NBA Playoffs: Reliving Amazing Moments in NBA Playoff History

The NBA Playoffs: A high intensity, high drama arena.

It is physically and mentally demanding.

Some players, and some teams, crumble under the pressure.

But others shine. Others go down in the history books.

This slideshow will look at those who have withstood the pressure, and flourished.

*Note* This will hopefully be the first of many slideshows I make, reliving unforgettable playoff moments. As you can expect, certain moments, perhaps your favourite, may be omitted.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls vs the Utah Jazz, Game 6, 1998

Michael Jordan did it all in Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals vs the Utah Jazz.

He scored 45 points, including the final eight for the Chicago Bulls over the final two minutes of the game. He overcame fatigue to carry the Bulls to their sixth championship.

That shot, a sweet twenty foot jumper, sealed the game, and broke the collective hearts of Jazz fans everywhere.

The Jazz seemingly had the game under control, up by three with under a minute left. Until Michael Jordan scored on a hard drive to the hoop. He then stole the ball from an unaware Karl Malone in the post, setting up a dream scenario for sports fans everywhere:

The ball in the hands of one the greatest basketball players ever to grace this Earth, with a chance to win the game, and the championship.

The rest, they say, is history.

Julius Erving's Ridiculous Reverse Scoop Layup, Game 4, 1980 Finals

Labelled by Magic Johnson himself as "the greatest move I've ever seen in a basketball game, the all-time greatest", Dr. J's awe-inspiring scoop layup was something the game of basketball had never seen before.

There was literally nothing the Lakers' defence could do to stop the good Doctor on this play. They played solid, fundamental basketball, by denying him middle, and forcing him baseline.

He simply just used his all his athletic abilities to his advantage. He used his vertical leap to seemingly defy gravity, his giant, size 11 hands to palm the ball, and his freakish wingspan to calmly and easily put the ball in the basket on the sick reverse.

Well, easy for him.

Derek Fisher's Prayer Shot with 0.4 Seconds Left

Talk about your see-saw type games.

First Kobe Bryant gets his shot to go with 11 seconds left, 1 point Laker lead.

Then Tim Duncan with the absolutely ridiculous 20-foot fade-away over Shaquille O'Neal.

You'd think, with 0.4 seconds left, that the game would be over. How could anyone possibly top the heroics of Tim Duncan?

Enter: Derek Fisher

With 0.4 seconds left, an unlikely hero emerges.

Kobe Bryant is double-teamed off the inbound, which means someone else has to step up. Derek Fisher makes a cut for the ball, and as soon as it touches his hands, it's out again.

And thankfully for the Lakers, the shot fell. Nothing but net.

Michael Jordan Sinks the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989

"The Shot".

A moment of basketball infamy for the City of Cleveland that would not be rivalled for another 21 years, until "The Decision" rolled in.

In the series clinching Game 5, Michael Jordan came up big in the clutch, in what many would call the best buzzer beater of his career.

He hit the tough, hanging foul line jumper over Craig Ehlo, to give the Bulls the 101-100 win. The crowd went deathly silent.

MJ finished with 44 points in the game.

Havlicek Stole the Ball!

One of the most famous lines in the history of the NBA.

"Havlicek stole the ball".

With five seconds left on the clock, the Celtics held on to a one-point lead over the 76ers. The 76ers had the inbound, and an opportunity to win the game.

Hal Greer inbounded the ball to Chet Walker, and John Havlicek pounced.

He poked the ball away from Walker, and it ended up in the hands of Sam Jones who dribbled away until the game was sealed.

The Boston Celtics would then go on to win the series.

Reggie Miller Gives the Choke Sign to Spike Lee

In one of the finest shooting displays in NBA Playoff History, Reggie Miller aka the "Knick Killer" single handedly carried the Indiana Pacers to a Game 5 upset of the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, 93-86.

He scorched the Knicks, scoring 39 points. 25 of which came in the fourth quarter, where he hit five three-pointers.

However, the action he was most notably remembered for was giving the "Choke" sign to Spike Lee, avid Knicks supporter.

Denver Nuggets Upset Seattle Supersonics

Shock the world.

The eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets became the first team in NBA History to beat the first seed. I could have put the Mavericks vs Warriors here, or even more recently the Grizzlies, but the iconic image of Dikembe Mutombo clutching the ball on the floor is just the epitome of the Playoffs for me: anything can happen.

The win came in an epic, all-time game, in which the Nuggets bested the Sonics in a 98-94 overtime thriller.

Magic Johnson Plays Every Position, Game 6, 1980 Finals

This game proves why Magic Johnson is the most versatile player to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes. What can be more impressive than that, you ask? This was his rookie season.

Los Angeles Lakers team captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, sprained his ankle in Game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He hobbled to the finish line in that game, which the Lakers ultimately won.

However, he was ruled out of Game 6, and the Lakers travelled to Philadelphia without their team captain.

No center? No worries!

Magic Johnson put on the display of a lifetime. He started in Kareem's place for the opening tip, and would go on to play every position that game, from point guard to center.

He finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, as he led the Lakers to a 123-107 blowout win to clinch the NBA Championship.

Allen Iverson Burns the Lakers for 48, Game 1, 2001 NBA Finals.

The Lakers seemed invincible. They had won their last 19 games, including three sweeps in the Western Conference playoffs.

The 76ers hobbled into the finals, coming off two straight Game-7 wins in their final two series in the Eastern Conference.

Game 1 was to be held at the Staples Center, with the Lakers owning home-court advantage.

The Lakers took the early lead, and seemingly looked like they would make short work of the 76ers, as they had done with all of their opponents in the playoffs. They jumped out to an early 21-9 lead.

But the 76ers stormed back, with the help of 48 points from Allen Iverson, and ended up shocking the Lakers with a 107-101 win in overtime.

Larry Bird Steals the Ball

In this series, much like the current Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics series, it saw an aging team, the Celtics, come up against the younger and more athletic Detroit Pistons.

Celtics fans will be the first to tell you, experience and poise under pressure pays off.

Boston was down a point with little time remaining in the game, with Isiah Thomas in-bounding the ball. On an attempted pass to Bill Laimbeer, Larry Bird stole the pass, and while falling out of bounds, found an open and cutting Dennis Johnson, who layed it in with one second remaining.

Michael Jordan Gives the Shrug, 1992 NBA Finals

Michael Jordan is dominating this slideshow, well, because, he is the greatest.

In a breathtaking first half against the Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan caught fire.

He hit six three-pointers in the first half, setting an NBA Finals record.

He also had 35 points in the half, yet another NBA Finals record.