Last Buzzer-Beater Came During 1997 NBA Finals

Published on June 5th, 2024 8:09 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Over the history of the NBA Finals, five players have managed to hit a buzzer-beater to win a game.

The first NBA Finals buzzer-beater came in 1957.

The St. Louis Hawks were down 3-2 in the series against the Boston Celtics and were facing elimination.

Cliff Hagan of the Hawks, who finished the game with 16 points, hit a late shot to give the Hawks the win. The Celtics would eventually win the series in 7.

The next NBA Finals buzzer-beater came courtesy of the legendary Jerry West in 1962.

With the series tied 1-1, Jerry West hit a last second shot to give the Lakers the win in Game 3. The series, which featured a number of Hall of Famers, was eventually won by the Celtics in 7 games.

In Game 1 of the 1979 NBA Finals, Larry Wright of the Washington Bullets was fouled as time ticked down. With 1 second left in the game, Wright hit two free throws to give the Washington Bullets the 99-97 victory.

In Game 4 of the 1985 NBA Finals, Dennis Johnson of the Boston Celtics hit a last second jumper to give the Celtics the 107-105 victory.

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Last but certainly not least, Michael Jordan hit a 20-foot jumper to give the Bulls a 84-82 victory against the Utah Jazz. This buzzer-beater came after Karl Malone famously missed two foul shots to keep the game tied. After that, Jordan dribbled out the clock and nailed a jumper as time expired.