OG Anunoby’s game-winner is an instant classic, but where does it rank amongst the best moments in NBA Finals history?
to the Spurs with an unbelievable second half and fourth-quarter surge. Jalen Brunson got the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game, but when his final three-point attempt hit the front iron, it was OG Anunoby who crashed the glass to steal the game and give Knicks fans a moment to remember forever.
Not only that, but Anunoby’s heroic effort in Game 5 instantly becomes one of the best moments in NBA Finals history. With a historic comeback and an improbable game-winner, Anunoby’s tip-in is right up there next to defining moments from the careers of legends like LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The Knicks are starved for a championship as the franchise made its first trip to the Finals in 27 years this season.
New York hasn’t won a title since 1973 and now moves just one win away after one of the most unbelievable efforts you’ll ever see. And it all happened at Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the two most anticipated NBA games in recent memory this week. All that kept the Knicks from heading back to San Antonio in an even series wasSo, where does Anunoby’s game-winner rank among the best moments in NBA Finals history?
We went down memory lane with some of the greatest shots and performances from basketball’s biggest stage:25 years ago Allen Iverson with the iconic cross, jumper, and step-over on Tyronn Lue. June 6, 2026 It was the exclamation point of an absolutely epic NBA Finals performance. Iverson dropped 48 points with six assists and five steals. The signature shot put the 76ers up by four with 40 seconds left in overtime.
Philadelphia held on to win and put a real scare into the Lakers, headlined by Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Los Angeles won the next four games, but this was the legendary moment from Iverson’s only MVP season and, debatably, his illustrious career. With two seconds left in the second overtime of Game 5 in the 1976 Finals, Heard sank a turnaround jumper to force the first triple overtime in NBA Finals history.
The Suns had this moment, but the Celtics eventually won the game and took home the title in six games for their second championship in three years. This is why they call him “Big Shot Bob. ” Horry inbounded the ball with 5.8 seconds left in overtime of Game 5 in the 2005 Finals. Rasheed Wallace went to Manu Ginóbili which left Horry wide open to ice the game for the Spurs.
Horry made five threes and 21 points that night with 18 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Spurs would go on to best the Pistons in Game 7 to take home the title. This one’s a bit personal as 11-year-old me was in the building and Horry’s shot made it so you could hear a pin drop in the old Palace of Auburn Hills. Another absolutely devastating loss for the Spurs.
James missed a three-pointer to tie Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, but luckily for Miami, Chris Bosh was there to grab the rebound. He saw Allen who backpedaled beyond the three-point line without any time to see if his feet were set. It was storybook—the shot went through, the Heat won in overtime and Miami won its second straight title the next game. Reed’s status was unknown entering Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
But when he hobbled out of the tunnel, both his play and his perseverance helped inspire the Knicks to a title-clinching win over the Lakers. He sat out Game 6 which paved the way for Wilt Chamberlain to take over as the Lakers evened the series and forced a decider. Reed’s gutty performance won out in the end. OG ANUNOBY WITH THE PUTBACK..
Madison Square Garden was starving for a win and Anunoby gave Knicks fans an instantly iconic moment to bring New York one win away from the franchise’s first title since 1973. We’ll see how this one holds once the series is finished, but Anunoby’s make through three Spurs and the massive comeback is one of the best Finals moments ever.
Jordan wasn’t anything close to healthy for Game 5 of the 1997 Finals, but he still put together an unbelievable 38-point performance to give the Bulls a 3–2 lead. Chicago won the title in six thanks to another iconic moment—a big shot from Steve Kerr. But Jordan’s performance when anyone else would’ve been bedridden remains a cornerstone of NBA folklore.
In what was his final game with the Bulls, Jordan sank an iconic game-winning midrange jumper after a big steal which gave him his sixth title and the second three-peat in seven years for Chicago. Ice cold until the very end from the greatest of all time.
Magic Johnson's sky hook with 2 seconds remaining in Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals ✨Johnson’s baby sky hook shot gave the Lakers the lead in Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals with two seconds to go. Larry Bird then missed a shot at the buzzer which gave Los Angeles a 3–1 lead.
The Lakers then finished off the Celtics in six games, but it was Johnson’s shot over Kevin McHale and Robert Parish that was the shining moment of the series. James’s block on Andre Iguodala in a tied Game 7 with less than two minutes to go is fairly recent, but it has all the makings to be the top moment in NBA Finals history.
Game 7, the league’s greatest scorer of all time leads his hometown team to its first and only title, a 3–1 comeback. The signature moment of James’s legendary career. Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk.
He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.
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