The Most Unlikely Heroes in NBA Playoff History

Here's a look at some of the least likely players ever to save their teams in the NBA Playoffs.

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Image via Complex Original
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The NBA Playoffs are a time where heroes are made and legends are born. Hall of Famers cement their status as all-time greats. Good players make the leap into great ones. Careers are forever altered.

At least, that's what we are meant to believe.

Not every playoff success means a player instantly becomes one of the NBA’s elite players. Sometimes, the only thing that happens is we come to associate a person’s name with one game or one play. While it’s certainly an honor to be remembered at all, nobody is bouncing their grandkids on their knee talking about the time they got to see Gar Heard or Gerald Henderson play basketball.

And yet, equally as much as Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan, these are the players who have made some of the most clutch plays in the history of the playoffs. It didn’t matter if they never played in an All-Star game or weren't even starters on their own teams. These are players who refused to shrink from big moments and elevated their play when their teams most desperately needed them.

They may not have been the person their teams expected to lift them up, but it sure didn’t matter in the end. These are the Most Unlikely Heroes in NBA Playoff History.

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20. Derek Fisher

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19. Andew Toney

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18. Vinnie Johnson

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17. Sean Elliott

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16. Rik Smits

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15. Mike Miller

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14. Nate Robinson

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13. Goran Dragic

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12. Glen Davis

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11. Leon Powe

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10. Rex Chapman

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9. Eddie Johnson

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8. Kenny Smith

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7. Mario Elie

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6. Sleepy Floyd

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5. Gerald Henderson

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4. Steve Kerr

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3. Gar Heard

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2. Brian Scalabrine

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1. John Paxson

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