Top 10 Best NBA Postseason Defensive Plays
Larry Joe Bird is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Bird is a 3x champ, 1x ROTY, 1x Finals MVP, 3x 3PT Contest winner, all with the Boston Celtics. (1979-1992) After coughing up a game-winning shot, Bird made a miraculous steal against the Pistons in a crucial game 5 before feeding it to Dennis Johnson for a game-winning layup.
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. LeBron has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Lakers. Tied at 89, the Golden State Warriors had a breakaway layup in striking distance. But Andre Igoudala's layup was blocked from out of nowhere by King James himself to keep it tied. Cleveland went on to win Game 7 and the title.
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, formerly known as Akeem Olajuwon, is a Nigerian-American retired professional basketball player. Trailing 3-2 in the series, the Rockets led 86-84. But the Knicks got the ball to their hot shooter John Starks, who was able to get by Hakeem Olajuwon barely and fire a three-pointer. In all likelihood, the shot could've gone in had it not been for the fingertips of the Dream getting the block.
Needing to win Game 2, the Pistons led the Pacers 77-75 before Indiana had a breakaway attempt from Reggie Miller. As Miller drove to the layup for the tie, Pistons guard Tayshaun Prince came out of nowhere to block the shot and preserve the win.
John Joseph "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons. Up by 1 in the final seconds, the Celtics had to hold off a 76ers team led by Wilt Chamberlain to advance to the NBA Finals. Fortunately, the inbounds pass was deflected by Celtics forward John Havlicek.
Down by a point and on defense, Nick Anderson would strip the ball from Michael Jordan and it would lead to a Magic basket in a game Orlando would win on their way to a series victory.
Jerry Alan West is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Tied in the final seconds, the Celtics inbounded the ball. Yet, Jerry West for the Lakers stole the inbounds pass and went all the way for the game-winning layup to get the Lakers a 2-1 advantage in the series.
Down by two in a must-win game two against the Lakers, the Celtics got another big steal. This time, it was Gerald Henderson who stole the ball and delivered a two-point layup to tie the game and send it to overtime. Boston later won the game and took the series in seven.
While guarding Oscar Robertson, Dave Cowens knocked the ball away before hustling to make a great diving save before the ball went out of bounds.
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, nicknamed Shaq, is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. He is known for his fun, friendly personality, and is one of the most beloved athletes of all time. The Rockets were a few inches away from evening the first round series against the Lakers. But Shaq had other plans as he made a big block in the final seconds to give LA control of the series.