The NBA Finals breed amazing moments. Buzzer-beaters, defensive stands, and drama—the Finals bring it all out.
Here’s a list of five of the best, most electrifying NBA Finals moments ever.
Tyrese Haliburton Does it Again
During the 2025 playoffs, Haliburton defined the word “clutch.” He did it round after round, again and again. The other team knew that if it was a close game, the ball would be in his hands, yet they could never stop him. And in the biggest game of his career, this stayed true.
Down a point with roughly 10 seconds left on the clock, Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers had a chance to steal Game 1 from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Guarded by Cason Wallace, Haliburton had to shoot a deep mid-range jumper. He double-clutched the shot and released it from his hand. It rattled home.
In moments like this, the rim seemed to have a magnet in it for Haliburton. This will be the most recent example on this list, but it’s more than worthy. This shot was the perfect cap on a playoff run for Haliburton—he etched his name into the NBA history books.
“Rebound Bosh, Back Out to Allen…”
A fun thing to do is to look back at the lineups of the 2013 NBA Finals and just admire the talent on the court. The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs had two incredible squads. We’re talking about Hall-of-Famers galore.
And the defining moment of the series comes from one of those Hall-of-Famers who was a bit past his prime. Ray Allen wasn’t the same player towards the end of his career. His athleticism had left him, but his lethal shooting still remained.
In Game 6, and down 3 points, LeBron James missed a 3-pointer without about 10 seconds left on the game clock. Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound and fed it to Allen, who was hurriedly trying to make it out to the 3-point line.
Allen caught the ball, and with his beautiful jump shot, canned the 3-pointer to tie the game. The Heat then went on to win Game 7.
Michael Jordan Goes Out on Top, For the Moment at Least
The 1997-1998 season was as tumultuous as they come for Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Contract disputes, Dennis Rodman’s antics, and at the heart of it all, uncertainty about Jordan’s future.
This brings us to Game 6 of the NBA Finals, where the Bulls trail the Utah Jazz 86-85. The Bulls lead the series at 3-2 and a victory here would mean Jordan’s sixth championship.
There’s 20 seconds left on the clock when Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone. There’s even less time when he crosses half court—17 seconds.
Everyone in the arena knows that Jordan is taking the last shot. He has to. He’s Michael Jordan after all. All this mystique, all this mystery, all this talent. Bryon Russell is guarding Jordan and he’s alone on an island. No one is coming to help him.
Jordan lets the clock wind down below 10 seconds before he makes his move. He drives to the top of the key, crosses back to his left, and sinks the shot. Ball game.
Willis Reed Guts it Out and Returns for the Knicks in Game 7
This inclusion is more so to commemorate the New York Knicks appearing in the Finals once again, but what Reed did is still one of the wildest things to ever happen in the NBA Finals.
It was Game 7 as the Knicks took on the Los Angeles Lakers. Reed had exited the game after tearing a right thigh muscle. Reed missed the previous game in which the Knicks lost, but he limped onto the court for Game 7.
His box score won’t wow anyone—he had 4 points and 3 rebounds—but he somehow mustered 27 minutes played. Reed’s impact was more of a morale boost than anything else, but it helped the Knicks take Game 7 and win the series.
“Blocked by James”
I’m not sure if it gets better than this. It’s the defining play of Lebron James’ career. Heck, it may be the defining play of the 21st century. It came during what some consider to be the best NBA Finals ever in 2016.
Coming down from 3-1 in any series, let alone the Finals, is no small feat. That doesn’t even consider that James’ Cleveland Cavaliers came back from that deficit against a team that went 73-9 in the Golden State Warriors.
It’s Game 7, the game is tied at 89, and there’s a few ticks under 2 minutes to play. The Warriors snag a rebound and start the fast break. It’s a 2-on-1 in favor of Golden State. Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala are racing at the basket, and only J. R. Smith is back for the Cavaliers.
Curry feeds a bounce pass to Iguodala, who slithers past Smith for what he believes is an easy layup. But there’s a blur wearing a Cleveland jersey moving left to right on the screen. James has raced from the opposite corner and is now trailing an unsuspecting Iguodala.
Iguodala lays his shot up. And James pins it against the glass. Like I said, it doesn’t get better than this.
The Cavaliers closed the game out to complete the comeback and bring Cleveland its first championship.
