NBA: Top 10 Clutch Defensive Plays Of All Time
Defense wins championships, but great defensive plays almost never get recognition like the ones on offense. It's remarkable that apart from the top 4 on this list, many people may not even know about the other 6 plays ever taking place.
Here, we rank the top 10 late defensive plays ever made and as we are talking about big moments, these are all either in the Conference Finals or the NBA Finals.
#10 Tayshaun Prince chase-down block on Reggie Miller
Perhaps one of the most under the radar plays of all time, Prince had the greatest late chase-down block in playoff history until he was upended by a certain someone higher up on this list.
The scene was Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, with the Pistons down 1-0 in the series to the Pacers. They led 69-67 with 40 seconds left and had the ball, but the Pacers managed to steal the ball and a game-tying layup at the rim seemed a formality with the Pacers on the break. But with Reggie Miller trying to lay the ball in, there was a chance, slim nonetheless of it getting blocked and it was. Prince ran from the half-way line to get there in time to block the layup just before it hit the backboard.
The play sealed a vital win away from home for the Pistons who would eventually win the series in 6. They would go on to win the NBA championship against the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers.