If you’re reading this, that means the world has not ended. We made it to the end of a year that was filled with various plays throughout the NBA season. Some, you can describe that can make or break where you stand in the eyes of critics in the league. With that in mind, here’s a present of the Top 12 NBA moments of the year.

12. NBA Lockout

The NBA season arrived on Christmas last season as a delayed present from commissioner David Stern. We saw a compacted 66 games where many players having a drop off in their stats across the board along with the injury bug stinging many players, and also some players coming into training camp out of shape.

11. Kyrie Irving in Rookie-Sophomore Game

All-Star weekend is usually for players to make a name for themselves at what they are good at. The player best known as Uncle Drew, splashed onto the scene at the 2012 All-Star weekend in the BBVA Rising Stars game. Irving scored 34 points while being a perfect 8-8 in 3 point field goals and dishing out 9 assists.

Irving opened a lot of eyes with his play that people did not get to see due to injury at Duke University that held him out majority of the season. When healthy, the argument can be made that he is an All-Star point guard right now.

10. Dwayne Wade “flashback” game 6 vs. Indiana Pacers

Dwayne Wade has taken a step back with his role to the Miami Heat, making himself second fiddle to LeBron James. Wade showed us flashes of his days of the 2006 NBA Finals by scoring 41 points and 10 rebounds while eliminating the Indiana Pacers 4-2 on the way to the Eastern Conference Finals to face off against the Boston Celtics.

9. Kevin Durant’s first 50 point game vs. Denver Nuggets

Difficult to believe that the three time NBA scoring champion in Kevin Durant has finally reached the 50 point plateau against the Denver Nuggets. Durant had a total of 51 points along with Russell Westbrook scoring 40 points, becoming the first duo since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1996. I’m sure we will see Durant put up more scoring games like this in the near future.

8. Metta World Peace elbow to James Harden

The player formerly known as Ron Artest had shown no peace as he threw a whined up elbow to the side of James Harden’s head that appeared to be accidental. World Peace had finished with a dunk over Serge Ibaka where he was fired up.

Then everything turns 180 as Harden dropped to the ground as everybody watching gasps. World Peace received a suspension of 7 games from the association where some believed that was very linnet from David Stern.

7. Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia

Allen Iverson’s return to the city of brotherly love to give the game ball to the referee was almost like the marriage you did not want to see end, but mostly a bitter rather than sweet moment for fans who to see this happen.

Anyone who is a fan of basketball had admire love & what he did on the court. To see him walk out through the fans in that arena was one to never forget as a living legend walks away.

6. Gold Medal Game 2012 Olympics

No, the 2012 Gold Medal game was not during the NBA season, but it shows the growth of the association over the past few decades. There was multiple NBA talents representing both countries in USA with the 2012 “Dream Team” and Spain with the Gasol Brothers and Serge Ibaka. An exciting moment to see the NBA game reach international grounds with growth continuously going on.

5. Blake Griffin dunks on Kendrick Perkins & Pau Gasol

In 2011, we saw Blake Griffin turn Timofey Mozgov into a verb after dunking on him. The play was so exciting, it made Amar’e Stoudemire give the young player his props. This year, Griffin added two more victims to his list in Kendrick Perkins & Pau Gasol.

Griffin arguably had the best dunk of the year on Perkins that was seen across the world by many while the dunks on Gasol displayed his ability to bully his defender by any means necessary.

4. Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin became a feel good story for most people. Sort of like Tim Tebow of the NBA, only talented at his position. Linsanity took over Madison Square Garden with his play that ignited the team as well as the fans averaging 14 points and 6 assists.

After their season was cut short by Miami where Lin sat out the whole series, Lin left in a New York minute to Houston where he was given a $25 million dollar contract that he earned. You have to respect him for what he has done for himself from where he has came from.

3. LeBron’s performance vs. Boston Celtics in Game 6

LeBron James has been proclaimed as “The Frozen One” when comes to his play in big moments. He has silenced his critics with one of the best games of his career on the brink of elimination. The one man wrecking crew scored 45 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. One of the best postseason games we have seen by an individual in some time.

2. Derrick Rose going down

In the final minutes of Game 1 in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, the world gasped as Derrick Rose goes up awkwardly and did not get back up as he tore his left ACL that left the basketball world sad. Many believed that it was caused by a rushed lockout season with games being played almost every day.

Some believe that head coach Tom Thibodeau should not have had Rose on the court with the game being put away on their way to victory. We all hold our breath as we anxiously wait for the return of Rose.

1. LeBron capturing his first NBA championship

James was finally crowned King after 9 years. On the eve of summer in June, James punctuates a lockout season that was filled with multiple injuries around the league with a NBA Championship defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1.

James, earning MVP honors, was able to get the weight of the world that was filled with doubters and non believers that ended the season with the words, “It’s about damn time”.

Eugene Jones | Elite.