Walt Frazier once said you make your name in the regular season; you make your fame in the playoffs. Greatness sustained in the regular season will make a player money and fame. Don’t confuse that fame with “Fame” with the capital ‘F’. That only comes from playoff brilliance and championships. And nowhere can you do more than in a Game Seven. You ball in a Game Seven, and one day, they’ll read your name in reverent tones from a scroll on a mountain.

If Willis Reed hobbles back on to the floor for a February 1970 game against Seattle, it’s appreciated by his teammates only.

But when Willis Reed limps onto center court at Madison Square Garden in Game 7, and the name Willis Reed is synonymous with courage. Two hours and an epic victory later, and few remember that he scored a mere four points (the first two baskets of the game), and was barely able to play the first half. The legend was made for a lifetime.

Game Seven pressure isn’t for everyone. Doug Christie admitted being overwhelmed by the moment. He went 2 for 13. The Kings lose. (Chris Webber took all the heat for some reason, but I digress.) Dennis Johnson once went oh-for-14 in a Game 7. He came back the next year to be Finals MVP, proving that redemption is possible, but never assured.

Game Seven just has that attraction. The finality of the game. The ultimate “must win” for both teams. None of this “it’s a must win” #### when a team is down 2-1 in the series. You win and move on – or capture the prize, or you lose and go home. The setup and build up is important. The eyes of the world focused on this stage, and that desire we have for heroes to rise up, and frankly we also live to see who will sink under the pressure. One game. For survival.

In what has already been an incredible playoff season, in less than four hours we’ll start not one, but two Game Sevens. Steve Nash, Sam Cassell, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker... who will enhance their cred, who will create a legend tonight?

In that vein, let’s look at the great moments of Game Sevens Past. The surprise may be in the names you will NOT see here. Magic’s 42 point, 15 rebound, 7 assist gem in 1980 vs. Philly? Sorry, it was a Game 6. Kareem’s 29 points in Boston Garden that finally ended the Celtic mojo on the Lakers? Ditto. Don’t look for Michael Jordan either. The Bulls never went to a Game 7 in the Finals, and his other Game Sevens, while nice, they don’t make the cut here. Sam Jones and Oscar Robinson had some games that came close in the 1960s, but they were in decisive best-of-five series. My personal tough omission was Bernard King’s one-man demolition of the Pistons in 1984, but again, it was in a 5-game series.

Tim Duncan last year? He made a nice run in the third period of Game 7 last year, but once you get past the spin control of the announcers, you realize that he was 10-27. Sorry, but Magnificent Seven ballers need no validation from the media. Their performance is gives them their cred and we, the fan, acknowledge and recognize.

One day, if they ever come up with a Game Seven Most Valuable Baller award, name it after Bill Russell. Why? Let me preface my remarks thusly: I love Wilt. I think he was the greatest center ever, and possibly the greatest player to ever lace up Chuck Taylors, Nikes, or whatever anti-gravity boots ballers will wear in 2106.

But Bill was 10-0 in Game 7. Read that again. Ten Game Sevens, the man never lost. Four times against Wilt's teams, he won by a combined total of nine points. Some of those involved luck (especially 1965 and 69), but 10-0 is hard to beat - or impeach.

Read on:

1970 Clyde and Willis – Even fans who weren’t born in 1970 know about the 1970 Knicks.  The Setup: Willis Reed went down with a thigh injury in Game 5, and the Knicks rallied for a miracle win. Game 6 featured Wilt Chamberlain (himself recently back from a major knee injury) putting up 45 and 27 ballboards in a blowout win.

The Inspiration: Just before game time, Willis got two injections that allowed him to walk on to the floor (wait a minute, isn’t that a performance enhancing drug?). Nothing written can do the ovation he received justice. Just watch the replay. And everyone was caught up in the moment, Knicks, their fans, and alas, the Lakers as well. Reed hits the first two shots of the game, and the rout was on. 63-39 Knicks at the half, they cruise to their first title 113-99. The Devastation: Many tend to forget those first two baskets were Reed’s only points of the game. As Walt Frazier put it, “Willis provided the inspiration, I provided the devastation.” 36 points and 19 assists. Think about that, 19 dimes in a game where you score 36. And at least four steals of his rival Jerry West. Willis got the MVP, but a second should have been made for Clyde.

1969 Finals: The Logo Falls Just Short – Six times, the Lakers played the Celtics in the 1960s for the title. Three times, it came to a Game Seven.

The Setup: The previous five times, Boston came out ahead. In every series, Boston had home court. But this time, the Lakers at 55-27 had home court over the 48-34 Celtics. Moreover, after having no real threat to Bill Russell in the middle, the Lakers had picked up Wilt Chamberlain from the Sixers. The Lakers were favored, and went up 2-0 in the series. Only a Sam Jones miracle basket at the buzzer to save the series for Boston. Meanwhile, Jerry West was a beast. The Logo goes off for 53 points and 10 assists in a Game 1 win, and had cracked 30 points in four of the first six games. For the first time in this rivalry, the Lakers would host Game Seven. Laker owner Jack Kent Cooke was so sure of victory, he ordered 10,000 balloons to be put into the rafters at the Forum, to be released when the Lakers finally won.

The Game:  West did his part, playing 46 minutes with a badly damaged hamstring and jammed finger. Mr. Clutch dropped 42, with 13 boards and 12 assists, his fourth game of at least 39 points in the series. However, this game is better remembered for:

·        - Jack Kent Cooke’s balloons in the Forum rafters.  The Celtics got wind of the plans, no doubt helped by a glance upward into the rafters where the balloons sat. Russell said, “It’s going to be fun watching them take those balloons down one at a time.” Suitably inspired, Boston jumped out to a 24-12 lead and maintained control throughout until a massive fourth quarter rally by the Lakers.

·        - Butch Van Breda Koff benching of Wilt for the final five minutes of the game. The Lakers had cut a 17 point deficit to 9 when Wilt (who outscored Russell 18-6, and outrebounded him 27-21 in five fewer minutes) limped off the floor with a leg injury. After a minute, he attempted to go back in, but was told to sit. The Lakers got within one, but no closer because of:

·        …Don Nelson’s shot clock buzzer-beater that hit the back iron went straight up and fell through to give the Celtics the breathing room they needed to win their 11^th title 94-92.   

   Footnote: Insult to Injury? As Finals MVP (the only one awarded to a player on the losing team), West won a car. It was green. To this day, West is still the only player on the losing team to win the MVP. The balloons? They were donated to a children’s hospital. Of special note to the bricklayers remaining in the playoffs: The Lakers shot 28 for 47 from the chairty stripe.

Hakeem Olaujuwon: 1994 Finals – 1994 marked the first time neither team broke 100 in any game. But there was a Game 7 of note. Hakeem cemented his status as the league’s premier player in the absence of Air Jordan.

The Game: Hakeem scored 25 points 10 boards, 7 assists and 4 blocks against his rival Patrick Ewing. As he did in Game 6, Hakeem came up with a big block and a rebound late in the game. Hakeem pulled down the MVP honors making him the first player in NBA history to win regular season and Finals MVP and Defensive Player Of The year in the same season.

Footnote: Shooting Blanks - No Knick fan can remember this series without remembering All-Star John Starks’ 2-18 stat line in Game 7. Nor should Pat Riley be forgotten for not going to a hotter – or less cold – shooter when it was obvious that the streak-shooting Starks was having an off game. I thank Knick fans for that whenever I see them.

1957: And The Rookies Shall Lead – I consider this one of the true hidden gems of the NBA. The 1957 Finals was one of the greatest playoff series ever. Really. Short-shorts, running hook shots, and set shots aside, Game 7 is arguably the best single NBA basketball game ever played. This game had it all: Seven Hall of Famers on the court (the Celtics started four, and brought Frank Ramsey off the bench), double overtime, last second baskets, and a Hail Mary that nearly pushed this classic to a third OT. The league should do everyone a favor and find the full tape of this game.

 The Setup: The St. Louis Hawks made the Finals thanks to a trade with Boston. The Celtics sent All-Star Ed Macauley and future All-Star Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for the draft rights to an offensively challenged stringbean named Bill Russell. The trade got St. Louis to the Finals four times in five years. The trade would get Boston a dynasty. Did I mention that Red Auerbach used to work for Hawks owner Ben Kerner? And that Red punched him in the mouth before Game 3? And you thought Mark Cuban was interesting.

The Game: Double digit lead changes? Try 38 lead changes. 28 ties. Last second shots? A last second shot by the Hawks Jack Coleman forced overtime. Then late free throws forced a second OT. Russell came up with 19 points, 32 boards and (unofficially) 12 blocks. Tom Heinsohn, who actually won Rookie of the Year that year, poured in 37 points and 23 ballboards before fouling out.

With the C’s up 125-123 and 2 seconds remaining, Hawks player-coach Alex Hannum checks himself into the game for the first time with a special play: Hannum inbounds the ball from under his defensive basket. He hasHall of Famer forward Bob Pettit to station himself at the foul line while Hannum launches a pass from the opposite baseline. “I’ll throw it off the backboard and rim, you crash the glass and tip it in” said Hannum. Pettit said years later, “We’re all wondering, Alex has a hard time hitting the rim from 15 feet; how in the heck is he going to do it from 94 feet?”

And guess what? Not only did Hannum flawlessly manage to get the ball off the backboard and the rim, Pettit got the rebound. And as Pettit tells it, “I should have made the shot, really. Alex’s pass was perfect, I just rushed it.” The last shot circled the rim and fell off, and the Celtics begin the Russell Era with an amazing 125-123 win.

Footnote - History goes to the Winners: The C’s needed every point from Russell and Heinsohn. The Celtics starting backcourt of Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman combined to go – brace yourself – 5 for 40 from the floor. Two Hall Of Fame and Top 50 players shoot 12.5% in a Game 7. With that type of bricklaying, we have an idea of where some of those rebounds came from. It also shows that when you win, all is forgiven.

Lakers and Celtics 1962: Oh So Close – The 1969 loss may have been the most painful one for Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Co. to take. But the Lakers never came closer to ending the Celtics streak of eight straight championships than on April 18, 1962.

The Setup: The Celtics had designs on a mere four-pete in 1962, having won three straight already. The Lakers had come into their own with Jerry West (30.8) and Elgin Baylor (38.3) being the league’s most lethal 1-2 combo (Jordan and Pippen eat your heart out). The Lakers had the firepower, with Baylor’s 61 point explosion winning Game 5 at the Garden. But the Celtics had balance, and they had Russell. That proved to be the difference.

The Game:  A tense affair from wire to wire, the Celtics led by 6 at the half despite a 1 for 10 start for Sam Jones. The Lakers rallied to tie the game at 100 on consecutive baskets by Frank Selvy. After a Boston miss, the Lakers had a shot to win the title in regulation. West and Baylor were covered. The pass went to a wide-open Selvy who put up a 10 foot jumper from near the baseline, a shot he made 8 times out of 10. The shot skidded just off the rim, and into the loving arms of Russell. Overtime. Once there, the Celtics held off the Lakers 110-107. Sam Jones came back to score 27, but it was Russell who won it for the Celtics. The career 15.1 per game scorer went for 30 points with 40 -yes you read that right -forty rebounds!

Footnote - Byron Russell meet Elgin Baylor: For years, Baylor maintained he got shoved out of bounds just before he could tap in Selvy’s last shot. Several years after the game, he got a copy of the game film, and it showed Sam Jones shoving him right out perfect rebounding position, “Right into the referee. There was no foul call there either.” Jones later admitted his “crime”. If you get away with it, it’s legal, right?

1982: The Boston Strangler gets The Leprechaun. It was a familiar nightmare for Sixer fans. The Setup: In 1968 the Sixers blew a 3-1 lead to Boston, losing Game 7 in the Garden by 2 points. In 1981, the Celtics rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take down the Sixers, winning game 7 at “Da Gahden” 91-90.  In 1982, the Sixers again led 3-1. Again they lost the next two. Again they had to play a Game 7 in…you guessed it. Celtic fans, who could match Philly fans in sheer obnoxiousness, were primed. The Boston Garden was know to #### teams, players, and even referees whole in pressure situations. Being merely strong wasn’t enough to survive. The garden could only be conquered by the fearless. Enter Andrew Toney. Always a consistent and fearless scorer, Toney turned his game up several levels against the hated Green. Toney already had three games of 26 or more points in the series against the Celtics, many of them with his signature unorthodox but lethal jumper. Game Seven would immortalize Toney with his politically incorrect, but perfectly accurate moniker.

The Game: The Sixers led, the Celtics kept the pressure on. You kept waiting for the Celtics to break the Sixers. Boston Garden crazies, Bird, Parrish, Tiny…the C’s would make a run, but Dr. J (28 points), or Bobby Jones would have a big basket. Most of all, it was Andrew Toney, with no fear, with a game high 34 points (series average of 26.5) with repeated daggers to the heart of the Celtics and the Garden faithful. The breakage never came. The Sixers cut down the Celtics 120-106 in Game Seven, only the second time ever that the Celtics had ever lost a Game Seven in their house. And Andrew Toney forever became “The Boston Strangler”.

Footnote - Shockingly Classy Sendoff: In the closing moments, when it became obvious that the Curse of The Leprechaun was broken, the Boston crowd rose to their feet and paid tribute to the Sixers with a spontaneous “Beat LA!” chant.

1988: The Gunfight at The Garden – The Eastern Conference Semifinals featured the Boston Celtics at the end of their great run and the Atlanta Hawks, a powerful team in their own right. Alas, they had the misfortune of playing the same era – and conference - as the Celtics, Bulls, and Pistons. But in Game 7, the Hawks and their leader, Dominique Wilkins had their finest hour.

The Game: The game was close, but nothing special – well, by the criteria of this article. However, when the game was tied at 86 with about 10 minutes to go, something happened. A basket by Bird, an answering basket by Wilkins. After that, Nique and Larry Bird decided to strap ‘em on. As Kevin McHale said, "It was like two gunfighters waiting to blink. There was one stretch that was as pure a form of basketball as you're ever going to see." And it was. For the remainder of that game, you didn’t leave the TV, you turned down phone calls, although I made at least two screaming into the phone “You got to turn on the $%*&@ TV to the game! Nique’s goin’ OFF!”

But so was Bird, with 9 points in two minutes. But Wilkins answered again and again. In one sequence, Bird hit a jaw dropping jumper in traffic. Celtics up by 3. Wilkins promptly comes down and nails a deep three from the left wing. Game tied. Bird got the go-ahead basket with a little over 3 minutes, but the Celtics couldn’t shake the hawks. It was like match point between Andre and Sampras. Back and forth, and back and forth again. The game didn’t end until an intentional free throw miss by Nique was tipped away by Parish at the final horn. Celtics 118 Hawks 116. The Celtics didn't win - the Hawks simply ran out of time. Bird had 20 points in the fourth quarter on 9-10 shooting, and 34 total on 15-20 shooting. Wilkins was even better: 19-24 for 47 points. I’m no fan of the “noble in victory”, and as a Laker/Rockets fan, has always had a healthy dislike of the Celtics. Yet, no one I know who saw the game wanted it to end. Basketball in heaven would have duels like this every day.

1988: The Pistons are Not Worthy – Do you want to earn a nickname? Drop a Triple Double in a Game 7. There haven’t been many of them in the past. James Worthy, who lived in the shadow of his teammates for most of his career, had developed an interesting habit. Only once in his career did he not average more points and rebounds in the postseason than he did in the regular season. 1988 was a war between the Lakers and the rising dynasty that was the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons served notice with a 105-93 Game 1 victory.

A Game Five win put the Pistons up 3-2, but back in the Forum, the Lakers won Game 6 with 26 from Worthy, which was just enough to withstand Isiah Thomas’ epic 25 point third quarter despite a badly sprained ankle. All of this set up Game 7.

The Game: Big Game James fueled a third period rally (hitting their first 10 shots of the second half) to go up by as many as 15 in the fourth period. The Pistons got to within one, but could not close the deal. And even with the brilliance of Magic Johnson, it was Big Game James Worthy stage. 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. A monster triple double, and it made the 88 Lakers the first repeat champs since the 1969 Celtics.

Footnote – The Lakers became the only team to win three seven game series in one playoffs, having beaten Dallas and Utah in the previous series before the Pistons.

Honorable Mentions:

1981 Western Semifinals - Calvin Murphy, the Rockets’ star 6^th man, was placed back into the starting lineup for Game 7 of the Western Semifinals. He went for 42 points as the Rockets upset the San Antonio Spurs on their way to the Finals that year.

1984 NBA Finals - Cedric Maxwell told his teammates before the game, "Get on back boys, and I'll carry you home." He did just that with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Larry Bird might have been the Finals MVP, but there was no doubt that Maxwell was the Game 7 MVP. If I could add one more to my list, it would have been this performance.

1987 Eastern Conference Finals – The evil demons of the Boston Garden strike again. Vinnie Johnson and Adrian Dantley bumped heads in a loose ball collision in the fourth period. Neither man was 100% the rest of the way, and the Celtics exploited this to pull out a narrow win. It was Boston’s last conference championship.

2002 Western Conference Finals – Kings have a chance to win at the buzzer, but Peja Stojakovic air balls a long jumper. Kobe and Shaq hold off Kings in OT, as the badly outplayed Lakers somehow win the series.

1971 Eastern Conference Finals – Baltimore outguts the Knicks 93-91 in a classic seven game war, capped by a great Game Seven. Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe outscored Walt Frazier 26-13, and current commentator Fred “The Man With The Point” Carter hit what proved to be the winning basket.