Top 25 Basketball Moments of the DecadeBy: Jason Stone

#1 J-Mac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzyhnkT_jY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r93vABC1M7A

Without a doubt, this is my number one moment of the decade. It’s impossible to watch without getting a little choked up. This is the purest representation of everything that is good about basketball. It’s about perseverance, devotion to team, rooting for your teammates, unbelievable fan support, miracle shots, fans storming the court and a hero being raised on shoulders. You can’t top this.

#2 The Redeem Team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnVjTWA5yqQ

Redemption. Our country needed it and our countrymen’s best went and got it for us. After the embarrassment at the 2004 Athens games, Team USA decided they needed a new approach and hired Jerry Colangelo to oversee the program and get commitments from players to form a team, not just a hodge podge of ill-assembled all-stars. Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was tapped to head the team led by Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. The players knew what was at stake and the state of our fallen image and did a masterful job of bringing it back to its rightful place. There was no hint of arrogance or selfishness as had been claimed both at home and abroad about previous teams. This was a unit that put all else aside to succeed with one common goal – returning the USA to the top of the basketball world.

#3 Malice at the Palace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qD9edGvksw&

The leagues worst nightmare unfolded in the waning moments of the Pacers-Pistons game in November 2004. This was also the heartbreaking end of a successful era for Pacers fans, as their team has never recovered. Remember, this was a rematch battle between the previous season’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers were looking strong, blowing out the reigning NBA champs, and looking to claim their place atop the East elite. And in the closing seconds, things all changed. Ben Wallace was fouled hard on a dunk attempt and shoved Artest back in response. After the ensuing dustup, things calmed down and Artest went to lay down on a the scorers table to show that he was calm and in control. A thrown cup proved otherwise.

The leagues’ preeminent nut job cranked this up to an unprecedented level when he then launched into the crowd and proceeded to choke the apparent cup thrower. He got the wrong guy. Then Stephen Jackson took his own brand of crazy up into the stands and just started swinging. Fans took the court, Jermaine O’Neal clocked a kid getting up, chairs were thrown, fans dumped trash all over exiting personnel, and children cried. Oh what a night.

#4 Kevin Garnett “anything is possible!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjOy7fRzs0

KG gets his ring. And the most passionate man in the game explodes with jubilant emotion in his Finals winning interview. All this coupled with the drama of the storied Boston – LA rivalry, made for one of the most dramatic moments of the decade. After 12 seasons carrying the underwhelming Timberwolves as far as they could go, Garnett finally got the help he needed from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen when he was traded to Boston. Not only was this a resurgence for KG, but for the Boston franchise as a whole, as they returned to glory after years out of the spotlight. Boston entered the series a 2-1 underdog and prevailed, rekindling an old rivalry.

#5 Kobe goes for 81

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQZlJXl3kQ

Kobe takes second to Wilt Chamberlain in single game scoring total after going for 81 against the Raptors on Jan 22, 2006. Kobe shot a lot this season as his teammates were not up to the task and even less involved. In this month Kobe scored 45 points or more in four consecutive games and averaged 43.4 points. By the end of the season, Kobe finished with twenty seven 40-point games and claimed the scoring title with an average of 35.4 ppg. Kobe was eventually eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns.

#6 Jordan’s Wizards Comeback

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqG37zjxFQM

The summer of 2001 was rampant with the speculation of “will he or won’t he”. And the speculation fell into two passionate camps of “should he or shouldn’t he”. Those opposed thought his legacy was perfect and that a tarnishing of that legacy would be the only result of going to the lowly Wizards. They also didn’t want to see an old MJ. Those on the other side were thrilled with the idea of getting to see him perform just one more time under any circumstances. Those in that camp got their wish in September 2001 when he announced his comeback “for the love of the game” and to “scratch an itch.” This came two weeks after the September 11th terrorist attacks and gave us something to cheer for. Jordan also committed his salary for the year to victims of the attack.

Like most sequels, it’s nowhere as good as the first, but the public showed up in droves to see it anyways. And while the storyline wasn’t the fairytale ending everyone wanted, Jordan certainly still had game left as witnessed by his averages of 22.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the 01-02 season. He also took in a couple more records; oldest player to score 50 or more (51 vs. Hornets at 38yo), and highest score for a 40 year old (43 vs Nets).

#7 We Believe! Golden State with biggest 1st round upset ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbn72J8ass4

“We Believe!” What a fun ride this one was. The greatest upset in the history of the NBA Playoffs as the Warriors became the only 8 seed to knock off a number 1 in the 7 game format. People may forget how dominant 67 win-Dallas was this year, but they were an absolute force during the regular season like few others before.

The moons had to align to find a team like this that could upset a team like Dallas and Dirk was frustrated beyond belief, ultimately having to give his MVP speech after elimination. The heartache of the collapse in the Finals against Miami followed by this meltdown, damaged the psyche of Dallas significantly.

And what a ride for Golden State fans, as well as for fans of underdogs worldwide. The energy in the crowd for this series was electric and burned to a crescendo for the final game. The host of characters, all gone now, all played a specifically heroic role for the team. J Rich’s 3’s and dunks, Jackson’s all around play, the scrappiness of Pietrus. Matt Barnes’ daggers and the brilliance of Baron Davis at the point.

#8 Tim Donaghy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFWDb81lA7Q

NBA’s worst nightmare volume 2. The repercussions on this one will continue to fallout for some time even though it appears that games were not fixed and the betting was isolated. With fans passionately saying the fix has been in for years, this black eye to the league does nothing to silence those claims and will fuel conspiracy theorists for years to come.

#9 Kobe to Shaq Ally Oop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ikaIDz-Ck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGEzREaYRA

Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals against Portland, Kobe found Shaq for the monstrous ally oop with 40 seconds left, putting them up 6 and sealing the deal for the Lakers in their first season and title under Phil Jackson. Down 15 with 10 to go against their greatest obstacle, the dynamic duo rallied to close the gap and ultimately prevail. The allyoop was symbolic of the pair finally coming together and playing as a team. This was the beginning of a three peat and minor dynasty, which ended in a melt down in the finals against Detroit three years later, and Shaq leaving for Miami.

#10 Steve Nash – Back to Back MVP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IN0gx6ErOY

In 2004 the Suns pried Steve Nash away from the Dallas Mavericks in free agency and turned the NBA upside down with their exciting brand of fast paced ball. The Suns raced to the NBA’s best record and Steve Nash was awarded the MVP for being the motor that made it all happen. The following season with one of their top players, Amare Stoudemire, out for the season, they returned to the Western Conference finals under the selfless leadership of Nash who was awarded his second MVP award. This unlikely hero is one of the only pure point guards to win the MVP and the only one other than Magic Johnson to win more than one. Nash also joins the elite multi-MVP crew that features Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Steve Nash – Unselfish to a fault, he’d rather set up his teammates than shoot, even though he’s the best shooter in the game. Nash earns the all time definitive stamp on the phrase “makes his teammates better.”

#11 Jayhawks Mario Miracle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDvbTrE8VBo

This extremely competitive and exciting NCAA championship game featured the Memphis Tigers against the Kansas Jayhawks. While the Tigers looked like they were going to pull this out with a 7 point lead with 5 minutes remaining, the Jayhawks whittled away with some key fouling and a free throw miss from Derrick Rose. This got them close enough for Mario Chalmers to launch a game tying 3 to force the game to overtime. The momentum had swung and Kansas went on to win 75-68.

#12 The 2002 Western Conference Finals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp19op8uK1E

The Kings went into the playoffs with the best record in the NBA and were at their peak looking to take down their nemesis, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. This series turned into one of the best of all time with the final four games being decided in the final seconds. The likelihood of Sacramento dispatching the Lakers was starting to materialize in game 4 as they were seconds away from heading back home with a commanding 3-1 lead, but that all changed at the buzzer. Kobe drove the lane and missed the layup, Shaq missed the put back and Divac swatted the ball out of the action hoping the buzzer would sound. Unfortunately the ball went straight into Horry’s hands who hit a 3 as the clock hit .00 to give the Lakers the 1 point win. Brushing off the discouragement, Sacramento returned home to recapture the series lead 3-2 with a come from behind game winning shot by Mike Bibby.

Game 6 set the conspiracy theorists into full gear when all the calls started going LA’s way in the 4th quarter, leading many to believe the league was pining for a game 7. The officiating was so bad that Ralph Nader founded the leagueoffans.com and wrote a letter to Commissioner Stern to protest. This was recently brought back into our attention when Tim Donaghy named this game as an instance when NBA executives directed referees “to manipulate games” in order to “boost ticket sales and television ratings.”

Game 7 was as dramatic as they get with 16 ties and 19 lead changes leading to a showdown in overtime, but the Kings didn’t have much left except for a heroic performance from Mike Bibby that just wasn’t enough.

#13 George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGHQ6xpnahI

The proverbial “Cinderella” team is a hackneyed designation that is desperately sought for each and every year in the NCAA tournament. Some win an upset in the first round and others get a game further. But none have had as unlikely a ride as the George Mason Patriots did in 2006, destroying the nation’s brackets in the process. After enjoying their most successful season ever, George Mason barely made the tournament as an 11 seed and then proceeded to upset the 6th seed, Michigan State. A nice win, but next up were the defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels. What – Another upset? Hey this is kind of fun. Let’s see how far they can take this. Next up Wichita State – another W and on to the Elite 8. Unbelievable for a mid-major. The ride looked like it would finally come to an end as they were facing a tournament favorite in UCONN and everyone expected the magic to run out. But George Mason had one more trick up their sleeves stunning the Huskies and moving on to the Final Four. They lost there to the eventual champion Florida Gators, but won the hearts of the nation in one of the greatest underdog runs of all time.

#14 Dream Team loses, Argentina wins Gold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGwmh2A3iyE

After watching the world catch up for years, and escaping with the Gold in 2000, the world finally overtook the US in basketball dominance in a humiliating run that started with a defeat in the 2002 World Championships and ended with a bronze medal performance in the 2004 Athens Olympics. The US lost more games (3) than in all prior Olympics combined. Led by Manu Ginobili, Argentina dramatically toppled the US team and went on to win the Gold Medal over Italy.

#15 Florida Back to Back National Championships

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZqAwdete4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgugCGoReNw

Billy Donovan and the Gators pulled off the impossible winning back to back titles (2006 and 2007) in the modern era (first team since Duke in the early 90s). Florida’s key players (Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford) all deciding to return to school and turn down millions surprised everyone which was key to making it possible. All three would become lottery picks (Horford 3rd, Brewer 7th, and Noah 9th) after beating the Greg Oden led Buckeyes in the 2007 final.

#16 Dallas chokes, Wade Shines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fToPrTXobQ

In a battle of two teams in their first Finals appearance, we were treated to two things; Dallas’ epic meltdown and Dwyane Wade catapulting himself into superstardom. Dallas won the first two games at home handily and were 13 points up and 6 minutes away from putting a definitive hold on the trophy in game 3. The Heat didn’t know they were supposed to roll over and followed Wades’s 42 and 13 to get the comeback win. A swing in momentum unlike any other in a championship series transpired here. Dallas’s dominance 180’d into a damaged psyche and (with some help from the refs) the ragtag Heat were bristling with confidence behind the brilliance of Wade. The usually dead eye Dirk missed a free throw to tie the game in Game 3. In Game 4, Dallas was held to 7 points in the 4th quarter in a blowout loss. Jerry Stackhouse flagrantly fouls Shaq getting suspended for game 5. In game 5, Dallas fought back hard but lost a heartbreaker in OT. In Game 6 Wade and the Heat complete the stunning comeback and win the Finals 4-2, winning 4 straight and becoming only the 3rd team to win a championship after being down 0-2.

#17 Vinsanity in Oakland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZtENNNUbA

Just a month and a half into the new millenium, Vinsanity reached its peak at the All Star weekend in Oakland. This was by far the greatest dunk contest and all star weekend of the 2000s. The field included Carter, T-Mac, Steve Francis, and Jerry Stackhouse. Carter showcased a number of dunks never seen before and with a flare that only he could bring. Carter never reached the greatness that some envisioned he would, but he will certainly go down as one of the greatest dunkers in the history of the game.

#18 Derek Fisher .4 against Spurs in ‘04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmo4uFggxbE

Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semi-Finals gave Derek Fisher a defining moment and number for his career, .04. The series was tied 2-2 and Tim Duncan had just hit a tightly contested leaning jumper at the top of the key to take a 1 point lead with .4 remaining on the clock. The Spurs fans went nuts knowing .4 is not enough time to get a decent look and they would be taking a 3-2 lead back to LA. Well, Fish didn’t need a good look, he just turned and heaved and got nothing but net leaving the home arena in horror as he sprinted off the court. This ultimately crushed San Antonio’s hopes and they were put away in the following game.

#19 Vince Carter Dunks over Frederic Weis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PPhbHMaf7k

Following up his amazing dunk contest in Oakland, Carter does the unthinkable, hurdling 7-foot-2 Frenchman Frederic Weis for one of the greatest in game dunks of all time. At least Weis is no longer best known for being a New York Knicks lottery bust.

#20 6 OT game, Syracuse vs UConn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1DCLcStKc

An instant classic during the 2008-09 season, in the Big East tournament quarterfinal game before 19,375 at Madison Square Garden. In likely the most memorable non-NCAA tournament college game of the decade. The Orangemen and Huskies went at it for 70 minutes, 10 shy of 2 entire games with a running time of 3 hours and 46 minutes. The game did not end until 1:22 AM. The Cuse, playing closer to home, ultimately had more gas left in the tank in the 6th overtime, prevailing 127-117. Jonny Flynn’s final statline: 67 minutes, 34 points, 16-16 ft, 11 asts: Boxscore

#21 We talkin’ ’bout practice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frsId3goYYE

Allen Iverson makes my dad and every basketball coach in the country, from youth leagues to pro, cringe and lament what happened to the game of basketball.

#22 Superman Dunk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO3c8EaxsxQ

This one is just pure fun and brought a buzz and star power to the dunk contest that had been missing in previous years. With the contest becoming increasingly creative with use of props and teammates, Dwight Howard left them all behind when he made his official conversion into the man of steel, leaving the crowd and himself in stitches, upon unveiling his Superman gear. With a high flying (almost) dunk, Howard had a perfect score, became a household name and resurrected the slam dunk contest.

#23 Rockets 22 Game Winning Streak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSYelg0MsBw

From January 29, 2008 to March 18, 2008, the Rockets won 22 consecutive games, earning the second longest winning streak in NBA history. The crazy part is that they did most of it after Yao Ming went down with a season ending foot injury. Never underestimate what good coaching, hard work, hustle and pure heart can do on the court.

#24 LeBron James Beats Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Px-jPm_TU

In one of the greatest single game performances, LeBron James brought the Cavs back to beat Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals, incredibly scoring 29 of the team’s final 30 points in a pivotal game 5. LeBron led the Cavs back from a 0-2 series deficit to the Finals at the tender age of 22.


#25 The 2009 First Round Celtics vs. Bulls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_JM3Pw9OM&feature=PlayList&p=39E545F4295FCA90&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25

You know how you expect some first round playoff series to be a foregone conclusion and a precursor to the better action of the later rounds? Well then along comes a series like this that slaps you in the mouth for thinking that way. Even with Garnett in street clothes, no one expect the Bulls to compete with the defending champs, but then in game 1, they went into Boston and pulled off the dramatic game 1 victory in OT led by super rookie Derrick Rose’s 36 pts and Joakim Noah’s 17 boards. Boston came back to win the next two games and we figured the first win was a fluke and Boston would easily finish them off. Not so, said the Bulls in game 4 with another dramatic win, this time in double overtime. Now that the series was tied up 2-2 with a couple dramatic games this series got the attention of anyone who had dismissed it. So we go back to Boston and THAT game goes to overtime, this time with Celtics pulling it out. So here we are with tons of drama and 3 of the 5 games going into extra periods, heading into game 6. The Celtics are looking to finally put away these resilient young Bulls, but the Bulls put up one of the biggest fights of all time in a triple overtime classic. Even 51 points from Ray Allen couldn’t wrest this one away from Chicago who laid everything they had on the line to get that epic win, as they eventually fell to the defending champs in game 7.