Best NBA Basketball Games of All Time

It doesn’t matter which generation you’re from, great individual and team rivalries have always transcended the boundaries of time and made their way into our photo buckets. We are very fortunate to be living in an age where classic NBA games are only a satellite channel or YouTube clip away.

If history has taught us anything it’s that what makes a series great is not only the history between the teams, the amount you won on your bet that night (although we recommend checking out our review of Bovada sportsbook) but the matchup between the superstars, the game within the game, as the commentators like to repeatedly call it.

Best NBA Matchups

1) Michael Jordan vs. Karl Malone – The #1 Best NBA Matchup has to be between Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. The Utah Jazz consistently had winning regular seasons back in the 90’s, however by the time they got to the NBA finals they would always have to meet Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls took them every time, but every game went down to the last shot which made it one of the most exciting matchups of all time.

2) Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird – The Johnson vs. Bird rivalry was born during NCAA March Madness and grew into the NBA. Many compared the rivalry between these two to the rivalry between ketchup and mustard, undecided.

3) Steve Nash vs. Kobe Bryant – In the 2010 NBA Western Conference playoffs both Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant played some of the best basketball that NBA fans have ever seen. From steals, rebounds, shot blocks to acrobatic layups, Nash and Bryant were doing it all to win it for their respective teams and both played through injuries.

4) Kevin Garnett vs. Kobe Bryant – This series is probably the most fresh in the minds of NBA fans. The intense competition between Garnett and Bryant to win the NBA Finals in 7 games was definitive of competitive basketball.

5) Kobe Bryant vs. Chauncey Billups – In the 2004 NBA Finals, Billups and the Detroit Piston reigned supreme as underdogs and beat the high offensive powered Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers which led to the dismantling of the Lakers.

It looks like having Kobe Bryant in any playoff series is sure to draw in a crowd!