OG Anunoby has steadily improved over the course of each of his five years in the league and we saw that come to life in the Toronto Raptors’ First Round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. Up 12 points late in Game 5 with momentum on his side, Anunoby sets up for the dagger, rejecting a ball screen before taking off down the right side and dropping the sledgehammer on the way to a 103-88 victory. Anunoby was versatile in the series and the win, with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists on April 25, 2022.

OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby penetrates through paint for one-handed slam in 2022 Playoff win

In win-or-go-home situations with their season on the line, it’s the best players who find a way to tap into a new level. On the brink of elimination, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam proved prepared for the pressure, drawing a favorable switch on a pick-and-roll before muscling his way into the paint for a tough finger roll in traffic. This was a part of Siakam’s explosive second quarter, in which he scored 15 of his 34 points, giving Toronto a lead they would never again surrender on the way to cutting it to a 110-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of the First Round. Siakam also added in eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks in an all-around performance on April 23, 2022.

Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam battles for tough bucket in 2022 Playoff victory

History hits different at home. Embattled in a heated Game 1 matchup against a Brooklyn Nets team once considered a title favorite, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum sent the loudest conceivable message to the basketball world watching, capping off an instant-classic display of ball movement with a game-winning, spinning layup off glass just as the final horn sounded on April 17, 2022. Tatum’s late bucket marks Boston’s first game-winning playoff buzzer beater on home soil in the franchise’s 75-year history.

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum beats Nets with game-winning layup in first game of 2022 Playoffs

In search of an elusive championship ring, it’s never too late to reach new career-highs. In playoff game No. 132 of his career, Boston Celtics veteran Al Horford turned back the clock in every way, taking advantage of a hard close-out from the Milwaukee Bucks defense on the way to a violent, crowd-quieting contact jam. Horford, in his 25th-ever postseason series, had a playoff career-high 30 points including 16 on a perfect six-of-six in a wild fourth-quarter comeback to power a 116-108 win on May 9, 2022. 

Al Horford

Al Horford blows past, dunks over Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2022 Playoffs

Methodical and precise, leave it to Chris Paul to taste perfection in the postseason. Unstoppable with an opportunity to close out a first-round series in Game 6, the Phoenix Suns guard tests his defender at the perimeter before driving into the paint, stopping on a dime and pulling up for a record-breaking fadeaway on April 28, 2022. Paul went 14-for-14 from the field in the win, racking up the most playoff points without a miss in NBA history.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul clinches 2022 Playoff series with record-setting 14-for-14 night

As the old basketball adage goes, a Game 7 is much easier when you have a player capable of being the best player on the floor. Seeking to stretch out a 30-point lead against the defending Western Conference champions, Dallas Mavericks star forward Luka Dončić took that to a different level, getting a pick-and-roll switch and using a between-the-legs dribble to put a Phoenix Suns defender on the floor before draining a three-pointer. Dončić was on a mission from the opening tip, outscoring the entire Suns team in the first half on the way to 35 points, 10 rebounds, six triples and four assists. This helped push the Mavericks to a 123-90 win in enemy territory and Dončić’s first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance on May 15, 2022.

Luka Dončić

Luka Dončić floors defender in series-clinching blowout in 2022 Playoffs

Up by one point with 10 seconds remaining, it was poetic that Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday needed to come up with a defensive stop against the recently appointed Defensive Player of the Year to save the game. Rotating over at the last second to defend a Marcus Smart layup attempt, the three-time All-Defensive Team talent shows his championship pedigree, sneaking into the play, getting both a block, and throwing the ball off his man to force an out of bounds play. That play —  and a game-winning steal just seconds later —  helped guide the Bucks to a 110-107 win to take a 3-2 edge over the Boston Celtics on May 11, 2022. Holiday had his fingerprints all over the box score with 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four triples, two blocks and one steal.

Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday blankets Marcus Smart shot attempt to clinch 2022 Playoff victory

Three of the scariest words a defense can hear heading into a must-win playoff game? Game 6 Klay. In search of a season-extending win without their All-Star, the Memphis Grizzlies took to the road unaware that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson was about to piece together another signature performance. Up by 10 points with three minutes to go and in need of a dagger, Thompson benefits from a teammate’s rebound and pass, squaring himself up to deliver a three-point nail in the coffin to send the crowd into a frenzy and his team to the Western Conference Finals. Thompson finished his May 13, 2022 masterpiece with 30 points, eight three-pointers, eight rebounds and three blocks in a 110-96 triumph.

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson blows roof off Chase Center with Game 6 triple in 2022 Playoffs

Jalen Brunson is playoff ready. After a solid 2021-22 campaign, the breakout star of the Dallas Mavericks takes the rock in Game 6 of their first-round series against the Utah Jazz, incapacitates vaunted rim protector Rudy Gobert with a series of rapid-fire dribble moves, then pulls up for an effortless mid-range jump shot. Brunson’s 24-point performance on April 28, 2022 capped off a memorable series for the fourth-year veteran.

Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson makes defender dance before pull-up jumper in 2022 Playoffs

Series after series, the Golden State Warriors entrusted Andrew Wiggins with the challenge of guarding the opposition's brightest perimeter scorer and he consistently delivered. In need of razor-sharp focus to close out Game 6 and walk out as NBA champions, Wiggins again showcases his defensive vigor, matching Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum step-for-step on a drive attempt before finishing with a well-timed swat. The rejection helped the Warriors maintain an 11-point advantage with six minutes to go on the way to a 103-90 victory on June 16, 2022. As with the block, Wiggins' fingerprints were all over the Warriors win, as he collected 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, four three-pointers, four steals and three blocks. 

Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins hounds Jayson Tatum in decisive Game 6 of 2022 Finals

Before Game 1 of his series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony Edwards took to social media to deliver a simple message: when the lights come on, he shows up. Edwards took to defending that message right away in the postseason, using a series of between-the-leg dribbles to catch a defender off guard, before finishing the possession with a smooth stepback. This play helped Minnesota open a five-point lead to start the fourth, on the way to a 130-117 road upset. Edwards excelled in his first postseason test with 36 points, six assists, four triples, and two blocks on April 16, 2022.

Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards delivers with stepback jumper in 2022 Playoff debut

With his team in danger of dropping two series-opening games on their home floor, Ja Morant decided it was time to score by any means, even if it meant putting a defender on that very floor. Trailing 99-98 with under two minutes to go, the Memphis Grizzlies guard calls an isolation before slicing a Golden State Warriors defender with a rhythmic-crossover-half-spin combination before dropping in a floater to give his team a lead they would never again surrender. Morant added to his big-game profile on May 3, 2022, with 47 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 106-101 win to tie the series at one game apiece.

Ja Morant

Ja Morant spins defender into the ground in 47-point 2022 Playoff performance

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