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The Playoffs are when the big boys usually show up. The big stage is where good performances can elevate a player to stardom. Conversely, a bad game can raise questions regarding whether a guy has what it takes to perform when the lights shine the brightest. But still, there are bad games and then there are historically awful ones.
We've seen plenty of playoff debacles over the years, especially in elimination games and this list is full of them, with 7 of the 10 taking place with the team facing elimination.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Durant, Game 2, 2016 Western Conference First Round
Stat line: 21 Points, 9 Rebounds, 7 TO's, 7-33 FG
Back when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook played together for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russ was the one who was usually associated with having off-shooting nights and still jacking up shots from all over the place. This time, although Russ did have an off-night, going 8-22 (36.4%), Durant one-upped him and went a ghastly 7-33 (21.2%). The usually efficient Durant had what was easily the worst game of his Playoff career.
With the Thunder having blown out the Mavs 108-70 in Game 1, many expected a comfortable win in Game 2. KD and Russ going 15-55 didn't help the cause and the Mavs pulled off a shock upset. The Thunder would, however, win the next 3 games relatively easily and advance to the next round.
#10 Karl Malone, Game 6 1999 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Stat Line: 8 Points, 7 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 3-16 FG
Coming off back-to-back Finals defeats to the Chicago Bulls, the path to that elusive title finally seemed to have cleared up for the Jazz, with Michael Jordan having retired after the 1998 NBA Finals. They seemed set for another serious title challenge, finishing with the best record in the league in 1998-99. Having dispatched the Kings, they went up against the Blazers.
The Jazz, however, surprisingly found themselves down 3-2 in the series and had to stave off elimination in Portland. A lot was expected from the Mailman, an MVP candidate that season, but he didn't deliver. For only the 2nd time that season, he scored under 10 points and gave further ammunition to his naysayers who pointed out another big moment where he'd come up short.
The Jazz lost the game 92-80 and it was the last time they were really regarded as serious title contenders. At least, a few days later, Malone picked up his 2nd MVP award.
#9 Kobe Bryant, Game 5 1997 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Stat Line: 11 Points, 2 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 4-14 FG
Kobe Bryant's style of play ensured that he was likely to end up on a list like this at some point in his career. The Black Mamba has had plenty of off-shooting nights and this was the first one on a big stage.
The Lakers faced off against the 1 seed Jazz in the Conference Semi-Finals and faced the prospect of elimination, down 3-1, with Game 5 in Utah. They played pretty well with Shaq putting up 23 Points and 13 Rebounds, but he fouled out with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. Now, a rookie Bryant was pushed onto center stage and in typical Kobe fashion, he started to jack up shots.
Bryant missed a potential game-winner with 14 seconds left and the score tied at 89 apiece. He then air-balled three 3 pointers in OT, with the last 2 being shot when the Lakers were down 3. They ended up losing 98-93.
It all worked out in the end for Bryant however, and he has pointed out how this game gave him the drive and motivation to become what he is today.
#8 Dirk Nowitzki, Game 6 2007 Western Conference First Round
Stat Line: 8 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2-13 FG
This one had to sting a lot. After losing in the 2006 NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, the Mavs came back with a vengeance, winning 67 games the following season and looked set for a deep playoff run. The first round saw them go up against the upstart Warriors, who finished 42-40 and were making their 1st playoff appearance in more than a decade.
Any hopes of a cakewalk were dashed soon, as the Warriors won Game 1 in Dallas. They eventually led 3-2 and the Mavs now faced elimination in Game 6 at the Oracle. It was the moment for Dirk, who was the MVP frontrunner to step up and send it to the 7th game in Dallas but he came up short.
Dirk went 2-13 from the field and 0-6 on 3-pointers, a constant theme throughout the series, as he shot only 38% from the field and 21% from 3. His no-show led to an easy 111-86 win for the Warriors as they become the 1st eight seed to beat the one seed in a best of 7 series. Like Malone, the consolation prize for Dirk was winning the MVP award a few weeks later.
#7 Larry Johnson, Game 2 1999 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 5 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 2-12 FG
In the 1998-99 season, the Knicks were the 8th seed in the East but surprisingly made it all the way to the NBA Finals. This was despite Patrick Ewing getting injured in Game 2 of the Conference Finals against the Pacers. Johnson had been one of several Knicks players who stepped up during Ewing's absence, as he hit the game-winner in Game 3. After getting past the Pacers, the Knicks met the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals and were huge underdogs.
Any hopes of pulling off another upset were over pretty soon thanks in large part to Johnson. He struggled throughout the Finals, averaging 7.6 Points and 4.8 Rebounds while shooting 28% from the field and he had his worst outing in Game 2.
Johnson shot 2-12 from the field and 1-7 from 3 point range against the Spurs defense which didn't allow the Knicks to score 90 points in any of the games. The Spurs eventually cruised to victory in 5 games despite Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston both averaging over 20 Points per game. The Knicks might have had a chance had Johnson stepped up.
#6 James Harden, Game 6 2017 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Stat Line: 10 Points, 7 Assists, 7 TO's, 2-11 FG
The most recent entry on this list. What happened to James Harden in Game 6 against the Spurs remains somewhat of a mystery. Down 3-2 in the series, the Rockets were trying to even it up and it seemed like the stars had aligned for them. With Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker out for the game, many felt it was going to be a straightforward win for the Rockets at home. What followed was an unmitigated disaster.
Harden didn't score a field goal until the 6 minute in the 2nd quarter and generally seemed listless. He finished 2-11 from the field, 2-9 from 3. He was a shadow of the player who was one of the main candidates for MVP and led to some more questions regarding whether he is a choker in the playoffs. He finally ended his misery late in the 4th quarter by fouling out for the 1st time all season. The Spurs won the Game 114-75 and advanced to the Conference Finals.
#5 Reggie Miller, Game 1 2000 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 7 Points, 4 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 1-16 FG
It almost seems weird to put Reggie Miller in here. One of the most clutch shooters of all time (Knicks fans can attest to that) Miller had probably the worst game of his career at the worst possible time.
For the 1st time, Miller's Pacers boasted the best record in the East and made it all the way to the team's only NBA Finals appearance to date. They were, however, massive underdogs, going up against the 67-15 Los Angeles Lakers and needed Miller to keep up his strong postseason play up to that point to stand a chance.
It couldn't have started off any worse. They lost Game 1, 104-87 largely due to Miller's ineffectiveness. He missed all of his shots in the 1st half and the Pacers were down 12. They cut the lead to 2 in the 3rd, but in the end, couldn't overcome 43 Points from Shaq and Miller going 1-9 in the second half. He redeemed himself in the following games in the series but ultimately couldn't prevent the Lakers from winning it in 6 Games.
#4 Kenyon Martin, Game 6 2003 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 6 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 3-23 FG
Coming off a spanking in the 2002 NBA Finals at the hands of the Lakers, the Nets got back to the Finals the following year to face the Spurs. They put up a much better fight this time but it just wasn't enough.
After pulling off a huge road win in Game 2, the Nets lost 2 of their next 3 at home to find themselves down 3-2 in the series. To make matters worse, Game 6 & 7 would be played in San Antonio. Rather surprisingly, however, they were up 6 after 3 quarters despite Martin being 3-17. What followed though was a 4th quarter beat down.
The Nets got outscored 31-14 and Martin missed all of his 6 shots to end up with a miserable 3-23 for the night as the Spurs won 88-77. Martin's awful performance had a lot to do with the defense played on him by Tim Duncan. Over the last 2 games of the series, Duncan limited Martin to 5-31 shooting.
#3 John Starks, Game 7 1994 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 8 Points, 2 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 2-18 FG
John Starks was a key component of those great Knicks teams in the 90s and they reached their first NBA Finals in more than 2 decades in 1994 to face the Rockets. Starks had come incredibly close to winning the title for the Knicks in Game 6. He scored 16 in the 4th quarter but had his potential game-winner blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon in the waning moments of the game. That play seemed to have haunted Starks in Game 7 as he shot the Knicks out of the game.
He shot 2-18, including 0-11 from 3 as the Knicks lost 84-90. Starks was 1-10 in the 4th quarter, unusual for a guy who had seemingly always stepped up in big moments for the Knicks. He missed three 3 pointers in the final minute of the game and almost fittingly, the last one was an airball which wasn't even close to hitting the basket.
Its, unfortunately, become the defining moment of his career with the Knicks and has overshadowed all the great performances over the years.
#2 Ray Allen, Game 3 2010 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 2 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0-13 FG
The Lakers and the Celtics faced off in the NBA Finals for the 2nd time in 3 seasons in 2010 and it went down to the wire. Boston had seemingly gained the upper hand by winning Game 2 in LA but squandered the advantage by losing Game 3 at home. Ray Allen's performance was a deciding factor in both. Allen scored 32 Points in Game 2, hitting a Finals record eight 3 Pointers and followed that up by going ice cold in Game 3.
In what was undoubtedly his worst game, Allen missed all of his shots and after setting the record with eight 3s the previous game, he went 0-8 from 3 point range. The Lakers keyed in on Allen with Derek Fisher, in particular, playing great defense. However, if Allen had managed to hit just 3/4 shots, the Celtics might have won the game, as they ended up losing by just 7 points, 84-91.
Game 2 would really be Allen's only good performance in the series, as he didn't record even 20 points in any of the other games and shot under 30% from 3 overall. They eventually lost the series in 7 games and Allen didn't show up for Game 7 either, shooting 3/14.
#1 Dennis Johnson, Game 7 1978 NBA Finals
Stat Line: 4 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Blocks, 0/14 FG
The late great DJ is mostly remembered as a vital cog of those dominant Celtics teams of the 1980s, but he also had successful spells with Seattle and Phoenix. He led the Supersonics to back to back NBA Finals in 1978 and 79.
In 1978, the Supersonics made an unlikely run to the NBA Finals and faced the Washington Bullets. The two teams went back and forth in an evenly contested series. They were eventually tied at 3-3 with neither team winning consecutive games to that point and Game 7 would be played in Seattle. It was the moment for a young DJ to shine on the big stage but he failed miserably.
Johnson finished 0-14 with 3 TO's and still, the Sonics only lost 105-99. Any sort of production from DJ would have probably led to victory. Johnson later admitted that he choked, but vowed that it would never happen again. The following season, they faced the Bullets again in the Finals. This time, the Sonics won 4-1 and Johnson was Finals MVP, averaging 22.6 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 6 Assists.
