NBA Finals: 5 Past Individual Performances We Won't See Repeated
What a magical thing these NBA Finals are.
Where champions are made and where legends are born, the NBA Finals is the pinnacle of basketball's greatest players and teams. It's a true testament to winning an NBA championship because there isn't that much variety to it. You will always usually see the same players and teams either making it to that point or just coming up short.
For those that do reach this level, you either live or die under the bright lights. Some players react poorly and help choke away a team's championship dreams, while others revel in the idea of being the hero and embracing the opportunity that lies before them. The NBA Finals are the truest gauge of how well a player responds to pressure.
This year we should be in for a treat. With Kevin Durant and LeBron James already going for 36 and 30 points respectively and Russell Westbrook nearly securing a triple-double in his first Finals appearance, it won't be a surprise if every superstar on either team has at least one good game.
To think that we haven't even seen Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or James Harden play well, yet.
Rather than speaking of those players, we look back at the five best individual performances in the history of the NBA Finals.
Note: The list in no order.
1980: Magic Johnson's Game 6 vs. Philadelphia
1 of 5The Statline
42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block
You don't become arguably the greatest player to ever play without having that one legendary performance that everyone can reflect on when remembering your career.
In Magic Johnson's case, it's easily Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals. Taking on the Philadelphia 76ers without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the 6'9" Johnson moved from his usual spot at point guard to start at center. Playing without Abdul-Jabbar could have easily resulted in a Los Angeles Lakers loss as the reigning MVP averaged 33 points, 15 boards and five blocks per before spraining his ankle.
Johnson, who was having an equally terrific series, started at center and would be matched up with the 6'11" Caldwell Jones. He'd lose the opening tip, but would go on to have one of the greatest NBA Finals performances of all time and would lead the Lakers to a 123-107 victory on the road to clinch the first of five NBA championships for Magic.
Magic would appropriately win Finals MVP after averaging 21.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
What makes this really special? Magic was a rookie at the time. That's why this is a performance you will never see again because there is absolutely no chance a rookie is that versatile, that talented and that confident in their abilities to lead their team to an NBA title in their very first season.
1962: Elgin Baylor's Game 5 vs. Boston
2 of 5The Statline
61 points and 22 rebounds
Elgin Baylor was never able to secure the title that eluded him for so long over his NBA career.
To add insult to injury, the Los Angeles Lakers would win the title the year after he retired behinds the efforts of Gail Goodrich, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain.
Before departing from the league without a ring, however, Baylor left his mark on NBA history forever with the greatest offensive performance to ever take place in an NBA Finals. With his Los Angeles Lakers squaring off against the Boston Celtics, Baylor decided to take matters into his own hands in a legendary Game 5 performance.
In a crucial Game 5 that would give the winner a 3-2 series lead, Elgin Baylor put up a staggering 61 points to go along with 22 rebounds. It was just enough to lead the Lakers to a 126-121 win on the road that would give them a 3-2 series lead. The series should have belonged to them, but a 14-point loss at home and a three-point loss in Game 7 would derail their dreams of finally defeating the Celtics.
Baylor may not have the ring, but it's not like he didn't try. Performances like Game 5 and then seeing his team lose just goes to show how significant having a solid supporting cast means to championship hopes and aspirations.
2003: Tim Duncan's Game 1 vs. New Jersey
3 of 5The Statline
21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks
It pains me to hear that some people refer to Tim Duncan's game as boring. If watching fundamental basketball run to perfection isn't your cup of tea, then I believe there's a pro wrestling event that you can leave your brain at the door for.
Following victories over the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs were giftwrapped a New Jersey Nets team that may have been out of its league. The Nets were in an extremely weak Eastern Conference and didn't have much trouble walking over the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons on their way to the title game.
The Nets would steal two games this series by a combined three points. The Spurs would take the series behind 24 points, 17 boards, five assists and five blocks per from Tim Duncan, 14 points per from Tony Parker, 11 points and seven boards from David Robinson and 10 points per from Stephen Jackson. It was another solid team effort by the Spurs, who ran an eight-man rotation.
However, they're not winning their second title in the past four years without Duncan who had the performance of a lifetime with a near quadruple-double in the Spurs' 101-89 victory. He'd shoot 11-of-17 from the field, 10-of-14 from the foul line and would only commit one turnover in 44 minutes worth of action.
Nobody has come as close to a quadruple-double since and nobody has achieved one since Duncan's former teammate David Robinson did it in 1994.
1962: Bill Russell's Game 7 vs. Los Angeles
4 of 5The Statline
30 points and 40 rebounds
Now THAT is a statline that will truly never be replicated.
Not in the NBA Finals, not ever. Numbers like those are restricted to the 1960's, although LeBron James has done his best to match those totals with two games in this year's postseason that were only previously seen by Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.
I'd like to see him try to put up the statline in the spot that Bill Russell was in during Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals. Hell, I'd like to see anybody put up those types of numbers. The fact is that nobody can. The pace of the game is too slow compared to the 1960s where it was perfectly normal to see teams just attempt to outrace each other.
In fact, most teams can't even grab 40 rebounds per game.
That's exactly what Bill Russell did, however. Only two games after Elgin Baylor set the NBA record for points in a Finals game with 61, Russell set two records; one for the most rebounds in a seven-game series with 189, while also matching his previous high for rebounds in a game.
This was quite the clutch performance from Russell, who also happened to have 30 points to boot. The Lakers were in prime position to win the title after Baylor's performance, but the Celtics stole Game 6 on the road and took Game 7 at home 110-107 in overtime behind Russell's incredible performance.
1993: Michael Jordan's Game 4 vs. Phoenix
5 of 5The Statline
55 points, eight rebounds and four assists
After dropping a triple-overtime thriller in Game 3, Michael Jordan was forced to listen to the trash-talk of Phoenix Suns point guard Kevin Johnson, who boasted over holding Jordan to only 44 points on a less than stellar 19-of-43 from the field.
Johnson threw some gas onto a raging inferno because Jordan would go absolutely bonkers in Game 4.
With his team up 2-1 in the series, Jordan went for the neck with a masterful 55-point performance. It tied Rick Barry for the second most points all-time in an NBA Finals. Jordan was unstoppable from the start with 33 points by the half and 22 necessary points in the second half as the Bulls would need a late Suns turnover to take a 111-105 decision.
Jordan would shoot an efficient 21-of-37 from the field. Perhaps the most intriguing stat is the fact that Jordan didn't attempt a single three-pointer. Outside of 13 points from the foul line, Jordan got every one of his shots from within the perimeter. He wouldn't restrict himself as a perimeter shooter, however, as the majority of his shots would come right near the rim.
Poor Dan Majerle didn't stand a chance.
The Suns would actually steal Game 5 in Chicago, but would drop Game 6 at home behind John Paxson's late jumper and Horace Grant's block on Kevin Johnson's last-second runner.
Jordan would rightfully be named the Finals MVP thanks to the 41 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals he posted per night in six games.
