5 classic NBA games you can stream on YouTube right now

4. Trail Blazers at Lakers, Game 7, 2000 Western Conference Finals

There was a time when the pairing of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant looked like an unstoppable force. This was in the days before their personal issues pushed them apart off the court and before the Detroit Pistons took them apart on the court. The 2000 Lakers won 67 games, 11 more than any other team in the league. They had Shaq at his 30-point, 14-rebound, runaway-MVP best. They had an ascendent Kobe breaking 20 points per game for the first time and emerging as the best wing in the game. And they had a deep and experienced supporting cast around them.

And they were almost stopped by the volatile menagerie that was the Trail Blazers.

After going down 3-1 in the series, the Blazers fought back, winning Games 5 and 6 by a combined 18 points. Game 7 is as compelling for its dramatic arc as any particular individual performance — although Rasheed Wallace did come up with 17 huge second-half points. Again, I won’t spoil the ending in case you don’t remember the exact specifics but unless you’re from the Pacific Northwest, this one is worth watching all the way through to the end.