Counting Down The Top NBA Finals Games 7 Of Post-Merger Era

For the 20th time in league history, the NBA Finals are set to go to a Game 7 after the Indiana Pacers kept their championship hopes alive against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6. But it makes only the ninth time in league history since the 1976 merger that the Finals have gone the distance. In this list, we’ll count down each of the eight previous post-merger NBA Finals Games 7.

With their backs again the wall, the Indiana Pacers came out in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on their home court and dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder to force a decisive Game 7.

It marks just the ninth time since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 that the finals have gone all seven games. In this list, we’ll rank the previous eight games from worst to best.

8) 2005: San Antonio Spurs 81, Detroit Pistons 74

This was a matchup of the two prior NBA champions, with San Antonio having won in 2003 and the Pistons winning in 2004. The series lived up to the billing, going seven games with only one having a team score more than 100 points in a game.

Sadly, Game 7 was very much the defensive slog that we’d come to expect from the series and the era.

Tim Duncan’s 25 points and 11 rebounds led the way for the Spurs, while Manu Ginobli chipped in with 23. San Antonil led 57-55 after three quarters and kept Detroit at arm’s length in the fourth to win its third championship in franchise history.

7) 1994: Houston Rockets 90, New York Kicks 84

Hakeem Olajuwon stole the show with 25 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, while Houston rookie Sam Cassell scored six straight points off the bench to extend a 63-60 Rockets lead after three quarters to 10 in the early fourth.

For Knicks fans, this will be remembered as the game where John Starks shot just 2-of-18 from the field, including several big misses that could’ve gotten New York back in the game late in the fourth.

The win marked the first of back-to-back championships for Houston, which swept Orlando in the finals in 1995.

6) 2008: Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston Celtics 79

The Boston Celtics got the better of their longtime rivals in 2008, but Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol made sure that didn’t happen again in 2010.

LA held Boston to just 67 points in a blowout Game 6 win to force a winner-take-all Game 7. The final game proved to be a rock fight, as the Lakers held a 57-53 lead after three quarters.

Bryant scored 10 of his 23 points (to go along with 15 rebounds) in the fourth quarter, while Gasol added 19 points and 18 rebounds to bring the Lakers their 16 championship in franchise history.

5) 1978: Washington Bullets 105, Seattle SuperSonics 99

The oldest game on our list is also one of the better games on our list. Washington held a seemingly commanding 79-66 lead entering the fourth quarter, but a Paul Silas bucket cut the lead to 101-99 late in the contest.

Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, a career 63.3 percent free-throw shooter, then sank two from the line to put the game to bed.

The Bullets put six different players into double figures, while Seattle’s Marvin Webster led all scorers with 27 points in the game.

4) 1984: Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 102

Yet another matchup between the Celtics and Lakers, and this one certainly didn’t lack for star power.

In Game 6, the lack of air conditioning in the Boston Garden led to extreme temperatures and players nearly collapsing. Game 7 wasn’t much better, and Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to resort to using an oxygen mask to keep fresh.

Jabbar put up 29 points in the contest, but his counterpart, Robert Parrish, went for 14 and 16 rebounds, keeping Jabbar quiet on the glass.

Cedric Maxwell played the unlikely hero for the Celtics, scoring 24 points and dishing out eight assists. Maxwell also had the key defensive play of the game, stealing the ball from Magic Johnson with under a minute to go and the Lakers down just 3. Dennis Johnson then made a pair of free throws and Boston never looked back.

3) 2013: Miami Heat 95, San Antonio Spurs 88

Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals was a legacy game for LeBron James. While everyone else seemingly struggled to score, James put up 37 points and 12 rebounds.

Legendary Spurs power forward Tim Duncan missed an opportunity to tie the game at 90 with a minute remaining. James then came back and hit a well-defended elbow jumper to push the lead to 92-88 and San Antonio never got any closer.

The two teams met again in the finals the following season, with San Antonio taking a comfortable 4-1 series win and ending the Big Three era in Miami.

2) 1988: Los Angeles Lakers 108, Detroit Pistons 105

A heroic 43-point effort from Isiah Thomas in Game 6 pushed the series to a decisive Game 7. But Thomas also severely sprained his ankle in the game, limiting his ability in the final game.

Game 7 saw James Worthy take over with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists while Magic Johnson chipped in with 19 points and 14 assists.

Detroit held a 52-47 lead at the half, but Los Angeles dominated the third quarter and held a 15-point lead at 90-75 early in the fourth. Pistons head coach Chuck Daly then switched to a smaller lineup and chipped away at the lead, making it 102-100 with 1:17 remaining.

A Bill Laimbeer triple with six seconds left made it just 106-105 in favor of LA, but A.C. Green then made an uncontested layup, and Laimbeer’s long inbounds pass to Thomas fell incomplete, handing the Lakers the championship.

1) 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Golden State Warriors 89

On the whole, Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers was far from a masterpiece. But sports are about moments, and this game and series in general had plenty of moments.

Cleveland dug out of a 3-1 hole in the series to even force an all-important Game 7. Both teams struggled offensively in the final game and it was hotly contested throughout.

With the score tied at 89-89 with two minutes remaining, Warriors veteran and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala appeared to have an easy layup to put Golden State ahead by two. But LeBron James came from seemingly out of nowhere to block the shot, keeping the game tied.

A minute late, Kyrie Irving hit a pull-up 3-point over Stephen Curry to give the Cavs a 92-89 lead with 53 seconds remaining and the rest, as they say, is history.