My Top 8 NBA Playoff Moments

While these playoff moments aren't all of the greatest moments in NBA history, for various reasons these are the moments that stand out to me as the sports fan I am.

I was able to watch all of these moments live, and I can replay in my head over and over again.

All of these moments have inspired me in some way because through adversity, all of these athletes had to dig deep inside and find that desire to achieve greatness.

Here are my Top 8 favorite NBA Playoff moments of all time:

Steve Kerr: The Second-Coming of The Iceman

With all of the Spurs' momentum fading in the fourth quarter of the 2003 Western Conference Finals, and the series seeming likely to go seven games, the Spurs were in dire need of a hero.

Greg Popovich needed a spark and reluctantly decided to put Kerr in the game, who hadn't played the entire playoffs. Although Kerr was cold as ice, after entering the game, Kerr hit a three-pointer with the defender right in his face and didn't stop there.

He continued to shoot perfectly, as he hit three more crucial threes that helped shift momentum and ultimately win the game and send the Spurs to the NBA Finals

Steve Kerr said afterward in his postgame news conference, "This is one of the best nights of my career", Kerr said. "There is always a chance to have a moment, just one moment, and tonight was one of those and it feels great."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Z4KjVeWsU

# 7 Derek Fisher's Inspiring Performance

In the second round of the 2007 NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, Fisher was forced to miss the first half of Game Two because his 11-month old daughter required an emergency three-hour surgery and chemotherapy at New York's Presbyterian Hospital.

Prior to Game Two, Fisher asked head coach Jerry Sloan to leave him on the active list, but could not guarantee he would make it in time to play. After his daughter’s surgery, he and his family flew back to Utah.

After landing in Utah with Game Two already in progress, Fisher was notified that teammate and starting point guard Deron Williams was in foul trouble and his backup for the game, Dee Brown, had been seriously hurt.

Fisher arrived at the arena in the middle of the third quarter, suited up, and made his way to the court. He was immediately called upon by Sloan to enter the game, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

With little time remaining, Fisher made a critical defensive stop on Baron Davis that helped send the game into overtime.

In the final minutes of overtime, the Jazz held a three-point lead when Deron Williams found an open Fisher for a three-pointer that sealed the emotional victory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eftrqq-_N2w

# 6 King James Rules The Palace

With the series tied 2-2 with the Pistons in the Easters Conference Finals, in Game Five at the Palace of Auburn Hills, LeBron James scored a career and playoff-high 48 as the Cavaliers won off of a LeBron James' game-winning layup with two seconds left in double overtime to make the final score 109-107.

LeBron James was remarkable in the fourth quarter and overtime periods as he scored the Cavaliers' final 25 of its final 30 points to carry Cleveland within a win of the NBA finals.

Although LeBron had two and sometimes three men on him at a time, the Pistons couldn't find away to stop him. LeBron's performance was one for the ages as he simply refused to let his team lose.

Such dominance at the end of a game had ever been seen before LeBron took the court in Game Five. The Cavaliers would go on to win Game Six and advance to their first NBA finals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Px-jPm_TU

# 5 Laker's Game Seven Comeback

Down by 15 points on the verge of losing three straight games and the 2000 Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers went on a 15-0 run to erase the deficit.

In just over 10 minutes, the team that looked as though it was going to allow their first three-game losing streak of the season mounted the biggest fourth-quarter comeback ever in a Game Seven.

After the Lakers took a 83-79 lead, the game was highlighted by Shaq's thundering alley-oop from Kobe Bryant that put Los Angeles ahead 85-79 with 40 seconds to play.

That play for me will always symbolize the start of the Lakers' three-peat dynasty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY06eaFaplw

# 4 Robert Horry's NBA Finals Heroics

After scoring only three points in the first three quarters in Game Five in the 2005 NBA Finals, Horry added 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime highlighted by a high-flying dunk over Rip Hamilton. But the last three would prove to be the most important.

Down 95-93 with almost no time remaining, Robert Horry the inbounder in the play received the ball back from Rasheed Wallace and hit the open game-winning three with almost no time left on the clock to give the Spurs the 96–95 victory over the Pistons.

Robert Horry's Game Five heroics saved the Spurs from going down 3-2, and was vital in the Spurs winning the 2005 NBA championship.

Robert Horry will always be known as one of the most clutch players in NBA history. But what separated this game from other clutch games he's had in his career was the fact that he not only hit the game-winning shot, but he willed his team to victory in the fourth quarter and overtime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZdik09RGJI

# 3 Dwyane Wade Brings The Heat Back From The Dead

A team with a 3-0 lead had never lost before. However, led by Dwyane Wade's 12 points, the Heat would go on a 22–7 run and send the game into overtime where Gary Payton would hit the game winning shot to give the Miami Heat the 88-86 victory.

Dwyane Wade was remarkable as he scored 42 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the game.

After the game, momentum completely shifted to the Heat as they would go on to win the next three games to earn the Miami Heat their first NBA Championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uDadaaQb1w

# 2 Jordan's Last Shot With The Bulls

What separated the 1998 NBA Finals from Jordan's previous finals was that Jordan and the Bulls were for the fist time in a long time underdogs in a series.

The Utah Jazz had looked better than the Bulls throughout the 1998 season and many experts thought the Jazz were going to avenge there loss from the finals the year before.

The end of Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals epitomizes Michael Jordan's career.

After Michael Jordan made a layup to cut the Jazz lead to 86-85, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring.

When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Michael Jordan who came from Malone's blind side, stole the ball away and dribbled to the front. Guarding him was Bryon Russell, the man he hit a game-winner against in the finals the year before.

Jordan drove inside the three-point arch, crossed over Russell and hit a 20-foot jumpshot and held his signature follow through to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left to give Jordan his sixth NBA Championship.

That game-winning shot was the last shot Jordan ever took with the Bulls. Jordan scored a total of 45 points in the game and showed in the last minute of the game that championships are won with offense and defense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WULyz1-OQc

# 1 Jordan Battles The Flu

With the series tied 2-2 on the day before Game Five, Jordan woke up in the middle of the night of his hotel room with severe flu like symptoms.

Jordan called the Bulls' medical staff and they told him he was suffering from food poisoning and there was no way he was going to play.

Jordan remained in bed for the next 24 hours, missing the Bulls' morning practices the day before and the day of Game Five. He lost several pounds and was very dehydrated.

But nothing could stop Michael Jordan from playing.

He dragged himself to the Delta Center before the game and told Phil Jackson he was going to play.

Pippen would later say, "The way he looked, there's no way I thought he could even put on his uniform. I'd never seen him like that. He looked bad; I mean really bad."

In the first quarter of the game Jordan felt very sick and was virtually non-existent. Then in the second quarter with the Utah jazz up by 16 points, something revitalized Jordan.

Somehow, miraculously, he began dominating like he often does and scored 17 points in the quarter.

However, after halftime Jordan was again feeling sick and was essentially useless. This time Jordan had to reach even deeper than he did before to find that burning desire not to give up.

In the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Bulls down by eight, Jordan suddenly started dominating again and brought his team back in the game.

With 26 seconds left in the game, and with Stockton's hand right in Jordan's face, Jordan hit a three-pointer to give the Bulls the 88-85 lead and essentially the victory. That basket was his 15th point of the quarter and his 38th of the night.

Michael Jordan's performance was legendary and he showed everyone that even if all the odds are against you and you feel like giving up, you can always reach deeper inside yourself than you ever thought you could and find that desire to go on.

After MJ's performance, Pippen said "He's the greatest, and everyone saw why tonight."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLQl7UJOYUs&feature=related