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Being a part of the NBA Finals is the ultimate destination and dream for every player who steps onto the hardwood for the first time. It is where legacies are made and the players get to showcase their talent at the highest possible level.
The Finals see the best of the best from each conference play against each other. But even amongst the best, there are some players who stand out amongst that crowd. The greatest players of all-time have the ability to ramp up their level of play when it matters the most.
Some of the greatest individual performance of all-time have come through the course of a 7 game series in the NBA Finals. From triple-doubles to single-quarter explosions, there have been a plethora of great performances in NBA Finals history. In this article, we attempt to rank the best individual performances amongst all of them.
Since there are so many performances to choose from, we have ranked them based on the situation of the game and the impact that the player's performance had on the eventual outcome of that match.
10. Tim Duncan flirts with a quadruple-double
It is because of performances like this that Tim Duncan is arguably one of the greatest players of his era. He is considered the best power forward to have ever touched the hardwood floor not because he was a great scorer, but because he was a hard working beast under the rim that grabbed rebounds, blocked shots and was a great passer for a big man.
When you think about total domination in a playoff game, you think of Duncan's Game 6 performance in the 2003 NBA Finals against the New Jersey Nets.
Squared up against two of the premier defensive centres in the league in Dikembe Mutombo and Jason Collins, Duncan ended the night with a stat line of 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. He felt shot of 2 block shots of scoring a quadruple-double, coming as close as anyone has ever come before or after him.
In the same series, Duncan had a similar a performance when he posted 32 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 blocks, and 3 steals in game 1, barely missing a postseason five-by-five, a feat that has never been accomplished. The San Antonio Spurs ended up defeating the New Jersey Nets in 6 games and winning their third championship. Tim Duncan was named the Finals MVP.
Since the 2003 NBA Finals was the second-lowest rated NBA Finals of all-time, not many people remember it. But Duncan's sublime performance in this game and in this series is undoubtedly one of the best performances in NBA Finals history.
9. Jerry West scores first triple-double in NBA Finals Game 7 history
The 1969 NBA Finals was another epic chapter in the one of the biggest rivalry in sports history between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers were making their sixth appearance to the NBA Finals in the 1960s, with the previous five ending in defeat by the hands of none other than their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics.
This time around, the scenario appeared to be different with the Lakers taking a 3-2 lead in the series. But, with a loss in Game 6, the series shifted back to Los Angeles. Jerry West up till that point had been the star of the series, averaging an unfathomable 38 points per game, and Game 7 was nothing different. West logged the first triple-double in NBA Finals Game 7 history scoring 42 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and distributing the ball 12 times while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
Despite West's herculean performance, the Lakers faltered down the stretch on their home floor to finally lose the game 108-106 and the series. While the Lakers failed to claim any hardware, West was named the Finals MVP for his unbelievable performance throughout the series and in Game 7. With this award, he became the first and only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP while being on the losing team.
8. James Worthy scores first triple-double of his career in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals
The 1988 NBA Finals saw a number of NBA greats play on the basketball court at the same time in a series, the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer. But it was James Worthy who rose to the occasion and stole the show.
With the Los Angeles Lakers playing against the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals, the series reached to a do or die Game 7. Playing at home, James Worthy stepped up and lived up to his moniker when it mattered the most as he scored his first career triple-double. He ended the match with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to go along with 2 steals while missing just 7 of his 22 shot attempts from the field.
Worthy's impeccable performance was enough to lead the Lakers to win back to back championships and to win their third NBA title in four years. He was also named the 1988 Finals MVP for his epic performance. It was this game where Worthy earned the nickname 'Big Game'.
7. Isiah Thomas scores 43 points on a Bum Ankle
This is officially the game where Isiah Thomas became a legend. On the verge of elimination in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, the Detroit Pistons trailed the Los Angeles Lakers 56-48 early in the third quarter.
Thomas was in a zone and had scored the last 14 points for the Pistons. With just over four minutes remaining, Thomas fell on Michael Cooper’s foot and injured his ankle. He had to be assisted off the floor only to return to the court 35 seconds later to continue playing on a sprained right ankle.
What Isiah produced after that was nothing short of magic. He made shot after shot while hobbling his way up and down the court. At the end of the quarter, he had converted 11 of his 13 shot attempts and scored 25 points to set an NBA Finals record for most points scored in a quarter.
His effort gave the Pistons an 81-79 lead heading into the 4th quarter. Isiah finished the night with 43 points, 8 assists, 6 steals while playing with a poked eye, a jammed left pinkie, a scratched face, and a badly swollen right ankle.
Even though the Pistons lost the game and the series, as Joe Dumars missed a shot from six feet out with 8 seconds remaining, this effort from Isiah Thomas is one of the most inspirational performances in the history of this league. Even the then-Lakers' head coach Pat Riley marvelled at Isiah's performance after the game saying, "What Isiah Thomas did in the second half was just incredible".
6. LeBron James scores a triple-double in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals
LeBron James cemented his place on the Mount Rushmore of basketball with this unbelievable performance. With the Cavaliers squared up against the record-breaking 73 wins Golden State Warriors team in the 2016 NBA Finals, 'The King' played undoubtedly the best basketball of his career averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game throughout the series.
Even though James scored 41 points in both games 5 and 6 with an utterly gaudily stat line, even by the standards of LeBron, his performance in game 7 is easily one of the most clutch performances in the history of this game.
LeBron posted a triple-double scoring 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to go along with 2 steals and 3 blocks, including the iconic chase down block on Andre Iguodala's layup that would have given the Warriors a 91-89 lead with less than two minutes to play.
The Warriors never scored again and the Cavaliers won the game 93-89 becoming just the first team in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3-1 deficit. James' historic performance that night put his team in the history books, helping the Cavaliers win their first title in franchise history while bringing the city of Cleveland its first championship since 1964.
5. Bob Pettit scores 50 points to upset the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics mightly dynasty of the 1960s went to 10 straight NBA Finals and won 11 titles in 13 years losing only once in the Finals. Meet the man who was primarily responsible to briefly interrupt this dynasty with one of the single greatest performances in the history of the NBA.
With the St. Louis Hawks leading the series 3-2, the 6-9 forward scored 50 points in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals to help the Hawks win the game and the series. He was absolutely unstoppable scoring 19 of the teams' final 21 points including the game-winning tip-in with 15 seconds left in regulation.
The Hawks were determined to win Game 6 on their home floor as they had lost to the same Boston Celtics last year in an overtime Game 7 thriller. “We had to win that game,” said Pettit after the game. “We did not want to have to go to Boston to try to win Game 7.” The then head coach of the Boston Celtics, Red Auerbach, also applauded Pettit's effort that night saying, “He would play all out, whether he was 50 points ahead of 50 points behind”.
The Hawks might have won as a team that night, but without Bob's 50 point performance, things might have gone in a different way.
4. Elgin Baylor scores 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals
Elgin Baylor is considered as one of the first players in NBA history to play above the rim. He is, by all account, the high-flying, super-athletic, aerial-assaulting wing predecessor to David Thompson, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and many others. But his biggest legacy to this league came in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals.
Playing against a vaunted Boston Celtics defence, Baylor had a performance for the ages ending the game with 61 points and 22 rebounds. Satch Sanders, who was the Celtics defensive specialist, was no match for the 6 foot 5 forward. He was a nightmare for the Celtics to guard one-on-one and double teams also didn't work as Baylor was such a great passer of the ball. His 61 point effort set an NBA Finals record which is yet to be toppled.
“Elgin was just a machine,” said Sanders after the game.
The Lakers went onto win the game 126-121 and take a 3-2 series lead. They finally lost the series in Game 7, courtesy of another epic Finals performance from the 11-time champion Bill Russell.
When asked about his historic night, Baylor said “All I remember is that we won the game. I never thought about how many points I had."
3. Bill Russell 30 points and 40 rebounds performance in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals
The 1961-62 NBA season is considered by many as one of the greatest in NBA History. This was the season in which Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game and Oscar Robertson became the first person to average a triple-double for the whole season. In such a legendary year, it was befitting that the Finals would go the distance, including an overtime Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell ended the game with 30 points and a whopping 40 rebounds to help defeat the Lakers, a team which was led by legendary players like Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. This amazing stat of 40 rebounds stands as an NBA Finals record till this date. The Lakers had to make every shot they were taking because if they missed, they weren't going to get a second chance at it. That is how dominant Russell was on the boards. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 110-107 in overtime.
The 1962 Finals was the official start of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry and first of six NBA Finals meetings between these two teams in the ’60s in which the Celtics went a perfect 6-0 versus the Lakers. This is without a doubt one of Russell's most clutch performances and one of the greatest in NBA Finals history.
2. The "Flu" Game
Michael Jordan has six playoff games with 50 plus points under his belt, but ironically this performance finds its way on the top of our list. For a player like Jordan, who had amazing moments in the playoffs throughout his career, one of his greatest performances came in Game 5 of the 1997 Finals, famously known as the "Flu" Game.
With the series tied 2-2 and swing of momentum in Utah's favour, the Bulls found themselves in a spot of bother. To add to their troubles, MJ was suffering from food poisoning or an intestinal stomach virus and looked doubtful for Game 5. Even the Bulls' doctors and teammate Scottie Pippen thought there was no way that Jordan could play. Yet, knowing his competitive nature, Jordan decided to give it a shot.
Running on fumes, Jordan put on a show, the likes of which have never been seen by any individual. Even in his ill-health, Jodan managed to score 15 points in the 4th quarter to seal the game for the Bulls with a free throw and a clutch three-pointer.
"That was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done," Jordan said after the game. "I almost played myself into passing out just to win a basketball game. If we had lost, I would have been devastated."
Jordan finished the game with 38 points on 13 of 27 shooting in 44 minutes of action as the Bulls went onto win the game 90-88. The 38 points were not spectacular for him and neither was the mediocre 7 rebounds and 5 assists by his standards, but the actual heart and determination he displayed in that game made for one of the most iconic and inspiring moments in sports history.
The words of Phil Jackson perfectly described the kind of performance Jordan had, "Because of the circumstances, with this being a critical game in the Finals, I'd have to say this is the greatest game I've seen Michael play,” said Phil Jackson.
“He's the greatest, and everyone saw why tonight.", said Pippen after the game.
1. Magic Johnson scores 42 points playing as a centre
When the 20-year-old rookie Magic Johnson received the news from then Lakers head coach Paul Westhead that he was going to be the starting centre in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals replacing injured Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he thought he was kidding. And so did everybody else.
Magic Johnson is the only player on this list who was playing out of his position. Not only is he playing out of his position, but he is far away from his normal position which is at the point guard spot. Apart from the humungous pressure on the rookie to take the place of Kareem, Game 6 was a do-or-die match for the Los Angeles Lakers on the road in Philadelphia, which is one of the toughest places to play in.
Magic might be widely recognised as the best point guard to have ever lived, but it is because of performance like this that he is considered one of the best to have ever played the game.
With Magic at centre, the Lakers were relentless in pushing the fast break catching the bigger and less athletic Sixers off guard. With the game tied 60-60 at halftime, the Lakers came out all guns blazing with a 14-0 run to start the third and never looked back from there, silencing the crowd with it.
“That is when it got really, really quiet,” said Johnson. “They couldn’t believe what was happening.”
Magic calls it his greatest game ever and so do we. He ended the night with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals to give the Lakers first of their five titles of the ’80s. He was named the Finals MVP becoming the only rookie in NBA history to do so. Looking at the circumstances of the Lakers and the pressure of the Finals that was on the shoulders of the rookie, Magic's effort that night is arguably the greatest performance in NBA Finals history.
Guess the Lakers players!
