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A Game 7 in the NBA playoffs is a completely different experience. Two teams in a neck-to-neck fight, with their seasons on the line, the games are as emotional for fans as for players.
This season, the playoffs are living up to the expectations of fans. With top teams contesting for NBA Finals berths, the opening round saw the Cleveland Cavaliers play Orlando Magic in a Game 7, one of the most thrilling games of this year's playoffs. Cleveland won 104-96 on Sunday.
Although a lot of Game 7s have been played, only a few have come to a point of being decided in the last seconds. With that in mind, let's have a look at the top five closest Game 7s in the NBA playoff history.
5 closest Game 7s in NBA playoff history
#1, Nets vs. Raptors, 2014 first round: Brooklyn 104, Toronto 103
In the 2014 NBA playoffs, the No. 3 seed Toronto Raptors met the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round. However, the result wasn’t what fans expected.
Despite the Raptors having a better seed, they had no major player with deep NBA playoff experience.
#2, Heat vs. Knicks, 2000 ECSF: New York 83, Miami 82
The 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks produced one of the most interesting game 7s in NBA playoff history. Both Knicks swept the Toronto Raptors and the Heat swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round.
Both won one road game, building pressure on each other. The Knicks, behind Patrick Ewing and Latrell Sprewell, won Game 7 against the Alonzo Mourning-led Heat. However, the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
#3, Rockets vs. Suns 1995 WCSF: Houston 115, Phoenix 114
In 1995, the Houston Rockets won the championship with the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon defeating Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. However, their easiest series was the finals, as in every series before that, "Clutch City" was on the verge of getting eliminated.
After eliminating the Utah Jazz in the opening round in the best-of-five series, the Rockets played the Phoenix Suns led by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson. After trailing the series 3-1, the Rockets won the last three games to win the series.
Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler scored 29 points each.
#4, Bucks vs. 76ers ECSF 1986: Milwaukee 113, Philadelphia 112
The Bucks won the series despite the Philadelphia 76ers having Charles Barkley and Julius Erving. The 76ers had defeated the Washington Wizards in the first round, while the Bucks swept the New Jersey. When the 76ers and the Bucks met in the semifinals, each won one road game in the first four games.
Craig Hodges (24 points) and Terry Cummings (27) delivered masterful performances to seal the series. However, in the ECF, the Boston Celtics swept the Bucks.
#5, Celtics vs. 76ers, ECF 1981: Boston 91, Philadelphia 90
The Celtics were down 3-1 in the series and won the last three games to seal their birth in the NBA Finals.
Julius Erving led the Sixers in two elimination games in 1985, in the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals. Dr. J and the 76ers fell short of Larry Bird and Robert Parish-led Boston Celtics, who had swept their opponents in the previous two rounds.
