Every NBA team’s greatest playoff moment

Miami Heat: Ray Allen’s Shot (2013 NBA Finals, Game 6)

Had Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals not happened the way that it did, there’s a good chance that the LeBron James Miami Heat teams would not be the ones owning the franchise’s greatest playoff moment in team history. That honor would likely then fall on Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal going berserk on the rest of the league in the 2006 playoffs. But instead, Ray Allen happened.

After LeBron, Wade and Chris Bosh won the title over the Thunder in the 2012 Finals, they were hungry to deliver on their promises of “Not one, etc.” But when they were met with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 Finals, they were in severe danger of not even seeing a second title. The Spurs had them on the ropes in Game 6, the Heat trailing 3-2 in the series and down by three points with only seconds left on the clock.

With about 12 seconds left to play, James rose up for a 3-point attempt that wasn’t all that close. Allen was initially in the scrum for the rebound, but retreated and backpedaled once Bosh got into the fold and got his hands on the ball. The big man then kicked it out as the veteran sharpshooter quickly gathered in the corner and then unfurled his picturesque jumper to knock down the greatest shot in NBA history.

Yes, Ray Allen’s shot to tie Game 6 is the greatest shot in NBA history. The difficulty, the moment and even the build-up to it were all perfect for it being just that. Allen’s now-legendary make tied the game and forced overtime, where Miami would go on to win. They then had all the momentum going into the decisive Game 7, where they got past San Antonio for the second-straight championship.