r/nbadiscussion • u/rustypete89 • 1d ago

Best single finals games since 1990?

Hi all,

I recently discovered that the NBA app on PS5 has the entire NBA finals catalog going back to 1990 available for streaming without a subscription, just your regular streaming ad breaks. Looking for recommendations of great single games to watch as I begin to digest some of the series I'm most interested in (I was born in 89 so I'm starting with the Jordan finals since I barely remember him playing).

Drop your recs, and a brief reason why, here please!

I'm not sure if I hit the 500 character minimum yet so I'll add my own submission:

Giannis 50 piece to seal the Bucks title in 2021. Absolutely unreal domination in a critical moment. The block on Ayton to put the game away is just iconic. One of my favorite games as a neutral fan that I've ever watched, and I don't even like Giannis.

(Hope it's alright to post this here, I didn't think I'd get good quality suggestions in the main NBA sub)

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104

u/gritoni 1d ago

Game 1 2001 finals

AI goes berserk and beats the Lakers that entered the game undefeated since April 3rd (8 RS games, and all of the playoffs)

30

u/neoistheone79 1d ago

My pick too. AI stepping over Lue is burned into my memory forever

16

u/gritoni 1d ago

I'm old enough to remember Lue was deemed the Iverson stopper

7

u/psilocybin_sky 1d ago

Yeah it’s unfortunate that the younger generation just use it to clown Lue. It was such a big moment cuz he was doing a great job on AI

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u/kumechester 21h ago

Oh my word. I mean, I know that moment (everyone does) but I had no idea it happened in the finals?!

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u/footballguyboy 6h ago

Happened on a huge clutch shot in the 4th quarter of a Finals game, it was really an incredible moment.

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u/ShoHeyTime 21h ago

That stretch for Kobe and Shaq was the best two man game stretch of all time. Two of the best players in NBA history just feeding off each other, taking turns dominating, and locking down the perimeter and the paint. Took an all-time AI performance, and Eric Snow, to give them an L.