We are justa dayaway from the NBA Finals kickingoff in San Antonio, Texas in a rematch from last years Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. Its now a question ofwho is more motivated for the title;its a three peat vs revenge series and no doubt the best we could have asked forthis season.We have ended up with the top two teams in the league battling it out at the grandest stage of them all but thatdoes not change the fact that this post-season was one of the best we have witnessed in years and probably the best we will witness in a long time to come.Road teams won more games than the home teams in the first round andthe number of overtime periods across all match-ups in the first round was eight(when we had only 9 in the entire Playoffs last season). That says a lot about the level of competitiveness this time around.Here are the top 5 moments from possibly the most spectacular andeventfulpost-season ever:
#5 LeBron James drops franchise Playoff high 49 points on the Brooklyn Nets
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King James matched a career Playoff high and recorded a franchise Playoff high 49 points in Game 4 of the Miami Heat’s second round series against the Brooklyn Nets.
In 43 minutes of playing time James also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals on an efficient shooting night of 16 of 24 (67%) from the field and 3 of 6 (50%) from three point range. 14 of his 49 points came from the charity stripe on 19 free throw attempts.
Although it was a dominating performance, the game was a close one and ended in the Heat gaining a strong 3-1 lead in the series.
#4 Paul Pierce\'s clutch block to take the Brooklyn Nets into the second round
Normally you wouldn’t expect a match-up between the third and the sixth seed in the East to take too long, but this first round series between the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets went right down to the final seconds of Game 7.
Neither had the teams lost consecutive games nor had they won consecutively prior to Game 7, so it all came down to the 48 minutes of the final game in the series. And boy, was it one roller coaster game!
Trailing with about three minutes left in the game, the Raptors were making a surge for the win. In the final possession it all came down to Kyle Lowry who managed to put up a decent shot right after losing the ball, only to have it blocked by “The Truth” Paul Pierce which sealed the game and the series for the Nets.
#3 Kevin Durant completes ridiculous clutch 4-point play
In Game 2 of the first round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies, the Grizzlies were up by 5 with about 15 seconds to go. But their lead was cut to 1 thanks to league MVP Kevin Durant, who converted a four point play opportunity from the free throw line after dropping in a three from the left corner while falling to the floor.
Durant had 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks for the game but still could not carry the Thunder to victory as Memphis tied the series 1-1.
#2 Vince Carter gives the Dallas Maverics a 2-1 lead against top seeded San Antonio Spurs
Eighth seeded teams are rarely given any chance of an upset before a single minute is played. It was no different this year as the Dallas Mavericks, who fought hard late in the season for their Playoff spot, entered their first round match-up with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs, who finished with best record in the league and their 16th consecutive season with 50 or more wins, were expected to sweep the Mavs or at worst take 5 games to wrap up the series.
However Dallas had other ideas. If it wasn’t for a dry shooting spell through the final minutes of Game 1, the Mavericks could have been 2-0 up in the series while heading home for Game 3.
In Game 3 veteran Vince Carter, with a fading three point jumpshot, beat the buzzer to give the Mavericks the win and the 2-1 lead in the series.
#1 Damian Lillard\'s series-clinching shot that created histroy
The Portland Trail Blazers got off to a hot start, even having the best record in the league at one point in the season, but the team seemed to be fatigued and faced a troubled second half of the season to finish fifth in the West.
Facing fourth seed Houston Rockets, the Blazers were not expected to cause an upset but after the first two games in Houston it was the Rockets who barely had a chance in the series. The Blazers, on the back of LaMarcus Aldridge’s hot shooting, returned home with a 2-0 lead.
The teams then exchanged wins in a series that many coaches would not be proud of as far as defence is concerned, to set up a Game 6 encounter in Portland. With the series at 3-2 in favour of Portland, the Blazers had a chance at making histroy.
In a highly competitive game 6 it was in the final minutes via a game winner courtesy of last season’s Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard that the Blazers made their first second round appearance in the Playoffs since 2000. A 14-season Playoff series win drought was erased with this buzzer beater.
