The 20 Best "Playoff" Sneakers of the Last 20 Years

The NBA's regular season has wrapped up, and the Playoffs kick off tomorrow. Playoff time requires extra grind and long before LeBron started rocking a new PE for every playoff game, your favorite superstars were already introducing new models and special colorways in the post-season — although maybe not to the extent of the present. We decided to go back over the past few decades and pick out the hottest of the hot down the stretch. Hit the jump to check out The 20 Best "Playoff" Sneakers of the Last 20 Years and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Notable player: Charles Barkley

Nike's visible Air units were a must on the courts in the early '90s. The Air Force Max were donned by the likes of Sir Charles in the league (and a few punks at Michigan in baggy shorts) as he punished his competition en route to his first Finals appearance — of course Jordan and company ruined the ending. The nubuck leather and thick outsole on the kicks were mad durable, and the midfoot strap made you look tough — dunking on fools didn't hurt either.

Notable players: Toni Kukoc, Sam Cassell, Horace Grant, Robert Horry, Chris Dudley

The weapon of choice for damn near everyone in the pros and at the college level, the shoe was every bit as ahead of its time even if it wasn't an aesthetic masterpiece. Nothing fancy to the materials — just a nubuck upper, maximum breathability, and (relatively) feathery weight was on the feet of battle-tested warriors for a reason.

Notable player: Michael Jordan

From a shoe that almost never happened to Michael infamously snatching a pair and rocking them before Tinker and Jordan's team were ready to even introduce them to the world. There is nothing like guerrilla marketing, even Ahmad Rashad went live on NBC to talk about the sneaks when Mike debuted them against Penny and Shaq in Orlando. More on the XIs in a minute.

Notable player: Michael Jordan

Michael had the summer off to re-group and another season to get familiar with the patent leather-laced Jordan XIs. At first everyone thought Tinker Hatfield was out of his mind with the lawn mower-inspired design but luckily he had a decade of successes backing him, along with the best basketball player on the planet. Ballistic mesh, patent leather and carbon fiber, existing in perfect harmony. The best there ever was, and the best there ever will be helped get Mike his fourth ring and resurrect two dynasties at once.

Notable player: Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan first broke out the black/white Air Jordan XIIs for the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, where he became the first player in All-Star history to record a triple-double but it was the "Playoffs" that moved the kicks to iconic status. Classic colorway, classic performances – especially the black and red pair synonymous with one of the greatest basketball memories of all time, thanks to a little pizza.

Notable player: Gary Payton

GP are you with me? Why not wrap a shroud around an entire shoe? Back in vogue now thanks to sneakers like the Air Jordan XX8, this was ridiculously daring in '98. For Gary Payton's 1998 Playoff shoe, designer Eric Avar built up a high-tech chassis, complete with Zoom Air cushioning and a "monkey paw" anti-inversion device, then covered it all up with either a black nylon or white synthetic leather cover. Car inspirations have always been popular in the sneaker world, and this took it to a whole 'nother level. So, who's ready for these to make their comeback this year? We thought so.

Notable player: Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning

If you haven't noticed, signature kicks typically get the most attention from designers and fans alike but in '99 with Mike out the game, the best post-season sneakers were GRs. The Vis Zoom Uptempos weren't anyone's specific sneaker when they dropped, but you know Nike was gonna lace 'Zo and Ewing (and Shareef Abdur-Rahim) proper. The visible Zoom Air units set these off correct and were a favorite among all type of players and it was a shoe even old G-Town frenemies could agree on.

Notable players: Allan Houston, Brian Shaw

A work of art. The Flightposite picked up where the Foamposite One left off, streamlining the composite upper further and concealing the laces under a Swooshed cover. Worn by players like Allan Houston and B. Shaw in the '00 Playoffs (a purple pair was even famously made up for Kobe Bryant), the Flightposite was a do-everything shoe for everyone, ushering in the future.

Notable player: Allen Iverson

When Allen Iverson made a demand most people catered to his requests and this was the perfect case for his multiple colorways of the lightweight and comfortable DMX Answer IVs throughout the 2001 Playoffs, including the "Finals" exclusives. Just by simply flipping the black and white around on the upper the specific model is still etched in the mind of basketball fans, even if kicks aren't their thing. We are pretty sure Tyronn Lue still remembers.

Notable player: Kobe Bryant

Even if Kobe didn't love them (he ditched them around the time of the NBA Finals) we still like the Audi-inspired kicks with their sleek and laceless look on the court. The KOBETWOs weren't exactly up to par with the KOBEs, but what sequel is? Either way, at some point we can see sneakerheads begging for The Three Stripes to drop them under another alias just like the Crazy 8s.

Notable players: Richard Hamilton, Michael Finley

Although Jordan didn't make it on the court for the postseason, the Jumpman was proudly represented with the clean and fast design of the XVIIIs. His teammate Rip Hamilton and Finley kept Mike's legacy alive in the current Js of '03 even if MJ's 40-year-old legs couldn't.

Notable player: Kobe Bryant

After Kobe found a home with Nike after being a sneaker free agent, The Swoosh ushered in a new era of the Huarache with the 2K4s. Designed after the original Air Flight Huarache, they quickly became one of Nike's most acclaimed basketball shoes of the modern era, setting the table for the likes of the Hyperdunk and the Hyperize. Kobe was blessed with multiple versions of the new classic, none more personal than these lasered variations.

Notable player: Ray Allen

Tinker Hatfield took the reins once again to help pay tribute to Mike with the Air Jordan XX. The shoe used lasered iconography (thanks to Mark Smith) to help tell the story of Mike's legacy over the years, and the brand still kept it current with state-of-the-art innovations including the floating ankle collars and Independent Podular Suspension. Ray Allen being Ray Allen, he got his own unique green and yellow twist just in time for the post-season to keep it precipitating from 22-plus feet in Seattle.

Notable player: LeBron James

If you are too young, go back and check out the beef LeBron had with Washington during the '06 Playoff run, it was also the year Nike introduced his first non-traditional signature shoe that happened to carry over to the post-season. The Zoom 20-5-5 was a testament to LeBron's nightly stat line and it was anchored by a sneaker light enough for a point guard but durable enough for a linebacker. The best of both worlds.

Notable player: LeBron James

After LeBron's team in Beaverton figured out the postseason was going to be a yearly occurrence, barring he got malaria or a broken leg, Nike decided to starting working up a plan for a series of shoes built with the specifications of James' quest to conquer the next level of competition, the playoffs. The Zoom Soldier was born and the first pair still might hold up as his best before he switched to the PS/Elite system in 2010.

Notable players: Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom

The Hyperdunks could be considered the entry point to the future from Nike Basketball. The shoe was everything a basketball player needed — light, responsive, supportive, durable, and they looked fresh on foot. In 2008, Nike laced Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom in the Playoffs as a trial run and then all its players on the Olympic roster to help introduce them to the world. Venni, Vetti, Vecci.

Notable player: Kobe Bryant

Remember when the Lakers had no problem making the NBA Finals, let alone the playoffs? While the Staples faithful hope at 35 Kobe can make a comeback, we can reminisce over Kobe's tagged-up home and road joints from his '09 playoff run. Louis Vuitton swag.

Notable player: LeBron James

The LeBron VII was the first time we really saw Nike transform the regular-season sneaker into a part two by trimming the fat and adding a few points for your eyes so you had to go out and grab another pair. You aren't alone if you ran out and got these because they resembled the "Concord" XIs and you finally thought 'Bron was due for a ring. Unfortunately it was the last kicks he rocked in Cleveland, but they're still in our rotation for shoes we wear in pick-up games.

Notable player: Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar'e has always been on point with his sneaker game but in 2011 he hit the masses with a curveball, rocking the Huarache Trainers despite getting PE after PE from Nike Basketball. We know our man Gilbert Arenas was one of the first to go with the trainers on the hardwood, but the Knicks blue and orange on the floor in Madison Square Garden, well, it's just different.

Notable player: LeBron James

Nike has done a great job doing more with less for their athletes after a grueling season, and the 2012 playoff kicks for LeBron might be the best ones yet (it's too early to call on the 2013s). The carbon fiber accents on the branding set them off and unlike the previous few seasons they didn't strip too much off the sneaker and make it look like another Hyper-whatever GR. The $250 pricetag was steep, but you get what you pay for — and these helped land 'Bron his first ring.