It’s June and the NBA Finals are once again upon us. The Finals are a time when a good player has the opportunity to elevate to greatness and a great player may become legendary. The cliché that NBA legends are born in the Finals is true. Whether it be fair or not, NBA players are often remembered by how they performed on the biggest stage with everything on the line. The performances of star players in the regular season and leading up the NBA Finals may fade from memory as time passes on, but a dominating performance in the NBA Finals ensures that a player’s legacy will live on as long as basketball is played. Let’s take a look at the 10 most dominating performances in the NBA Finals.
Dwyane Wade had one of the best performances in NBA Finals history in 2006. (Photo Credit/Keith Allison/Flickr.com)
10. Dwyane Wade, 2006 vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Miami Heat were down 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals and trailed the Mavs by 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3. The rest of the Heat appeared ready to fold it up and begin their summer vacation, but not Dwyane Wade. Miami’s star shooting guard began relentlessly attacking the basket and scored 12 points in the final seven minutes to send the game to overtime. The Heat went on to win that game and the next three led by Wade’s aggressive play. Wade went to the free-throw line 97 times in the six-game series.
The total amount of free throw attempts by Wade in the six-game series is the most in NBA Finals history. Wade benefited from referee’s blowing their whistle at a historic pace (Wade shot 25 free throws in game 5 alone) but he deserves credit for his aggressive play. Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game to lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA championship.
9. Larry Bird, 1984 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The 1984 Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers was one of the most memorable NBA Finals in history. Both teams had won championships during the 1980s, but had yet to meet in the Finals. The much-hyped matchup didn’t disappoint, going the full seven games. The best player in the series was Larry Bird. Bird averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Celtics. This was the first of three matchups between the Celtics and Lakers during the 1980’s and Larry Bird ensured the Celtics would win their first meeting.
Kobe Bryant won his first NBA championship without Shaquille O’Neal in 2009. (Photo Credit/Keith Allison/Flickr.com)
8. Kobe Bryant, 2009 vs. Orlando Magic
The Los Angeles Lakers won their first NBA championship of the post-Shaquille O’Neal era in 2009 led by Kobe Bryant The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games as Kobe Bryant proved to all doubters that he had the ability to carry the Lakers to the promised land without the legendary center. Bryant averaged 32.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game against the Orlando Magic.
The Magic were one of the best defensive teams in the league, led by 2009 Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. The Magic were able to contain LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals but they had no answer for Kobe Bryant. The Lakers star used his scoring, passing ability and defense to help the Lakers knock out the Magic in just five games. Bryant has won five championships but his performance in 2009 stands above them all.
7. Michael Jordan, 1997 vs. Utah Jazz
Michael Jordan’s legacy had seemingly reached its zenith heading into the 1997 NBA Finals. Jordan had come back from his surprising retirement to lead a much different group of Chicago Bulls to yet another championship the previous year against the Seattle Supersonics. The Utah Jazz team that Chicago faced in 1997 were a tough group, lead by a pair of future Hall of Famers in John Stockton and Karl Malone.
The series was tied at 2-2 and the Jazz appeared to have a legitimate shot at upsetting the favored Bulls. The news broke that Jordan was sick with the flu prior to the critical game five showdown. From the moment fans saw Jordan it was apparent that he was feeling the effects of his illness. Jordan played through dehydration and exhaustion to will the Bulls to victory in game five. Jordan finished the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. For the series Jordan averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game as the Bulls defeated the Jazz in six games.
6. Magic Johnson, 1987 vs. Boston Celtics
The 1987 NBA Finals was a classic series between the two best teams of the 1980s, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning the title in 1985, the Lakers were upset by the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals the following year and had to watch the Celtics win yet another championship from home. Led by a historic effort by Magic Johnson, the Lakers defeated the mighty Celtics in six games. Magic averaged 26.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 13.0 assists per game.
Magic put up 19 assists in the Lakers’ Game 6 victory that clinched the championship for Los Angeles. This is the series that brought us the iconic Magic Johnson sky-hook clip that is still replayed today. The NBA has yet to have another player that brought the unique abilities and charisma that Magic Johnson possessed. The 1987 Finals were not only enjoyable to watch, but featured Magic Johnson in his prime leading the Lakers to another NBA championship.
5. Michael Jordan, 1993 vs. Phoenix Suns
The Chicago Bulls entered the 1993 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns trying to win their third straight championship, something that had not been accomplished since the Boston Celtics did it from 1964-66 (those Celtics actually won eight in a row, beginning in 1959). Jordan proved emphatically that this feat was not beyond his ability as he averaged 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. Jordan put up 55 points in Game 4 and became the first player to score 40 or more points in four straight Finals games. The Bulls defeated a talented Phoenix Suns team led by Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson in six games.
4. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1994 vs. New York Knicks
The 1994 Finals treated NBA fans to a battle of two of the best centers of their era going head-to-head against each other. Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon had both enjoyed storied careers, but neither had a championship ring to show for it. Olajuwon dominated both Ewing and the New York Knicks to bring the Rockets their first NBA championship. Olajuwon averaged 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game in the seven-game series. Olajuwon outscored Ewing in all seven games and cemented his place in NBA history as one of the best centers to every play the game.
3. Shaquille O’Neal, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers
Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominating physical presence of his era and arguably of all-time. O’Neal was at the top of his game in the 2000 NBA Finals and absolutely dominated the Indiana Pacers. O’Neal was known as “The Diesel” and he lived up to his nickname, averaging 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in the Lakers 4-2 series win over the Pacers. This would be the first of three consecutive championships for Lakers. The Pacers tried to use a variety of defenders, double-teams and even the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy, but found no solution that would slow down O’Neal. When it comes to dominating performances, this was easily one of the finest performances in NBA history.
2. Tim Duncan, 2003 vs. New Jersey Nets
Tim Duncan was at his very best during the 2003 Finals. The Spurs have won four titles with Tim Duncan on their roster, but never leaned on Duncan as much as they did in 2003. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were a part of the 2003 Spurs but had not developed into the stars they would later become. David Robinson was a part of the 2003 Spurs as well, but his skills were in decline and he retired after the Finals. The Spurs went up against an excellent defensive team in the New Jersey Nets and Duncan was absolutely spectacular. The Nets had two great post defenders in Kenyon Martin and Dikembe Mutombo, but they were no match for one of the best power forwards to ever play the game.
Duncan averaged 24.2 points, 17.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the 2003 finals. Duncan had one of the best games of his career in the series-clinching Game 6 victory. Duncan had 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks. Duncan also completely dominated Kenyon Martin on the defensive end of Game 6, forcing him to shoot an atrocious 3-for-23 from the field.
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz for the second straight season to capture their sixth championship. (Photo Credit/Jason H Smith/Flickr.com)
1. Michael Jordan, 1998 vs. Utah Jazz
The last NBA Finals appearance for Michael Jordan was his most memorable. Utah went into the series with home-court advantage and was determined to avenge its loss to the Bulls in the Finals the previous year. Utah had the Bulls on the ropes in Game 6 when Michael Jordan reminded the Jazz and the rest of the world why he is the best player to ever play the game. The Bulls had to have a stop on the defensive end with less than a minute remaining. Michael Jordan came from behind Karl Malone and stole the ball, much to Malone’s surprise. Jordan then ignored coach Phil Jackson‘s wish for a timeout and hit a memorable shot over Bryon Russell from outside the free-throw line to seal the victory. Jordan finished the game with 45 points and secured his sixth NBA championship. For the series Jordan averaged 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. This would be Jordan’s last NBA championship and Finals appearance and he made it one to remember.
Determining where each players NBA Finals performance ranks is worthy of debate. Narrowing the list down to only 10 ensures that a number of deserving players are left off of this list. Tell us below who you feel should be included in this list and why.
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