Top 5 NBA playoff final series of all time

The NBA playoffs finals have begun. Steph Curry is going to face Kyrie Irving and most importantly the 4 time MVP and 2-time champion King James. This is the most anticipated play off series since the beginning of the NBA, as two rookie coaches would be going head to head for the ultimate glory for the first time after the inception of the playoffs. Let’s take a look back at the top 5 NBA Playoff series.

1.)Boston Celtics Vs LA Lakers(1969)

This series happened during Bill Russell’s tenure as a player-coach with the Celtics. The Celtics roster back then where aging and barely made it to the playoffs and somehow made it to the finals to face against the Lakers and their big three i.e. Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlin. The then Celtics owner Jack Kent Cooke had made all the preparations ready for the celebrations. Russell used this to motivate his team and carried them to win the championship. The interesting aspect though was the fact that Jerry West was awarded the MVP of the playoffs that year the only player in the playoff history to win the MVP by ending on the losing side till date.

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2) Chicago Bulls Vs Utah Jazz(1998)

This series was special for two reasons from a Bulls fan perspective firstly, this was Michael Jordan’s last dance in the NBA and secondly his sixth title while playing for the Chicago Bulls. The deciding moment of this series came in game 6 when the score was tied at 83 and John Stockton knocked down a three-point shot giving Utah a three-point lead. The Bulls called in a time out and after that, Jordan scored a quick two to bring down the gap to a single point. At the other end of the floor, Karl Malone received a pass in the post only to be stolen by Michael Jordan (though popular belief is that it was a foul). None the less Jordan ran the clock down and scored the game-winning shot over Byron Russel to give Chicago its 6th playoff title.

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3)New York Knicks Vs LA Lakers(1970)

This playoff series was nothing short of high octane drama. The Knicks and the Lakers were in a fierce playoff battle until tragedy of the highest order struck the Knicks, in game 5 the then NBA MVP Willis Reed had torn a muscle in his leg despite the fact New York had won game 5 they had to play game 6 without Willis Reed. The Knicks lost that game 135-113.

The deciding game 7 approached and the Knicks fans were in for a surprise when Willis Reed showed up limping during the shoot around. He made the first two baskets for the Knicks and made Wilt Chamberlin miss 7 of his first 9 shots. As a result the Knicks took a 61-37 lead in the half time never looking back and going on to win their first ever NBA championship.

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4.)Boston Celtics Vs LA Lakers(1984)

Another Lakers-Celtics series that has made it to the top 5. To start off, this was the first time Lakers and Celtics faced off against each other post the Russell-Chamberlin era. This was the time when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the top dogs in the league. The interesting things is that this was the only playoff series that went down to the 7th game. The Lakers controlled the series early but the defining moment came in Game 6 when Kevin Mchale clothesline Kurt Rambis in game 6 which was a turning point. The Celtics went on to win the 7th game 111-102 with Larry Bird scoring 20 points. Bird went on to win the finals MVP by averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds.

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5).LA Lakers Vs Philadelphia76ers(1980)

Its not an easy job when your going up against Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers with your main player injured. Precisely that's what happened with the Lakers, they were playing the all important series decider game 6 without their center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Instead, A 20 year old rookie point guard by the name Magic Johnson started as center, played in all 5 positions and won the match for the Lakers by putting up 42 points 15 rebounds 7 assists 3 steals and a block.

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Edited by Staff Editor