These Are The 10 Best Playoff Series In NBA History


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The NBA Playoffs sometimes feel never-ending, simply due to the nature of the two-month period in which they take place. With that in mind, there are often some wildly unsatisfying series and, while many of them take place almost exclusively on NBA TV, basketball fans need to reminded of why they invest on a nightly basis from mid-April through mid-June.

In short, the payoff is real and it is amazing. When things are exceptional within the confines of a great NBA series, it is electric and awe-inspiring. Individual greatness is rewarded on the highest stage, super-teams come together or pull apart in glorious fashion and the drama is on a level that cannot be duplicated by just about anything in the entertainment venue.

Over the last several decades, many such series have taken place and, frankly, it is very difficult to rank the best of the best. To that end, we have done just that and, in the process, likely inspired some sort of backlash from fans of particular teams and eras. That is part of what makes sports incredible and, without further ado, let’s roll through the ten best series in the history of the NBA.

10) 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals – Indiana Pacers over New York Knicks

This is best known for Reggie Miller’s incredible “eight points in nine seconds” performance in Game 1, but it was also an awesome series. It certainly helps that the tone was set in the opener but four games were decided by two points or fewer, which matters even more. Aside from Miller’s explosion, the lasting image of this series came in Game 7, when Patrick Ewing missed a bunny at the final horn to provide Indiana with a path to the Eastern Conference Finals. It would be easy to list only NBA Finals series in this space, but this was a tremendous battle.

9) 1970 NBA Finals – New York Knicks over Los Angeles Lakers

The only series from beyond the last 40 years arrives with a tip of the cap to Willis Reed. Everyone remembers Reed’s famous arrival from the tunnel before Game 7 but the crazy thing is that Walt Frazier threw up 36 points and 19 assists in that contest to lead the Knicks to the win. Reed will forever be the headliner, though, and the 1969-1970 NBA MVP did his part in an overly valiant Game 7 effort. Wildly, it appeared as if the Knicks were in massive trouble after a 22-point loss in Game 6 (without Reed) but the rest, as they say, is history in a series that featured both heroics and high-level play from both sides.

8) 1993 Eastern Conference Finals – Chicago Bulls over New York Knicks

In simplistic terms, this was a six-game series in which the closest margin of victory was three points. However, looking at it that way would be criminal. This was the series that featured John Starks’ legendary poster dunk and Charles Smith being repeatedly denied at the rim in Game 5. At the time, the Knicks had won 27 straight home games and it is easy to forget that New York actually led 2-0 in this series. That was the end of that, though, and MJ and the Bulls were well on their way to the first of two different three-peats in the 1990’s. Oh, the memories.

7) 1988 NBA Finals – Los Angeles Lakers over Detroit Pistons

The Pistons would go on to win back to back titles after this epic but, in the moment, it probably felt as if Detroit would never claim ultimate glory. That is the nature of a series in which Isiah Thomas and company led by a 3-2 margin and encountered two of the best games in NBA history with both going in the wrong direction. Game 6 is the more famous contest, with Thomas going for 25 points in the third quarter on one leg, but Game 7 wasn’t bad in its own right. James Worthy had the game of his life (36 points, 16 boards and 10 assists) to lead Los Angeles to the title and the final game even had a weird court-storming situation that marred what actually transpired in the final seconds. Let’s just agree that the Lakers were involved in some great series.

6) 2013 NBA Finals – Miami Heat over San Antonio Spurs

It remains baffling in retrospect that the Spurs lost this series. Leading 3-2, San Antonio held a five-point lead in the final seconds of Game 6 before all hell broke loose. The end result was Ray Allen’s legendary shot that ended up propelling Miami to the title but people seem to forget that the Heat needed overtime in Game 6 and a Game 7 win to put things away. Tim Duncan’s Hall of Fame-worthy effort in Game 7 was marred by a missed lay-up in the biggest moment and LeBron, Wade and Bosh were able to claim their second and final title together as a unit. Spurs fans can undoubtedly see the velvet ropes even now.

5) 1981 Eastern Conference Finals – Boston Celtics over Philadelphia 76ers

These were the two best teams in the league (by a wide margin) in 1981 and it was unfortunate that this was a conference finals match-up. Still, it would be difficult to find a more entertaining product, especially when considering just how close these two teams were. For evidence, this series had five games in which the final margin was two points or fewer. That fact was true of the final four games in the series. This is objectively crazy in retrospect, but haymakers were flowing throughout the battle. Boston’s comeback from a 3-1 deficit (we’ll get to another one of those later) should probably be a bigger deal than it is from a historical standpoint but this was an all-timer in every sense.

4) 1998 NBA Finals – Chicago Bulls over Utah Jazz

If we’re being honest, the 1997 series between these two teams should probably be on the list but the 1998 match-up was better. Hilariously, Game 3 featured a 54-point (!) performance from the Jazz that was utterly impotent but, aside from that, this was a fantastic back-and-forth battle for the ages. Michael Jordan’s series-winning shot is the image that no basketball fan will forget but it wasn’t the only thing that transpired. If you remove Game 3 from the proceedings, every game was decided by five points or fewer and even the games that Utah won were hotly contested and fun to consume. The Jazz deserved to win but, as we know, MJ didn’t lose in big spots and this is perhaps the most shining example.

3) 2002 Western Conference Finals – Los Angeles Lakers over Sacramento Kings

For better or (more likely) worse, this series is known for its horrific officiating. The Lakers fell behind by a 3-2 margin before coming back to take both Game 6 and Game 7 amid odd circumstances and conspiracy theorists will never let it go. From a basketball standpoint, though, there were tremendous moments, including a Robert Horry buzzer-beater in Game 4 and three games decided by four points or less. The ’02 Kings would be on the short list of best teams that did not win an NBA title and they were certainly deserving of advancement in this spot. Nonetheless, it wasn’t meant to be but the basketball world was left with a fascinating series.

2) 1984 NBA Finals – Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Lakers

This will be controversial, if only because there were a few blowouts in this series, including a 33-point thrashing in Game 3. Still, there were legendary moments, including a full-fledged choke job from Magic Johnson in both Game 2 and Game 4 and the infamous Game 5 in which it was reportedly so hot in the Boston Garden that players could barely function. Moreover, this was the first heavyweight battle between Magic and Larry Bird and fans old enough to remember watching it live attribute this particular match-up as the biggest series in league history in terms of relevance toward the future.

1) 2016 NBA Finals – Cleveland Cavaliers over Golden State Warriors

It might feel like recency bias to see the last completed playoff series in the No. 1 spot, but it can’t be that much of a surprise, right? The 2016 Finals had it all. The best regular season team in NBA history took a 3-1 lead against one of the game’s all-time greats and the end result was magic. LeBron James was out of his mind in the series, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, including his now-legendary chase-down block of Andre Iguodala. If there is a knock on this series, it is that individual games were not as closely contested as some other series, but Game 7 was an all-timer and the comeback vaults the 2016 edition to the top of the list. Argue away.

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