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There are always different ways of looking at a player's career in terms of the NBA postseason, many of which might not tell the full story of just how great someone is. For example, it would be strange for any diehard NBA fan to hear that Larry Bird did not record a single 50-point game in the playoffs.
Especially considering the fact that the legendary No. 33 of the Boston Celtics had one 60-point outing in the regular season and three other games with at least 50 points in his career. However, it may come as a comfort to know that the man known as "Larry Legend" stands in equally legendary company when it comes to never having put up at least 50 points in the postseason.
3 NBA superstars who did not record a 50-point game in the NBA playoffs
Before you think that having four games of at least 50 points in a 13-year career (897 games) is not a big deal, keep in mind that Kevin Durant, one of the greatest scorers ever, has seven of those, while playing in his 14th season (920 games).
Still, it'd be hard to believe such a fact from Larry Bird. But it's true: The two-time Finals MVP never scored 50 points in a playoff game. His postseason career-high is 43 points.
What if we tell you that Bird's case might not be the most shocking in NBA history? We take a look at three other all-time NBA greats with the most games played in the NBA Playoffs who never reached the 50 point mountain top.
#3 Tim Duncan
This one might not be as shocking as Larry Bird's case, but Tim Duncan not only went his entire NBA Playoffs career without a 50-point game, he recorded just one during his 1392-game career. However, that doesn't take away from what Duncan accomplished with the San Antonio Spurs during his illustrious career.
Duncan, a three-time Finals MVP, five-time NBA champion and two-time regular-season MVP, played in 251 postseason games in his career (third-most in history) and averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, three assists and 2.3 blocks per game in his postseason career.
He also scored the sixth-most points in NBA Playoffs history, which points squarely to the fact that he was still a consistent scorer. Duncan's postseason career-high is 41 points (he had three other 40-point outings in the postseason).
#2 Shaquille O'Neal
This next name might come as more of a surprise, as Shaquille O'Neal was clearly the most dominant player in the NBA from 2000 to 2002. A period of time in which he led the LA Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant to a three-peat.
O'Neal was a phenomenal force inside the paint for the majority of his career, and was virtually unstoppable on the low-block. He had 28,596 points (eighth-most in NBA history) in his regular-season career, and three 50-point games to go along with that.
Despite putting up crazy numbers in the NBA Playoffs, O'Neal, a three-time Finals MVP award winner, never had a 50-point outing on the biggest stage. In 216 postseason games (the ninth-most ever), O'Neal averaged 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, with 2-1 blocks.
His postseason career-high was 46, which he recorded twice with the LA Lakers. Still, with three titles with the Lakers and one with the Miami Heat, we can agree that O'Neal's got exactly what they needed from the big man in the postseason, without him having to put up 50-points.
#1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time scoring leader in NBA history, and also holds the record for most regular-season MVPs with six. Moreover, Abdul-Jabbar won two Finals MVP awards and six titles with the Milwaukee Bucks (one) and LA Lakers (five).
Abdul-Jabbar also ranks fifth in NBA Playoffs history in terms of games played, with 237, but the seven-footer never scored 50 points or or more in a single postseason game. In the regular season, he had 10 games with at least 50 points, which ranks ninth in NBA history, tied with Stephen Curry.
Abdul-Jabbar's career-high in terms of points in a regular season game was 55, while he came close in the NBA Playoffs with a career-high of 46 points. Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 points per game in his regular season career, while also having the third-most points scored in NBA Playoffs history with 5762.
