The NBA postseason: where tempers flare, hearts are broken, and heroes are made.
In conjunction with Thuuz Sports, a sports entertainment company that gauges the excitement level of sporting events based on six factors (pace, parity, momentum, social media buzz, novelty, and context), we ranked the top-10 most thrilling games from the 2016 NBA playoffs now that the historic Finals battle between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers has come and gone.
Date: April 21 (Western Conference first round)
Score: Rockets won, 97-96
Recap: Down 2-0 in the first-round series with the defending champion Warriors, the Rockets took full advantage of the absence of Stephen Curry (ankle). Down by one in the closing seconds, Rockets All-Star guard James Harden hit a game-winning jumper over Warriors forward Andre Iguodala. The NBA's Last Two-Minute Report released the next day revealed that Harden's shot should have been called an offensive foul, but the damage was done. For the time being, at least.
Date: April 26 (Eastern Conference first round)
Score: Raptors won, 102-99
Recap: One of the closest games of the postseason, Game 5 of the first-round series between the Pacers and Raptors came down to the final second. Literally. Down by three, Pacers forward Solomon Hill knocked down a buzzer-beating, game-tying three-pointer. Only he didn't beat the buzzer, he didn't tie the game, and the Raptors hung on at home to take a 3-2 series lead.
Date: April 27 (Eastern Conference first round)
Score: Hornets won, 90-88
Recap: Hornets guard Courtney Lee played the role of hero as he knocked down a three-pointer with just over 25 seconds to go, only his second make of the night, to put his team ahead 90-88. Heat guard Dwyane Wade had a chance to tie the game with under five seconds to play as he drew contact on a layup attempt, but no whistle was blown, and the Hornets narrowly escaped in enemy territory for their third consecutive win of the series.
Date: May 2 (Western Conference semifinals)
Score: Thunder won, 98-97
Recap: The Thunder desperately need a bounce-back game after suffering a brutal 32-point Game 1 loss. Bounce back is exactly what they did, but not without one of the most controversial finishes of the postseason. Trailing by one with 13.5 seconds to go, the Spurs stole Oklahoma City's inbounds pass, and — after a few scrums for the ball and a missed three-pointer by Spurs guard Patty Mills — found themselves in a tied series before they knew what hit them. The NBA's Last Two-Minute Report revealed five missed calls in those chaotic final 13.5 seconds, but it was too little too late, and the Thunder stole a pivotal win on the road.
Date: May 10 (Western Conference semifinals)
Score: Thunder won, 95-91
Recap: The Spurs had only lost on their home floor once the entire regular season, but for the second time in three games, the Thunder left the raucous crowd at the AT&T Center dazed and confused. But Game 5, just like Game 2, didn't end without some officiating controversy. With 9.3 seconds remaining and the Thunder up by one, Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard attempted to foul Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. The referees didn't blow the whistle, Westbrook drove past Leonard for an and-one layup, and the Thunder took a 95-91 lead that would hold until the clock struck zero.
Date: May 11 (Western Conference semifinals)
Score: Warriors won, 125-121
Recap: Despite career-best efforts from Blazers guard C.J. McCollum — who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to go along with a handful of clutch shots down the stretch — the defending champs were able to close out the series that was much closer than the 4-1 edge would indicate.
Date: May 7 (Eastern Conference semifinals)
Score: Raptors won, 95-91
Recap: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry had been in a slump throughout the majority of the postseason, but during Game 3 in Miami, his All-Star skill set was on full display. He scored a game-high 33 points, and more importantly, 12 consecutive fourth quarter points from the 5:14 mark to 1:34. Heat guard Joe Johnson missed a game-tying three-pointer with under 20 seconds to go, and the Raptors held on to take a 2-1 series lead.
Date: May 16 (Western Conference finals)
Score: Thunder won, 108-102
Recap: More Thunder, more late-game officiating issues. With 17.2 seconds remaining and Oklahoma City up by three, the referees clearly botched a traveling call on Thunder guard Russell Westbrook as he attempted to call a timeout at midcourt. No whistle was blown, Westbrook made an ensuing free throw, and the Thunder went on to win a pivotal Game 1 in Oracle Arena.
Date:May 23 (Eastern Conference finals)
Score: Raptors won, 101-95
Recap: Toronto — who held an 18-point lead in the third quarter — somehow found themselves trailing midway through the fourth. But the late-game heroics of center Bismck Biyombo on both ends of the floor to go along with stellar performances from the All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan proved to be too much for the Cavs, and the Raptors managed to hand Cleveland their second consecutive loss, tying the series at two games apiece.
Date: June 19 (NBA Finals)
Score: Cavaliers won, 93-89
Recap: The best game of the NBA season just so happened to be the last. With everything on the line for both teams, the Cavaliers — who once trailed 3-1 in the series with a trip to the hallowed grounds of Oracle Arena up next — managed to complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history with this Game 7 upset for the ages. A late-game chasedown block by LeBron James on an Andre Iguodala layup, followed by a Kyrie Irving go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute on the clock, and just like that, the Cavs hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in franchise history.
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