Where does Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger against the OKC Thunder rank among the greatest clutch shots in NBA Finals?
There is nothing better than the thrill of a clutch shot in basketball. And what better stage to make such an important shot than on the biggest stage in the sport – the NBA Finals?
That’s exactly what Tyrese Haliburton did during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as he sank a mid-range shot in the final seconds to steal a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite being just 25 years of age, Haliburton is already an all-time playoff clutch scorer. And the scary part is that he can only climb the ladder further as the Finals go on.
But how does Haliburton’s last-second heave compare to some of the most clutch shots in NBA Finals history? Well, we’ve ranked all of these shots, so you can see how he did.
This only ranks at the bottom of this list for one reason: the series was already over before Kevin Durant made this shot.
After J.R. Smith’s blunder cost the Cavaliers a Game 1 win, the Warriors just steamrolled past the their opponents. But a clutch shot to seal the win in Game 3 just cannot be ignored.
Durant actually hit the same shot the previous year. But under the circumstances, this shot just cemented the Warriors’ dominance of the Cavaliers.
Metta World Peace (FKA Ron Artest) sinking the three-pointer against the Boston Celtics proved to fans that the impossible can happen.
This wasn’t because Artest, a career 33.9% three-point shooter, sank one of the toughest shots in NBA history.
Rather, it was because in the closing moments of a must-win game, Kobe Bryant actually passed the ball. And that decision paid dividends for the Lakers, who won their second-straight championship.
Tyrese Haliburton had made sinking clutch shots in these playoffs a habit. After three separate clutch-time shots in the playoffs worked out for him, he thought to try it again.
And what a time to try it, as the Pacers point guard took the ball in the final seconds of the game, drove to the wing before stepping back and draining a mid-range shot to give the Pacers their first and only lead.
This shot might even move up the ranks as the years go on if the Pacers end up lifting the NBA championship trophy. But for now, it ranks fairly high in the pantheon of NBA Finals clutch shots.
On a Chicago Bulls team that had Michael Jordan, John Paxson became the unlikely hero in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns were furious after Bulls fans wrote them off before Game 5. But with a two-point lead, the Suns focused only on Jordan (who had scored the Bulls’ 9 points that quarter).
In doing so, they left role-player John Paxson – an excellent shooter as they’d come to find out – wide open. And Paxson made them pay by sealing the shot that earned the Bulls their first threepeat.
It’s only fitting that the shot that won the Bulls their first threepeat would rank just behind the shot that won them their second threepeat.
In what turned out to be the last game for Michael Jordan in a Chicago Bulls uniform, His Airness stole the ball from Karl Malone and quickly rushed up the court with less than 20 seconds remaining.
The Jazz still held a one-point lead, but that was when Michael Jordan decided to call game and time on his Bulls career, driving to the key before stepping back and sinking a mid-range shot to win his sixth ring.
The Golden State Warriors were heavy favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2016 NBA Finals. In arguably the greatest Game 7 in NBA history, the scores were tied 89-89 between the Cavaliers and the Warriors.
The Cavaliers had fought to come back after being down 3-1. But they found themselves incapable of making a shot in the dying minutes of the game.
Luckily, Kyrie Irving was able to get the ball near the top of the arc, and with Stephen Curry guarding him, stepped back and sank one of the cleanest threes you will ever see.
Of course, this incredible shot from Ray Allen ranks at the top of most people’s lists. And for as pure as the shot is, the context behind it makes it the all-time great.
The Heat were on the verge of losing Game 6 of the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs winning would have won them the NBA championship.
But after a three from LeBron James went awry, Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound for Ray Allen to make one of the greatest shots ever hit in an NBA Finals to keep the Heat alive.
There are some other shots that haven’t been mentioned here. And everyone’s mileage may vary. But all the shots listed above will stand the test of time.
Hopefully, as the NBA Finals go on, we got to see many more shots of this caliber in the clutch from both team.
