The 2025 NBA playoffs have been a throwback, featuring physical, low-scoring contests that have come down to the wire.
The closeness of the games has fans on the edge of their seats, leading to a massive surge in viewership. Thus far, there have already been five game-winners with under five seconds left (regulation or OT).
Here, we rank the clutch shots based on stakes involved, wow factor and degree of difficulty.
No. 1: Jalen Brunson silences the Detroit crowd
With the opportunity to close out the Pistons at home in Game 5, Brunson was shut down by Ausar Thompson, who held the Knicks star to 4-of-16 shooting.
Brunson would get revenge in Game 6, putting Thompson on skates before hitting the series-clinching three. The reaction of the Pistons faithful made the shot all the more memorable. The play evoked a rare double-bang call from Mike Breen and had Walt Frazier utter the fitting words, “Thompson stumbles and Brunson humbles him.”
