5 » If the 3-point line had been around, Jerry West‘s 63-foot shot would have won Game 3 of the NBA Finals at the buzzer. Instead, West’s heave — coming three seconds after Dave DeBusschere‘s go-ahead basket — only tied the game, and the New York Knicks won by three in overtime.
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4 » Kobe Bryant‘s reputation as a clutch scorer was enhanced by his first-round showing in the 2006 playoffs. He made a floating layup with 0.7 seconds remaining to force overtime and won it in the extra period with a last-second jumper over Raja Bell.
3 » Oklahoma City’s 129-125 win over Memphis on Monday involved two late 3-pointers by Memphis to force extra sessions. First, Mike Conley drained a 3 to force the first overtime — after Memphis had rallied from 10 points down — and Greivis Vasquez hit an offbalance 3-pointer to force a second overtime.
2 » The Boston Celtics’ dynasty began with a double-overtime thriller. Celtic rookie Tom Heinsohn scored 37 points and grabbed 23 rebounds to lead a 125-123 win over St. Louis. The Hawks forced a second overtime with a last-second basket, but future Hall of Famer Bob Pettit missed a game-tying shot at the final buzzer.
1 » It’ll be hard to ever top this three-overtime epic. The 1976 Game 5 NBA Finals game between Boston and Phoenix featured late hoops and numerous controversies. John Havlicek missed a buzzer-beater in the first overtime. Boston thought it had won in the second overtime (and fans stormed the court), but one more second was placed on the clock. Phoenix’s Gar Heard tied it with a jumper. Boston, though, held on to win by two in the third session.
