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The NBA playoffs have gone through a long and ever-changing history. In 1947 and 1948 the Eastern and Western Champions played a seven-game series to decide one finalist and the other came from best of three series with the four runner-ups.
Further, between 1951 and 1953, the Division finals were a best of five series and the postseason was cut from eight teams to six.
With many more changes in between, the current format was only introduced in 1984 as the 16 team knockout and in 2003; it was made to be best of seven. Each year the NBA has had new teams and with that the prospect of the rookies doing better than ever.
The beautiful thing about rookie playoff debuts is that some of their first season's records have been unfathomable for even seasoned players, and taking that into the playoffs does not only pay-off for them but also the entire team. Here are the best rookie playoff debuts of all time.
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#5 Michael Jordan, 1985
Stats : 4 Games, 29.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 8.5 APG
Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference on his first season. With 38 wins, he helped earn the seventh seed for the team. The rookie of the year had made himself a major factor in the team's success against the mighty Bucks.
Against the Bucks, he dropped an impressive 30 points and 12 assists in game two alone. Further, in game three, he helped his team to his first playoff win with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Unfortunately, this is where he saw his first postseason come to an end, with a game 4 loss. Despite the playoff exit, this proved that Jordan was not only a regular season start but also a postseason marvel.
#4 Tim Duncan, 1998
Stats : 9 Games, 20.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.6 BPG
Tim Duncan came to the San Antonio Spurs just as David Robinson's career had started to fall; he was the No.1 pick in the NBA 1997 draft and for good reason.
How soon he would take over as team leader was sorely miscalculated, but it was all for the best.
On the heels of winning rookie of the year, in one of the most dominant rookie seasons of all time, Duncan was lucky enough to win his first series on the team unlike many others on this list.
Fresh out of his insane season where he had not been sat out of any game despite his recent entry into the NBA, he brought the same energy into the playoffs. His quickly apparent skill earned him a nine-game-go-round in his first playoffs.
In just his first game against Utah Jazz in round two, he dropped 33 points and 12 rebounds in a one-point game loss. This was only the beginning to Duncan becoming the leading scorer of the series.
#3 Derrick Rose, 2009
Stats: 7 Games, 19.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.4 APG
Tying the record for most points scored by a rookie in their first playoff game with Lew Alcindor, Derrick Rose scored 36 points in game 1 against the Celtics.
This win that he led against the defending champions was eventually fruitless in the seven-game struggle but had him branded as the future king of the conference.
Unfortunately, his stats look prettier than they were due to the large number of overtimes, the Bulls and the Celtics played in 2009.
Regardless, until his knees gave out on him, he was a shining star in the NBA.
#2 Larry Bird, 1980
Stats: 9 Games, 21.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 4.7 APG
The spring of 1980 was the season when the NBA really came together with the entrance of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. These phenomenal athletes initiated a great rivalry and even better spirit of competition back in the game.
Bird was a shooter like no other and was so special that for his rookie season, the cash-strapped Celtics had to work into the loophole of a law to get him to complete their team.
Though Magic had a better campaign, Bird had a better season and was named rookie of the year. Basketball Jesus as he was called, helped bring the Celtics to the no.1 seed going into the playoffs.
In the playoffs, Bird was integral to sweeping out Houston on the road to facing the league's no.1 at the time, Julius Irving.
Though the Celtics lost against the Sixers in five games, games two and three were where Bird showed his full potential with 30 points in game two and 22 in game three. Later on, this became a mere footnote to what a beast Bird would become in postseasons.
#1 Magic Johnson, 1980
Stats: 16 Games, 18.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 9.4 APG
There has never been a more successful rookie playoff debut than Magic Johnson's. This was not only because he helped bring home the title to the Lakers, but because of his own performance on the court.
Missing out on the rookie of the year award to Larry Bird was okay for Johnson as in this case he brought home a much bigger prize.
Johnson had an extraordinary post-season where he averaged almost a triple-double per game for the entirety of the playoffs.
Out of all the spectacles he created through his 16 post-season games, the most phenomenal was probably playing center in game six of the finals against the 76ers. From that position, he scored 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and won the first of his five championships.
Agree with our list? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
