The NBA's 50 Most Unique Plays in League History

I know you miss the NBA.

I know you miss the NBA because I know I miss the NBA.

With word coming in that games have been cancelled through Dec. 15 and that the entire 2011-2012 regular season could be missed after the players rejected the owners' latest offer, the NBA world has been put on stand-still until further notice.

That means no more Dwyane Wade and LeBron James hooking up for alley-oops, no more Kobe Bryant clutch shots and no more Dirk Nowitzki hitting contested, fadeaway jumpers from 20 feet out. I'm sure we'll all even miss Joey Crawford's questionable foul-calling and Anderson Varejao flopping at the sign of any bit of contact just because we miss watching the game that we have come to love.

With no unique plays to be made, we took the honor of bringing about the 50 most unique plays that the game has ever seen. Don't expect this to be a list of the best plays ever, but rather the unique plays that stick out in our minds, surprise you more than any other play and have you watching the video on YouTube over and over again.

No more of that until October of 2012—at least—from the NBA. Take a look at the 50 most unique plays the NBA's best athletes have ever bestowed upon us and appreciate what we used to have as fans.

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50. Nenad Krstic Doesn't Look Too Happy About Chris Bosh's Buzzer-Beater

I'll just allow Nenad Krstic's face do the talking.

49. Michael Jordan Breaks Ankles and Wins Games for Breakfast

Michael Jordan thoroughly enjoyed ruining everyone's day.

Not only does he cause the turnover that gets the Chicago Bulls the ball back after a turnover on the inbound by Milwaukee, but he then takes it up the length of the court, breaks the ankle of his defender and proceeds to hit the game-winner.

48. Jamal Crawford Quickly Rights His Past Wrongs

One of the league's top underrated clutch players, Jamal Crawford nearly lost that reputation after turning the ball over with only a few seconds remaining, then the Nuggets leaked out to what appeared to be a 2-on-1 fast break with only seven seconds remaining.

Rather than running back on defense, Crawford quickly blocks the pass and gets it back. He then takes a few steps toward the three-point line and drains the three-pointer to give the New York Knicks the lead and eventual victory.

47. Dwyane Wade Brings the Circus Against the Detroit Pistons

Cue the circus music, because Dwyane Wade is your ringmaster once again.

In a conference finals postseason game against the Detroit Pistons, the Miami Heat All-Star and NBA champion drove into the lane only to find Antonio McDyess attempting to draw a charge. Wade leaped into the defender to draw the blocking foul and still managed to get the shot up to get the foul with the two points.

It just wouldn't be Dwyane Wade if it didn't fall.

46. Allen Iverson Accidentally Makes Grant Hill Look Foolish

If Grant Hill had just stayed out of this, the play might not have been as memorable.

Alas, Hill decided to stick his leg in the way, and the ball somehow found its way right between the wickets and into the hands of the streaking Richard Hamilton.

45. Morris Peterson Makes Michael Ruffin Look Silly

Poor Michael Ruffin, he didn't deserve this.

With the Washington Wizards up by three points and the Toronto Raptors inbounding from their own end to the floor, the chances were highly unlikely that the Raptors were going to come away with a tie. In fact, the inbound was batted right into the hands of the Wizards' center, who knew very little about time management.

Rather than just getting fouled with three seconds remaining, Ruffin throws the ball up straight in the air only to see it land in the hands of Raptors forward Morris Peterson. He would then shoot the three-pointer and watch it go in as Toronto made it to overtime and eventually won.

44. Allen Iverson Puts Antonio Daniels on Ice Skates

Allen Iverson had a habit of making defenders look foolish with his fancy ball-handling skills and foot work.

He started off with Michael Jordan in his rookie year, then proceeded to carry on the legacy with Antonio Daniels as his worst victim by making him fall not once, but twice.

43. Michael Jordan Doesn't Need Eyes to Score

Listening to Dikembe Mutombo in an already-decided game, Michael Jordan decided to accept his offer by taking a free throw with his eyes closed.

Bad move, Deke. The last thing you ever want to do is attempt to doubt the greatest to ever play.

42. Baron Davis Gives You About 92 Feet on This Buzzer-Beater

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade might have hooked up for the longest alley-oop in NBA history, but they sure didn't make the longest shot in the history of the game.

That honor goes to Baron Davis, who threw up a shot from beyond near the restricted circle of the opponent's side and somehow saw it fall.

41. Peja Stojakovic Throws the Longest Behind-the-Back Pass in NBA History

Usually it was Mike Bibby or Jason Williams throwing these passes to Peja Stojakovic, but the Serbian proved to us he had learned a thing or two from the point guards.

Stojakovic throws one of the furthest behind-the-back passes on record by sending it from foul line to foul line en route to an easy lay-in by Bobby Jackson.

40. Isaiah Rider Makes the Play of the Decade

Regarded as the "Play of the Decade" by two over-enthused announcers, Isaiah Rider got all the luck he could handle as he miraculously threw a loose ball over his shoulder from 25 feet out only to see it go in and get the most entertaining three points of his career.

39. Steve Nash Has Eyes in the Back of His Head

Steve Nash has made so many ridiculous passes that it's extremely difficult to choose just which one deserves to make the cut.

We'll go with his best pass by far, where he was somehow able to find Amar'e Stoudemire cutting to the lane despite being blocked off by two San Antonio Spurs defenders.

38. Dwyane Wade Takes on an Entire Team

As one of the quickest and most dynamic players in the league, Dwyane Wade has the tendency to make the occasional defender or two appear to not know what they're doing.

This time, Wade takes on an entire team as he eludes the first two defenders at the top of the perimeter, sidesteps two more defenders, then goes to lay in the shot with his left hand to avoid the final defender's attempt at a block.

37. J.R. Smith Throws Down the 360 Alley-Oop

One of the most athletic dunks you'll ever see features high-flyer J.R. Smith catching an alley-oop with his back to the rim, then finishing up the dunk to complete the unconventional 360.

36. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal Connect for the Clutch Alley-Oop

After being down the entire game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to find a way to end it on an enthusiastic note.

An alley-oop from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal will do.

35. John Stockton Goes Full Court Against the Bulls

An unbelievably clutch pass between two of the greatest teammates to play the game, the Utah Jazz's John Stockton unleashes one of the greatest outlet passes you'll ever see as it drops right into the hands of the waiting Karl Malone.

34. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James Unleash the Beast Against Indiana

The longest alley-oop ever recorded in a regulation NBA game features two of the greatest teammates in the league hooking up from just about more than 90 feet.

Do you think LeBron James and Dwyane Wade planned this, or did Dwyane just tell LeBron to run and watch out?

33. Tracy McGrady Assists His Own Shots

In competition with Kobe Bryant over who exactly is the best player at assisting his own shots, Tracy McGrady gives us a series of flashy jams in the regular and postseason that all come off of throwing up passes off the backboard to himself.

32. David Lee Only Needs .1 to Make His Impression Felt

See Knicks fans—the Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury, and Eddy Curry thing wasn't all that bad. At least you got one of the greatest game-winners in franchise history out of it.

I'm not sure if that makes up for a decade of irrelevance and frustration, but I tried to make you feel better.

31. Nick Young Is Magical with His 360 Lay-in

One of the more underrated plays from the 2010-2011 season features Washington Wizards guard Nick Young making the shot of his life as he goes to the paint where he is met by Tyson Chandler.

Young then spins off Chandler in mid-air, flips the shot up and watches it go in as he attempts to regain his balance.

30. Ralph Sampson Tips in the Improbable Game-Winner

From time to time, you'll see improbable game-winners made with only a few tenths of a second left remaining. The only way to score in a situation like that would be tipping it in near the basket without ever getting a grasp on the ball.

The Houston Rockets' Ralph Sampson was about 15 feet away from the basket when the inbound was given to him in the team's Game 7 conference finals matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. With only a second remaining, Sampson grabs the ball and immediately throws it up right before the buzzer sounds.

Much to the dismay of the Lakers and their fans, Sampson somehow scored on the tip-in, and the Rockets would head to the Finals.

29. Dwyane Wade Hurts the Cleveland Cavaliers' Feelings

Even before LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat were crushing the dreams of the Cavaliers' fanbase.

On this particular play in a blowout win, Wade attempts to dribble up the court, but is deterred by Sasha Pavlovic. Rather than stopping him, Pavlovic only made it worse for himself as Wade managed to dribble around him before throwing up a half-court alley-oop to Shaquille O'Neal, who would throw it down with the foul.

28. Are You Kidding Me, Tyreke Evans?

Very similar to the Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs debacle that featured Derek Fisher making a shot with .4 seconds left after a tremendous shot by Tim Duncan, the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings followed suit with some magic of their own.

After the Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo makes an improbable shot with only a little more than a second remaining, the ball is then inbounded to Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who heaves the ball from 55 feet up and converts to give the Kings an impossible victory.

27. Jason Kidd Is a Sorcerer of Some Sort

The modern day Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd had a knack for getting all of his teammates involved and making them look a lot whole better than they actually were.

On this particular play, Kidd leads a fast break, then throws off the entire stadium with an unbelievable pass to a trailing Richard Jefferson.

26. Julius Erving Makes Dunking More Fun Than It Ever Was

Without Julius Erving throwing down all those slams in the 1970s, could we have spectacles like the dunk contest today?

I'd guess no, and I'd just watch Erving throwing down a huge slam over Michael Cooper to once and for all revolutionize the dunk.

25. John Havlicek Stole the Ball!

One of the NBA's most legendary plays in its early days features the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers in an overtime thriller.

With Sixers guard Hal Greer attempting to inbound, Celtics guard John Havlicek comes from out of nowhere to deflect the ball to a teammate, who then dribbles the clock out to give the Celtics the victory and the series win.

24. Devin Harris Somehow Hits the Miraculous Game-Winner

A miracle of a game-winner that came nights within a little magic from Dwyane Wade's own game-winner, the New Jersey Nets gave his best case for a game-winning buzzer-beater of the year with a miraculous three-pointer.

With the Sixers up by one and the Nets forced to take it up from the opposite end of the court, Harris was forced to dribble as close as he could before just throwing up a prayer. However, before he could get the shot off, Harris bobbled it and momentary lost control just before throwing up the shot with a tenth of a second left.

Harris' shot was a prayer, and the gods above answered.

23. Kobe Bryant Is a One-Man Wrecking Crew

Every elite player has his signature play. Hakeem Olajuwon had his dream shake, Tim Duncan had his bank shot and Michael Jordan had his fadeaway.

What does Kobe Bryant have?

He's a one-man wrecking crew who throws passes to himself off the backboard then either dunks it or lays it in for the two. Most defenses aren't anticipating this play, and it usually results in the easiest two points of the night for the five-time champion.

22. Jason Williams Hits Us with the Elbow Pass

I tried not to use any All-Star game footage, but this was just too good to pass up.

Jason Williams was widely regarded as the modern day Pete Maravich for his crafty passes, and this one was by far his most-viewed as he tricks the entire crowd by turning a routine behind-the-back pass into a pass that he hits off his elbow to the trailing Raef Lafrentz.

If only that was Chris Webber finishing off the shot and not Lafrentz, who was fouled and failed to make the shot.

21. Jeff Malone Stops on a Dime and Nails the Game-Winner

Skip to 3:50 in.

A vastly underrated game-winner that features then-Washington Bullets guard Jeff Malone taking a wayward pass that appears to being go out of bounds, stopping on a dime in the furthest corner beyond the three-point line and then throwing up the prayer only to see it drop.

20. Michael Jordan Is Too Much in the Clutch

Usually players will need complete concentration in order to make a game-winning shot.

Michael Jordan didn't. All he needed was to be around the rim and with a somewhat decent look—and by decent look I mean he was guarded by two players and not looking at the basket.

19. Kobe Bryant Unleashes the Hammer on the Miami Heat

Kobe Bryant's best game-winner, and it comes by way of an unbelievable three-point shot that he makes while guarded, on the run and with his side to the rim.

I guess Kobe likes a challenge.

18. Larry Bird Loses, Steals and Wins It for the Boston Celtics

Just when all hope was lost for the Boston Celtics, Larry Bird decided to leave his legendary imprint on the Boston Garden once again.

After turning the ball over on the previous possession and with only a few seconds remaining, Bird would steal the inbound pass from Isiah Thomas, then send it over to Dennis Johnson who would convert the layup to give the Celtics the victory.

17. Larry Bird Hits the True Behind-the-Backboard Shot

We saw Kobe Bryant do it and we saw LeBron James do it, but neither could do it as smooth and as poetic as Larry Bird when he converted a shot from behind the backboard.

16. Dwight Howard Slams Home the Game-Winner Against San Antonio

You'll see the occasional tip-in to win a game at the buzzer, but Dwight Howard is the only NBA player I know of who has actually won a game on a buzzer-beater by way of a dunk.

15. Derek Fisher Hits the Game-Winner of His Life

Moments after Tim Duncan hit an equally as difficult jumper to give the San Antonio Spurs the lead with only .4 remaining, the Los Angeles Lakers were given the chance to somehow pull out a victory.

Garnering his reputation as a clutch shooter, the inbound was given to Derek Fisher, who would immediately throw the ball up over the outstretched arms of the taller Manu Ginobili. Fisher would watch the miraculous shot fall, and the Lakers would go on to make the NBA Finals because of it.

14. Dwyane Wade Adds Insult to Injury Against the Phoenix Suns

Dwyane Wade has proven time and time again that he's one of the league's best players at making the impossible possible.

This time, he performs an immaculate play on both ends, as he blocks the 6'10" Amar'e Stoudemire's shot at one end, then throws up the 70-foot prayer before time runs out. He would convert to give the Miami Heat three more points than they originally anticipated.

13. Isiah Thomas Bounces the Alley-Oop

John Wall and Blake Griffin might have done this during All-Star weekend, but I would really enjoy it if either of these players even attempted to make a play like that during a regulation NBA game.

Isiah Thomas was able to complete the bounce alley-oop in an actual NBA game when he sent off the hardwood to a Pistons teammate who would slam it home.

12. Michael Jordan Completes the Dunk on Patrick Ewing

An absolute sick play by Michael Jordan as he takes on just about every defender on a hard-nosed New York Knicks team.

He starts off by eluding his first defender in Kiki Vandeweghe, then loses both Charles Oakley and John Starks at the same time on a lightning quick spin move. He then finishes it off with a huge slam over Patrick Ewing.

11. Any Magic Johnson Pass

The artistry of watching Magic Johnson in action is one of the most beautiful spectacles you could possibly watch in NBA history.

The league's greatest point guard, Johnson was a load to handle at 6'9" and was an even bigger nuisance considering he had the court vision and awareness of a point guard in the body of a small forward.

10. Dwyane Wade Hits the Unconventional Game-Winner Against Chicago

One of the best game-winners you'll ever witness, Dwyane Wade once again does his work on both ends of the floor.

With the game tied at 127 apiece and the Chicago Bulls in possession, Wade makes every play perfect by first denying the ball to the intended target in Derrick Rose. Wade then steals the ball away from an unsuspecting John Salmons before racing down court, throwing up the shot at the three-point line and converting to give the Heat an improbable 130-127 victory.

9. Magic Johnson Nails the Sky Hook for the Win

One of the most memorable plays in NBA history features Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson driving in the final seconds of an NBA Finals game against the Boston Celtics.

With power forward Kevin McHale draped all over him, Johnson throws up the sky hook over him and center Robert Parish, and converts the two-pointer to give the Lakers a victory.

8. Rasheed Wallace Rips the Heart out of the Denver Nuggets

The Detroit Pistons appeared ready for a loss after the Denver Nuggets went up by three points and were then given the inbound.

Rasheed Wallace wasn't ready. With barely a second left on the clock, the inbound was tipped to Wallace, who would launch up the shot from 3/4 away and convert to tie the game at the buzzer.

What happened in overtime, you ask? A 113-109 Pistons victory, of course.

7. Michael Jordan Amazes the Opponent's Bench

Michael Jordan was so good at getting the fans out of their seats that he actually managed to get the New Jersey Nets bench out of their seats out of sheer shock from what they had just seen.

Jordan tended to have that effect on people.

6. Jerry West Gives Reason as to Why He's Known as Mr. Clutch

You don't get the nickname "Mr. Clutch" just for being a solid player. Jerry West strived to win, always went above and beyond, and would do anything at all costs to help lead his team to victory.

West did all of that and then some as he saved the Los Angeles Lakers' season by making an unbelievable 60-foot shot that tied the game and helped assist the Lakers to an eventual overtime victory.

5. Michael Jordan Slams Home a Number of Missed Free Throws

What usually results in a lane violation, Michael Jordan somehow perfected the art of tipping home missed free throws.

Jordan was excellent at timing and anticipation, and it's how he came to be so well-known for slamming down the misses of his teammates' free throws.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon Showcases Just One of His Many Post Moves

Hakeem Olajuwon is easily the most offensively-gifted center the NBA has ever seen and will ever see.

Equipped with a wide array of post moves, Olajuwon utilized his famed "dream shake" more than anything, as it kept defenders in the air and guessing as to what he would do next.

This time around, the San Antonio Spurs' David Robinson is the victim.

3. Julius Erving Defines His Legacy with an Unbelievable Lay-in

One of the best athletes to ever step foot onto the hardwood, the NBA was lucky enough to absorb the ABA and receive Julius Erving as one of its prizes.

In one of the most memorable NBA plays of all time, Erving is taken baseline by his defender where it appears that he's left out of room. Rather than attempting to look for a pass, Erving rides the baseline and somehow possesses the hang-time to avoid two defenders while still making the lay-in for the difficult two.

2. Larry Bird Just About Does It All Against the Atlanta Hawks

An unbelievable play that features Larry Bird doing just about everything on one possession.

He starts off the possession by missing the contested 20-footer, but doesn't give up as he chases down to the carom that is set to land out of bounds. Rather than coming down with the rebound, Bird switches hands in mid-air and makes the layup as he's falling out of bounds.

1. Michael Jordan Goes Up and Under the Los Angeles Lakers' Defense

One of the most historic moves in NBA history, Michael Jordan makes his mark on the NBA Finals forever after his ridiculous up-and-under move where he switches hands in mid-air to avoid the block and scores against the Los Angeles Lakers.