50 Greatest Coast-to-Coast Finishers in NBA History

When NBA fans think about the most exciting plays in basketball, a couple of things immediately spring to mind: the alley-oop, the game-winning three-pointer, etc. 

But one of the more underrated exciting plays has to be the coast-to-coast play. Whenever a player steals the ball or grabs a rebound and then dribbles all the way to the other side of the court before finishing with a tough layup or a thunderous dunk, we fans can't help but feel excited. 

Some players stand above the pack in when it comes to these plays. Read on for the 50 best coast-to-coast finishers in NBA history. 

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony has more ways to score than anyone else in the NBA right now. It should come as no surprise that the small forward is quite adept at getting from one end of the court to the other and finishing the play for himself. 

Tiny Archibald

When your nickname is Tiny, the moniker better be either ironic or accompanied by blazing speed if you're going to make it in the NBA. For Nate Archibald, it was the latter. That speed allowed him to blow by opponent after opponent before he threw up a layup for two points. 

Charles Barkley

He may have been called the Round Mound of Rebound, but Charles Barkley progressed surprising athleticism. There are not many players more fun to watch in the open court than Chuck as he barreled past defenders en route to a thunderous slam dunk. 

Elgin Baylor

One of the first great scorers in NBA history, Elgin Baylor could score from anywhere on the court and he was one of the best pound-for-pound rebounders of all time. Quite often, Baylor would corral a loose ball, storm down the court with the ball and either finish at the rim with his unprecedented athleticism or pull up for a jump shot, a shot that he helped to pioneer. 

Shannon Brown

Shannon Brown may not be a good enough basketball player to start on the Los Angeles Lakers, but he can soar higher than all but a few players who have ever laced up their sneakers on an NBA court. When Brown gets the ball in the open court and has a lane to the basket, get the cameras ready because there is serious potential for a new poster. 

Kobe Bryant

The second-straight Los Angeles Laker on the list, Kobe Bryant is one of the most skilled basketball players of all time as well as one of the most athletic. There isn't anything that Bryant does poorly on the basketball court and scoring coast-to-coast is no exception to the rule. 

Vince Carter

There are many reasons that Vince Carter was called Half-Man, Half-Amazing during his prime. His skill going coast-to-coast was just one of them. Vinsanity is one of the best dunkers of all time and quite a few of them came on the fast break. 

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain may have been 7'0", but he had track star speed. Seriously though, Wilt the Stilt actually ran track before he played professional basketball. He also had good enough ball-handling skills that he once played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Chamberlain was quite adept in fast break situations. 

Tom Chambers

Just ask Mark Jackson if Tom Chambers belongs on this list. 

Jamal Crawford

All I have to say is shake 'n bake. 

Billy Cunningham

The Kangaroo Kid played in the 1960s, but he'd still be good enough to go coast-to-coast if he played in the present day. Billy Cunningham was a great rebounder and completely unafraid to take off down the court and jump over someone to get to the rim. 

Baron Davis

During his prime, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more athletic guard than Baron Davis. The bearded one had some serious spring in his step and could beat everyone down the court. I'm sure Andrei Kirilenko knows exactly what I'm talking about here. 

Clyde Drexler

As fast as they come, Clyde Drexler glided up in the air to snatch down rebounds, then took off the court. At the other end, he'd jump into the air once more and glide effortlessly to the rim for a thunderous slam dunk. How else do you think he got his nickname? 

Monta Ellis

It's almost impossible to stay in front of the shifty, lightning-fast guard named Monta Ellis when he has the ball in the open court. As he himself says, he simply can't be stopped in that situation. 

Alex English

If you're going to be the leading scorer of one of the most competitive decades in NBA history (the 1980s), then you better be able to score in every way possible. Alex English may have been more well known for his high-release jump shot that found the bottom of the net with deadly accuracy, but he could finish the breakaways as well. 

Julius Erving

Thriving on his way-above-average athleticism in both the ABA and the NBA, Julius Erving revolutionized the sport of basketball thanks to his above-the-rim style of play. One of the areas in which this was most present was the fast break. Dr. J was no stranger to plays like the famous "Rock the Baby" dunk over Michael Cooper. 

Walt Frazier

Even though he was a decent rebounder, most of Walt Frazier's coast-to-coast plays started after a steal. One of the craftiest thieves in NBA history, Clyde would lull his man to sleep, snatch the ball away and then take of down the court for an easy two points. 

George Gervin

It's not everyday that an NBA player is content to finish at the rim with a finger roll. It was everyday though that George Gervin had the opportunity to do so at the end of a fast break. 

Manu Ginobili

All the credit for Manu Ginobili's placement on this list goes to the Euro Step. Manu possesses an insane amount of craftiness in addition to the great handles that are crucial to a guard's success in the NBA. 

Blake Griffin

The fact that I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to decide which video of Blake Griffin doing his thing during his rookie season says it all here. 

Tim Hardaway

As soon as Tim Hardaway got into the open court, it was time for the famous UTEP Two-Step. There wasn't a defender who could stay in position when Hardaway pulled off his breath-taking crossover. 

John Havlicek

John Havlicek defined the phrase "do-everything player" for the Boston Celtics during their marvelous run from one championship to another. Hondo could score from anywhere on the court, play stifling defense, crash the boards and go coast-to-coast with the best of them. 

Grant Hill

Before injuries wrecked his promising career, Grant Hill was absolutely unstoppable in every single phase of the game. All the evidence you need is provided by this and-one fast break score against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. 

Allen Iverson

If I was ranking these 50 players instead of just listing them alphabetically, Allen Iverson very well may have taken the top spot. His blazing speed, virtually unmatched handles and knack for scoring made him impossible to stop when he wanted to go coast-to-coast. 

LeBron James

LeBron James is just an athletic freak. With his combination of size, power and speed, he's like a train barreling down the tracks without any brakes. He's going to get to the basket no matter what. 

Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson had some serious speed. His wheels were good enough that he could beat almost anyone down the court once he had the ball in his hands. And we all know (especially Hakeem Olajuwon) that he could finish the play.  

Magic Johnson

As the leader of the Showtime Lakers, a team that thrived on the fast break, you can be quite sure that Magic Johnson knew how to go coast-to-coast. The all-around point guard who could line up anywhere on the court and could contribute to his team's cause in way too many ways to count. 

Michael Jordan

Come on now. Do I even need to explain this one?

Shawn Kemp

The Reign Man was noticeably agile for a man of his size and it showed whenever he crashed the boards, grabbed a rebound, looked off the outlet pass, took off down the court and threw down one of his famous dunks. 

Jason Kidd

A living, breathing triple-double during his prime, Jason Kidd could run the fast break as well as anyone else. There were multiple times each game when Kidd would go into the trees, pull down a rebound as a point guard and take off, weaving through defenders until he'd scored two points for himself. 

Bernard King

Before there was Carmelo Anthony, there was Bernard King, an athletic forward who was born to score. King could put up big numbers, often utilizing the full-court run-past-everyone-and-score to do so. 

Pete Maravich

Other players utilized speed. Some got by with athleticism. Then there was Pete Maravich. Pistol Pete was able to score for himself on the fast break because of his creativity with the ball and unpredictability. 

Tracy McGrady

During his prime, Tracy McGrady was the toast of the NBA. His high-flying ways made him a highlight-reel mainstay and quite a few of them came at the end of coast-to-coast plays. T-Mac was unstoppable whenever he wanted to be. 

Steve Nash

As the leader of the Phoenix Sun's seven seconds or less offense, Steve Nash had to be able to get up and down the floor quickly and finish at the basket when his teammates weren't in the right position to receive one of his beautiful passes. He proved time and time again that he could do so. 

Hakeem Olajuwon

A lot of Hakeem Olajuwon's game gets overshadowed by the Dream Shake and his incredible defensive abilities. What many fail to remember is that The Dream was an agile seven-footer fully capable of keeping up with guards and dribbling down the court en route to a coast-to-coast score. 

Shaquille O'Neal

Don't let the out-of-shape not-quite-as-dominant Shaquille O'Neal from the last few years fool you. Back in his prime during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Shaq was unstoppable no matter where he was on the court. After he pulled down a rebound, The Big Aristotle was more than capable of running by defenders who were probably just too scared to get in his way for fear of being bowled over. 

Chris Paul

Even though Chris Paul prefers to dish the ball off to open teammates, he knows when he needs to finish the play for himself. CP3 is ridiculously fast with the ball and has the cerebral abilities to understand the exact best path he needs to take to get to the hole. 

Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen was one of the most athletic players of his generation and fully capable of going coast-to-coast whenever Michael Jordan wasn't. He doesn't receive nearly enough credit for this aspect of his game thanks to the aforementioned MJ. 

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson knew exactly how to play the game of basketball, never trying to force anything but rather letting the game come to him. As a guard who averaged a triple-double for the first five years of his career, The Big O started his own fast breaks quite a few times before employing an unsurpassed amount of subtle shakes on his way to the other basket. 

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is a surprisingly good rebounder for a point guard, a trait that allows him to go coast-to-coast more than the average guard. In addition, he's a great ballhawk and often just takes the rock from the opposition for himself. With blazing speed, Rondo can get down the court quickly and he definitely knows how to finish around the basket (it's one of the few ways he can actually score). 

Derrick Rose

If you watched basketball at all this past season, Derrick Rose's inclusion needs no further explanation. His combination of speed, athleticism and ball skills are almost unprecedented. There's a reason he was the youngest MVP in NBA history. 

Josh Smith

If only Josh Smith stuck to going coast-to-coast and cut jump-shooting out of his game entirely...

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas wanted to do everything possible to ensure that his team could win games. If that meant he needed to feed the hot hand, he would do it. If he needed to score 30 points, he would do it. If he needed to go coast-to-coast, he would do it. 

David Thompson

The man who inspired Michael Jordan was David Thompson. Also known as Skywalker, Thompson was one of the league's original high flyers and would commonly get his head up to the height of the rim while he was finishing a fast break on his own. 

Dwyane Wade

Formerly known as Flash, Dwyane Wade is one of the fastest and most athletic players in the NBA right now. He has at least one incredible fast break play per game and is a mainstay on SportsCenter thanks to his ability to go coast-to-coast. 

Chet Walker

Chet Walker was a terrific rebounder for a guard and had enough speed to earn the moniker "Chet the Jet." The combination of those two traits enabled Walker to score coast-to-coast quite a few times throughout his storied career. 

John Wall

John Wall is arguably the fastest player in the NBA right now. Go spend some time watching highlights of Wall doing his thing on YouTube and you'll see exactly why he's on here. 

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is fast, athletic, skilled and ridiculously driven to succeed at all times. When he puts his head down and is determined to get to the rim, he's going to get to that rim. 

Dominique Wilkins

When the Human Highlight Film had a full head of steam, there was no stopping him from finishing a fast break with a ridiculously cool slam dunk. Dominique Wilkins is an underrated all-around player but his dunking and fast-break abilities are both perfectly rated at 10 out of 10. 

James Worthy

The best finisher for the famed Showtime Lakers fast break, James Worthy was no stranger to the coast-to-coast play. With his thunderous dunks and trademark goggles, Worthy was content to either get set up by Magic Johnson or take the ball to the hole for himself. 

Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on    Twitter.

All-Time NBA Mock Draft

Steven Jackson: Dark Horse Commercial of the Year Candidate

Brian Wilson vs. James Harden: The Battle of the Beards 

Coolest Players in NBA History

100 Most Exciting NBA Stars Ever