Heartstoppers; we take a look at the top 30 playoff moments of pro basketball's last 30 years

23. Sampson Shines

1986 Western finals, Game 5

With the Rockets inbounding the ball and only enough time for a catch-and-shoot, 7'4" Ralph Sampson took the Western Conference-title-winning shot against the Lakers without even turning fully to face the basket. Sampson's quick flip was released right before the buzzer sounded; the ball hit the front of the rim, bounced up into the air, grazed the back rim, and fell through, along with the collective jaw of Los Angeles. The 114-112 final was Houston's only lead of the game.

Sampson is remembered as an injury-prone disappointment and was smothered by Boston's legendary front line in the Finals, but was a beast for most of the 1986 playoffs. He scored 29 points on that memorable night.

24. Reggie vs. Spike

1994 Eastern finals, Game 5

Spike Lee has sold a lot Of movie rickets, but Knicks fans will always remember him for sparking Reggie Miller's 25-point fourth quarter in the 1994 Eastern conference finals. Madison Square Garden's infamous courtside nebbish loudly razzed Miller, who had been having an off-night, and ended up in a trash talking match with him all the way through Miller's astounding finish. Spike was saved from permanent Knicks purgatory when New York captured the last two games of the series.

25. Stockton Seals It

1997 Western finals, Game 6

Utah had won 50-plus games in eight consecutive seasons, yet had never reached the NBA Finals. The Jazz had their playoff choker reputation nipped in the bud, however, when John Stockton scored 13 of his team-leading 25 points in the final 3:13 of Game 6, including the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Utah beat the Rockets, 103-100, to reach their first of two consecutive NBA Finals.

26. 1.9 Seconds

1994 Eastern semifinals, Game 3

Even as Scottie Pippen's Hall of Fame plaque is burnished, 1.9 seconds will hang over every sentence like a guillotine held up by a shoestring. To say that Pippen's refusal to play the last 1.9 seconds of a playoff game because Phil Jackson diagrammed the winning shot for someone else was a blight for Pippen is an understatement. Toni Kukoc's jumper won the game for the Bulls, but the net loss to Pip's reputation was far greater.

27. The Doc Dismantles Denver

1976 ABA Finals

Yes, the ABA was wheezing to a close, and regardless of its superior level of play, too few fans followed the league. But Julius Erving provided the perfect finish to the league by singlehandedly dismantling favored Denver in the 1976 ABA Finals.

Once and for all--and buoyed by national coverage on NBC--Erving established himself as the best player in either league. In Game 1, Dr. J notched 45 points, including the buzzer-beater for the win. In Game 2, he went for 48. And in the Nets' Game 6 clincher, Erving had 31 points and 19 rebounds.

28. "The Shot" Revisited

1993 Eastern semifinals, Game 4

Four years after "The Shot" came Michael Jordan's second dagger vs. Cleveland, as he again sealed a game and series against the Cavaliers in one fell swoop.