The 40 Greatest NBA Finals of All Time, Ranked

One game. That’s all Allen Iverson stole from the nearly invincible 2001 Lakers. But what a theft it was—Game 1 in L.A., overtime, Iverson stepping over Tyronn Lue after dropping 48. That moment became iconic. Unfortunately for Philly, it also woke the beast.

Shaq was unstoppable, Kobe was surgical, and the Lakers swept the rest of the series with icy efficiency. Though it ended quickly, that single win by a defiant underdog carved its place in NBA lore. The Sixers didn’t win the war, but they landed a punch that’s still replayed 20 years later.