Down to The Wire: The Top 10 NBA Buzzer Beating Game Winners of All Time

The way a game ends will always overshadow what happened the previous 99 percent of regulation play. Whether it is the walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, the Hail Mary, or even the game winner in a shootout in soccer or hockey; there aren't many emotions that match the euphoria felt when your team wins a game in the final second.

When it comes down to the NBA game winner however, there are few emotions that are created by a sport that can top it. After watching your team grind out everything they could for 47 minutes and 59 seconds to get to one moment that could make or break a season and either watching them miss the game winner and lose or sink it and win, your happiness or disappointment that results from that shot will impact the way you act for at least the next day or two and will be implanted in your memory for the rest of your life.

If it's your team or even against your team, you need to appreciate the art of the game winner. It's one of the only moments in time when a player has no thoughts in their head other than that of the basketball hitting the bottom of the net. Their is little thinking when shooting the final shot in a short amount of time because you don't need to think of the smartest possible shot you can take, but rather the best way to get from point A to point B.

The game winning shot is one of the most exciting moments in sports and could impact the way a season unfolds for the winner or loser. Nevertheless, the fan gets to enjoy one of the greatest euphorias one can feel when watching a sporting event.

10. Sundiata Gaines Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

There are plenty of players who have hit game-winning buzzer beaters from beyond the three-point line, but not many people have done it like the now 24-year-old Sundiata Gaines did it.

Gaines had never played an NBA game in his life prior to January 5, 2010. He had been a member of NGC Cantu in Italy and the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League before the Utah Jazz had decided to give him a chance after an impressive 14 game run with the Stampede where he averaged 24 points and seven assists.

On January 14, Gaines was put into the lineup at the end of the game after starting point guard Deron Williams had to sit out the remainder of the game with an injury. Gaines had only played four games prior and had 12 points to his name as an NBA player before his historic shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He had made both of his shots from the field and had six points as the Jazz in bounded the ball with 5.6 seconds to go and the Cavs up by two. The ball was given to sharp shooter Kyle Korver at first before he passed it off to Ronnie Price who eventually gave it to Gaines who was beyond the arc with and shot the ball with a second remaining and Anthony Parker draped over him.

Gaines threw up the prayer, fell to the ground, and watched as his shot went in to beat the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 97-96. Sundiata didn't have another game with heroics like this again, but there is no doubt fans will always remember the name Sundiata Gaines.

9. Dwight Howard Vs. The San Antonio Spurs

There isn't much you can do with 0.8 seconds left on the clock. The best you can do is to throw a pass at the basket and hope someone is close enough to tip it in. Luckily for the Orlando Magic, they have the 7' Dwight Howard whose scoring output thrives off of tip-in's.

With the game tied at 104 coming out of a timeout, the Magic's Hedo Turkoglu was set to inbound from near the half-court line. There was only one play in mind that would ensure a win and that was for Howard to roll to the basket and tip it in. It would be difficult with Tim Duncan defending him, but Dwight took advantage of a momentary lapse of defense from Duncan, ran behind him to the rim, and one handed the perfect inbound pass over Timmy.

You can criticize Howard's offensive game all you want, but when it comes down to a time like this, there isn't anyone you'd rather want on your team to take the final shot than Dwight Howard.

8. Devin Harris Vs. The Philadelphia 76ers

When it comes down to buzzer beaters, it doesn't get much more difficult than the feat Devin Harris accomplished in a thrilling win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Nets were down 96-95 after a couple of free throws by Andre Iguodala put the 76ers ahead for the apparent win as New Jersey had no time outs to get them any closer to the rim with 1.8 seconds to play. Bobby Simmons in bounded to a cutting Harris who had been stripped by Iggy mid-shot, but somehow managed to regain control of the ball and throw it up with a tenth of a second left on the clock.

The basketball gods were wearing grey and blue that day as Harris's miracle hit the bottom of the net for a 98-96 New Jersey victory. The reaction from the Sixers bench is classic and I can bet the Nets fans were wondering where this was last season when the team only won 12 games.

7. LeBron James Vs. The Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic might have won the series 4-2, but the most memorable moment of the series came at the hands of LeBron James at the end of game two.

With the Cavaliers nearly about to go down 2-0 before going to Orlando, the team needed a miracle to win the game as they were down 95-93 with one second left. A catch and shoot was needed and James needed to prove that he was more than just a legitimate player for the first 47 minutes. With Turkoglu in his face and as he was fading away, James threw up the shot of a lifetime as the ball hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity.

Shocking enough to everybody that was at the game, LeBron drained the 30 foot three-pointer and evened the series for the Cavs on their way to a 96-95 win. James and the Cavs would eventually lose the series, but LeBron would forever be immortalized in the annuls of clutch playoff performances.

6. Robert Horry Vs. the Sacramento Kings

They don't call him Big Shot Bob for nothing.

Robert Horry has made a career out of hitting clutch shots in the postseason starting with a clutch jumper back in 1995 in the Western Conference Finals as a member of the Houston Rockets and ending as late as 2007 in a First Round game as a member of the San Antonio Spurs by hitting a late three. However, none come close to the magnitude of the one hit on May 26, 2002.

With the Kings up 99-97 in game four of the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers were in dire need of a win because of the risk of going down a decisive three games to one. Kobe Bryant had taken the initial shot to tie the game, but badly missed and instead saw it go to Shaquille O'Neal who missed an easy lay-up. The game appeared to be for the Kings, but Vlade Divac punched it out to an open Horry beyond the arc.

Horry shot the ball with less than a second on the clock with two Kings in his face and saw the shot go in to give the Lakers a 100-99 win. The series would go to a game seven that Los Angeles would win and they would eventually win their third straight NBA championship.

5. Kobe Bryant Vs. The Miami Heat

Kobe Bryant himself said it was the luckiest shot of his NBA career. It doesn't really matter to the Heat however who still lost the game 108-107 at the hands of one of Bryant's latest deadly buzzer beating game winning shots.

With Ron Artest inbounding and the Lakers down by two, every person that had anything to do with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat knew who the ball was going to and knew who was going to take the final shot. With three seconds left, the ball was in bounded to Kobe beyond the three point arc. With Dwyane Wade draped over him, Kobe raced to the three-point line and while he was sideways with the rim, fading away, and with a second less on the clock took the shot and banked it in.

The Miami Heat are just one of many teams to lose at the hands of Kobe Bryant's amazing game winners. It's no wonder why he was listed as number one on my 15 most hated players list.

4. Dwyane Wade Vs. The Chicago Bulls

When it comes down to hitting in the clutch, not many players in the basketball world can do it better than Dwyane Wade.

In a heated contest with the Chicago Bulls that appeared destined for either a Bulls win or a third overtime, Wade decided to take things into his own hands. Bulls forward John Salmons took the pass with 11 seconds left on the clock and the game knotted at 127. He drove to the foul line and attempted a spin move to rid himself of Udonis Haslem who was defending him at the time.

What he didn't know was that he played right into Wade's hands who stole the ball with three seconds left and while still on the run hit the leaning three-pointer to give the Heat an astounding 130-127 win. As you can tell by Brad Miller's facial expression at the end of the play, the Bulls and their entire fan base were pretty hurt by the unexpected outcome as Wade torched Chicago for a then career high of 48 points.

3. Ralph Sampson Vs. The Los Angeles Lakers

If you ever wanted to see a game winner more ridiculous than this one, good luck finding it.

With a trip to the NBA finals on the line in a heated contest against the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, Ralph Sampson in bounded the ball from Rodney McCray with less than a second left on the clock. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was guarding Sampson as the Lakers looked poised to have another date with the Boston Celtics in their future.

Sampson received the pass while in mid-air and blindly shot the ball with his back towards the basket. The 20,000 Lakers fans watched in angst as the ball hit the front of the rim and bounced into the basket sending Houston to the NBA finals.

Michael Cooper dropping to the floor as the ball went through the net pretty much summed up the feelings of everybody in Los Angeles at the time.

2. Derek Fisher Vs. The San Antonio Spurs

It appeared all but over for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tim Duncan hit a ridiculous falling away 20 foot jumper over Shaquille O'Neal and appeared to ensure a 73-72 game five victory for the San Antonio Spurs. With 0.4 seconds left on the clock, there wasn't much to do for the Lakers to get any kind of good look off for a victory.

Cue Derek Fisher. The Spurs put two players on Kobe Bryant to make sure that there was no way he'd get a shot off from anywhere on the court, it was then that Gary Payton found Derek Fisher cutting towards with him with somewhat of an open look.

Manu Ginobili gave all he could to stop the shot, but Fisher got the shot off as soon as he got a hold of it, threw it up, and made the shot giving the Lakers a 74-73 win on their way to an eventual NBA finals appearance. Fisher and the Lakers wanted to make sure they didn't see any of the Spurs crowd on their way out by jetting straight to the locker room.

1. Michael Jordan Vs. The Cleveland Cavaliers

When it came down to hitting game winners, no one could do it better than Michael Jordan.

On May 7, 1989 and the Bulls down by one to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls needed Jordan more than ever to advance to the next round of the post season. With three seconds on the clock, Michael took the in bound at the three-point line, dribbled to the foul line, and shot the ball over the outstretched hands of Craig Ehlo.

As expected, Jordan would hit the shot and win the game for the Bulls by a score of 101-100. Michael will be remembered as the greatest player to ever step onto an NBA court as he would win five MVP's and six NBA championships. Craig Ehlo will be remembered as the guy who got shot on by Michael Jordan on that fateful May 7th evening.

Still makes for the greatest game winning buzzer beater in NBA history by far.