5 most shocking Finals moments

With the Golden State Warriors taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, basketball fans are expecting a series for the ages.

With seasons on the line, it's no wonder the Finals has produced its fair share of big moments over the years, including some that current participants LeBron James and Stephen Curry should be very familiar with.

Here's a look back at five of the most thrilling moments in basketball's championship series:

Jordan overcomes flu, silences Jazz

Food poisoning is no joke, as Michael Jordan found out during the 1997 Finals. With the series between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz tied at two games apiece, a pivotal Game 5 in Salt Lake City would tilt the championship odds in favor of the victor.

Hours after lying in a heap on the floor of his hotel room, his body aggressively rejecting a stomach bug attributed to tainted pizza, Jordan would lead all scorers with 38 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the last minute of the Bulls' 90-88 win. It gave Chicago a series lead that would prove insurmountable.

"The Flu Game" would become the flashpoint moment of Jordan's fifth championship, bolstering His Airness' flawless Finals record. Karl Malone, John Stockton, and the Jazz would go down as yet another great team that just couldn't get over the MJ hump. What else can be said? It was Jordan's sickest performance.

Iverson snaps Lakers' playoff win streak

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Heading into the 2001 Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by all-timers Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, looked unstoppable. The reigning 2000 champs had cruised through their first three playoff series without suffering a single loss. They were just four wins against the Philadelphia 76ers from an unprecedented perfect playoff record. But Allen Iverson had other plans.

The 2001 MVP turned in perhaps his greatest game ever in Game 1 of the Finals, dropping 48 points, six assists, five rebounds, and five steals, and playing all but one minute in the Sixers' overtime victory on the Lakers' home court.

Mouths that had chanted "sweep" at the beginning of the game were left agape as a team anchored by the 7-foot-3 O'Neal at his physical peak fell to the diminutive Iverson, charitably listed at 6-foot.

The Lakers would have the last laugh, winning the series 4-1, but not before Iverson put an end to the debate of whether Los Angeles could have an unbeaten postseason. The Answer was obvious.

Willis Reed returns with broken leg to stymie Wilt

When New York Knicks Hall of Famer Willis Reed was ruled out for Game 6 of the 1970 Finals with a torn thigh muscle, Knicks faithful assumed his season was over. After the Lakers - led by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor - secured a 135-113 victory in Game 6 to even the series at 3-3, the Knicks' long campaign looked just about cooked, too.

Fighting through excruciating pain, not only did Reed shock the world by suiting up for Game 7, he scored the Knicks' first four points. Even more miraculous: Reed held Chamberlain, fresh off a 45-point, 27-rebound double-double in Game 6, to just 2-for-9 shooting before leaving the game for good.

Though Reed didn't play in the second half, New York held on for the 113-99 victory at the Garden, and the rest is New York hoops history.

Ray Allen saves Heat's season with clutch 3

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Leading the series 3-2 and up three points over the powerhouse Miami Heat in the 2013 Finals, the San Antonio Spurs just needed one big stop to secure the fifth title in team history. They got one. And then, they didn't.

With 11.6 seconds left, LeBron elevated for what would have been a game-tying three - and missed. If the Spurs held on to the ensuing rebound, the series is probably over. Instead, Chris Bosh corralled the miss and zipped a pass to legendary sharpshooter Ray Allen in the corner. Like a thousand times before, it was nothing but net for Jesus Shuttlesworth. Check.

The Heat would pull ahead to win Game 6 103-100 in overtime. Check. Finally, a relatively drama-free 95-88 victory back in Miami handed LeBron and Co. the second Larry O'Brien Trophy of the Heatles era. Checkmate.

LeBron's block heard around the world

It was one of the most stunning collapses in sports. The 2015-16 Warriors were reigning NBA champions anchored by the first unanimous MVP in league history and owners of best regular season record of all time, but lost in the Finals to James and his home-state Cavaliers in seven games, despite leading the series 3-1.

Game 7's signature moment wasn't a bucket, but a block. Racing in transition, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala received a pass from Stephen Curry for what would have been the go-ahead layup. Instead, James seemingly appeared out of nowhere for a thunderous deflection off the glass. Golden State would fail to score another point in the series, allowing the Cavaliers to complete their historic comeback.

For Curry and rest of the Warriors, the only consolation will come with a victory in the third straight Finals battle between these two superteams. Having added perennial MVP candidate Kevin Durant in the offseason, the stakes are higher than ever. There are now only two possible outcomes: redemption for the Warriors, or yet another shocking moment from a LeBron-led team on basketball's grandest stage.