Holding Court – The greatest NBA playoff games in history

Sports is replete with games that will indelibly be etched in the memory of its followers long after those games have been played. They’re the classics, the battles whose significance and impact can’t be questioned with the way they were played and the characters, drama, and, yes, stakes involved when they took place.  

The NBA of course has a rich catalogue of these games. There is, for example, that six-overtime game between the now-defunct Indianapolis Olympians, starring Alex Groza, and the Rochester Royals, with Arnie Risen and Bobby Davies, which was won by the Olympians 75-73 on January 6, 1951. There’s also the five-overtime game between the Syracuse Nationals, with Dolph Schayes, and the Anderson Packers taken by the Nats 125-123 on (gasp!) November 24, 1949.

But what makes a game truly great – a classic that will always be enshrined in people’s memories – is the importance, the magnitude of the stakes that goes with the thrill and excitement that marked the contest. Invariably, therefore, the greatest games in the history of the NBA, or any sport for that matter, have to be those played in the playoffs, those where the stakes are high and the prize is great.

Could the ongoing playoffs produce several such classics, let alone just one whose impact would be relished long after this postseason has been entered in the history books? That of course we have to find out, but for now, allow us to cite 10 games whose qualities simply make them, in our book, the greatest games in playoff history.

They are the triple-overtime game between Boston and Phoenix in the NBA finals on June 5, 1976, the deciding seventh game in the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York on May 8, 1970, the final game in the championship series between the Celtics and St. Louis on April 13, 1957, Game 6 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and Philadelphia on May 16, 1980, Game 7 of the Eastern finals between the Celtics and the Sixers on April 15, 1965, Game 7 of the Eastern semifinals between the Celtics and Atlanta on May 22, 1988, the deciding Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series between the Knicks and Detroit on April 27, 1984, Game 6 of the NBA finals between the Pistons and the Lakers on June 19, 1988, the triple-OT Game 3 of the NBA finals between Chicago and the Suns on June 13, 1993, and Game 5 of the Eastern finals between the Knicks and the Pacers on June 1, 1994. Let’s take you back down memory lane with each. 

Pacers beat Knicks 93-86 (Game 5, 1994 Eastern Conference finals)

This game has to rate as the definitive game of one of the most clutch players in league history, Reggie Miller of the Pacers. In this game played in front of rabid Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden, Miller, a Hall of Fame inductee in 2012, poured in 25 points in the fourth quarter to power Indiana to a 93-86 victory and a 3-2 lead in their series. The Pacers were down 12 going into the fourth quarter, but Miller hit a playoff-record five three-point shots in the period, scoring 10 points in a 14-0 Pacer run that gave Indiana a 75-71 lead with 7:39 to go. Miller ended up with 39 points as he had the last laugh against the trash-talking Knicks supporter Spike Lee.  

“You might not ever see shooting like that again in your life,” said then-Pacers coach Larry Brown. “I’ve seen a lot in my career, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a performance like that in circumstances like these.” The Knicks, however, went on to beat the Pacers in seven games to enter the NBA finals, where they lost to Houston in seven contests.

Suns beat Bulls in triple OT 129-121 (Game 3, 1993 NBA finals)

This was the first and, thus far, only triple-overtime game in the championship series since that 1976 classic between Boston and Phoenix, and punctuated a highly competitive series where the road team won five of six games. It ended up with Chicago capturing its first three-peat.  

This night, however, belonged to the Suns, who had six players in double figures and three scoring more than 20 points each as they reduced the Bulls’ series lead 2-1. All-Star guard Kevin Johnson had a big game with 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while franchise player Charles Barkley, that year’s league MVP, also came up big with 24 points and 19 boards. But the biggest effort was contributed by Dan Majerle, who had 28 points that included 6-for-8 shooting from three-point range, seven rebounds, and a defensive job that could match some of the most gallant ever witnessed. The 6-6 guard set a record by playing for 59 minutes without committing a single foul – while covering Michael Jordan all throughout. Jordan did score 44 points in this one but Dan had the last laugh when the game was finished.

Lakers beat Pistons 103-102 (Game 6, 1988 NBA finals)

Isiah Thomas cemented his place as one of the greatest small players ever in this game, setting an NBA finals record for one quarter with 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting. The 6-1 Thomas began his heroics with the Lakers ahead 56-48 in the third quarter, scoring the Pistons’ next 14 points on two free throws, a driving layup, four jumpers and a running bank shot.  

But with LA still up 70-64 with less than five minutes left in the period, Isiah rolled his right ankle while assisting Joe Dumars on a basket, and then collapsed as he tried to run upcourt. After sitting for about a minute, Thomas, severe sprain and all, returned and scored 11 of the Pistons’ last 15 points as Detroit grabbed the lead 81-79 going into the payoff period.  It was nip-and-tuck in the fourth and with 1:17 left, Thomas drained a baseline jumper to give Detroit its last lead 100-99, an edge that would become 102-99 when Dumars converted twice from the stripes.  But Byron Scott hit a 14-footer with 45 seconds remaining, and when the limping Thomas missed a jumper with 27 seconds left, the Lakers regained possession.  

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then put the game away by making two free shots on what some thought was a “phantom” last foul by Bill Laimbeer. With Isiah hobbled for the seventh game, the Lakers would then clinch a second straight title, the first repeat title since the Celtics did it in 1969. Thomas, however, couldn’t have been more heroic in Game 6 as he wound up with 43 points and eight assists, being instrumental in more than half of his team’s total score.

Knicks beat Pistons in OT 127-123 (Game 5, 1984 Eastern Conference first round)

This game will be long remembered in Knicks lore alongside that first championship clincher in 1970 for the classic duel that transpired between two greats – Knicks top gun Bernard King and Pistons pinwheel Isiah Thomas. With King playing with two dislocated fingers and a 102-degree fever, the Knicks indeed appeared to be in trouble in front of 21,208 raucous Pistons fans at the Joe Louis Arena, particularly when King sat for eight minutes in the third quarter with foul trouble. Thomas, meanwhile, gave an amazing show by scoring 16 consecutive points in a 94-second span to force the game into overtime.  

But the 6-7 King put on his own show in overtime, rising at one point way above the rim to put in a followup rebound, to eventually lift the Knicks to a clinching victory.  In the end, the Knicks’ franchise star scored 14 of his team’s last 30 points despite five fouls, winding up with 44 points after scoring 36, 46, 46 and 41 in the first four contests.  He did more than clinch for the Knicks a seat in the East semifinals, where they would push eventual champion Boston to seven games in another unforgettable series.  He also broke Elgin Baylor’s 23-year record for scoring in a five-game series by averaging 42.6 points, a feat that was made even more impressive by the way he almost singlehandedly carried New York despite adverse circumstances.

Celtics beat Hawks 118-116 (Game 7, 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals)

The shootout. Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins scored 47 points on an incredible 19-for-23 shooting while Bird countered with 20 of his 34 in the fourth quarter to lead Boston to, almost unbelievably, its last conference finals before Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen would do it 20 years later.  

The real story of this duel came in the payoff period with the Celts ahead 84-82 and Bird relatively quiet with 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the first three quarters.  But Wilkins thought Bird could decide to get hot, and he did when he got wind of a Kevin Willis remark not to “let that son of a gun score anymore, man.” “I’m like what are you doing?” Wilkins said. “Bird’s eyes got like this big. I knew it was going to be on then. It just woke him up. That’s where the great shootout began.” Bird just missed one of 10 shots in the quarter for his 20 points. Although Wilkins could not quite match him with 16, it was a real shootout as one would hit one jumper or layup just as the other would hit one in an amazing, gutty performance by two men in a do-or-die duel. Kevin McHale, who scored 33 points himself, guarded Wilkins and said, “That’s the hardest I’ve ever worked and had a guy still get 47 points. I was draped all over him.” But he also added, “The only way they could have stopped Larry down the stretch was to kill him.”

“That was some of the best basketball I’ve ever seen in my lifetime,” then-Celtics coach K.C. Jones said. “The last three minutes were the best I’ve ever seen.”

The numbers seemed to support this claim: The teams’ combined shooting percentage of 58.8 is the second-best in NBA playoff history. The Celtics and the Hawks combined for only 15 turnovers and made 36 of 40 free-throw attempts. In that fourth-quarter mano-a-mano, each team scored on 17 of its 22 possessions, and Boston made 12 of 15 shots from the floor while Atlanta made 14 of 21. Brent Musburger, who was then calling the game for CBS, put it best in a remark that still rings today when he said, “You are watching what greatness is all about.”

Celtics beat 76ers 110-109 (Game 7, 1965 Eastern Division finals)

With the intense Celtics-76ers rivalry anchored on the Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain matchup as backdrop, this game has to rate as one of the greatest. The Celtics and the Sixers did go at each other with all their might and with murder in their eyes, as they always did in those years. What made this contest a classic, however, was the drama that attended the fierce confrontation that staked a seat in the NBA finals as reward.  

Boston, which at that point had won seven straight NBA titles, raced to an early 18-point lead at the start but Philly came back, trimming that down to five. With some two minutes left, Boston protected a 110-103 lead, a cushion that would be reduced to 110-109 with five seconds to go on a Chamberlain layup that was left uncontested to avoid any foul and possible three-point play. In the ensuing throw-in, Chet Walker harassed an inbounding Russell by standing some two feet out of bounds (this is now outlawed) so Russell had to step back to put the ball in play. As Russ threw in, however, the ball hit the guide wires that used to hold the backboards in place and possession was awarded to Philadelphia. So Hal Greer took the ball out of bounds and looked for either Chamberlain or Walker. But Russell covered Wilt well and Greer had to lob it to Walker. 

It was here that John Havlicek stepped in between the ball and Walker and deflected it to Sam Jones. It preserved the Celtic victory and gave rise to the classic call “Havlicek stole the ball!” of Celtics radio voice Johnny Most, a call that would immortalize the late broadcaster. Boston went on to beat the Lakers 4-1 in the finals, annexing a never-been-approached eighth consecutive NBA title.

Lakers beat 76ers 123-107 (Game 6, 1980 NBA finals)

This game that clinched for LA the 1980 NBA title was a showcase for the multi-faceted talents of a rookie named Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who stepped in to take the place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center. In this game, Johnson simply took over and magically carried the Lakers, scoring 42 points (14-of-23 from the floor, 14-of-14 from the stripes), grabbing 15 rebounds, handing off seven assists and making three steals to snuff out Julius Erving and his mates in their own homecourt.

The Lakers were given no chance to win this game after Abdul-Jabbar stayed at home with a severely sprained ankle to prepare for a possible Game 7. But leave it to the Magicman, who jumped at center in a psyche-out ploy by then-coach Paul Westhead, who replaced Jack McKinney in midseason after the latter suffered serious injuries from a bike accident. The ploy not only disconcerted the Sixers but left them gasping in Johnson’s wake as the Lakers won the first of five titles in the Magic era.  The landmark victory made Johnson one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years, the others being Bill Russell, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson. Although only 20 years old then, Magic had already won titles at the high school, college and professional levels.

Celtics beat Hawks in double OT 125-123 (Game 7, 1957 NBA finals)

This game clinched for the Celtics their first-ever NBA title. The contest was marked by 38, count ‘em, 38 lead changes, 28 ties and God knows how many skipped heartbeats. In this game, the Celtics matched the Hawks basket-for-basket as both squads seemed to show the evenness of the trade they made before the season started.  That was the deal where the Celts sent All-Star Ed Macauley and rookie Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for the rights to Bill Russell, who would nevertheless prove to be the missing link in what would become Boston’s perennial championship teams. While the trade would later prove a bit lopsided in the Celtics’ favor, this game never gave an inkling of what was to come as the Hawks fought back from a seemingly formidable 85-77 deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead 101-100 in the last 30 seconds.  

It was here that Russell showed what he would provide the Celts in a 13-year career as he sprinted downcourt after his own miss to block a shot by Jack Coleman, then finished off a fastbreak play on the other end for 102-101 Boston.  Cousy then made one of two free shots before Hawks star Bob Pettit hit a couple to tie it up at the end of regulation. The Celts’ Bill Sharman missed another jumper similar to the one he missed before regulation time expired, sending the game into a second extra period.  But Boston wouldn’t be denied.  Russell, who scored 19 points and snared 32 rebounds, fellow rookie Tom Heinsohn, with 37 points and 23 boards, and Frank Ramsey, who hit a clutch shot and a free throw, saved the day for Boston. Ramsey pushed the Celts ahead 124-121 before Pettit missed a rebound basket, preserving a 125-123 triumph for the Celtics.

Knicks beat Lakers 113-99 (Game 7, 1970 NBA finals)

This classic will be remembered for the courage and inspiration provided by a Knick, Willis Reed, who limped out of the dugout to lift New York to this victory and a first-ever NBA crown. Reed, who in the previous contest suffered a painful hip injury, was not expected to play because of that. But just before the game started, he entered the court to provide the Knicks an added psychological boost against a Laker team that counted on Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.  

“There’s no question that his appearance energized us as well as the crowd, and that propelled us to the victory,” said Walt Frazier, who had 36 points and 19 assists to provide the material help for the Knicks.  It was a performance that has to be one of the most understated in history for all the drama that surrounded this do-or-die contest. Reed just scored four points but his first two shots that found the mark gave the Knicks the impetus that pushed them to their first championship.

The Knicks would win their second and last title three years later in 1973, again beating the Lakers, who by this time had also won a title of their own in LA after annexing the 1972 crown, their first since their transfer from Minneapolis in 1958. 

Celtics beat Suns in triple OT 128-126 (Game 5, 1976 NBA finals)

If there’s a single game that may be dubbed the greatest of all, this one is it.  It again involves a Celtic team that was up this time against a gritty Suns squad that starred a former Celtics himself, Paul Westphal. Boston and Phoenix were then tied 2-all in the championship series, and the two teams squared off for the go-ahead win at the old, historic Boston Garden.

It was no contest at the outset as the Celts raced to a 34-12 lead early in the second period. But somehow, the Suns, with Westphal and rookies Alvan Adams and Ricky Sobers, methodically cut down the lead and even took the driver’s seat 95-94 with 23 seconds left in regulation. John Havlicek, then in his 14^th season, split two charities to tie it up before regular time ended. The first overtime failed to settle the contest, ending it at 101-101.  In the second OT, Boston seemed to take control as it led by three with 15 seconds left.  But Dick Van Arsdale cut it down to one 109-108 with a jumper from the left side. On the next play, Westphal stripped Havlicek and fed Curtis Perry, who followed up his own miss with an 18-foot jumper from the left side to make it 110-109 Phoenix. Now, there were just five seconds left, and defeat stared the highly-favored Celtics in the face.

But Hondo, like his Western movie namesake played by John Wayne, rose to the occasion as he often did in his illustrious career.  He took the throw-in, wended his way into the left keyhole and fired a bank shot off Van Arsdale and Sobers to put Boston back on top 111-110.  The Garden rocked and the fans swarmed the floor, thinking that the game was over.  But in the ensuing bedlam that saw a fan engage referee Richie Powers in a fistfight, it was determined that there was a second left.  The Celts were called from the dugout and the protagonists prepared to wrap up the contest, but did Phoenix stand a chance with a second left and throw-in from the other end of the court?  It didn’t, and so Westphal made an innovative move by calling a timeout although they had none left, resulting in a technical foul and a shot that Jo Jo White made for 112-110. Now, the Suns were two down but with a legitimate chance of tying the game as they would throw in from midcourt (as was always the case after every timeout). Garfield Heard then took the inbounds and turned around for the shot that, as one chronicler put it, was heard around the world.  We’re going three OTs, folks!

The third extra period was anti-climactic, although new heroes rose as the Celtics finally put it away.  It was here that former PBA import Glenn McDonald made a name for himself, firing six points in a splendid relief job for the fouled-out Paul Silas. Jim Ard, playing in place of a similarly disqualified Dave Cowens, also came up with several big plays, including a pair of clutch free throws in the end.  But the game, which started at 9:00 in the evening and ended way past midnight, will be remembered for the series of heart-stopping plays that, according to the late Celtic patriarch Red Auerbach himself, probably made it the most exciting he has witnessed in a career that spanned five decades.

SHORTSHOTS: I was able to watch the Boston-Phoenix triple-OT game over Far East Network (American military personnel’s broadcast network away from home) in Olongapo while still a student.  At that time (1976) when American military bases were still in the Philippines, NBA games were not carried live locally particularly by local commercial stations, but were shown on a tape-delayed basis over FEN after two weeks or so. I was, however, able to listen to the play-by-play by Johnny Most on Celtics radio through FEN on the day it was played, and I still remember being limp with excitement just listening to the account of the match… That Paul Westphal innovation led to an NBA rule change that no longer allows midcourt throw-ins after a timeout called by a team with none left.  Nowadays, the offending team still throws it in from the endline… Then-Boston coach Tom Heinsohn was so drained in that triple-OT game that he collapsed after the match in the dugout… The Phoenix Suns were so tired, too, that they capitulated in the next game at home 87-80 and handed Boston its 13^th NBA championship… Glenn McDonald failed to make the cut the season following his heroic game with the Celtics. He had to make the roster on merit, as it were, not on past laurels.  – Rappler.com  

Bert A. Ramirez has been a freelance sportswriter/columnist since the ’80s, writing mostly about the NBA and once serving as consultant and editor for Tower Sports Magazine, the longest-running locally published NBA magazine, from 1999 to 2008.  He has also written columns and articles for such publications as Malaya, Sports Digest, Winners Sports Weekly, Pro Guide, Sports Weekly, Sports Flash, Sports World, Basketball Weekly and the FIBA’s International Basketball, and currently writes a fortnightly column for QC Life and a weekly blog for BostonSports Desk.  A former corporate manager, Bert has breathed, drunk and slept sports most of his life.