The playoffs for the Los Angeles NBA teams were underwhelming, to say the least.
The Clippers, criticized by many in the media for the departure of Paul George, shocked everyone by winning 50 games after George’s leave. Led by the development of Ivica Zubac and the resurgence of former MVP James Harden, and coupled with Norman Powell’s early-season prowess, they would go on to earn the fifth seed in an ultra-competitive Western Conference before falling in the first round to the Denver Nuggets and three time MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Lakers, on the other hand, stole the headlines at the trade deadline by trading for global sensation and one of the best players in the NBA, Luka Dončić, a trade that shook the NBA and sports world alike. The duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić finished the season as the third seed in the West, but this was not enough to advance to the second round, and they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by young superstar Anthony Edwards.
There were many thrilling performances and plays in this year’s NBA playoffs. Here are the best moments and performances from each round from both conferences:
Western Conference Semifinals: Los Angeles Clippers- Denver Nuggets. Aaron Gordon’s buzzer-beating putback dunk to stop a furious Clippers comeback in game 4 of round 1 to tie up the series 2-2. The Clippers, playing just their 2nd ever playoff game at the brand new state-of-the-art Intuit Dome, had orchestrated a furious comeback in the 2nd half. Once down by 20, the Clippers stormed back and a Bogdan Bogdanović putback layup put them up 1 with just over 1 minute left in a game, the game would be tied with less than 2 seconds left on the clock and Nikola Jokic airballed a three pointer, and Aaron Gordon grabbed the ball midair and dunked it as the buzzer sounded to give the Nuggets the win, this was the first buzzer beating dunk in playoff history.
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Milwaukee Bucks- Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton‘s game winner to send the Indiana Pacers to the second round of the playoffs marked one of the first of his many iconic moments from his legendary 2024-2025 playoff run. Down 7, with just 33.3 seconds left in overtime and a 3-1 series lead, the Pacers had one of their patented comebacks from this year’s playoffs, and with 1.4 seconds left in the game, Haliburton blew past Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and hit a layup to send the Bucks home.
Western Conference Quarterfinals: Denver Nuggets v Oklahoma City Thunder
In the second round of the playoffs, Aaron Gordon would continue his clutch playoff run in game one against the league’s best in the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went 68-14 in the regular season and were the overwhelming championship favorites. During the first game in Oklahoma City, Thunder center Chet Holmgren would miss two clutch free throws and give the Nuggets the ball back with less than 10 seconds left. Former Thunder MVP Russell Westbrook, now on the Nuggets, would find Aaron Gordon for a huge three to put the Nuggets up by two. This series would end up going the full seven games, and in game seven Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s MVP would prove why he was the best in the world, stuffing the statsheet with 35 points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block as he sent the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals as he led the Thunder to an emphatic 125-93 blowout.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Cleveland Cavaliers v Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton would come through yet again for his Pacers. After being down by seven with just 48 seconds left, he would grab his own miss from the free throw line, and rush back to the three point line and bury a clutch three while down two to put the Pacers up by one with just 1.1 seconds left, a crucial shot that would put Haliburton’s Pacers up 2-0 in the series against the Eastern conference’s best, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, led by star Donovan Mitchell, went 64-18 in the regular season. The Pacers would win this series handily in just five games.
Western Conference Finals: Minnesota Timberwolves v Oklahoma City Thunder
This series featured two young teams in the Thunder, who had defeated the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets in order to reach this point, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors en route to the Conference Finals. The Thunder would win game one by 26, behind another 30+ point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This set the tone for a series that proved to be a mismatch. The Thunder would quickly dismantle the Timberwolves in just five games.
Eastern Conference Finals: New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers
Next up for the Pacers was the bright lights of New York, and Madison Square Garden, an iconic arena and a series that would determine which team would come out of the Eastern Conference and go to the finals. Everything was on the line as the Knicks hadn’t been to the finals since 1999 and the Pacers hadn’t made an appearance since 2000. This series was monumental to say the least, and with everyone watching and everything on the line, Tyrese Haliburton met the moment yet again. In yet another late-game comeback, down by nine with just 51.4 seconds left, an Aaron Nesmith three-point flurry made it close, and the Pacers would get the ball back down two with 7.3 seconds left and Haliburton’s late-game heroics would continue as he hit a long two-pointer to send the game to overtime. He even paid tribute to a Pacer legend in Reggie Miller by recreating his choke celebration, in a game the Pacers would eventually win in overtime. This put the Pacers up 1-0 in the series and ultimately set the tone for a series that the Pacers would go on to win in six games.
NBA Finals: Indiana Pacers v Oklahoma City Thunder
The stage was set for one of the most exciting Finals in recent memory, with two young superstars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton facing off and both teams vying for their first title in franchise history. Game one ended with a Tyrese Haliburton jump shot to put the Pacers ahead with .3 seconds left on the clock, yet another Haliburton game winner, and yet another game one win for the Pacers, who went 4-0 in game ones throughout the playoffs. This stamped Haliburton’s playoff run as one for the ages, and the series wound up going seven games, with game seven being played in Oklahoma City. Game seven was another ruckus Oklahoma City crowd, and the Pacers started out hot, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting three early three pointers before slipping on a drive to the basket, and tragically tearing his achilles. The Pacers would go into halftime with a lead, but ultimately, the loss of Haliburton proved too costly, and in the fourth quarter, the Thunder ran away with the game and the championship. The Thunder’s big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, who many doubted could bring Oklahoma City a championship at their young ages of 26, 24, and 23, respectively, did just that. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined a group of legends, becoming just the 10th player ever to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds throughout the seven-game series, and bringing home the championship that Thunder fans had been long yearning for.
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