ESPN's greatest Finals moments, round one

[jalbre6]

The only Spurs highlight on the bracket, and it's seeded against this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=nbafinals/jordanjohnson

(1) Jordan vs (16) Johnson

1998: Michael Jordan beats Jazz on final shot with Bulls

Imagine Reggie Jackson hanging it up the night he hit three homers to win the '77 Series. Or Bobby Orr walking off the ice after his airborne goal won the Cup in '70. That's the dramatic exit Michael Jordan made in 1998. If only No. 23 had stayed retired. The shot that introduced us to MJ won an NCAA title. The last shot we remember won a sixth NBA crown. Those should've been the bookends to basketball's most brilliant career.

1999: Avery Johnson's big shot helps Spurs win series

It was the Admiral's title. It never would've happened without Tim Duncan. But it was made possible by the smallest man on the court. Avery Johnson, the journeyman 5-foot-10 point guard with the awkwardly slow left-handed release, drained a wide-open 18-footer to silence the World's Most Famous Arena and give the Twin Towers their first of two championships.

[FearDaFro]

please god, don't let "the push off" be the greatest moment ever.....

I could almost understand if it was the last basket of the greatest player of all time...but Jordan made it much easier on me when he came back. Now, its no more siginificant than steve kerr's shot in 1997.

[jalbre6]

FYI, Jordan is winning 93.1% to AJ's 6.9% with 38K votes in.

[FromWayDowntown]

I can't believe, on that list, that they couldn't make room for Timmy's near quad in Game 6 in 2003. Somehow, that remarkable performance gets lost in the shuffle of time (probably because it's Tim Duncan) even though it has to be one of THE single most dominant games played on both ends in a championship-clincher.

If only Timmy had gotten 2 more blocks . . . .

[BillsCarnage]

I can't believe, on that list, that they couldn't make room for Timmy's near quad in Game 6 in 2003. Somehow, that remarkable performance gets lost in the shuffle of time (probably because it's Tim Duncan) even though it has to be one of THE single most dominant games played on both ends in a championship-clincher.

If only Timmy had gotten 2 more blocks . . . .

Because that was one of the lowest rated and boring series ever.

[Ishta]

Because that was one of the lowest rated and boring series ever.

Please refresh my memory....how many has Phoenix won?:rolleyes

[FearDaFro]

Please refresh my memory....how many has Phoenix won?:rolleyes

forgive the suns fans.....when you get to the realization that your team is soft, all you have left to come back with is "Uh....uh...uh.....well your team is BORING! Nyaa nyaa!"

Its the sour grapes howl of the beaten dog.

[samikeyp]

Its not about the series or ratings, its about individual performances.

[PM5K]

I think people underrate how good it was that Jordan came back that second time.

He really showed quit a few things.

First he showed that at 40+ he was still able to play the game at a high level and be better than many guys half his age, it's only with his skills and knowledge that he can do this, there are a ton of other players in this league that once they loose their physical abilities they are done, Jordan wasn't one of those.

He also showed that even with six championship rings he always played to win, he always gave his all. There are far too many players and teams that have that flip the switch mentality.

He is also the oldest player to ever score fifty or more points in a game, he almost did it back to back.

And eventhough he doesn't get much credit for the job he did in Washington, that team did make the playoffs and did have a pretty good season despite some injuries, half of the players on that team were signed or drafted by him.

[FearDaFro]

he also showed that he could completely blow the #1 overall pick in the draft, and then ruin the scrub he just drafted.....

[PM5K]

he also showed that he could completely blow the #1 overall pick in the draft, and then ruin the scrub he just drafted.....

I still think Kwame has a bright future in the NBA, there are a handfull of other high school players who didn't come out with 20/10 numbers but did get there eventually.

If he can get his head right he can be pretty good. He did take some steps back this year with injuries and the other problems I mentioned, but he did put up 11/7 the season before last when he was healthy and I think he has a lot more upside, I'd love to have him as a Spur, I think he and Tim would get along well.

Having said that Jordan did fuckup with Kwame as far as how he treated him.

[FromWayDowntown]

Because that was one of the lowest rated and boring series ever.

and. . . . ?

It's still one of the sublime all-time individual performances in Finals memory, but it somehow gets forgotten in the haze of over-hype for "more exciting" players. I was in the building to see Tim wreak that havoc, and I've never seen a more dominating performance by a single player. Had Shaq put up those numbers, nobody would ever dare to leave that performance off any list of great Finals moments.

[boutons]

"Because that was one of the lowest rated and boring series ever."

plonk

[Willinsa]

Because that was one of the lowest rated and boring series ever.

Hey Suns fan if I recall you have yet to win a title right? so low ratings or not we have 2 rings and you have zero.