The best NBA Finals games of all-time

We open highlighting the first of two games from the 2006 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. When it came to Game 3, it’s best remembered for the Heat overcoming a 13-point deficit with roughly six minutes to play in regulation. The comeback was highlighted by Gary Payton’s big shot with 9.3 seconds left. In the end, though, Miami’s Dwyane Wade proved to be the game’s star with 42 points and 13 rebounds to give his team its first victory in the series.

The opener of the 1992 NBA Finals wasn’t very close. A 57-23 Chicago run that began during the later stages of the second quarter essentially put things out of reach. However, what is most remembered is Michael Jordan scoring 35 of his 39 points in the first half, and hitting six 3-pointers — also all in the first half, which was a record at the time. At one point Jordan was so hot, even he couldn’t believe it, leading him to offer his famous “shrug” toward Magic Johnson, who was doing commentary for NBC at the time.

Neither the Washington Bullets nor Seattle SuperSonics were NBA powerhouses during the 1977-78 season but still played one entertaining Finals series. Due to a venue conflict, Game 4 was played at Seattle’s Kingdome — in front of a then-playoff record 39,000 fans. Washington trailed by 15 late in the third quarter but rallied to force overtime, despite the valiant effort of budding Sonics star Dennis Johnson, who finished with 33 points. The Bullets’ Charles Johnson hit three important baskets in the extra session for his team to prevail, and ultimately win the series in seven games for the franchise’s lone NBA title.

While Gary Payton and Dwyane Wade shined bright in Game 3, it, unfortunately, was veteran referee Bennett Salvatore who was the talk of Game 5. With Dallas ahead 100-99 in overtime, Wade jumped for the inbounds pass and appeared to partially land in the frontcourt while catching the ball in the backcourt (leading to questions from the Dallas faithful). After using his arm to apparently outmuscle a pair of Mavericks defenders on the dribble, Wade made his way to the basket, through traffic, during which Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki was whistled by Salvatore — stationed well behind the play — for a reach. Video replays showed he didn’t seem to touch Wade, who made both free throws with 1.9 seconds left. Wade went 21-of-25 from the free-throw line — the exact same Dallas recorded as a team. That late foul caused Nowitzki to kick the ball into the stands when the game ended and Dallas owner Mark Cuban to unleash a postgame tirade.

From 1957 to 1969, the Boston Celtics won every NBA championship but one. The lone setback came in 1958, when the St. Louis Hawks, led by the great Bob Pettit, took down the mighty C’s. In Game 6 at St. Louis’ beloved Kiel Auditorium, Pettit was essentially a one-man show. He had 31 points through the first three quarters, then scored 19 of the Hawks’ final 21 to finish with 50 points — a record for a regulation series-clinching contest that was matched by Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021.

As most NBA fans know, the Bulls featured many superstars during their run of six titles in eight seasons. Jordan, Pippen, Grant, Rodman. And, don’t forget Steve Kerr. That’s right. A younger generation of NBA fans probably knows Kerr as the coach of the Golden State Warriors. However, back in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals with the Bulls and Utah Jazz tied at 86-86, Kerr knocked down a 17-footer — off a pass from a double-teamed Michael Jordan — with 5 seconds remaining in regulation to send Chicago to its fifth championship.

While the finale of this stellar series between the Knicks and Lakers gets plenty of attention (more on that in a bit), Game 3 was pretty special in its own right. Dave DeBusschere’s basket with 3 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Knicks a 102-100 lead, but Los Angeles legend Jerry West drained a shot from beyond half court to send the game into overtime. The Knicks ended up winning this classic, but West finished with 34 points.

Be prepared for more championship matchups between the Celtics and Lakers to be highlighted on this list. In 1969, Los Angeles won the first two games of the series, before the Celtics took the next two. After splitting Games 5 and 6, it came down to a highly anticipated Game 7 at The Forum. Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke expected his team to win and had balloons set to drop upon victory. But the Celtics ended up the ones in celebration after building a 91-76 lead entering the fourth. They then held on, thanks to a key bucket from Don Nelson and despite 42 points from NBA Finals MVP Jerry West, to become the first road team to win a Game 7 int eh Finals.

Before Steve Kerr was knocking down title-winning jumpers and playing the unlikely hero for the Chicago Bulls, that role belonged to John Paxson. With the Bulls leading 3-2 in its ’93 series against Phoenix, but down 98-96 late in Game 6, Paxson found himself with the ball and a wide-open 3-point look at the basket. No problem. Paxson drained the bucket with 3.9 seconds remaining to send Chicago to victory and a third consecutive NBA championship.

As already noted, the Bulls won the 1993 NBA Finals in six games. However, the Suns’ first victory in the series is still one for the ages. Down 2-0 in the series, Phoenix headed to Chicago desperate for a victory. It took a while, but the Suns overcame 44 points from Michael Jordan to grind out a triple-overtime win in a game that was close throughout. While Kevin Johnson made things tough on Jordan defensively at times, he came through with 25 points after totaling 15 in the first two contests. Meanwhile, Dan Majerle scored 28 and Charles Barkley posted 24 with 19 rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 49.5 percent for the game.

The Philadelphia 76ers won just once during these 2001 Finals. However, it was certainly memorable due to the effort of NBA MVP Allen Iverson. Overcoming a 21-9 deficit, the Sixers fought their way back behind Iverson, who scored 30 first-half points. Philadelphia eventually went up by 15, only for Los Angeles to get back into a game that needed overtime to complete. The Sixers held the Lakers to just seven points in the extra session, and Iverson finished with 48 on 18-of-41 shooting.

The Spurs won their third NBA title to end the 2004-05 season but needed the full seven games to accomplish that feat. After the home team held serve, all in decisive fashion, through the first four games to leave the series tied at 2-2, it was San Antonio who broke that trend at Detroit in Game 5. It featured 12 lead changes and was tied 18 times. Detroit led 95-93 with 9 seconds remaining in overtime, but veteran Robert Horry (21 points) added to his postseason legacy by knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining. Horry’s bucket overshadowed stellar performances from teammate Tim Duncan (26 points, 19 rebounds) and Detroit’s Chauncey Billups (34 points).

This was amid Boston’s run of eight consecutive NBA titles. However, the Celtics were pushed to the limit and needed overtime in Game 7 to dispatch the pesky Lakers. Celtics superstar Bill Russell recorded 30 points and a ridiculous 40 rebounds. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ Elgin Baylor scored 41 and pulled down 22 boards and teammate Jerry West dropped 35 points. The Lakers’ Frank Selvy had a chance to win it in the final seconds of regulation, but his wide-open 12-foot, baseline shot bounced off the rim to usher in overtime.

Before the Lakers claimed back-to-back titles with that Game 7 victory in 1988, they trailed the Pistons 3-2 in their Finals series. Game 6 featured another valiant performance from Detroit star Isiah Thomas, who recorded 43 points, including a record 25 in the third quarter, while also dealing with a bad ankle. His final two points came with 1:30 left in regulation to give Detroit a one-point lead, and two Joe Dumars free throws made it 102-99 in favor of the visitors. Los Angeles, though, fought back and eventually took the lead on two Kareem Abdul-Jabbar free throws, off a controversial Bill Laimbeer foul. Following an adventurous final few seconds where a fight nearly broke out and the Lakers’ Byron Scott missed two free throws, the home club held on to even the series. 

After being walloped 137-104 in Game 3, Boston trailed 2-1 in the series with Game 4 at The Forum. Though they battled all night in one of the more physical Finals games ever, things continued to look bleak for the Celtics, who trailed by five with less than a minute remaining in regulation. However, it was the Lakers who displayed the nerves while faltering down the stretch. Magic Johnson, particularly, committed a key turnover and missed two free throws late in regulation, and couldn’t stop a big Larry Bird jump shot in overtime. The game is also remembered for Kevin McHale’s infamous clothesline of Los Angeles’ Kurt Rambis on his way to a potential breakaway basket.

Miami was favored to repeat as NBA champs but trailed 3-2 when Game 6 returned to South Beach. San Antonio led by 10 after three quarters, but LeBron James helped fuel a 20-7 run by the Heat, who eventually went ahead, only to give the lead-up. The Spurs led by five with just 30 seconds remaining in regulation, and by three in the final seconds until Ray Allen hit the shot of his career — a step-back 3-pointer from the right corner with 5.2 seconds remaining to force overtime. Miami then controlled the overtime session and James finished with 32 points,11 assists, and 10 boards. San Antonio star Tim Duncan had 30 points and 17 rebounds but did not score beyond the third quarter.

We go back to 1957, which happened to be the first year the Celtics played for an NBA championship. It was also the first time the Hawks reached the NBA Finals. The series opened with a 125-123 double-overtime St. Louis and ended with Boston winning by the same score over the same duration. In Game 7, there were 38 lead changes and 20 ties. The aforementioned Hawks legend Bob Pettit recorded 39 points and 19 rebounds, while Boston’s own icon Bill Russell scored 19 with 32 boards. Russell’s teammate Tom Heinsohn finished with 37 points and 23 rebounds before fouling out in the second overtime. In the end, it was Boston that outlasted St. Louis for the franchise’s first of 11 NBA titles over a 13-year span.

In just their second playoff appearance, the Suns reached the NBA Finals. OK, the Celtics ended up winning the series in six games, but Phoenix seemed to fight every single minute That was certainly the case in this Game 5 classic. With the series tied 2-2, and now back to Boston Garden, the game featured plenty of drama. From inadvertent time outs to clock issues to John Havlicek’s apparent winning one-handed bucket at the end of the second overtime. Television vision replay, however, showed there were still 2 seconds left on the clock despite the horn sounding and fans rushing the floor. Eventually, play resumed, and a JoJo White free throw off a technical foul gave Boston a two-point lead until Phoenix’s Curtis Perry knocked down a buzzer-beating shot to force a third overtime. Boston went up six in the third overtime, and the Suns made things interesting thanks to Paul Westphal (25 points), but could not prevail.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Cavaliers’ NBA title is the greatest sports moment in Cleveland’s history. Golden State had the home-court advantage (thanks to a 73-win regular season) in the series and took a 2-0 lead. The Warriors eventually went up 3-1, but the Cavs bucked the odds to become the first team in NBA history to overcome such a deficit to win the championship. Game 7 was truly something special, featuring 20 lead changes and 11 ties. Cleveland overcame a seven-point halftime hole, outscoring the Warriors 51-40 in the second and holding them without a basket over the final 4:39 of regulation. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the contest was LeBron James’ block off the backboard of Andre Iguodala’s layup with the game tied at 89-89. Kyrie Irving then hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining to secure the Cavaliers’ historic victory.

In 1987, Los Angeles won the first two games at home, then lost Game 3 at the Boston Garden. While it appeared the momentum might have swung in the Celtics’ direction, the Lakers had other ideas. When it comes to grind it out, back-and-forth basketball between elite teams, it doesn’t get better than this contest. Boston used an 8-0 run to take a sizable lead late, but Los Angeles clawed back and trailed 106-105 with 7 seconds to play. That’s when the Lakers inbounded the ball to Magic Johnson, who hesitated on the near baseline, then dribbled to the middle of the lane, where he imitated teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a hook shot over both Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish to give his team the finishing one-point edge with 2 seconds on the clock.

It’s referred to as the “Flu Game,” but Bulls superstar Michael Jordan was actually suffering from food poisoning prior to Game 5 of the ’97 NBA Finals. Didn’t matter. Nothing was going to keep the ill Jordan off the court with the series tied at 2-2. In heroic fashion, Jordan scored 38 points on 13-of-27 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds while playing a sturdy 44 minutes. Often hunched over and consistently looking drained, Jordan persevered to put together one of the greatest performances in the history of the NBA playoffs.

By all accounts, this was likely going to be the swan song for those great Bulls teams of the 1990s. Five NBA titles in the bag, but Chicago entered its second straight Finals versus Utah as underdogs, and the sense was the core of the team would not remain in intact going forward. So, in a true Hollywood-type ending, Michael Jordan, who finished with 45 points, delivered the franchise its sixth championship in eight seasons. With Utah up 86-85 in the waning seconds, Jordan stripped Karl Malone of the ball, dribbled down to the other end, then off a crossover, shunned Jazz defender Bryon Russell and knocked down a jumper from just above the free-throw line to add a final defining moment to his legacy.

This contest will forever be known for Willis Reed’s improbable return from a thigh injury he suffered earlier in the series which forced him to miss Game 6. However, in dramatic fashion, Reed took the court for pregame warmups, causing the home crowd to erupt in applause, then scored New York’s first four points of this finale. He then turned his attention to defending the Lakers’ Walt Chamberlain. Reed was a big reason Chamberlain missed seven of his first nine shots. However, Reed’s early heroics tend to overshadow the 36 points and 19 rebounds from Walt Frazier, who truly helped the Knicks win their first NBA title