Milwaukee Bucks: 15 greatest NBA playoff moments
By Adam McGee
8. Allen dunks over McGrady
According to Tracy McGrady, he still has nightmares about this particular moment.
With Grant Hill sidelined, McGrady was facing a monumental task as he tried to lead the Orlando Magic past the Bucks and their Big 3 in the first round of the 2001 Eastern Conference Playoffs.
As if that wasn’t clear enough heading into the series, it certainly was when the Bucks won the first two games and set up a chance to close out the series in Orlando for Game 3.
When McGrady shook loose Darvin Ham to get all the way to the rim for a layup with 8.9 seconds remaining, Orlando’s 110-108 lead made them seem safe from the potential embarrassment of getting swept.
Perhaps eager for some additional rest, Ray Allen received the ball from the inbounds pass, drove straight by Darrell Armstrong, before throwing down a thunderous dunk over McGrady’s head to tie the game up again with three seconds remaining.
Allen’s legacy largely became associated with his jump shot, but this stands out as one of the very best examples from his career as to just how explosive Allen once was. This dunk would have been impressive in the first quarter of a regular season game, but tying the score with three seconds left in a potential series-clincher makes Allen’s jam truly momentous.
McGrady had 42 points on the night, and the Magic went on to win in OT before being eliminated with a defeat in Game 5. It’s a testament to Allen that McGrady’s outstanding performance in driving his team to a win has largely been forgotten, though. Instead, what remains is that dunk.