2003 Pistons vs. Pacers Game 6: The 'Buzzer Beater' by Ben Wallace
Buzzer beaters: game-winning shots as time expires.
In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name 'buzzer beater.' In basketball, the concept normally applies to baskets made at the end of a quarter, the second half, or overtime. A buzzer beater only counts if it leaves the player's fingers before the shot clock runs out. If the ball remains in the player's hands, then the shot violates the Trent Tucker Rule and does not count. The term is most commonly applied to shots that win or tie the game as the game clock expires.
Quick Facts
- Series result
- Pistons defeated Pacers 4-2
- Key player
- Ben Wallace (Defensive Anchor)
- Era context
- 2003 NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Semifinals
- Team identity
- Defense-first, physical playstyle
- Outcome reality
- No buzzer-beater by Ben Wallace occurred in Game 6
Lore & Background
Officials in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Basketball Association (NBA), Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Serie A (Italy), and the EuroLeague Final Four series (effective 2006) are required to use instant replay to verify whether a shot that is made at the end of a period was released before the game clock expired. Since 2002, the NBA has also mandated the use of LED light strips along the edges of the backboard and the edge of the scorer's table to identify the end of a period.
Reader's Guide
Notable examples include: In the 1983 NCAA Championship Finals, NC State forward Lorenzo Charles caught Dereck Whittenburg's airball and dunked it as time expired to defeat Houston 54–52. In the 1992 NCAA Tournament, Georgia Tech's James Forrest hit a buzzer-beating game-winning three-pointer against USC. In the 1992 East Regional Final, Duke's Christian Laettner hit a 17-foot shot at the buzzer to defeat Kentucky 104–103 in overtime. On January 5, 2004, Texas's P. J. Tucker hit a buzzer beater against Providence College; after review, the basket counted because the ball was out of his hand before the red backboard light came on.
On January 31, 2005, Guilford College's Jordan Snipes grabbed a rebound and threw the ball the length of the court for a game-winning buzzer beater against Randolph-Macon College. In the 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round, Northwestern State's Jermaine Wallace hit a last-second three-pointer to upset Iowa 64–63. In a 2010 NCAA game, Maryland's Cliff Tucker made a three-pointer at the buzzer to win 76–74 against Georgia Tech. On February 7, 2013, Illinois's Tyler Griffey made an uncontested buzzer-beating layup to upset #1 Indiana 74–72.
On March 18, 2016, Northern Iowa's Paul Jesperson made a half-court buzzer beater to upset Texas 75–72. On March 20, 2016, Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig made a three-point buzzer beater to upset Xavier. On April 4, 2016, Villanova's Kris Jenkins hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat North Carolina 77–74 for the NCAA title. On March 24, 2017, Florida's Chris Chiozza hit a running three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Wisconsin 84–83 in overtime.
On April 3, 2021, Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat UCLA 93–90 in the Final Four. On April 1, 2023, SDSU's Lamont Butler hit a jumper at the buzzer to defeat FAU 72–71 in the Final Four. NBA regular season examples include: Larry Johnson (1992), Voshon Lenard (1998), Gilbert Arenas (2007, two games), Troy Murphy (2008), LeBron James (2009), Kobe Bryant (2009), Sundiata Gaines (2010), Josh Smith (2010), Mike Dunleavy (2010), Tyreke Evans (2010), Kevin Durant (2011), Jeff Green (2013), Joe Johnson (2013), Tobias Harris (2014), Dirk Nowitzki (2014), and Courtney Lee (2014).
More in Iconic Matches
Elsewhere in Brooklyn Nets
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced