The 10 most memorable NBA Finals moments Since 2000

We are finally here! The 2022 NBA Finals starts Thursday night in San Francisco when the Golden State Warriors take on the Boston Celtics. Ahead of the series, we look back on some of the top 10 defining moments of Finals gone by.

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We’ve gone back through the archives to provide the biggest flashpoints this century:

10. Kobe comes up clutch

When: 2000 Finals, Game 4

Kobe Bryant and big moments in the 21^st century are as synonymous as peanut butter and jelly, but it was Game 4 of the 2000 Finals that would be Kobe’s first big Finals moment.

The Lakers headed into the fourth game of their series against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers on the road leading 2-1. The game stayed close throughout, eventually heading to OT. Pacers fans thought they were destined to tie the series when league MVP for that year, Shaquille O’Neal, committed his sixth foul midway through the extra period. Shaq, who had recorded 36 points and 21 rebounds, was forced to head to the bench with the game in the balance.

Enter 21-year-old Kobe Bean Bryant. In the final two minutes of overtime, Bryant took over, making three clutch shots while also getting a block on the defensive end. The Lakers won the game 120-118, and Kobe would go on to claim his first Championship with LA winning the series in six.

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9. Dallas stuns the Superteam

When: 2011 NBA Finals

The 2010/11 NBA Season was one of the most hyped-up seasons in recent memory with LeBron’s decision during the summer to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. In James’ unveiling in South Beach, the newly formed superteam promised Championships, plural.

In their first year together, the formidable Miami Heat would meet the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Mavs, led by veteran Dirk Nowitzki, went into the series as +180 underdogs after starting the season as +2000 to win the title.

As the old saying goes: A champion team will always beat a team of champions. And it was a well-rounded effort from Dallas’ wily veterans, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and Finals MVP Nowitzki who would cut down the Heat in 6 games to win their first-ever title.

Miami spent the following summer soul searching before eventually bouncing back to claim the first of two titles for this group in 2012.

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8. Kawhi announces himself as a superstar

When: 2014 NBA Finals

The Heat and Spurs played out an intense rivalry in the mid-2010s with the team’s meeting each other twice in the NBA Finals. Miami had the better of San Antonio in 2013 (more on that soon) but the Spurs returned the following year with a team loaded with talent and rated by the sportsbooks as -120 favorites to claim the series.

While many expected the San Antonio’s title hopes would hinge on Tim Duncan, it was 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard who was pivotal in the Spurs’ title run. The Klaw locked down LeBron James in Games 1 and 3 while also contributing on offense.

The Spurs destroyed the Heat in the series 4-1, and the quiet achiever Leonard announced himself to the basketball world

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7. Pistons upset the Lakers

When: 2004 NBA Finals

In the lead up it was the series described as David vs. Goliath. The LA Lakers with Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton was a MASSIVE -700 to win the title against the East third-seed Detroit Pistons.

What ensued was one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. Chauncy Billups, Rip Hamilton and the Pistons dismantled the Lakers in 5 games. Billups would go on to claim MVP while it would signal the end of an era for LA with the long-running feud between Kobe and Shaq reaching its conclusion which would result in O’Neal being traded to the Miami Heat that summer.

The Pistons returned to the Finals the following year, going down to the Spurs in seven.

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6. Golden State loses its Achilles Heel

When: 2019 NBA Finals, Game 6

The Golden State Warriors quite literally changed the game. Their title in 2015 put to rest the theory that jump-shooting teams can’t win titles, and their small ball “lineup of death” rendered post-dominant big men almost obsolete.

But all eras must come to and, and for the Golden State Warriors, that end couldn’t have been more brutal.

The Warriors went into their fifth consecutive finals in 2019 against the Toronto Raptors in bad shape with lingering injuries to DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala, as well Kevin Durant, who went down with a calf injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals leaving his status for the remainder of the playoffs in serious doubt.

Facing a 3-1 deficit against Toronto, the Warriors were forced to make a bold play to bring Durant back in for Game 5. KD suited up with the basketball world holding their breath, and in the pregame workouts, it looked like he was good to go, and he started the game well, scoring 11 points in the first quarter before tragedy struck.

Early in the second, Durant’s Achilles snapped as he tried to get past former teammate Serge Ibaka, leaving Golden State without their number one man.

And while the Warriors miraculously got through Game 5, without Durant for the rest of the series, Toronto was able to capitalize in Game 6 to win their first title.

It was a gamble that bombed spectacularly. Golden State would also lose star player Klay Thompson to an ACL injury which signaled the end of the Warriors as we knew them.

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5. JR Smith – WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

When: 2018 NBA Finals, Game 1

The Cavs went into the 2018 NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors as +675 underdogs to win.

When you start the series as such massive dogs, each play must be met with precision and you have to make sure you make the most of any opportunities. Oh yeah, and YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE GOD DARN SCORE!

Cleveland pushed the red-hot Warriors all the way in Game 1. With the scores tied at 107 with 4.7 seconds left in the 4th, George Hill missed his second free throw with resulted in a mad scramble to secure the rebound and possibly get a putback bucket to win the game.

JR Smith was able to get the board, but instead of doing the obvious thing when the scores are even with 4.7 seconds left, good ol’ JR ran as fast as he could AWAY from the basket. By the time he realized what was going on, it was too late.

What happened next? The buzzer went, the game headed to OT, the Warriors won Game 1, the Warriors then swept the series and LeBron gave us one of the best NBA memes before departing for the LA Lakers that summer.

Make the most of your opportunities, kids.

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4. "Kyrie Irving from downtown!"

When: NBA Finals 2016, Game 7

It’s crazy to think that two of the moments in our top five come from the same minute of a game, but it’s even crazier that a 3-point shot to win a championship isn’t the moment that ranks higher, but that’s just a testament to how crazy Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals was.

After recovering from a 3-1 series deficit against the record-breaking 73-9 Golden State Warriors to force a Game 7, the Cavs went into the decider as 5-point underdogs. With their backs against the wall, LeBron James (more on him later) and Kyrie Irving rallied to deliver Cleveland its first pro-sports title for the city in 52 years. And while it will be the moments leading up to Irving’s shot that is most remembered, we cannot be remiss the ignore just how big of a shot it was from the then-24-year-old in the last minute of the game.

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3. The Step-Over

When: 2001 NBA Finals, Game 1

LA had won every postseason game in the lead up their 2001 NBA Finals matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. 16 games in a row to be exact. Such was the favoritism for the Lakers to win the series against the Sixers, if you wanted to win $100 you would have had to bet $2000 to do so.

With nothing to lose, Philly pulled off the unthinkable by winning Game 1 on the Lakers' home court behind 48 points from league MVP, and PointsBet ambassador, Allen Iverson. With the game in the balance in OT, Iverson scored 7 points in a row which included an iconic 2-point shot from the baseline in which Lakers player Ty Lue fell over trying to guard. What followed was one of the most filthy, disrespectful, iconic moments in NBA history. The stepover.

For the record, the Lakers won the series in five.

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2. "Back out to Allen. His 3-pointer: BANG!"

When: 2013 NBA Finals, Game 6

Having reached their third consecutive Finals appearance with a 1-1 record, the pressure was on the Miami Heat more than ever as they trailed 92-95, facing elimination in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.

With time expiring, LeBron James’ long-range three was off. A Spurs rebound would have resulted in another championship for San Antonio and left LeBron’s legacy in tatters. But a Chris Bosh rebound and kick-out to Ray Allen led to a Miami bomb to break San Antonio hearts. The game went to OT, which the Heat won. With a huge opportunity lost, the Spurs then went down in Game 7 at home as LeBron claimed his second title. How different the world could have been if Bosh didn’t get that rebound!

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1. Blocked by James!

When: 2016 NBA Finals, Game 7

Another one for the LeBron legacy file; the moment that has come to define him in the years since it took place: the block.

So much pressure was on James as he made the decision to leave Miami to return to his home city in the summer of 2016. Having failed to deliver a title in his first stint in Cleveland, the Cavs fans were hopeful his return would yield a long-awaited ring.

To do it, he had to overcome an all-conquering Warriors team that had looked unstoppable during that season as they broke the Chicago Bulls’ regular-season record. LeBron James has been chasing the shadow of Michael Jordan for his whole career – it was only fitting that he took down the team that chased Jordan’s shadow and then overtook it.

With the scores tied at 89 with less than two minutes remaining, the Warriors had a clear path to the basket through Andre Iguodala. The Warriors' second consecutive title was in sight. LBJ appeared from nowhere to get the block on the lay-up and get possession back from Cleveland. The Warriors would not score again in the game.

James averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists as he led the Cavs to their first title while claiming the Finals MVP.

The block will go down as LeBron James’ career highlight because of all it represents for his legacy. Over the past twenty years, there has been no bigger moment in the NBA.