The 2016 NBA Finals will mark the 70th championship series in league history. Countless memorable moments have taken place on the NBA’s grandest stage and after much discussion, we present some of the top moments in Finals history.
The Game: 2008 Finals, Game 4
The Series Situation: Boston Celtics lead Los Angeles Lakers, 2-1
The Play: It wasn’t one play, but more accurately a series of plays. Looking to even The Finals up, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped out to a 35-14 lead after one quarter. But the Boston Celtics kept chipping away, ending the game with a 21-3 run to win 97-91.
The Significance: The Celtics had gone all-in the previous summer, putting together what would be their “Big 3” of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in an effort to boost the franchise back to championship form. After their big start, the Lakers seemed destined to make it a 2-2 series. Boston fought back from 24 down to get the win, the largest comeback in an NBA Finals game since 1971. As Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, the comeback “took the air out of the building.” The Celtics would go on to win their first championship in two decades by beating the Lakers in Game 6.
— Lang Whitaker
Lang Whitaker has covered the NBA since 1998. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.
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