Thirteen Great Moments from the 2006 NBA Playoffs

The 2006 NBA Playoffs was arguably the most exciting in the league's history. The record for total overtimes (8) was broken by the Conference Semifinals -- which saw three of its four series go to a decisive seventh game. Young players such as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James saw their stardom brighten while the powers of the past, such as San Antonio and Detroit, saw their glory fade. The 2006 NBA Playoffs won't soon be forgotten, and it's with that belief that NBA TV Broadband presents 13 unforgettable moments of a very special postseason.

Brent Barry's Game-Tying Three-Pointer vs. Kings; Game 2, Western Conference First Round

Barry's three-pointer from the right corner rattled around and off the backboard before dropping through with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to help the Spurs force OT, and eventually defeat the Kings, 128-119.

"I couldn't believe it," Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili said. "When I passed the ball I was under the basket. My focus was on grabbing the rebound when it looked like the shot missed, then it hit the backboard and went in."

"Every playoff game takes on a life of it's own and you never know if you're going to be the guy who steps up," Barry said.


LeBron James' bank shot with 5.7 seconds vs. Wizards; Game 3, Eastern Conference First Round

James scored 14 of his 41 points, a record for a road debut, in the fourth quarter, including a tough banker with 5.7 seconds remaining, to help the Cavaliers capture a hard-fought 97-96 triumph over the Washington Wizards in Game 3 of their first-round series.

With the Cavaliers trailing, 96-95, in the waning seconds, James drove past Antonio Daniels and hung in the air before hitting a short banker over Michael Ruffin to give Cleveland the lead in the pivotal contest.


Kevin Martin's Game-Winning Layup vs. Spurs; Game 3, Western Conference First Round

Martin connected on a buzzer-beating layup over the outstretched arms of Tim Duncan as the Kings pulled out a critical 94-93 triumph over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series.

Mike Bibby stripped the ball from Manu Ginobili and quickly raced to the other end where he hit a charging Martin, whose layup agonizingly bounced along the rim before finally falling through the hoop as time expired.

"I couldn't believe it was going to go in," said Bibby, whose Kings avoiding falling in a 3-0 hole. "I was standing underneath the rim and just saw it bounce around and around."


LeBron James' Baseline Layup vs. Wizards; Game 5, Eastern Conference First Round

James sliced his way along the baseline for a layup with 0.9 remaining in overtime to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a heart-stopping 121-120 victory over the Washington Wizards and a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

"I saw Antawn Jamison closing out hard," said James, who scored 45 points. "I had enough room on that baseline, if I wore like an 18 or 19 shoe, I wouldn't have made it. But I wear a 16 and I was able to tight-rope it and get a layup."


Damon Jones' Baseline Three-Pointer vs. Wizards; Game 6, Eastern Conference First Round

Jones hit a jumper from the left corner with 4.8 seconds remaining to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 114-113 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards in Game 6 of their first-round series.

Hardly used throughout the series, Jones was inserted into the game for the first time with Cleveland trailing, 113-112, with 14 seconds left and his team inbounding just past half-court.

"I was going to either be the hero or the goat," Jones said. "Tonight I was the hero so I'm glad. That's why I'm smiling. I closed the MCI Center down and the place that you guys knew as the Verizon Center is no more."


Jason Terry's Rainbow Jumper vs. Spurs; Game 4, Western Conference Semifinals

Terry's rainbow jumper late in overtime capped one of the best playoff games in recent memory and put the exclamation point on the Mavericks' thrilling 123-118 Game 4 victory over the defending champion Spurs, who fell behind 3-1 in the series.

"Jason Terry and some of the clutch shots that he made tonight were awesome," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said.


Raja Bell's 2OT-Forcing Three-Pointer vs. Clippers; Game 5, Western Conference Semifinals

The Suns blew a 19-point second-half lead and were rescued by Bell, who drained a tying 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to play in the first overtime. Bell bolted to the left corner, took the inbounds pass and buried the tying shot, bringing a roar from the crowd at the US Airways Center.

"Raja just brought us out of the depths. We just kept battling and found a way," said Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team won in double overtime.

Said Bell: "I just caught it and shot it. There wasn't enough time to do anything else or think about it but it felt good when it left my hand."


Drew Gooden's Baseline Layup vs. Pistons; Game 5, Eastern Conference Semifinals


LeBron James found Gooden for the go-ahead layup with 27.8 seconds left as the Cavaliers won their third straight over the Detroit Pistons, 86-84.

James missed a runner and Ben Wallace drew a foul with 40 seconds left. With a chance to give Detroit the lead, he missed both shots, completing an 0-of-7 showing at the line.

On the ensuing possession, James was double-teamed at the arc, took a pair of dribbles inside the circle and zipped a pass underneath to Gooden, who muscled his way for the go-ahead layup.


Dirk Nowitzki's Three-Point Play vs. Spurs; Game 7, Western Conference Semifinals


Nowitzki's season-saving three-point play forced overtime, where the Mavericks surged to a 119-111 victory over the Spurs in Game 7.

The Spurs a 104-101 lead with 32 seconds remaining in regulation and brought a roar from the crowd at the AT&T Center, who sensed the completion of a historic comeback.

Nowitzki had other ideas. Instead of settling for one of his patented jumpers - as he did at the end of Game 6 - the 7-footer overpowered a smaller defender on his way to the basket and dropped in a layup while drawing a hard foul from Ginobili. His free throw tied it with 21 seconds to go.


Boris Diaw's Turnaround Jumper vs. Mavericks; Game 1, Western Conference Finals

Diaw's basket with 0.5 seconds helped give he Suns a thrilling 121-118 victory over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The basket followed Devin Harris' 17-footer from the right wing, giving the Mavericks a 118-117 lead with 4.8 seconds to play.

After a timeout, Tim Thomas inbounded to Diaw, who got deep position on Jerry Stackhouse and made a turnaround 10-footer from the right baseline, silencing the sellout crowd at the American Airlines Center.

"That wasn't a play for me," Diaw said. "We ran a play we've run two or three times during the year for Steve. Dallas saw the play and I think they knew what we were going to do. I had the ball, so I had to take the shot."


The Heat's 13-point Fourth Quarter Comeback vs. Mavericks; Game 3, The Finals

Dwyane Wade scored a playoff career-high 42 points and singlehandedly fueled a series-saving comeback as the Heat rallied for a 98-96 victory over the stunned Dallas Mavericks. Erasing a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Heat closed the series to 2-1.

"I'm absolutely without a doubt a true believer," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "I've been around players 40 years. I know when they look around and they look up and they say, 'This doesn't look very good.' But you've just got to keep trying."

"We're a very strong-willed team," Wade said. "We all believe in each other. When we're down and out, we always feel we can come back."


Dwyane Wade's Free Throws win 1.9 seconds vs. Mavericks; Game 5, The Finals

Wade scored 43 points and capped a classic contest with two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to lift the Heat to a 101-100 victory over the Mavericks in the pivotal fifth game of the NBA Finals.

"It was probably one of the greatest games I've been around, part of," said Heat coach Pat Riley, who is tracking his fifth title as a coach. "Everybody making big shots."

Counted out a week ago, the Heat became just the second team to win the middle three home games in the 2-3-2 format to engineer a complete reversal of the series.


Miami Heat Win 2006 NBA Finals vs. Mavericks; Game 6

Dwyane Wade lifted the Miami Heat to their first NBA title, as they defeated and deflated the Dallas Mavericks, 95-92, to complete a stirring, historical comeback.

With a remarkable reversal beginning with a stirring fourth-quarter comeback in Game 3, the Heat became just the third team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win the Finals, joining the 1969 Boston Celtics and 1977 Portland Trail Blazers. They avoided the specter of a Game 7 on the road by grabbing the momentum and never relinquishing it.

"That's what makes it sweet, because not at one moment did one of us not believe in each other," Wade said.