There are some moments that will forever be etched into the history of the NBA, and in particular, the NBA playoffs.
Everyone remembers Magic’s baby sky-hook against the Celtics, Bird stealing the ball against the Pistons, and Jordan’s last shot to beat the Jazz.
But one of the first truly legendary moments in NBA playoff history came from the NBA’s logo himself.
On April 29, 1970, the Lakers and New York Knicks were tied in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere would hit a jumper to put the Knicks up by two with only three seconds remaining.
The Lakers would immediately inbound the ball to West, who would launch a shot from 60-feet away that would fall in and send the game to overtime, much to the delight of the Lakers home fans.
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Unfortunately for West and the Lakers, the three-point line had yet to be adopted in the NBA so the shot only counted for two points. The Lakers would then fall to the Knicks in OT.
What makes the shot so legendary is the fact that this was during the NBA Finals. This was one of the many reasons that West is forever known as ‘Mr. Clutch.’ The Lakers actually failing to win the game is a secondary point to the shot itself.
Many people have made clutch shots, but few have made them from 60-feet away. This week, we remember Jerry West for his 60-foot buzzer-beater in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
If you want to re-live this moment or witness it for the first time, check it out below:
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