The 2019 NBA Playoffs are officially a wrap, with the Toronto Raptors winning their first championship in franchise history. Even though LeBron James wasn't involved in the playoffs this year, it was still a wild journey, with plenty of drama, memes, trolling, and of course, great basketball.
Obviously, not everything was great. LeBron was surely missed, while some of the series dragged on. There were brutal injuries that will likely keep Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson out for nearly a year. There was the idiot Warriors co-owner pushing Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The overall greatness was apparent though, with new superstars stepping up and proving their worth on a national stage. From Dame calling series against the Thunder, to Jared Dudley and Ben Simmons getting in the most random beef ever, we counted down the top 10 best moments of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
11. Nuggets vs. Blazers 4 OT Game
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This was a wild one. Not only was the game crazy, but there was the constant threat that Nikola Jokic would just collapse from exhaustion before the game finally ended. A four OT game only happened once before in the playoffs, so this is really rare. How many people will remember that it was Rodney Hood who hit the dagger in this one? Because that happened.
10. Clippers 31-Point Comeback Against the Warriors
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Maybe we should have seen the Warriors' Finals loss coming. This game also seems like forever ago, but this Clippers team was fun as hell. This was not only the largest comeback in NBA playoff history, but a sign that the Warriors weren't as invincible as previous years. Of course, injuries would eventually stop the Warriors three-peat, but the Clippers proved they were vulnerable.
9. Zion Williamson and Draft Lottery Madness
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Technically, this happened during the NBA playoffs, and what a wild night it was. From the Knicks slipping to the third pick, to the Pelicans jumping all the way up, this year's NBA draft lottery was madness. The Lakers also jumped up to the fourth pick and that could have major implications on an upcoming Anthony Davis trade. Safe to say this was a night that shifted the future of the NBA pretty drastically.
8. Kevin Durant Drops 50 on the Clippers
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This series was better than anyone thought and Kevin Durant was on a whole another level. The best part was KD calling out the Clippers and then proceeding to drop 50 on them. "I'm Kevin Durant, y'all know who I am." Tell 'em!
It really sucks that KD got hurt later in the playoffs because he was playing out of his mind. The NBA is going to suck without KD for an entire year.
6. The Shorthanded Warriors Send the Rockets Home
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This series was annoying from the start. So much flopping and complaining that it was almost unwatchable. Then news broke that the Rockets sent the NBA an audit saying they should have won their 2018 series against the Warriors. That made the Warriors closing out this year's series against the Rockets without Kevin Durant that much more hilarious.
5. Jared Dudley vs. Ben Simmons
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The NBA playoffs are great because anything can really happen but a beef between Ben Simmons and Jared Dudley is easily one of the most random rivalries in recent memory. This one had everything from ejections to on court taunting and postgame disses. This Nets vs Sixers series was a lot of fun and this beef made it that much better. With rumors of the Nets getting Kyrie Irving this summer, we're guessing these teams will be seeing a lot more of each other going forward.
4. Everything Drake
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You couldn't escape Drake during these NBA playoffs. The dude was everywhere and causing a stir every step of the way. Whether it was rubbing Nick Nurse's shoulders, beefing with Mallory Edens on IG, or getting into it with Warriors players during the finals, Drizzy was living his best fan life. Some got mad that Drake was so involved, but he's part of the Raptors organization and now he's celebrating a championship. Plus, we get new Drake music so that's never a bad thing.
3. Raptors Win the NBA Championship
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The Raptors actually won an NBA championship. That's pretty wild. No matter what happens next, they will always have this title. Kawhi Leonard could leave and it wouldn't matter because he delivered the ultimate prize to the franchise. And some might debate that the title should have an asterisk on it, but let's be real, a championship is a championship and you can never take that away from the Raptors.
2. Dame Lillard Calls "Series" Against the Thunder
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Most years a shot like this would be No. 1 on the best moments of the playoffs, but 2019 was pretty wild. Still, Dame really ended the series against the Thunder on a shot from the logo. Insane. This will go down as one of the best buzzer beaters in playoff history and for good reason. Dame is a dog. And contrary to what Paul George said, this was indeed a good shot. Sometimes it be like that.
1. Kawhi's Insane Buzzer Beater vs Philly
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Easily one of the craziest shots in NBA history. Kawhi Leonard's run in the 2019 NBA playoffs is now stuff of legends and even though he brought Toronto a title, it's this shot that will live on forever. This buzzer beater had everything. Kawhi shot this from an impossible angle and it somehow went it after hitting the rim about 456 times.
The reactions after the shot went down are epic, as well, from the Raptors joy to Joel Embiid's heartbroken look as he realized his season was over. The 2019 NBA playoffs belonged to Kawhi Leonard and that's something nobody will ever forget.
