 -- made famous by Sam Cassell's late-game dance in which he intimated that his cojones were larger than those of the average male -- costing Sacramento a shot at a commanding 2-0 lead before heading home for Games 3 and 4. The Kings then wasted a spectacular comeback of their own by dropping Game 3 in overtime.
Sacramento rallied to force a Game 7 in Minnesota, but missed a chance to tie it when Chris Webber's 3-point shot rimmed out at the buzzer. Kevin Garnett, maligned for his previous big-game failures, had 32 points and 21 rebounds, and he hit a huge 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock late in the fourth quarter.
#'s 41-45.
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
![URL]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5BURL%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fespn.go.com%2Fi%2Fteamlogos%2Fnba%2Fmed%2Fold%2Fbos.gif%5B%2FURL%5D&hash=fa432017b6852d5b3292b18cfe2cec29)
BOS 148[/td][td]LAL 109
BOS 102[/td][td]BOS 111
LAL 136[/td][td]BOS 107
LAL 105[/td][td]BOS 111
LAL 120<[/td][td]LAL 111
BOS 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.4[/td][/tr][/table]
The Boston Massacre, it was called. The Lakers were blown out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 148-114, but quickly bounced back. L.A. stole Game 2 to even the series, and then shocked the Boston locals by clinching the title on the parquet floor in Game 6 with the help of a command performance by series MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The two powers combined for 125 wins in 1985, and like their Finals faceoff the year prior, these rivalry games effectively put the NBA on the national sports map. Alas, this series can't rank higher because only one of the games -- Game 4, won by a late jump shot by the Celtics' Dennis Johnson -- was close at the end.
Photo credit: **** Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]37. 2005 NBA FINALS: PISTONS VS. SPURS[/h4]
Detroit Pistons[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
![URL]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5BURL%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fespn.go.com%2Fi%2Fteamlogos%2Fnba%2Fmed%2Fsas.gif%5B%2FURL%5D&hash=26ec6e30b2e1df73e2e5327299e861bf)
SAS 84[/td][td]DET 76
SAS 97[/td][td]SAS 79
DET 96[/td][td]SAS 71
DET 102[/td][td]SAS 96
DET 95 (OT)[/td][td]DET 95
SAS 86[/td][td]DET 74
SAS 81[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.2[/td][/tr][/table]
This series loses style points because it did as much to turn off viewers as it did to invigorate them, but it featured the two top defensive teams of the era and the last three games were thrillers. Game 5 was the crucial one, decided on a Robert Horry 3-pointer in overtime, and then the Spurs rallied in the second half of Game 7 after it appeared Detroit might pull of the unprecedented feat of winning Games 6 and 7 on the road.
The problem with this series was that it was more for the purist than the fan. The Spurs and Pistons defended like gangbusters and shared the ball offensively, but the clash produced a series of defensive-minded games with few individual highlights. The other thing that hurts this series is the first four games -- none of them were close.
Photo credit: Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]38. 2011 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: GRIZZLIES-SPURS[/h4]
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
SAS 98[/td][td]MEM 87
SAS 93[/td][td]SAS 88
MEM 91[/td][td]SAS 86
MEM 104[/td][td]MEM 103
SAS 110 (OT)[/td][td]SAS 91
MEM 99[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.5[/td][/tr][/table]
The Grizzlies, a franchise that had never won a playoff game, became only the fourth No. 8 seed in history to knock off a No. 1, doing so despite the heroics of Manu Ginobili -- still suffering from the effects of a dislocated elbow that knocked him out of Game 1 -- and Gary Neal in a series-saving Game 5 overtime win for San Antonio. Memphis got the necessary road win in the first game on a Shane Battier 3-pointer, and hung on to another white-knuckle win at home in Game 3.
In total, five of the six first-round games were decided by eight points or fewer. And it was one of only six times in 100 series since the NBA-ABA merger that the losing team had 15 wins or more than its opponent.
Jerome Miron/US Presswire
[h4]39. 2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAGIC VS. CELTICS[/h4]
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
![URL]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5BURL%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fespn.go.com%2Fi%2Fteamlogos%2Fnba%2Fmed%2Fbos.gif%5B%2FURL%5D&hash=0a1e302597cefa5c03b5a9181b2ebfd0)
BOS 90[/td][td]ORL 94
BOS 112[/td][td]BOS 96
ORL 117[/td][td]BOS 95
ORL 94[/td][td]ORL 88
BOS 92[/td][td]BOS 75
ORL 83
[/td][td]ORL 101
BOS 82[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 13.4[/td][/tr][/table]
Only four second-round series had more combined wins than Boston and Orlando's 121 in 2009, and it went the distance. A wounded Celtics team tried valiantly to defend its title and nearly succeeded, with Glen Davis' winning jumper and resultant celebratory wipeaway of a courtside child in Game 4 providing what seemed to be the turning point. But the Magic dominated Game 7 in Boston to knock the Celtics from their perch.
This series would rank higher were it not for the giant asterisk that each side was missing an All-Star -- Kevin Garnett missed the series for the Celtics and Orlando's Jameer Nelson also was sidelined -- seriously dragging down what was a clash of the titans on paper.
Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]40. 2004 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: KINGS VS. WOLVES[/h4]
Sacramento Kings[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
![URL]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5BURL%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fassets.espn.go.com%2Fi%2Fteamlogos%2Fnba%2F80x80_trans%2Fretro%2Fmin.png%5B%2FURL%5D&hash=f386ed058e93ba12a25b9b47d07ad786)
MIN 98[/td][td]SAC 89
MIN 94[/td][td]MIN 114
SAC 113 (OT)[/td][td]MIN 81
SAC 87[/td][td]SAC 74
MIN 86[/td][td]MIN 87
SAC 104[/td][td]SAC 80
MIN 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.0[/td][/tr][/table]
While 2002 is the more famous Sacramento tragedy, this one is right up there on the list. The Kings blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Game 2 -- made famous by Sam Cassell's late-game dance in which he intimated that his cojones were larger than those of the average male -- costing Sacramento a shot at a commanding 2-0 lead before heading home for Games 3 and 4. The Kings then wasted a spectacular comeback of their own by dropping Game 3 in overtime.
Sacramento rallied to force a Game 7 in Minnesota, but missed a chance to tie it when Chris Webber's 3-point shot rimmed out at the buzzer. Kevin Garnett, maligned for his previous big-game failures, had 32 points and 21 rebounds, and he hit a huge 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock late in the fourth quarter.
#'s 41-45.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]41. 2006 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: CAVS VS. PISTONS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]CLE 86
DET 113[/td][td]CLE 91
DET 97[/td][td]DET 77
CLE 86[/td][td]DET 72
CLE 74[/td][td]CLE 86
DET 84[/td][td]DET 84
CLE 82[/td][td]CLE 61
DET 79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.0[/td][/tr][/table]
In their first postseason appearance in eight years, the Cavs gave the 64-win Pistons all they could handle, winning the middle three games in stunning fashion. However, experience would eventually win out, as Detroit rallied to win Games 6 and 7 in the first of back-to-back playoff classics between the Central Division rivals.
Of particular note were Game 4, 5, and 6, each of which were decided by just two points. The second of the three, an 86-84 stunner by Cleveland on a game-winner by Drew Gooden that gave the Cavs a 3-2 series lead, left Detroit forward Antonio McDyess so stunned that he went straight home ... in his uniform. But the Pistons eked out an 84-82 win in Cleveland when the Cavs couldn't grab a defensive board in the final minute, then easily won Game 7.
Photo credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
[h4]42. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: ROCKETS VS. JAZZ[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Houston Rockets
Utah Jazz[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][/tr][tr][td]HOU 100
UTA 102[/td][td]HOU 140
UTA 126[/td][td]UTA 95
HOU 82[/td][td]UTA 106
HOU 123[/td][td]HOU 95
UTA 91[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.6[/td][/tr][/table]
One of the most underrated first-round series in history, this matchup didn't seem like a big deal until Houston used it as a springboard to a shocking run to the title. The Rockets trailed by 10 at halftime of the fifth and deciding game before rallying behind Clyde Drexler for a 95-91 win, one of two nail-biters in the series (the other being a 102-100 Utah win in the opener).
This series also marked one of only four first-round series since the NBA-ABA merger that a 60-win team didn't move on, and the only one that didn't involve a No. 1 seed. And if that weren't enough, Houston's Sam Cassell endeared himself to stat geeks everywhere at the end of Game 5, becoming one of the first payers to give a foul with his team up three in the final seconds. Instead of launching a game-tying trey, John Stockton had to miss a free throw intentionally.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]43. 2004 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. PACERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]DET 74
IND 78[/td][td]DET 72
IND 67[/td][td]IND 78
DET 85[/td][td]IND 83
DET 68[/td][td]DET 83
IND 65[/td][td]IND 65
DET 69[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.0[/td][/tr][/table]
Type "Pacers Pistons 2004" into a search engine and you'll get a hundred pages about a brawl before you ever read about the playoffs. But six months prior to their unfortunate fight these two squared off in a classic defensive playoff matchup.
This series is a bit of a rarity, because its turning point and defining play -- Tayshaun Prince's out-of-nowhere rejection of Reggie Miller's go-ahead layup attempt -- came early, in Game 2. It was a symbolic moment for one of the most dominant defensive teams in history, and that, along with an amazing 18 more rejections that day, helped Detroit to a 72-67 win.
The Pistons would hold the Pacers to under 70 twice more, helping them win the lowest-scoring series in playoff history. But while it lacked in points, it didn't lack in drama. Four of the six games were decided by five points or fewer, including Miller's go-ahead 3 with 31 seconds left in Game 1 and a 69-65 brickfest in the clincher that turned when Ron Artest flagrantly fouled Richard Hamilton off the ball late in the fourth quarter.
Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
[h4]44. 1979 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS VS. BULLETS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Washington Bullets
San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]SAS 118
WAS 97[/td][td]SAS 95
WAS 115[/td][td]WAS 114
SAS 116[/td][td]WAS 102
SAS 118[/td][td]SAS 103
WAS 107[/td][td]WAS 108
SAS 100[/td][td]SAS 105
WAS 107[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 9.9[/td][/tr][/table]
Before San Antonio became title town under Tim Duncan, it was the land of near misses in the George Gervin era. Perhaps no loss stung more than this one in the Eastern Conference finals. (Yes, youngins, the Spurs used to be in the East. It's a long story. We'll explain some other time.) San Antonio had a 3-1 series lead and appeared headed to the Finals for the first time, but dropped the final three games by a total of 14 points, including a heartbreaking 107-105 loss in Washington in Game 7.
Bob Dandridge hit a jumper with 15 seconds left and Elvin Hayes blocked James Silas' attempt at an equalizer at the finish ... after the Spurs had punted a 10-point lead earlier in the fourth quarter and were victimized by a couple of controversial calls at the end. Ask any Spurs fan over the age of 50 about this game and prepare for a lengthy monologue.
Photo credit: AP Photo/William Smith
[h4]45. 1989 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: BULLS VS. CAVS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][/tr][tr][td]CHI 95
CLE 88[/td][td]CHI 88
CLE 96[/td][td]CLE 94
CHI 101[/td][td]CLE 108
CHI 105 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 101
CLE 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.5[/td][/tr][/table]
It's known simply as The Shot. This best-of-five series is worthy of consideration on its own merits, but what puts it over the top is the epic final moment: Michael Jordan's hanging, double-clutching, game-winning shot over Craig Ehlo that stunned Cleveland fans and gave the Bulls their first series win in the Jordan era.
Jordan had 44 points, but seconds earlier it appeared Ehlo would be the hero, his driving layup with three seconds left putting the Cavs ahead in a topsy-turvy fourth quarter.
Though long since forgotten, Games 1-4 weren't chopped liver either. No game was decided by more than eight points, and the Cavs got a fifth game on their home floor only after clawing out a 108-105 overtime win in Chicago in Game 4.
#'s 46-50.
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Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
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DET 113[/td][td]CLE 91
DET 97[/td][td]DET 77
CLE 86[/td][td]DET 72
CLE 74[/td][td]CLE 86
DET 84[/td][td]DET 84
CLE 82[/td][td]CLE 61
DET 79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 11.0[/td][/tr][/table]
In their first postseason appearance in eight years, the Cavs gave the 64-win Pistons all they could handle, winning the middle three games in stunning fashion. However, experience would eventually win out, as Detroit rallied to win Games 6 and 7 in the first of back-to-back playoff classics between the Central Division rivals.
Of particular note were Game 4, 5, and 6, each of which were decided by just two points. The second of the three, an 86-84 stunner by Cleveland on a game-winner by Drew Gooden that gave the Cavs a 3-2 series lead, left Detroit forward Antonio McDyess so stunned that he went straight home ... in his uniform. But the Pistons eked out an 84-82 win in Cleveland when the Cavs couldn't grab a defensive board in the final minute, then easily won Game 7.
Photo credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
[h4]42. 1995 WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: ROCKETS VS. JAZZ[/h4]
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Utah Jazz[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
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UTA 102[/td][td]HOU 140
UTA 126[/td][td]UTA 95
HOU 82[/td][td]UTA 106
HOU 123[/td][td]HOU 95
UTA 91[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.6[/td][/tr][/table]
One of the most underrated first-round series in history, this matchup didn't seem like a big deal until Houston used it as a springboard to a shocking run to the title. The Rockets trailed by 10 at halftime of the fifth and deciding game before rallying behind Clyde Drexler for a 95-91 win, one of two nail-biters in the series (the other being a 102-100 Utah win in the opener).
This series also marked one of only four first-round series since the NBA-ABA merger that a 60-win team didn't move on, and the only one that didn't involve a No. 1 seed. And if that weren't enough, Houston's Sam Cassell endeared himself to stat geeks everywhere at the end of Game 5, becoming one of the first payers to give a foul with his team up three in the final seconds. Instead of launching a game-tying trey, John Stockton had to miss a free throw intentionally.
Photo credit: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
[h4]43. 2004 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS VS. PACERS[/h4]
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
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IND 78[/td][td]DET 72
IND 67[/td][td]IND 78
DET 85[/td][td]IND 83
DET 68[/td][td]DET 83
IND 65[/td][td]IND 65
DET 69[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.0[/td][/tr][/table]
Type "Pacers Pistons 2004" into a search engine and you'll get a hundred pages about a brawl before you ever read about the playoffs. But six months prior to their unfortunate fight these two squared off in a classic defensive playoff matchup.
This series is a bit of a rarity, because its turning point and defining play -- Tayshaun Prince's out-of-nowhere rejection of Reggie Miller's go-ahead layup attempt -- came early, in Game 2. It was a symbolic moment for one of the most dominant defensive teams in history, and that, along with an amazing 18 more rejections that day, helped Detroit to a 72-67 win.
The Pistons would hold the Pacers to under 70 twice more, helping them win the lowest-scoring series in playoff history. But while it lacked in points, it didn't lack in drama. Four of the six games were decided by five points or fewer, including Miller's go-ahead 3 with 31 seconds left in Game 1 and a 69-65 brickfest in the clincher that turned when Ron Artest flagrantly fouled Richard Hamilton off the ball late in the fourth quarter.
Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
[h4]44. 1979 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS VS. BULLETS[/h4]
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San Antonio Spurs[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
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WAS 97[/td][td]SAS 95
WAS 115[/td][td]WAS 114
SAS 116[/td][td]WAS 102
SAS 118[/td][td]SAS 103
WAS 107[/td][td]WAS 108
SAS 100[/td][td]SAS 105
WAS 107[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 9.9[/td][/tr][/table]
Before San Antonio became title town under Tim Duncan, it was the land of near misses in the George Gervin era. Perhaps no loss stung more than this one in the Eastern Conference finals. (Yes, youngins, the Spurs used to be in the East. It's a long story. We'll explain some other time.) San Antonio had a 3-1 series lead and appeared headed to the Finals for the first time, but dropped the final three games by a total of 14 points, including a heartbreaking 107-105 loss in Washington in Game 7.
Bob Dandridge hit a jumper with 15 seconds left and Elvin Hayes blocked James Silas' attempt at an equalizer at the finish ... after the Spurs had punted a 10-point lead earlier in the fourth quarter and were victimized by a couple of controversial calls at the end. Ask any Spurs fan over the age of 50 about this game and prepare for a lengthy monologue.
Photo credit: AP Photo/William Smith
[h4]45. 1989 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: BULLS VS. CAVS[/h4]
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Cleveland Cavaliers[/td][td]3
2[/td][td]
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CLE 88[/td][td]CHI 88
CLE 96[/td][td]CLE 94
CHI 101[/td][td]CLE 108
CHI 105 (OT)[/td][td]CHI 101
CLE 100[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.5[/td][/tr][/table]
It's known simply as The Shot. This best-of-five series is worthy of consideration on its own merits, but what puts it over the top is the epic final moment: Michael Jordan's hanging, double-clutching, game-winning shot over Craig Ehlo that stunned Cleveland fans and gave the Bulls their first series win in the Jordan era.
Jordan had 44 points, but seconds earlier it appeared Ehlo would be the hero, his driving layup with three seconds left putting the Cavs ahead in a topsy-turvy fourth quarter.
Though long since forgotten, Games 1-4 weren't chopped liver either. No game was decided by more than eight points, and the Cavs got a fifth game on their home floor only after clawing out a 108-105 overtime win in Chicago in Game 4.
#'s 46-50.
Spoiler [+]
[h4]46. 1999 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: KNICKS VS. PACERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]New York Knicks
Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]NYK 93
IND 90[/td][td]NYK 86
IND 88[/td][td]IND 91
NYK 92[/td][td]IND 90
NYK 78[/td][td]NYK 101
IND 94[/td][td]IND 82
NYK 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Ask any fan about the most dubious four-point play in league annals and you'll be referred to Larry Johnson's feat against the Pacers in Game 3, one that turned the series in New York's favor and allowed the Knicks to finish an improbable run as the only No. 8 seed to reach the Finals.
Johnson's shot with 5.7 seconds left -- when he was given an extremely favorable continuation call while the Pacers tried to give a foul -- gave the Knicks a 92-91 win and a 2-1 series lead, but what everyone forgets is that the Pacers evened the series before punting a chance to go ahead on their home court in Game 5.
And after winning two of the first three games by a combined total of just four points, New York closed things out more comfortably in Game 6, despite losing Johnson and star center Patrick Ewing to injuries.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Ron Frehm
[h4]47. 2001 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: RAPTORS VS. 76ERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]TOR 96
PHI 93[/td][td]TOR 92
PHI 97[/td][td]PHI 78
TOR 102
[/td][td]PHI 84
TOR 79[/td][td]TOR 88
PHI 121
[/td][td]PHI 89
TOR 101[/td][td]TOR 87
PHI 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 9.9[/td][/tr][/table]
You're doing what? Vince Carter decided to fly to North Carolina the morning of his graduation, even though his team was playing that afternoon in Philadelphia. And when his final shot bounced out at the buzzer, giving the Sixers an 88-87 victory in Game 7, it seemed a career-defining moment.
Up until that point, Carter seemed to be creating a very different definition, as he had Toronto on the brink of a huge upset in the midst of an epic scoring duel between him and Allen Iverson (each supplied a 50-point game). The fifth-seeded Raptors stole Game 1 96-93 and then blasted top-seeded Philly 121-88 in Game 3 before Philly rallied its way into the Eastern Conference finals.
Photo credit: Aaron Harris/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]48. 1993 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BULLS VS. KNICKS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]CHI 90
NYK 98[/td][td]CHI 91
NYK 96[/td][td]NYK 83
CHI 103[/td][td]NYK 95
CHI 105[/td][td]CHI 97
NYK 94[/td][td]NYK 88
CHI 96[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 4.7[/td][/tr][/table]
Ewing's Knicks against Jordan's Bulls. No, it wasn't always pretty -- witness the four short-range misses by Charles Smith at the end of Game 5 -- but this was perhaps the most intense series in the post-merger era. Only one game was decided by more than eight points between two of the best defensive teams in recent history, and scoring was a chore.
This one also featured a big reversal, as the Bulls won the final four games after dropping the first two. New York had a memorable first two games that included John Starks' explosive dunk over Michael Jordan, but Smith's inability to convert in Game 5 gave Chicago the road win it needed, and the Bulls closed things out in Chicago en route to a third straight title.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
[h4]49. 2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: SPURS VS. SUNS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][/tr][tr][td]SAS 111
PHX 106[/td][td]SAS 81
PHX 101[/td][td]PHX 101
SAS 108[/td][td]PHX 104
SAS 98[/td][td]SAS 88
PHX 85[/td][td]PHX 106
SAS 114[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 1.4[/td][/tr][/table]
While the games weren't all barnburners, the images from this series are seared into everyone's memories: Steve Nash's bloody nose bridge that wouldn't stop gushing and may have cost the Suns Game 1, and the controversial suspensions handed to Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for pivotal Game 5.
The basketball in between wasn't bad either, as teams with 119 combined wins slugged it out for four games before the suspensions titled the balance the Spurs' way. Five of the six games were decided by eight points or fewer, and even without two suspended starters, the Suns gamely fought before succumbing 88-85 in Game 5.
Although this was a second-round series, one can argue it was probably the best chance the Suns have ever had at a championship in four decades of near-misses; San Antonio won the next two rounds, against overmatched Utah and Cleveland squads, with just one defeat.
Photo credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
[h4]50. 2010 NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
[table][tr][td]
[/td][td]Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][th=""]GAME 1[/th][th=""]GAME 2[/th][th=""]GAME 3[/th][th=""]GAME 4[/th][th=""]GAME 5[/th][th=""]GAME 6[/th][th=""]GAME 7[/th][/tr][tr][td]BOS 89
LAL 102[/td][td]BOS 103
LAL 94[/td][td]LAL 91
BOS 84[/td][td]LAL 89
BOS 96[/td][td]LAL 86
BOS 92[/td][td]BOS 67
LAL 89[/td][td]BOS 79
LAL 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 7.5[/td][/tr][/table]
We didn't necessarily get fantastic finishers, but this series was tense from start to finish, with five games decided by single digits and no team ever holding more than a one-game advantage. The L.A.-Boston rivalry added an edge to it, as did it being a matchup of the previous two champions. And like a lot of series on this list, Game 7 held a special lure.
In the final showdown of this one, the Celtics built a 13-point third-quarter lead thanks to a series of bricks from Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who shot 6-of-24, before L.A. made a final push to emerge with an 83-79 win that gave coach Phil Jackson his 11th championship.
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Indiana Pacers[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
IND 90[/td][td]NYK 86
IND 88[/td][td]IND 91
NYK 92[/td][td]IND 90
NYK 78[/td][td]NYK 101
IND 94[/td][td]IND 82
NYK 90[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 10.3[/td][/tr][/table]
Ask any fan about the most dubious four-point play in league annals and you'll be referred to Larry Johnson's feat against the Pacers in Game 3, one that turned the series in New York's favor and allowed the Knicks to finish an improbable run as the only No. 8 seed to reach the Finals.
Johnson's shot with 5.7 seconds left -- when he was given an extremely favorable continuation call while the Pacers tried to give a foul -- gave the Knicks a 92-91 win and a 2-1 series lead, but what everyone forgets is that the Pacers evened the series before punting a chance to go ahead on their home court in Game 5.
And after winning two of the first three games by a combined total of just four points, New York closed things out more comfortably in Game 6, despite losing Johnson and star center Patrick Ewing to injuries.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Ron Frehm
[h4]47. 2001 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: RAPTORS VS. 76ERS[/h4]
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Toronto Raptors[/td][td]4
3[/td][td]
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PHI 93[/td][td]TOR 92
PHI 97[/td][td]PHI 78
TOR 102
[/td][td]PHI 84
TOR 79[/td][td]TOR 88
PHI 121
[/td][td]PHI 89
TOR 101[/td][td]TOR 87
PHI 88[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 9.9[/td][/tr][/table]
You're doing what? Vince Carter decided to fly to North Carolina the morning of his graduation, even though his team was playing that afternoon in Philadelphia. And when his final shot bounced out at the buzzer, giving the Sixers an 88-87 victory in Game 7, it seemed a career-defining moment.
Up until that point, Carter seemed to be creating a very different definition, as he had Toronto on the brink of a huge upset in the midst of an epic scoring duel between him and Allen Iverson (each supplied a 50-point game). The fifth-seeded Raptors stole Game 1 96-93 and then blasted top-seeded Philly 121-88 in Game 3 before Philly rallied its way into the Eastern Conference finals.
Photo credit: Aaron Harris/AFP/Getty Images
[h4]48. 1993 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BULLS VS. KNICKS[/h4]
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New York Knicks[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
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NYK 98[/td][td]CHI 91
NYK 96[/td][td]NYK 83
CHI 103[/td][td]NYK 95
CHI 105[/td][td]CHI 97
NYK 94[/td][td]NYK 88
CHI 96[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 4.7[/td][/tr][/table]
Ewing's Knicks against Jordan's Bulls. No, it wasn't always pretty -- witness the four short-range misses by Charles Smith at the end of Game 5 -- but this was perhaps the most intense series in the post-merger era. Only one game was decided by more than eight points between two of the best defensive teams in recent history, and scoring was a chore.
This one also featured a big reversal, as the Bulls won the final four games after dropping the first two. New York had a memorable first two games that included John Starks' explosive dunk over Michael Jordan, but Smith's inability to convert in Game 5 gave Chicago the road win it needed, and the Bulls closed things out in Chicago en route to a third straight title.
Photo credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
[h4]49. 2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: SPURS VS. SUNS[/h4]
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Phoenix Suns[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
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PHX 106[/td][td]SAS 81
PHX 101[/td][td]PHX 101
SAS 108[/td][td]PHX 104
SAS 98[/td][td]SAS 88
PHX 85[/td][td]PHX 106
SAS 114[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 1.4[/td][/tr][/table]
While the games weren't all barnburners, the images from this series are seared into everyone's memories: Steve Nash's bloody nose bridge that wouldn't stop gushing and may have cost the Suns Game 1, and the controversial suspensions handed to Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for pivotal Game 5.
The basketball in between wasn't bad either, as teams with 119 combined wins slugged it out for four games before the suspensions titled the balance the Spurs' way. Five of the six games were decided by eight points or fewer, and even without two suspended starters, the Suns gamely fought before succumbing 88-85 in Game 5.
Although this was a second-round series, one can argue it was probably the best chance the Suns have ever had at a championship in four decades of near-misses; San Antonio won the next two rounds, against overmatched Utah and Cleveland squads, with just one defeat.
Photo credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
[h4]50. 2010 NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. LAKERS[/h4]
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Boston Celtics[/td][td]4
2[/td][td]
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LAL 102[/td][td]BOS 103
LAL 94[/td][td]LAL 91
BOS 84[/td][td]LAL 89
BOS 96[/td][td]LAL 86
BOS 92[/td][td]BOS 67
LAL 89[/td][td]BOS 79
LAL 83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hollinger's series rating: 7.5[/td][/tr][/table]
We didn't necessarily get fantastic finishers, but this series was tense from start to finish, with five games decided by single digits and no team ever holding more than a one-game advantage. The L.A.-Boston rivalry added an edge to it, as did it being a matchup of the previous two champions. And like a lot of series on this list, Game 7 held a special lure.
In the final showdown of this one, the Celtics built a 13-point third-quarter lead thanks to a series of bricks from Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who shot 6-of-24, before L.A. made a final push to emerge with an 83-79 win that gave coach Phil Jackson his 11th championship.
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Originally Posted by Proshares
Sorry for the spoilers within spoilers
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Since we gave up Foye and Miller that draft we should have taken Derozan to me. I would haven't mind taking him and see what he can do. Hopefully Flynn gets a new start with Toronto I'd wish him the best of luck, I've been reading on CP3 twitter him and Flynn have been working out a lot lately.
So what will Toronto do with the pg spot if the deal goes down? Jose/Bayless/Flynn. My guess is shop Jose right?
So Jpz you like this?
Rubio
Derozan
Beasley
Love
Darko
and you have Randolph, Webster and Wes coming scoring off the bench.
So what will Toronto do with the pg spot if the deal goes down? Jose/Bayless/Flynn. My guess is shop Jose right?
So Jpz you like this?
Rubio
Derozan
Beasley
Love
Darko
and you have Randolph, Webster and Wes coming scoring off the bench.
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Unfortuntely, once for the wrong reason.
big j 33
Supporter
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I would love that trade for Minny...
D
Deleted member 38182
Guest
Reading all those spoilers was like Inception
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hope some trades go down, Pistons need to make one ASAPP
D
Deleted member 38182
Guest
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Best news for JA.Originally Posted by rck2sactown
Good news JA
BC getting some PT tho. Always need one role player to "win" a game in a series.
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lol
Wale showing up in the warriors thread
Wale showing up in the warriors thread
