NBA Finals History: The 10 Best NBA Finals series of all time

#7 1994 - Rockets beat the Knicks 4-3

1994 NBA Finals Game 7: New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets

In a Finals series where two teams led by dominant centers faced off, the Rockets were stretched to the limit by Pat Riley's Knicks. Olajuwon outplayed his opposite number Patrick Ewing, and that was, at the end, the difference between two evenly balanced teams.

The Rockets had homecourt advantage, and they made it count in game 1 with an 85-78 victory. The Knicks fought back with a road win by a 91-83 margin as 6 players scored double-digit points.

Olajuwon was not to be outdone, however, as he rounded out an incredible all-round performance by tallying 21 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks and 7 assists in Game 3 to guide the Rockets to a 93-89 win in Game 3. The back-and-forth continued in Game 4 as the Knicks hit back with a 91-82 win, despite another dominant display by Hakeem who had 32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks.

The Knicks consolidated their advantage with a Game 5 victory at the Madison Square Garden by a 91-84 margin, banking on another well-rounded team effort. But they were unable to get the job done in Game 6 despite Starks' 16-point 4th quarter, losing 86-84.

Starks followed up possibly his best display with definitely his worst shooting night in a playoff game, going 0-for-11 from 3-point range. If he'd connected on just 2 of those open looks he kept getting, the Knicks could have taken the series. As things stand, Clutch City won its first NBA championship by a 93-88 margin, and Hakeem deservedly took home MVP honours.