National Basketball Association

Ranking the 7 greatest Finals games in NBA history

Published Jun. 1, 2016 1:30 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

At most, there are seven games left in the 2015-16 NBA season. It's kind of a depressing thought, really. Yes, this season was pretty lopsided. But with all of the history made and all of the drama, things were pretty entertaining over the past year.

If we're lucky, we'll get all seven games in this year's Finals rematch between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. And if we're extraordinarily fortunate, maybe one of those contests can make its way onto this list of the seven greatest NBA Finals games ever. Lock us in a room with these highlights for the next 24 hours, then let us out when it's time for Game 1. That way, we'll be fully prepared.

The 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers were a behemoth in the postseason, as they ran off 11 straight playoff victories (and 19 overall) and looked like they might become the first NBA team in history to sweep the playoffs.

Then Allen Iverson turned into a veritable superhero in Game 1, shocking the basketball world as the Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Lakers in overtime behind 48 points from Iverson. And in one of sports' most iconic moments, Iverson stepped right over current Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, who was only in the game for the Lakers in the first place because coach Phil Jackson had run out of other ideas on how to stop Iverson.

This game has grown to mythic proportions in the 40-plus years since Willis Reed ignited the Madison Square Garden with his epic return from injury. The Knicks big man had suffered a tear in his right thigh in Game 5, and his absence allowed Wilt Chamberlain to go off for 45 points and 27 rebounds in Game 6.

It looked as if Reed would miss Game 7 as well. But just minutes before the opening tip, he emerged from the tunnel to the locker room and warmed up to take the floor. Reed was clearly limping; he went on to score just four points on the night in limited minutes. His presence, though, left the Lakers rattled and the Knicks inspired, as New York held on for the first title in franchise history.

By this point, we already knew that Michael Jordan was a cold-blooded basketball assassin. He'd silenced the questions about whether a score-first guard could lead a team to a championship with his first title in 1991. With an absolute eruption in Game 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Jordan took his legend to another level.

The G.O.A.T. poured in six three pointers and 35 points in the first half -- remember, this was 24 years ago, when the Bulls as a team took just 52 more 3-point attempts than Stephen Curry made this year -- then hit us all with "The Shrug."

Somehow, the Blazers rebounded from that moment, winning Game 2 and taking another off the Bulls in Game 4. Looking back, however, this series was over in the first 24 minutes.

The Lakers had claimed a 2-1 series lead over Reggie Millier's Indiana Pacers and looked to be the vastly superior team. That was the good news. The bad news was Kobe Bryant's sore ankle, which limited him to 6 points before halftime. Without his usual lateral agility, Bryant also found himself in foul trouble, since he couldn't stay in front of his opponents on defense.

To add insult to injury, Shaquille O'Neal was in foul trouble for much of the game as well, fouling out in overtime and opening the door for the Pacers. Miller scored 13 points in the fourth to force overtime and continued his scoring onslaught in the extra period. Unfortunately for Miller, Kobe picked that moment to show why he's one of the greatest winners we've ever seen. Bryant nailed three absolutely clutch shots, cementing his legacy as a clutch scorer and delivering the Lakers a 120-118 win.

We knew we were in for some amazing basketball after Game 1 between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, as the two teams played one of the most beautiful games the NBA has ever seen to open the series.

As great as LeBron James is, it seemed as if the Spurs would leave him with just a single ring as Game 6 played out. James gave San Antonio all they could handle, tallying his second triple-double of the series, but the Spurs were in control for most of the night. With two minutes remaining, the Heat finally earned a three-point lead, only for San Antonio to respond with a seven-point run that seemed to secure the title for the Spurs.

League officials famously brought out the yellow tape to prepare for the presentation of the Larry O'Brien trophy, and it seemed as if the game was over. But after a loose ball bounced into the hands of the Heat, LeBron knocked down a three-pointer to close the gap to two points, followed by Kawhi Leonard splitting a pair of free throws.

You almost certainly know what happened next. James had another opportunity at a three, but he bricked it -- right into the waiting hands of Chris Bosh, who found Ray Allen in the corner to tie the game in an absolutely shocking turn of events. Both sides exchanged haymakers in the overtime period, with the Spurs able to respond to what would have demoralized any other team. When the final buzzer sounded, however, the Heat emerged victorious, forcing a Game 7 that they'd win to earn LeBron his second title.

To be frank, this whole list could have been Jordan moments. When you're 6-for-6 in the Finals, that's the kind of legacy you leave behind. So if you want to put 1997's "Flu Game" over Jordan's last Finals game, we're not going to disagree too vehemently.

But when we think of Jordan's basketball glory, the crossover (and maybe push-off?) against Byron Russell for one last game winner is one of the first moments that comes to mind. It sums up everything we know about the legend in one play: The overwhelming desire to win, the ability to do whatever is necessary to beat your opponent, the mental advantage Jordan always had, and the skill to knock down a ridiculously tough shot with all of the pressure in the world squarely on your shoulders.

Add it all up, and you get one of the greatest Finals games ever. Even Jordan can't overcome Magic, though ...

Draymond Green is awesome. We love that the Warriors forward can play all five positions; his ability to be Golden State's ostensible center in their small-ball lineups will probably determine whether the Warriors repeat as champions.

But Green can't hold a candle to what Magic Johnson did in his first year in the league. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sidelined by a severe ankle injury, Magic -- who was a rookie in 1979-80 -- started at center for the Lakers and did everything his team could have imagined. Magic scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and even found time to dish seven assists to lead the Lakers to the first of five titles in the Showtime era.

Again, we have to emphasize that Magic was 20 years old when he did all of this. For as much as we remember him as one of the greatest ever, the Lakers point-guard-forward-center might be the most underrated player in NBA history. And Game 6 of his very first NBA Finals is all the evidence we'll ever need.

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