Over the course of the 77-year history of the NBA, there have been a countless amount of historic NBA Finals games, moments and performances that leave fans speechless.
With this year’s NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics getting underway on Thursday, we decided to take things to a new level. Here, we check in on the 20 greatest single-game performances in the history of the NBA Finals.
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20. Julius Erving, Game 6 (1977 NBA Finals)
Although it was in a losing effort, this was Julius Erving’s best NBA Finals game in his career playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. In Game 6 against the Portland Trailblazers, he scored 40 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds. Simply put, we could not leave The Doctor off an all-time NBA Finals list.
19. Bill Walton, Game 6 (1977 NBA Finals)
Believe it or not, Dr. J and his Philadelphia 76ers were outmatched by their opponent, the Portland Trailblazers. The late-great Bill Walton had a virtuoso performance in the same game that helped the Blazers capture their first and only NBA championship in franchise history. A stat line that included 20 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists and eight blocks. He did a little bit of everything that night. Portland was victorious, 109-107.
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18. Moses Malone, Game 4 (1983 NBA Finals)
Before the playoffs began, Moses Malone famously predicted “Fo, Fo, Fo”, meaning they would sweep the entire postseason. Although they couldn’t quite pull it off and went 12-1 overall with losing one game to the Milwaukee Bucks during a series, the 76ers did sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The performance Moses Malone put on was one for the ages. He scored 24 points with 23 rebounds. It was too good a performance to not include as the 76ers were victorious, 115-108.
17. Kobe Bryant, Game 1 (2009 NBA Finals)
Kobe made seven NBA Finals appearances, won five championships. Believe it or not, there was one game he had that stands out above the rest and it gets overlooked. In Game 1 of the 2009 Finals against the Orlando Magic, he scored a then career-high 40 points in a blowout win for the Lakers 100-75. He also had eight rebounds and eight assists that evening. We could not leave the Black Mamba off of this list.
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16. Shaquille O’Neal, Game 2 (2000 NBA Finals)
Like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal had his fair share of NBA Finals appearances including three consecutive trips as a Los Angeles Laker playing alongside Kobe from 2000-02. As a four-time champion, he is regarded by many as the best big man to ever play the game. 2000 was his peak and no one could stop him, as he won the MVP award for the regular season. In Game 2 of the Finals against the Indiana Pacers, it was his greatest performance. Shaq tallied 40 points with 24 rebounds. Pure dominance from start to finish. LA would win Game 2, 111-104.
15. Michael Jordan, Game 1 (1992 NBA Finals)
What else is there to be said about this particular Finals game other than breathtaking? In the midst of a quest to repeat as NBA champions, Michael Jordan simply set the tone in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals against the Portland Trailblazers. MJ tallied 39 points with 11 assists and six three-pointers made. The Bulls ran away with Game 1, 122-89.
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14. Kevin Durant, Game 3 (2018 NBA Finals)
Game 3 of the 2018 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers was a clinical masterpiece for KD with 43 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. It was by far the best NBA Finals game of his career. From the very beginning, it was clear he was on a mission to put the Golden State Warriors on his back and lead them to victory. He also made the game-clinching three late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Warriors.
13. LeBron James, Game 2 (2015 NBA Finals)
Being in 10 NBA Finals, Lebron James has had a lot of great moments and performances, but Game 2 of the 2015 Finals is one that really stands out above all others. Without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, James carried the Cavaliers to a gutsy Game 2 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors, 95-93. The final stat line: 39 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists.The Cavs would eventually lose in six games to Golden State because of the injuries to Irving and Love. But LeBron was a one man wrecking crew and made the Warriors earn every single win.
12. Scott Wedman, Game 1 (1985 NBA Finals)
In 26 minutes off the bench for the Celtics, he scored 23 points. What made this performance worthy of being on the list was that he never missed a shot: He was a perfect 11-11 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three-point range. This was known as the “Memorial Day Massacre” as the Celtics steamrolled the Lakers in Game 1, 148-114.
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11. Michael Jordan, Game 6 (1998 NBA Finals)
In what turned out to be his final game with the Chicago Bulls, Game 6 of the 1998 Finals against the Utah Jazz was nothing short of a vintage Michael Jordan performance. He scored 45 points on 15-of-35 from the field, including the game winner. Another example of doing whatever it takes to get a win. The Bulls went on to win 87-86 and it would end up being the sixth championship in eight seasons for MJ and the Bulls to complete the dynasty.
10. LeBron James, Game 1 (2018 NBA Finals)
In Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, it was a back and forth thriller between the Cavs and Warriors. Although Cleveland lost in overtime by the score of 124-114, LeBron James did all he could to lead his team to victory that night. He set the all-time record for the most points scored in a Finals loss with 51. He also had eight rebounds and eight assists. If it weren’t for a few late game miscues in regulation, the Cavs could have won this game outright and it was the turning point of this particular Finals. The Warriors would end up sweeping the Cavs.
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9. Larry Bird, Game 5 (1984 NBA Finals)
The legend that is Larry Bird had quite a few Finals games to choose from. However, Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers was his greatest of them all. This is known as “the heat game.” The temperature inside Boston Garden was 97 degrees. It did not bother Bird one bit. He scored 34 points on 15-of-20 from the field and also grabbed 17 rebounds. The Celtics took advantage of their home court and won game five comfortably, 121-103.
8. Stephen Curry, Game 2 (2018 NBA Finals)
Following LeBron’s 51-point performance in Game 1, Stephen Curry quickly reminded fans of how great he is and had a virtuoso performance of his own. In Game 2, Curry set the all-time record for most threes made in a Finals game. He made nine threes. That is not a misprint. Steph’s final stat line: 33 points on 11-of-26 shooting from the field, 9-of-17 from three-point range. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Believe it or not, this was not his greatest game for Curry in the Finals.
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7. Stephen Curry, Game 4 (2022 NBA Finals)
In a pivotal Game 4 between the Warriors and Celtics in Boston, Steph Curry had a performances for the ages and it goes ahead of his Game 2 performance in the 2018 Finals. With the Warriors trailing 2-1, he put up 43 points on 14-of-26 from the field, 7-of-14 from three-point territory. It was really in the second half though when he made his mark, scoring 23 of his 43. He was on his game that night as the Warriors won Game 4 of that series 107-97. They never looked back.
6. Allen Iverson, Game 1 (2001 NBA Finals)
For his lack of height only being 6-foot, Allen Iverson let his play on the court do the talking and inflicted misery on his opponents. In Game 1 of the 2001 Finals against the Lakers, he did just that, He scored 48 points and had five steals in a stunning overtime victory, 107-101. This performance is known for one thing: a filthy step back jumper over Ty Lue and then proceeding to step over him. To this day, it’s one of the most humiliating plays ever. Game 1 of this Finals was the only loss the Lakers suffered during the 2001 playoffs.
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5. Isiah Thomas, Game 6 (1988 NBA Finals)
Isiah Thomas had one of the gutsiest performances of all time in the Finals. With Detroit up 3-2 and a chance to close the series, he badly sprained his ankle in the third quarter, and the Lakers took control of the game for a while. But, like all great competitors, Isiah came back in the game and stunned a sold out crowd at The Forum and went on to set a Finals record for most points in a quarter with 25. Although the Pistons came up short in their quest of closing out the Lakers, it was a valiant effort by Thomas and certainly ranks among the greatest single-game performances of all-time.
4. Michael Jordan, Game 5 (1997 NBA Finals)
This game is summed up in three words: The Flu Game. With the Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz tied at two games apiece, the winner of Game 5 would’ve virtually been in the drivers seat to win the series. There was one major twist however heading into this pivotal game: Michael Jordan had gotten sick and suffered a bad case of the flu the night before. All Jordan did was score 38 points and led the Bulls to a huge win in Utah, 90-88. It’s highly regarded as the greatest game in Michael Jordan’s career.
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3. Kyrie Irving & LeBron James, Game 6 (2016 NBA Finals)
The Cleveland Cavaliers were trailing 3-1 to the Golden State Warriors and the Warriors were on the verge of making history. With a win, their record breaking regular season record of 73-9 would be cemented as the greatest season in NBA history. Cleveland’s superstar duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James took matters into their own hands. They became the first duo in Finals history to each score 40 or more points in a Finals game. Combining for 82 points, they kept the Cavaliers season alive as they won Game 5 comfortably, 112-97. It’s easily a performance worthy of being on the list.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Game 6 (2021 NBA Finals)
The Milwaukee Bucks were in position to win their first championship in 50 years after winning Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns. What Giannis did in game six was legendary. He ended up scoring 50 on 16-of-25 from the field. The 50 points is a record for the most points in a close out game in Finals history. He also had 14 rebounds. This honestly could have been number one on this list. It was a coin flip between this game and one other performance.
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1. Magic Johnson, Game 6 (1980 NBA Finals)
Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers is remembered for one man’s iconic performance: Magic Johnson. With the Lakers up in the series 3-2 and a chance to close it out, Johnson played at the center position filling in for injured teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Magic’s final stat line: 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists. The Lakers would win Game 6 in dominate fashion, 123-107. Because he put on this spectacular performance without Jabbar, that’s why we have it number one on the list over Giannis.
