Series-Deciding Buzzer Beaters?

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With the first Game 7 of this year's playoffs coming up soon I was thinking about series-deciding buzzer-beaters...Jordan's shot over Ehlo and the Cavs is the only pure one I can think of.

The scenario would be the deciding do-or-die game of a series (Game 7, or Game 5 of the 1st round pre-2003) and if the shot goes in they win the series, if it misses they lose the series (e.g. the Bulls were down by 1 in a 1st round game 5 when Jordan hit that shot)...

So have there been any others like that? Or shots that came close?

[pross]

With the first Game 7 of this year's playoffs coming up soon I was thinking about series-deciding buzzer-beaters...Jordan's shot over Ehlo and the Cavs is the only pure one I can think of.

The scenario would be the deciding do-or-die game of a series (Game 7, or Game 5 of the 1st round pre-2003) and if the shot goes in they win the series, if it misses they lose the series (e.g. the Bulls were down by 1 in a 1st round game 5 when Jordan hit that shot)...

So have there been any others like that? Or shots that came close?

Good question.

Didn't Dirk have one in Game 7 vs the Spurs in 06?

I can't really think of any off the top of my head.

[Mamba Venom]

That would be an epic shot. Greatest clutch shot of all time if it occurred in game 7 of the Finals.

[Silverballer]

Would Gasol's tip-in against OKC technically count?

[Jeremy Lin 7]

This one gives me nightmares
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emK-oy0LyQ[/youtube]

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Good question.

Didn't Dirk have one in Game 7 vs the Spurs in 06?

I can't really think of any off the top of my head.

In that game, Dirk hit clutch FTs with 20 seconds left to tie the game, but the Mavs won in OT by 8. So not that one, I'm 95% sure it hasn't happened in the last 10 years. I was thinking maybe there were some in 60s, 70s, or early 80s, but I wasn't watching then to know off the top.

It is the ultimate buzzer beater, of course the most ultimate would be a buzzer beater to win the Finals in a game 7 but I know for sure that's never happened.

[blocks]

Would Gasol's tip-in against OKC technically count?

Technically not a buzzer beater, there was .5 left. Also I'm talking about a shot that if made that team wins the series and if they miss they lose the series. If Gasol didn't tip that in, the Lakers wouldn't have been eliminated; there would have been a Game 7.

[bwgood77]

Yes, the horror series of my life. In 95, Mario Elie hitting a 3 in game 7 against the Suns IN PHX to win it at the end. KJ had 46 pts in the game.

Rockets were the 6 seed, the year after winning it all in 94, Suns were the 2 seed, and in my opinion, this was probably the best Suns team of the Barkley era.

Suns were up 3-1 in the series after four games, and blew the last three games. Game 5 which would have eliminated the Rockets went into OT. Rumor is Barkley partied late the night before game 5.

So for the third time in three years, Barkley, KJ and the Suns lost to the eventual champs. And gave those champs their toughest series....(Rockets won both series in 7, Bulls in the finals in 6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHtnAIE ... re=related

Interesting how many people still relevant were in that game besides Drexler and Olajuwon. Barkley and Kenny the Jet. Ainge, GM; KJ, mayor; Majerle, Suns asst coach; Horry, who had many big moments after leaving Houston (was actually traded for Barkley a couple of years later and threw a towel in coach Ainge's face, getting promptly traded after that.)

[blocks]

This one gives me nightmares
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emK-oy0LyQ[/youtube]

There we go. That's the exact scenario, except Vince missed. The Lakers probably would have swept the entire playoffs that year if he knocked out AI and the Sixers.

[shawngoat23]

Frank Selvy missed a shot in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals, which would have given the Lakers the win over the Celtics. But it was a tie game at the time that was decided in OT.

Don Nelson hit a jump shot in the waning moments of Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals. Celtics won by 3, so again, not a buzzer beater. (Sam Jones had a true buzzer beater in Game 4 to give the Celtics a 1-point win.)

Can't think of anything else though in a true do-or-die situation at the buzzer.

[flashwade33]

The last shot of MJ's Bulls career will probably take this. It wasn't a buzzer beater, however. But still, it was a series deciding shot. Hell, it was a championship deciding shot. It was also the last shot of the greatest player of all-time (at that time, not counting Wizards).

[blocks]

Yes, the horror series of my life. In 95, Mario Elie hitting a 3 in game 7 against the Suns IN PHX to win it at the end.

Rockets were the 6 seed, the year after winning it all in 94, Suns were the 2 seed, and in my opinion, this was probably the best Suns team of the Barkley era.

Suns were up 3-1 in the series after four games, and blew the last three games. Game 5 which would have eliminated the Rockets went into OT. Rumor is Barkley partied late the night before game 5. KJ had 46 pts in the game.

So for the third time in three years, Barkley, KJ and the Suns lost to the eventual champs. And gave those champs their toughest series....(Rockets won both series in 7, Bulls in the finals in 6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHtnAIE ... re=related

Interesting how many people still relevant were in that game besides Drexler and Olajuwon. Barkley and Kenny the Jet. Ainge, GM; KJ, mayor; Majerle, Suns asst coach; Horry, who had many big moments after leaving Houston (was actually traded for Barkley a couple of years later and threw a towel in coach Ainge's face, getting promptly traded after that.)

Not quite a buzzer beater, but it was fun watching that clip. Forgot all about that and never realized that the Suns blew 3-1 leads against the Rockets back to back seasons in the back-to-back championship years. Wow, that's brutal.

[Calvin Klein]

blah...

nevermind

[C-izMe]

Nice thread. Hard to believe its only happened once.

[Silverballer]

Would Gasol's tip-in against OKC technically count?

Technically not a buzzer beater, there was .5 left. Also I'm talking about a shot that if made that team wins the series and if they miss they lose the series. If Gasol didn't tip that in, the Lakers wouldn't have been eliminated; there would have been a Game 7.

Okay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-U50tT4aI

^ That one is close enough I think.

[shawngoat23]

Would Gasol's tip-in against OKC technically count?

Technically not a buzzer beater, there was .5 left. Also I'm talking about a shot that if made that team wins the series and if they miss they lose the series. If Gasol didn't tip that in, the Lakers wouldn't have been eliminated; there would have been a Game 7.

Okay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-U50tT4aI

^ That one is close enough I think.

Nice. Technically, 0.8 seconds left, but these are really hard to find.

[blocks]

Frank Selvy missed a shot in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals, which would have given the Lakers the win over the Celtics. But it was a tie game at the time that was decided in OT.

Don Nelson hit a jump shot in the waning moments of Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals. Celtics won by 3, so again, not a buzzer beater. (Sam Jones had a true buzzer beater in Game 4 to give the Celtics a 1-point win.)

Can't think of anything else though in a true do-or-die situation at the buzzer.

Yep, good stuff. Here's the end of the 1962 Game 7:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFHphfjxuAc[/youtube]

[bwgood77]

Yes, the horror series of my life. In 95, Mario Elie hitting a 3 in game 7 against the Suns IN PHX to win it at the end.

Rockets were the 6 seed, the year after winning it all in 94, Suns were the 2 seed, and in my opinion, this was probably the best Suns team of the Barkley era.

Suns were up 3-1 in the series after four games, and blew the last three games. Game 5 which would have eliminated the Rockets went into OT. Rumor is Barkley partied late the night before game 5. KJ had 46 pts in the game.

So for the third time in three years, Barkley, KJ and the Suns lost to the eventual champs. And gave those champs their toughest series....(Rockets won both series in 7, Bulls in the finals in 6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHtnAIE ... re=related

Interesting how many people still relevant were in that game besides Drexler and Olajuwon. Barkley and Kenny the Jet. Ainge, GM; KJ, mayor; Majerle, Suns asst coach; Horry, who had many big moments after leaving Houston (was actually traded for Barkley a couple of years later and threw a towel in coach Ainge's face, getting promptly traded after that.)

Not quite a buzzer beater, but it was fun watching that clip. Forgot all about that and never realized that the Suns blew 3-1 leads against the Rockets back to back seasons in the back-to-back championship years. Wow, that's brutal.

Actually the year before they blew a 2-0 lead but the brutal thing about that one was that Houston had homecourt THAT year and Phx stole the first two IN Houston. The second one they came back from being down like 20 in the 4th.

But then Houston won the next two in Phx, and the next three the home team won each won. That year, Houston actually felt like the better team to me. In 95 I truly felt like Phx was the better team. Reminds me a little bit of the Nash era in that the first time the Suns lost to the Spurs in the WCF in 05, I felt the Spurs were better (despite Joe Johnson being out), but in 07, I truly thought the Suns were the better team, but they kept having misfortune (Nash bloody nose, Donaghy fixing a game, Amare/Diaw suspensions).

But as far as the most brutal loss as a Suns fan, it is the one from that clip, because they could have easily won it all that year, and blew a 3-1 lead to the eventual champions in the process. I think Houston swept Orlando in the finals much like the Spurs swept the Cavs in 07.

[ComboGuardCity]

God I miss H20

[bwgood77]

Here is a buzzer beater that very well may have decided the series......however, it did happen in game 5. Another one that gives me horror stories. I guess the only part I like about it is that a Kobe airball was involved....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5uP3bylWFs