What are the most memorable NBA playoff moments to happen in May?

May is a special time for basketball fans, as the stakes of NBA playoff games continue to rise. This has been the backdrop of some of the league’s greatest performances. We’ll take a look back at historic NBA playoff moments from the month.

The 2002 Western Conference Finals was a tremendous series, as the Sacramento Kings attempted to stop the Los Angeles Lakers from reaching their third straight NBA Finals. The Kings thought they won Game 4, but an ill-fated tip by center Vlade Divac bounced right into the hands of Lakers forward Robert Horry, who drilled a game winner at the buzzer.

The Last Dance documentary has garnered a lot of fame for recapping the final title run of the 1998 Chicago Bulls. They faced the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, who gave them everything they could handle. Pacers guard Reggie Miller drilled a three pointer in Game 4 to give Indiana a dramatic victory just before the buzzer.

Karl Malone and John Stockton played 11 seasons together with the Utah Jazz before they made their first NBA Finals in 1997. They had to go through a veteran-laden Houston Rockets team to do it, but Stockton made sure the tandem would not be denied. He sunk a buzzer-beating three pointer to send the Jazz to their first Finals in Game 6.

 Earlier in that 1997 Jazz Rockets series, it seemed like momentum might have been wrestled away by Houston at the end of Game 4. The Rockets had future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler on the team, but the ball found its way into the hands of Eddie Johnson in a tie game. The 38 year-old drained the shot to even the series at two games apiece.

The Cleveland Cavaliers faced an unexpectedly stiff challenge from the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James was going to have to play his best in order for the Cavs to have a chance, and he bailed them out in Game 2. James hit an incredible shot from deep to give Cleveland a one point victory over Orlando.

It wasn’t looking great for the Rockets as they looked to defend their title from the prior season. The 1995 playoffs were challenging, and they faced a do or die elimination Game 7 on the road against the Phoenix Suns. Guard Mario Elie made a three pointer from the corner to break the tie. He would then blow a kiss, giving the shot its famous moniker.

It’s one of the most iconic plays of Michael Jordan’s career, and one of the most depressing sequences in Cleveland sports history. In a deciding Game 5 of a first round series between the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers, Jordan pulled up from the free throw line and rose above his defender, Craig Ehlo. Jordan converted the athletic jumper, which gave the Bulls the victory.

The cadence of the NBA playoff schedule was a little bit different back in the 1970’s, which meant it was possible for NBA Finals games to be played in May. One of the most memorable ones took place in 1970, as the Knicks looked to win the championship in Game 7. Center Willis Reed hobbled on to the court, motivating New York to secure the title.

The Boston Celtics owned the Eastern Conference in the 1980’s, but that didn’t mean they didn’t face some stiff competition. One formidable foe was the Atlanta Hawks, led by Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins and Larry Bird went toe to toe in Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Wilkins dropped 47 points in a losing effort, while Bird scored 34.

The Lakers and San Antonio Spurs were heavyweights in the West in the early 2000’s, and found themselves locked in a battle in the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals. The series was tied 2-2, and the winner of Game 5 would have a huge upper hand. With 0.4 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles guard Derek Fisher threw up a game winning shot at the basket.

A well contested series between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers came down to the wire in Game 7. With the contest tied, the ball was inbounded to Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, who took a fadeaway on the baseline. It took a few bounces before dropping through the hoop, sending Toronto to the next round in dramatic fashion.

What was seemingly guaranteed to be a promising career for Bulls guard Derrick Rose hit a road block after a series of knee injuries. However, he looked like his old self in the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, as he banked in a buzzer beater over Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson. The shot gave Chicago a 2-1 series lead.

The Spurs had to deal with an extremely talented Portland Trail Blazers team in the 1999 Western Conference Finals. The margin for error was razor thin, and Spurs forward Sean Elliott knew that as he tight-roped near the baseline. Somehow, he didn’t step out of bounds, and nailed a three pointer in the waning moments of Game 2 to give San Antonio control of the series.

The Golden State Warriors shocked the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs, and took on the Jazz in round two. The Warriors weren’t able to keep the magic going, but their point guard did throw down one of the most memorable dunks in NBA history. In Game 3 of the West Semifinals, Baron Davis slammed it over Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko.

It seemed like the 1980 Lakers were on track to capture the title, but there was one problem. Their man in the middle, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was not going to be healthy enough to play in Game 6. Their 6’9” rookie point guard, however, was able-bodied, and shifted positions. Magic Johnson had a performance for the ages, lifting the team to the championship.

Eric Floyd had one of the greatest nicknames in NBA history. Sleepy, as he was known, was wide awake during Game 4 of the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers. The Warriors guard scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, leading them to an unlikely win against the dynastic showtime Los Angeles team.

The Washington Wizards have not had many playoff moments to ride home about, but a classic one took place in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at home. Point guard John Wall calmly walked into a three point shot that forced a Game 7 in the fourth quarter of Game 6. Wall would infamously leap on to the scorer’s table to get the DC crowd pumped up after the game ended.

The Cavaliers teams in LeBron James’ early years were led to impressive heights thanks to his greatness, with one of those moments coming in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. He scored 25 straight points for Cleveland in the fourth quarter and overtime to lift the Cavaliers to a critical victory.

He’s not the first name that comes to mind in a discussion of elite 1990’s centers, but Pacers pivot Rik Smits was a very solid player. His contributions were felt in a big way during Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana drew a play up for Smits with the game on the line, and he swished a shot from the elbow to give the Pacers a win.

The 1999 Knicks were not supposed to do anything of note in the playoffs as an eighth seed. No one told them that, however. They forced a decisive Game 5 against the top seeded Miami Heat, and had a chance to pull off the massive upset. New York guard Allan Houston got a running one-hander to fall that gave the Knicks the victory.

The first eighth seeded team to knock off a one seed was the 1994 Denver Nuggets, who shocked the Seattle SuperSonics. It was a tightly contested series, and the lasting image of the upset is Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo securing the final rebound. He then proceeded to lay down on his back, and raise the ball up in the air.

We’re familiar with the shot Robert Horry made in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, but a similarly clutch hoop was made the very next time the Kings and Lakers took the floor. Game 5 also came right down to the end, and Sacramento guard Mike Bibby was ready to step up. He took a dribble handoff from Chris Webber to swish the game winning shot.

Steve Kerr is known for his coaching accomplishments with Golden State, and his playing days with Bulls as a teammate of Michael Jordan. Kerr also spent some time playing for the Spurs, and his contributions as a 37 year-old were massive in Game 6 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals. He hit four three-pointers to help the Spurs advance.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Knicks and the Bulls is known as the moment that Scottie Pippen refused to re-enter the game. That’s because Chicago head coach Phil Jackson called a play for Toni Kukoc to take the game winning shot. Kukoc delivered the bucket, and the Bulls were able to win their first game of the series.

1993 was the year of a basketball lifetime for Charles Barkley. He was traded from to the contending Suns, and won an Olympic Gold medal the previous summer. However, Phoenix’s dreams of advancing past the Western Conference Semifinals were in the balance against the Spurs. With time winding down in Game 6, Barkley put in a game winning shot over Spurs center David Robinson.

The Knicks and the Bulls were locked in a battle in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals, and neither team was going to back down. New York was able to come away with a victory in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden thanks to a dunk by John Starks that punctuated the win. Starks threw it down over Horace Grant coming over to help from the weak side.

It might seem impossible for a basketball player to score 8 points in 9 seconds, but that’s what Reggie Miller did against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He made two clutch threes and a pair of three throws to stun New York and steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Basketball is a fun sport to watch when there’s a changing of the guard at the top. The Bulls were finally able to get by the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, although Detroit star Isiah Thomas was not about to give Chicago their due. He left the court before the game was over, prompting a most poignant debates about sportsmanship.

There have been some pretty monumental steals in Celtics history, and another one was added to the list during the end of Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird stole an inbounds pass from Isiah Thomas, and passed the ball to a cutting Dennis Johnson for a game-winning layup.

The Celtics and Cavaliers were vying to see who would represent the East in the 2018 NBA Finals. Although the Cavaliers would end up moving on, a young Boston player would announce his presence to the world. Jayson Tatum fearlessly attacked the rim, dunking on Cleveland star LeBron James to get the Boston faithful fired up.