Damian Lillard’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Tuesday night was sensational. How does it stack up against other game-winning shots of the past? Here are the 12 best playoff game-winners of the last 30 years.
12. Glen Davis, 2009
An underrated moment in Celtics playoff history, Glen Davis’s buzzer-beating jumper taken from a few steps inside the 3-point line gave Boston a 95-94 victory over the Magic in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The win knotted the series 2-2; Orlando went on to win in seven.
11. Paul Pierce, 2010
Paul Pierce had several game-winners in his career, but perhaps none more memorable than this one. With the Celtics and Heat tied and the clock ticking down in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series, he drilled a pullup from just inside the 3-point arc to give his team a 100-98 victory. The win put Boston up 3-0 in the series.
10. Toni Kukoc, 1994
The play is infamous for Scottie Pippen’s refusal to take part in it, but it was an all-time great moment. With the score tied and 1.8 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semis, Toni Kukoc received the inbounds pass and hit a long turnaround jumper to give the Bulls a 104-102 win over the Knicks. New York ended up winning the series in seven.
9. John Stockton, 1997
At the end of the Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, the NBA’s all-time assist leader hit what was at the time the biggest shot in Jazz history. With the score tied late, John Stockton sank a 3-pointer as time expired to give Utah a 103-100 victory over the Rockets and send his team to the NBA Finals for the first time.
8. LeBron James, 2009
By now, this has become a footnote in LeBron’s volume of career accomplishments, but it was spectacular nonetheless. With the Cavaliers trailing the Magic by two with 1 second on the clock in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, James received the inbounds pass at the top of the key and calmly sank a 3-pointer to give his team a 96-95 victory. The win tied the series 1-1 but Orlando eventually prevailed in six.
7. Alonzo Mourning, 1993
With the Hornets trailing by a point late in Game 4 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Celtics, rookie center Alonzo Mourning hit a 20-foot fallaway jumper from near the top of the key as time expired to give Charlotte a 104-103 win. The stunning victory clinched the series for the Hornets.
6. Damian Lillard, 2019
This may be recency bias talking, but Damian Lillard’s series-clinching 3-pointer that gave the Trail Blazers a 118-115 win over the Thunder on Tuesday night was an all-time great buzzer beater. Lillard pulled up from 37 feet away. Incredible.
5. Robert Horry, 2002
A moment that will torment Kings fans forever. With Sacramento leading Los Angeles by two late in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal missed from close range before the ball somehow ricocheted back out to the waiting Robert Horry, who hit a 3-pointer as time expired. The 100-99 series-tying Lakers victory prevented the Kings from taking a commanding 3-1 lead.
4. Vinnie Johnson, 1990
With the score tied late in the decisive Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Vinnie Johnson coolly took two dribbles and sank a 14-footer to give the Pistons a 92-90 victory over the Blazers. The shot, which fell through the net with .7 seconds left, clinched Detroit’s second straight championship.
3. Derek Fisher, 2004
The most miraculous of NBA buzzer beaters. With the Lakers trailing the Spurs by one with .4 seconds remaining in Game 5 of the Western Conference semis, Derek Fisher managed to catch an inbounds pass and hit the game-winning shot before time ran out. L.A. prevailed 74-73 to take a 3-2 series lead and won the decisive Game 6.
2. Michael Jordan, 1989
Michael Jordan’s iconic last-second jumper over Craig Ehlo that gave the Bulls a 101-100 victory over the favored Cavaliers in the decisive Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs will forever be known as The Shot.
1. Michael Jordan, 1998
Maybe not as spectacularly difficult as his game-winner in 1989, but Michael Jordan’s famous jumper over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 finals was even more monumental. Made with 5.2 seconds on the clock, the shot gave the Bulls an 87-86 victory over the Jazz and clinched his (and Chicago’s) sixth championship.
