5 greatest Game 7s in the 21st century

#3 LA Lakers vs Sacramento Kings - 2002 Western Conference Finals - Game 7

Kobe Bryant (left) and Shaquille O'Neal.

The 2002 NBA champions LA Lakers completed an impressive three-peat, thanks to the fabulous exploits of the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant duo in the NBA Finals. However, before sweeping Jason Kidd's New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals, the Lakers had to go through a tough Western Conference Finals series against the Sacramento Kings.

Rick Adelman's Sacramento team, which had Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, among others, were the top-seeded team in the West and were geared up to beat the Lakers.

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With home-court advantage, the 61-win Kings were looking to dethrone the Lakers. However, the Phil Jackson-coached team won Game 1 at the ARCO Arena, riding on 30 points from Bryant and 26 from Shaq.

The Kings, playing with Stojakovic enduring a sprained right ankle (he only played 63 minutes in the series), took a 2-1 lead with a win at home and one at the Staples Center.

The LA Lakers dodged a bullet in Game 4, with Robert Horry's memorable game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. The Kings won Game 5 at home by two points, and then the controversial Game 6 happened at LA. The Lakers shot 40 free throws (Sacramento took 25, while LA had 27 in the fourth quarter alone) in the game to win it 106-102.

Even though controversy still surrounds the sixth game of that series, the seventh game was a memorable one. The LA Lakers won behind Shaquille O'Neal's 35 points and Bryant's 30 in a thrilling game that went to overtime.

It was only the fifth Game 7 in NBA history to go to overtime. The LA Lakers won it 112-106 to reach the NBA Finals, where they completed a three-peat.

#2 Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets - 2021 Eastern Conference Semi-finals - Game 7

Kevin Durant (left) and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets' second-round duel in the 2021 NBA playoffs was an enticing one, as it went the distance.

With two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on one side and former MVPs Kevin Durant and James Harden, and superstar Kyrie Irving on the other, the series was a clash of heavyweights. Injuries inhibited the Nets, as Harden missed the first four games, and Irving went down with an ankle injury in Game 4.

Nevertheless, the Nets were able to have two superstars on the court in every game of the series, but that did not faze Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Though the Nets took a couple of blowout wins to start the series and were seconds away from going up 3-0, the Bucks rallied to take the series to a decider.

Durant had a historic performance in Game 5, getting a 49-point triple-double to give the Nets a huge comeback win. However, Antetokounmpo and Middleton came to the fore in Game 6 to force a deciding match in Brooklyn.

The seventh game was a closely fought affair. The Bucks found themselves with a four-point lead in the final minute of regulation, but Durant tied the game with consecutive jump shots. Durant tied the game with one second left and tried to win it with a triple but stepped on the line.

In overtime, the Nets only scored one basket, but they led by two points before Antetokounmpo levelled proceedings with a hook shot with 1:12 on the clock. Middleton then hit the game-winning basket with a jumper with 40 seconds remaining.

Durant, who played every minute of the game, missed his game-tying attempt as the Nets' season ended at home.

KD ended the game with 48 points (the most in a Game 7), nine rebounds and six assists on the night. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, put up 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, with Middleton adding 23 on a night that included timely shots.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors - 2016 NBA Finals - Game 7

LeBron James after winning the 2016 NBA Finals.

The 2016 NBA Finals were also an instant classic, where LeBron James managed to guide his team to the NBA championship. The Cleveland Cavaliers' 2016 NBA championship was a heroic one. They became the first time in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit before beating the record-setting Golden State Warriors (who went 73-9 in the regular season) in the decider.

After tying the series with wins in Oakland in Game 5 and at home in Game 6, with James scoring 41 points on both nights, the Cavs went into the Oracle Arena with a chance to win the NBA championship.

The intensity in Game 7 was unique, and both teams struggled to score big, unlike the trend in the modern NBA. In the fourth quarter, the Golden State Warriors had a four-point lead with less than six minutes left, but LeBron James drew a key foul. He attempted a three and converted every free throw.

Then, James put the Cavs in front with a jump shot. Klay Thompson tied the game at 89-all with 4:39 left on the clock. Both teams struggled to score from that point on, with superstars Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry and LeBron James missing shots.

James then produced one of the most clutch defensive plays in NBA Finals history, producing a huge block in transition to deny Andre Iguodala and keep the scores tied with 1:50 on the clock. Then Irving hit what would eventually be the game-winning three-pointer with 53 seconds left as the Cavs won their first championship in franchise history.

LeBron James was named the Finals MVP for the third time in his career after leading in every key stat during the seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors.