Image via Complex Original
The NBA Playoffs are seen as the ultimate platform for star players, the proving ground on which Hall-of-Famers build their case. Regular season success is important, but nothing resonates with the average fan like watching someone come through when it counts the most.
But the playoffs are also a strange time, a chess match between coaches and an opportunity for unexpected heroes to have their moment in the spotlight. Lineups and play calls that got little time during the regular season might be unleashed in order to exploit matchups, flipping the script on conventional wisdom. Roles can change even for the game’s greatest players—new accomplishments born out of necessity.
For as much planning and consideration goes into the first 82 games, playoff battles often hinge on wild cards. This is a salute to those unexpected moments and performances that stand out in our minds and hearts. Join us in celebrating The Most Unpredictable Moments in NBA Playoff History.
Derek Fisher Silences the Spurs
The Lakers of the early-2000s are remembered as the domain of Shaq and Kobe, but they were fortunate to be flanked by a valuable cast of characters throughout the run. In Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals, it was point guard Derek Fisher who proved his worth for L.A., topping Tim Duncan’s expected game-winner with a buzzer-beating miracle. Just 0.4 seconds left on the clock? No problem.
Michael Jordan’s Six Three-Pointers
His Airness has a considerable list of playoff accomplishments, but domination was standard for MJ. Nobody expected the career 32.7 three-point shooter to unleash a barrage on Portland in the ’92 Finals, let alone make six threes in a half. He matched that feat in a full game just four times, and broke the NBA Finals record for points in a half with 35—ridiculous, even for his standards.
“There’s a Steal by Bird!”
Down one, without the ball and with time at a premium, the ’87 Celtics looked like they were about to drop a pivotal Game 5 to Detroit. Always in the right place at the right time, Larry Bird stole the ball back for Boston, hitting a cutting Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. The degree of difficulty was insane—Johnson’s instant cut and tough finish are woefully underrated—even for one of the greatest teams of the ’80s
The Sleepy Floyd Game
Going down 3-0 to the Lakers must have woken Sleepy Floyd up. On the verge of being swept out of the 1987 playoffs, Floyd got to work in the fourth quarter of the Western Conference Semifinals. No matter what Floyd shot—layups, leaners, contested jumpers—it went in, and he eventually broke the playoff records for points in a quarter (29) and also in a half (39). Floyd scored at least 39 points in a game total just three more times in his career.
Magic Fills in for Kareem
Just a wide-eyed rookie in 1980, point guard Magic Johnson wasn’t expected to power the Lakers to an NBA title—that responsibility was on reigning MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But when a sprained ankle forced the big man to the sidelines for the sixth game of the Finals, Magic was ready. Starting at center, Johnson eventually played all five positions in a 42-point, 15-rebound, seven-assist masterpiece, beating the Philadelphia 76ers on their own floor.
Bank’s Open for Dudley Bradley
Down 17 points with just 3:17 remaining in the opening game of the first round of the 1986 playoffs, the Washington Bullets looked dead in the water. A furious rally got them within two points of the 76ers with three seconds remaining, and Bradley seized the opportunity by banking in a circus shot as the horn sounded.
We Believe
The 2007 Mavericks weren’t just a colossal favorite against their first-round opponent, the Warriors, but a favorite to win the title. Led by MVP Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas entered the playoffs at 67-15, one of the 10 best regular season records of all time. To say the Warriors upsetting them was unpredictable is underselling it—they blew the doors off the Mavericks in the pivotal sixth game, closing out the West’s top seed by 25 points.
John Paxson Seals Three-Peat
When Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are on the floor, you assume that one of them is getting the ball in crunch time. The unlikely hero in the Bulls’ first three-peat was future executive John Paxson, who nailed the clinching shot in ’93 after Jordan, Pippen, and Horace Grant executed a beautifully-designed play. Phoenix held Chicago to nine fourth-quarter points prior to the shot—all from MJ—so scoring at all was something to behold.
JJ the Giant Slayer
Who needs Dirk Nowitzki when you have… JJ Barea? The diminutive Dallas guard rose from the D-League to become one of the stories of the 2011 playoffs, helping the Mavericks dethrone the Lakers in the second round and the original iteration of LeBron’s Heat in the Finals. Barea’s 17 points in a series-shifting fifth game helped power Dallas to the title, avenging their loss to Miami in the ’06 edition.
Eight Points, Nine Seconds
Reggie Miller was a thorn in the Knicks’ side for most of his career, but nothing could have prepared Madison Square Garden for the finishing flurry that he unleashed in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. After knocking down back-to-back threes at a furious pace to tie it, Miller coolly stepped to the charity stripe and hit the winning free throws for Indy. Just as unpredictable: John Starks bricking two freebies of his own to open the door for Miller.
All The King’s Points
We were told that LeBron was going to take the league by storm, but no one was prepared for him to leap to the forefront as early as 2007. Doing it alone against the stout defense of the Detroit Pistons, James turned in an all-time classic, scoring 29 of the Cavs’ last 30 points to push them within one game of the Finals.
Isiah Thomas Only Needs One Ankle
Hampered by a severe ankle injury in Game 6 of the ’88 Finals, Pistons guard Isiah Thomas decided that playing with two healthy ankles wasn’t a necessity. Thomas made players with full use of their limbs look silly, setting a Finals record with 25 points in the third quarter, nearly willing Detroit to a victory by himself. His heroics left Detroit one point short of a win, but his courageous performance is impossible to forget.
Jerry West’s Halfcourt Heave
There’s a reason why Jerry West is known as Mr. Clutch, but even he had to be surprised to nail this bomb from behind the mid-court line. Unfortunately for West, his miraculous buzzer-beater only delayed the inevitable, with the Knicks taking Game 3 of the ’70 Finals in overtime. If the three-point line had existed—it was introduced nine years later—West would have emerged as the winner that he deserved to be.
The Kiss of Death
The Houston Rockets defending their ’95 title was anything but smooth—they entered the playoffs as a six seed, and dropped three of the first four games to Phoenix in the Western Conference Semis. But they showed the heart of a champion by forcing a pivotal seventh game, setting the stage for Mario Elie—a role player who began his pro career in Ireland—to clinch the series with a backbreaking three. He cemented the occasion with a kiss to the Suns’ crowd.
“White Mamba” Has His Moment
Brian Scalabrine spent most of his NBA career as a professional benchwarmer and an easy target for jokes. Nobody in Detroit was laughing when foul trouble forced him into action during Game 4 of the ’04 Eastern Semis; Scalabrine scored 17 on 4-for-4 shooting from deep in a triple-overtime slugfest. How insane was this? He didn’t register a single point before the Nets were eliminated two games later.