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#4 Karl Malone - 193 playoff games, three NBA Finals appearances
Karl Malone is the second-highest point scorer in the history of the NBA regular season. His fabulous scoring streak also spilled over into the NBA Playoffs, as his average of 25 points per game in 193 playoff games clearly suggests.
As a member of the historic Utah Jazz, Malone, however, twice found himself in the losing end of the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The two-time NBA MVP winner had moments in the Finals that belied his prolific scoring record. His two free throws down the stretch in Game 1 of the 1997 Finals is one of the examples in this regard.
Nevertheless, the Mailman had a stellar NBA career even if the championship eluded him and his team. When John Stockton retired in 2003, Malone went to the Lakers to play with Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton. But the team, which had locker room issues, lost the 2004 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons.
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#3 Charles Barkley - 123 playoff games, one NBA Finals appearance
Charles Barkley is arguably the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA due to his skills and impact he had in the competition despite being a small player for his position.
Barkley played possibly in the most challenging era, both in terms of the physical statures of players and how spread out the overall talent was around the NBA.
He did not have a great support cast in his first few superstar years with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, that was not the case when he went to the Phoenix Suns in the 1992-93 season (via trade) as he led the team to the NBA Finals with an amazing playoff run.
Barkley won the 1992-93 NBA MVP award, and his playoff performances that season were huge. During that playoff run, Barkley averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds per game, but the Suns lost to the Jordan-led Bulls in the NBA Finals.
In the six-game deciding series in 1993, Barkley averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. But possibly his greatest performance in the NBA Finals weren't enough for him to land the title as they were eclipsed by that of Jordan.
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#2 Allen Iverson - 77 playoff games, one NBA Finals appearance
NBA Most Valuable Player winner Allen Iverson was a beast and a tremendous scorer. Given his size, it was amazing what Iverson achieved and how he could dominate a game with the basketball in his hands.
The 2001 Philadelphia 76ers were not a great team, but they had Larry Brown as a coach, Dikembe Mutombo as an iconic rim protector and Iverson leading the show.
Nevertheless, the 76ers ran into the Kobe-Shaq 2001 Lakers, one of the greatest NBA teams in history, and unsurprisingly came up short.
The Lakers reached the 2001 NBA Finals with an unbeaten run, and even though Iverson took Game 1 from them with a 48-point haul, the Lakers were too good and won the series in five games.
Iverson averaged 30 points and seven assists per game in 77 playoff appearances.
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#1 Elgin Baylor - 134 playoff games, seven NBA Finals appearances
Having played in a whopping seven NBA Finals without winning the title, Elgin Baylor is arguably the most unlucky player in NBA history.
Baylor, who played from 1958 to 1972, ran into the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics six times in the NBA Finals, with his LA Lakers team losing all six series. In his seventh Finals appearance, Baylor's Lakers faced the New York Knicks, but the result was the same as it was with the Celtics: a loss.
He lost four deciding games (Game 7) in the NBA Finals, which is just a crazy stat. Baylor, who averaged 26 points per game in his NBA Finals career, ranks fifth in total points scored in the Finals.
Baylor holds the record for most points scored in a single NBA Finals game; he scored 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals and also grabbed 22 rebounds in that game.
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Also read: 5 reasons why the LA Lakers' 2019-20 NBA Championship was the toughest one to win in league history.
