Covid-19 made almost everyone sit at home without favorite hobbies, work, or hanging out with friends. For many people the lockdown situation is really boring, however, for me, it is not so bad as I have realized I finally got enough time to watch some basketball games.
Yes, unfortunately, the basketball season is postponed but there were so many legendary matches that I have always wanted to watch… And I found all of them on Youtube, even the ones that happened several decades ago. So here is also a shoutout to those people who made efforts to upload those matches to Youtube from some VHS, probably knowing that many people would be extremely happy to have the possibility to watch them.
After watching tons of matches, I can definitely say which ones truly must be watched by every basketball fan because of some iconic scores, or life-changing situations, or just virtuosic skills. So here is the list of 10 most impressive basketball games; trust me you will enjoy all of them!
1. Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 (Western Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs)
That match can be considered as the most emotional and weird matches of the decade. The Lakers and Kings met each other in the Finals and both teams were doing everything they could to win. However, many things happened during Game 6. The brightest moment was the idea of Sacramento Kings that a conspiracy was used during the match. Some referees were accused of bias and desire to maintain their own interests. Besides, as the emotions were too crazy, many fights happened and some of them were really aggressive. Another famous moment of that match was the way Kobe Bryant punched Mike Bibby with an elbow. It’s been almost 20 years since that match happened but people are still talking about it.
2. Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers in 2006
This match must be watched because of Kobe Bryant as he got 81 points during the game! Kobe’s skills and technique will leave you speechless. Besides, it is funny how close to losing the Los Angeles Lakers team was despite all the points that Kobe made.
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers in 1980 (NBA Finals)
Here is the legendary NBA Finals between Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabar was injured so he wasn’t able to continue fighting for the Lakers, so Magic Johnson was staying in the center although he was a point guard. It was pretty unexpected and no one really knew what would happen to the Lakers. But from Game 6 Magic Johnson really showed some magic as he scored 42 points! It’s hard to believe but he really saved his team by his incredible skills. That match is still unforgettable because of its uniqueness.
4. Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 (NBA Finals)
Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers met again in the NBA Finals in 2001, so people all around the world were curious to see what would happen. And Game 1 was truly awesome for the 76ers, as Allen Iverson was the star of that match. The most impressive thing is that Allen was confronting the best players Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and he did it successfully, as the 76ers won that Game 1. However, that game makes you feel not only admiration of Allen’s skills but also some empathy because he didn’t get any help from his teammates. During the next 4 games, the Los Angeles Lakers showed professionalism and won all of the games.
5. Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz in 1998 (NBA Finals)
Not so many of current basketball fans were able to see the legendary games because we were born later. For example, I wasn’t able to watch NBA games when Michael Jordan was the star of this sport. He was considered as the best basketball player for many reasons and I’m glad that I was finally able to watch his games during this lockdown. I highly recommend you to watch something too, for example, the match between Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz that happened in 1998. Of course, there are people who would say that Michael was playing better in the 1980-s but it’s up to you to make a choice. I was impressed by this match because in its Game 6 Michael Jordan created the iconic jump shot.
6. Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks in 1986
That match showed how professional and talented Larry Bird was as he made some unbelievable shots and scored 60 points, making the Hawks realize that the Celtics were unbeatable. The Atlanta Hawks were really mad and disappointed, even the ones who were sitting on the bench.
7. Detroit Pistons vs San Antonio Spurs in 2005 (NBA Finals)
The San Antonio Spurs is famous for its beautiful way of playing with generous passing and positional versatility but this team also performed differently several times at the beginning of the 2000s. Such an example is the match between Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs: the TV ratings were really low as no one wanted to show and watch the game full of bruising with the 82 – 75 scores. However, if you watch such a game now you may like it because it is truly nostalgic. If you decide to watch this match, choose Game 5 because it’s my favorite. Robert Horry performed in such an amazing way, you can’t even imagine!
8. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors in 2016 (NBA Finals)
Before watching this game, remember that I don’t recommend you to watch the whole game as it was very boring with tired basketball players. But Game 7 was indescribable, as so many legendary things happened… The Cavaliers were truly fighting with the Warriors, every team was trying to give all efforts to win. It is exactly that game when LeBron made his iconic block, when Kevin Love was protecting his team with impressive courage, and when Kyrie Irving created one of the most beautiful shots.
9. Vince Carter’ dunks in 1999
I should admit that those incredible moments didn’t happen during the match but still, it is really impressive, so you better watch the video to witness the unbelievable dunks made by Vince Carter. It’s been more than 20 years since that time but all NBA fans still adore those moments with Vince.
10. New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers in 1994 (Eastern Conference Finals)
This is a legendary match, so it’s really hard to believe that it has been watched on Youtube only 10000 times. Reggie Miller’s way of playing is incredible; besides, you will see what happened between the Knicks and Spike Lee who actually stopped coming to his favorite team’s games after that. You really can’t miss such an awesome match.
