What makes basketball the most thrilling and electrifying sport is that any game can be decided with less than 1 second left on the clock. If there is one thing we learned from watching the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals (or even the Pacers vs. Knicks in 1995), its that you never change the channel before the final buzzer sounds and the shot clock reached 00:00. Perhaps the best way to illustrate to someone who does not follow the NBA as to why the game is never over until the final buzzer rings is by showing them Derek Fisher's history "0.4 shot". After Tim Duncan hit what everyone thought was the game winner, Derek Fisher drills a turnaround jumper with less than half a second on the clock, putting the Lakers up 3-2 against the Spurs in the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals.
Throughout the history of the NBA there has been a number of historic game winning shots. But my personal favorite crunch time player has to be the Washington Wizards former All Star point guard Gilbert Arenas. Arenas is known as Agent 0, because of his jersey #0. But I like to think of him as being the Agent 0 because of what he can do when the shot clock creeps closer to 0. In his '06-'07 season with the Wizards, he had a number of signature buzzer-beater shots. He beat the Milwaukee Bucks on January 3rd 2007 with a deep 3 point shot (in the post game interview: "My swag was phenomenal".) He drilled another 3 point game winner just 2 weeks later against the Utah Jazz (notice that he raises his arms up in jubilation before the ball even hits the net.) He plowed through the lane in Seattle, beating the Supersonics at the buzzer with a wild bank shot. And in the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Gil beat the Chicago Bulls on a pull up jumper with 3 seconds left, giving the Wizards their first Playoff lead since 1988.
Arenas also had two exceptionally deep 3 point buzzer beaters against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He sunk a long range shot to force overtime in the first round of the 2007 Playoffs. But my favorite has to be his 1st quarter buzzer beater in Cleveland from way (way, way, way) downtown.
Honorable mention: being from Orlando and a life-long Magic fan, I have to highlight both Gil's 3rd Quarter long range buzzer against the Kings and his full court shot that was waved off because it banked off the shot clock.
Gilbert Arenas receives a lot of negative criticism due to his gun charges in 2010, poor performance due to injury, and his controversial (and extremely entertaining) Twitter account which he was fined for in 2011. Regardless, a true fan of the NBA has to appreciate the unbelievably clutch plays he put together during his time in Washington, and hopefully he will get back to his old self, whether its in Orlando or with another ball club.
Gilbert Arenas bows for the Staples Center
after dropping 60 points against the Lakers.
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