Jamal Crawford Reveals His Favorite NBA Playoff Moment

The NBA legend remembers his time in Atlanta fondly.

Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

After two decades in the NBA, Jamal Crawford finally retired after the 2019-20 season. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year suited up for nine teams and played 1,3227 regular season games and 74 playoff games.

So when Crawford speaks, the basketball world listens. Recently, the 42-year-old held a Q&A on Twitter and shared that his favorite playoffs moment was his clutch shot against the Orlando Magic in a pivotal Game 3 matchup in Atlanta.

Hitting the clutch shot against the Magic when I was with the Hawks! https://t.co/tIlVP4YHob

— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 20, 2022

Everyone in Atlanta and Orlando remembers that hard-fought series. The Magic were a 4-seed but were no slouch. They were two years removed from playing in the NBA Finals and had some legendary players, including; Dwight Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter, JJ Redick, Jason Williams, Jason Richardson, and Quentin Richardson, just to name a few.

On the Hawks squad, you had Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Teague, and of course, Zaza Pachulia. Both rosters were a 'who's who' of memorable players from the 2000s.

In retrospect, Crawford's 23-point-performance capped off with a clutch three-pointer, tilted the series in the Hawks' favor. The Hawks took a 2-1 series lead before eventually winning the series 4-2. 

Unfortunately for Hawks fans, the Hawks faced a stacked Chicago Bulls squad in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Derrick Rose was the 2011 NBA Most Valuable Player and Joakim Noah was Second-Team All-Defense. Not to mention the Bulls had Kyle Korver, Loul Deng, and Taj Gibson. It's safe to say the Eastern Conference was top-heavy during that era.

After scoring 22 points in Game One, the Bulls were able to contain Crawford and the Hawks. The Bulls eliminated the Hawks 4-2 and the series was the last time we would see Crawford in a Hawks uniform. After the 2011 NBA Lockout ended, Crawford signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gilbert Arenas is guarding Jamal Crawford / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Crawford is rightfully celebrated by the league. When you play for 9 teams over the course of 20 years, there will be fans all over the country (and world) that remember you fondly. It's good to hear that Crawford feels the same way about his time in Atlanta. Stay locked into AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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