The charm of competitive sports is not only its competitiveness, but also its uncertainty. This is especially true for the NBA. In its more than 70 years of history, it has never lacked miracles, just like Reggie LeBron James scored 8 seconds and 8 points, Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in 35 seconds, and Millsap scored 11 points in 28 seconds. They all single-handedly saved the team, but it was not only these league superstars who saved the team, but those who were inconspicuous in the league. The same goes for the little guys. Let’s take a look at the little guys who saved the team in the history of the league.

1. Robert Horry

Although Robert Horry later became known as Mr. Key, in 1995, he was only a small figure in his third season in the league. It was this little man who saved the Rockets in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. In the first game of the 1995 Western Conference Finals, as the game was about to end, the Spurs led the Rockets by one point 93-92. At this time, Horry stepped forward and hit a jumper with 6.5 seconds left in the game, helping the Rockets lead 94-94. 93 won a good start to the Western Conference Finals.

2. Fisher

In the 2003-2004 season, the Lakers, who formed the luxurious F4, met their old enemy the Spurs in the second round of the Finals. In the first four games, the two teams The score was tied at 2-2. In the fifth game of Tianwangshan, the score between the two sides has been very stalemate. With 11 seconds left before the end of the game, Kobe Bryant hit a quasi-win to give the Lakers a one-point lead. Then Duncan faced O'Neal's defense hit a very difficult goal to overtake the score. At this time, there was only 0.4 seconds left on the court. The Lakers theoretically had one last chance to attack. When the Lakers sent an inbounds ball, the Spurs The team's attention was all on the superstars such as O'Neal, Kobe, and Malone. No one deliberately paid attention to the little guy Fisher. As a result, Fisher caught the ball, turned and shot in one go, facing Ginobili's block shot. Entering the net, it was precisely because of Fisher's 0.4-second buzzer beater that the Lakers were able to enter the 2004 NBA Finals.

3. Mario Eli

As the defending champion Rockets in the 1994-1995 season, they did not perform as well as the defending champion in the regular season, and in the end they could only win the Western Conference. Entering the playoffs in sixth place, they faced the Suns in the second round of the playoffs. After the first four games, the Rockets were pushed to the edge of the cliff by the Suns 1-3. Fortunately, they won two consecutive games and dragged the game into a tiebreaker. In less than half a minute, the Rockets were behind. They needed someone to step up and take key shots. If they follow the usual rules, in addition to the two core players, Robert Horry and Kenny Smith can also be candidates, but at that time But it was another substitute, Alley, who stepped forward. He received a pass from Horry in the left corner and hit a three-pointer. Then he arrogantly blew a kiss towards the opponent's bench. In the end, the Rockets won the game with a 1-point advantage, and the kiss was also called the "kiss of death." It was this three-pointer that saved the Rockets that season.

4. John Paxson

Speaking of little people saving the team, we cannot forget the two top three-point shooters on the team during the Bulls' three consecutive championships. Let's talk about Paxson first. In 1993 In Game 6 of the Finals, the Bulls had already taken a 3-2 lead before the game, but the Suns obviously did not want to admit defeat. The game between the two sides was very fierce. With 3.9 seconds before the end, the Bulls were still 2 points behind. , Jordan's dribbling breakthrough attracted many defenders. After the ball passed through the hands of Pippen and Grant, it came to the hands of substitute shooter John Paxson. The latter steadily hit a priceless three-pointer to help the Bulls establish The first three consecutive championship dynasty.

5. Cole

If Paxson saved the Bulls' first three-peat, then Cole saved the Bulls' second three-peat in 1997. In Game 6 of the 2016 Finals, with 28 seconds left in the game, the Bulls and Jazz were tied. After Jordan broke through with the ball and attracted the Jazz's defense, he passed the ball to Cole, who was in the open. As the champion of the three-point contest that season, Cole obviously would not waste this opportunity. He hit the shot with a knife in his hand and completed the quasi-win. In the end, the Bulls defeated the Jazz 4-2 and won the fifth championship. Championship trophy.

6. Barea

Before the 10-12 season finals, no one would have thought that the person who saved the Mavericks in the finals would be Barea, an inconspicuous little man. During the Finals, Barea faced James, who was much taller and stronger than him on the defensive end, and repeatedly caused James offensive fouls. On the offensive end, Barea also got better throughout the series, especially when the total score was 2-2. After taking over as the starter in the key G5 and G6, he made 7 of 11 shots in the fifth game, including three-pointers. He scored 17 points and 5 assists on 4-of-5 shooting. In the sixth game, he continued his good form and contributed 15 points and 5 assists again, helping the Mavericks win two consecutive games and finally win the championship. As the X factor in the finals, Barea has made great contributions.

7. Jonathan Simmons

As an undrafted player in 2012, Simmons could only hang out in the Development League in the early stages of his career. Simmons almost changed his career to become a barber because he could not afford to support his family. There will be a day when a little guy saves the team, but it is so magical. In the second round of the 2016-2017 Western Conference playoffs, the Spurs played 6 games against the Rockets. Due to Leonard's injury, he had been serving as a substitute before. Simmons was appointed at a critical moment and became the team's starting small forward. He also shouldered the important task of defending Harden, the core of the Rockets. As a result, Simmons not only scored a career playoff-high 18 points, but also successfully restricted the defensive end. Harden was held back, allowing Harden to make only 2 of 11 shots in the game. He only scored 10 points and made 6 turnovers. He also committed 6 fouls and left the game at the last moment.

8. Kenneth Smith

In the 1995 Finals, no one expected that the Magic, led by O'Neal and Hardaway, performed so well in the first game, and once relied on internal and external players. The power of the dual-core led the Rockets by more than 20 points. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Kenny Smith, a little man in the league, saved the team. He not only hit 6 three-pointers in the third quarter, but also hit the final shot before the end of regular time. A three-pointer to tie the score dragged the game into overtime. In the end, the Rockets almost won the first finals. Smith hit 7 3-pointers in a single game in the finals, setting a new record. The three-point record in the Finals at the time.

9. Leon Bowie

As a second-round pick, Bowie, who averaged only 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his career, is undoubtedly a small figure in the NBA, but that's it. A little man, in the second game of the 2007-08 season finals, staged a good show of a little man saving the team. In that game, facing the Lakers' luxurious inside group, Bowie fully demonstrated his impact. Within 15 minutes of coming off the bench, he made 6 of 7 shots and 9 of 13 free throws, scoring 21 points. In the end, he helped the Celtics defeat the Lakers 108-102, becoming the biggest contributor to the Celtics' victory on the spot.

10. Dellavedova

In the first game of the 2015 Finals between the Warriors and the Cavaliers, Irving suffered a fractured kneecap in the Cavaliers' starting lineup and was absent. For the remaining games, the team could only pin its hopes on the undrafted white point guard. Dellavedova, who served as the team's starting point guard, played 42 minutes in the second game of the finals. The data is not outstanding, but the core of his team's Warriors stalked him, allowing the regular season MVP to make 5 of 23 shots from the field, 2 of 15 three-pointers, and made 5 turnovers, and he grabbed the ball at the critical moment. Offensive rebound tip-ins caused fouls and free throws helped the team win. In the third game of the finals, he scored 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and scored frequently at critical moments to help the team take a 2-1 lead. It was a perfect performance of a little guy saving the team.