5 Most Controversial NBA Playoff Moments in League History
The NBA playoffs is where the greatest moments happen and the greatest players perform. It's one of the most exciting times of the season, built on matchups, drama and storylines.
While the league has witnessed some of its most memorable moments happen in the postseason, there have been a few controversies that have happened over the years. From questionable calls by officials to dubious decisions by the NBA, the playoffs have had its bad moments.
Here are five of the most controversial playoff moments in history. It should be noted that these are not ranked from first to last or vice versa, but just five of the most contentious incidents in the postseason.
Bill Laimbeer's phantom foul in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals
The LA Lakers faced off against the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals. It was a very competitive series, with the Pistons taking a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6. They were up by a point with 14 seconds left in Game 6 when a "phantom foul" was called on Bill Laimbeer, who was trying to defend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Some fans, especially Pistons fans, have argued that Laimbeer didn't commit a foul. Lakers head coach Pat Riley even called it the "phantom skyhook foul." Abdul-Jabbar hit two free throws to give the Lakers the lead. The Lakers won Game 6 and went on to lift the championship after a close victory in Game 7.
Things could have always been different if Isiah Thomas hadn't suffered a severe ankle injury in Game 6. Thomas was hobbling in Game 7 and could have made a bigger impact if he was 100% healthy.
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Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals
The Western Conference finals matchup between the Sacramento Kings and LA Lakers was one of the greatest series in NBA playoffs history. However, Game 6 of the series was infamous for several questionable and disputable calls.
One questionable moment of the game was a non-call on Kobe Bryant for elbowing Mike Bibby in the nose. The Kings were called for a lot of fouls in the fourth quarter, leading to 27 free throws. It greatly affected the result, which was a Lakers win that forced a Game 7.
The Lakers prevailed in Game 7 at Sacramento to make it to their third straight NBA Finals. Disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy even filed papers in court during his betting scandal, saying that Game 6 of the Kings-Lakers was fixed by the league.
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Dwyane Wade's free throws in the 2006 NBA Finals
The Miami Heat came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals to win their first championship. However, the series was marred by controversy due to the number of free throws Dwyane Wade took, especially in the final two games.
Wade took a total of 97 free throws during the series, making 75 of them. He had 25 and 21 free throw attempts in Game 5 and 6, respectively. The Mavericks had 25 total free throw attempts in Game 5, while the entire Heat team had 37 total in Game 6.
Mark Cuban was even fined $250,000 for directing profanities at officials and NBA commissioner David Stern. Cuban went further by hiring a former FBI agent to investigate the series. The agent found enough evidence to help Cuban win in court, but the billionaire never filed a complaint.
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Phoenix Suns suspensions in 2007 Western Conference semifinals
One of the most infamous plays in NBA history was when Robert Horry body-checked Steve Nash into oblivion in Game 4 of the 2007 Western Conference semifinals. Horry was suspended for two games due to his actions, but the Phoenix Suns also lost Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to a one-game suspension.
Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for leaving the court while they were on the bench. It was an unfair call at the time given that Stoudemire and Diaw didn't start the incident. The San Antonio Spurs won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead, while the Suns never recovered and were eliminated in Game 6.
The suspensions of Stoudemire and Diaw were scrutinized two years later. The league didn't suspend several Boston Celtics players during a similar incident against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Michael Jordan's push in the 1998 NBA Finals
Quite possibly one of the most controversial and memorable moments of Michael Jordan's career was his game-winning jump shot against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals.
Prior to the shot, Jordan appeared to have pushed off Bryon Russell to give himself the separation he needed. Some fans thought that the referees should have called an offensive foul on MJ.
However, "His Airness" was not having any of the "push off" controversy. Jordan was adamant in the "Last Dance" documentary that he did not commit an offensive foul on Russell.
"Everybody says I pushed off, bullsh*t,” Jordan said. "His energy was going that way. I didn't have to push him that way."
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