Image via Complex Original
It's Conference Final season. Which means it's almost Finals season. Which means the NBA season is almost over. Presumptuous thinking? Yes, there's a month of NBA basketball still left. But we have less than 20 possible games left, and that fact alone should make any NBA junkie a little sad. Thankfully, we have a rich history of NBA moments to look back on, and soil with 21st century meme technology. From Scottie Pippen's dunk over Patrick Ewing to Reggie Miller choking out the Knicks and Spike Lee, these are Your Favorite NBA Playoff Moments Relived Through Memes.
MJ Needs His Man
Date: 6/11/1997
Game: Game 5, 1997 NBA Finals
Scottie Pippen was always there for Jordan, who really needed his support during the infamous Flu Game.
Reggie Miller Foreshadows Game of Thrones
Date: 6/1/1994
Game: Game 5, 1994 Eastern Conference Finals
The Strangler was no match for the King of Westeros and the Knicks.
The Knicks Go to the Finals
Date: 6/5/1994
Game: Game 7, 1994 Eastern Conference Finals
1994 should've been it for the Knicks. Patrick Ewing was still in his prime, Reggie Miller and the Pacers had been vanquished in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Michael Jordan was off playing baseball somewhere. Alas, Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets took the title in seven.
Pick the Winning Side
Date: 4/30/1998
Game: Game 4, 1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Don't ever let the Larry Johnson-Alonzo Mourning fight go down in your house.
When Shaq Loved Kobe
Date: 6/4/2000
Game: Game 7, 2000 Western Conference Finals
C'mon Shaq, you were happy being lazy, living in L.A., and winning titles with Kobe. Why the beef?
Willis Reed Inspires the Knicks
Date: 5/8/1970
Game: Game 7, 1970 NBA Finals
Facing Jerry West's Lakers, the Knicks seemed doomed to lose Game 7 without Willis Reed. He had torn a leg muscle in Game 5, and hadn't played in Game 6. At home, Reed stepped onto the Garden floor and started the game, even making two buckets before sittting for the rest of the game. With that bit of inspiration and Clyde Frazier's 36-19-7 line, the Knicks won the 1970 NBA title.
The End of a Long Journey
Date: 6/16/1996
Game: Game 6, 1996 NBA Finals
Winning never gets old. Michael Jordan won his fourth ring on Father's Day, a moment that's undeniably one of his finest.
Jordan Switches Hands on a Double Team
Date: 6/5/1991
Game: Game 2, 1991 NBA Finals
This photo is known for Michael Jordan's switch lay-up, but we've all missed the obvious pause Sam Perkins deserves here.
Larry Bird Lights One
Date: 5/14/1981
Game: Game 6, 1981 NBA Finals
Larry Legend had to chuck up the deuces after winning his first of three championships.
The Lakers Rob the Bad Boys
Date: 6//21/1988
Game: Game 7, 1988 NBA Finals
Game 6's "phantom foul" should be an asterisk on Magic's last ring.
Bill Russell and Red Auerbach School the Lakers Again
Date: 4/28/1966
Game: Game 7, 1966 NBA Finals
The 1966 Finals brought the Celtics' title streak to eight straight. It was the fourth time in five years that Russell's Celtics beat Jerry West's Lakers in the Finals. The Logo would have to wait until 1972 for his lone title, and would lose to the Celtics in the Finals twice more.
It's Not a Big Deal
Date: 6/7/1988
Game: Game 1, 1988 NBA Finals
If this had gone down in 2014, would Marshall Henderson have been pissed?
The Bad Boys Run Up the Tab
Date: 6/13/1989
Game: Game 4, 1989 NBA Finals
The Pistons got screwed over in 1988, and in the 1989 Finals, the basketball gods granted them a break. Magic Johnson injured his hamstring in Game 2, and the Pistons swept the Lakers to win their first of two Bad Boys Era titles.
Scottie Pippen Does the Solange
Date: 5/20/1994
Game: Game 6, 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Hov and Patrick Ewing stood no chance.
When Praise is Due
Date: 6/17/2010
Game: Game 7, 2010 NBA Finals
Kobe and Adam Silver doing work.
