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25 Greatest Performances In NBA Finals History

By Bill Speros

PHILADELPHIA, PA - May 16: Earvin Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with team owner Jerry Buss after they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA finals 4 games to 2 on May 16, 1980 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Johnson played for the Lakers from 1979 - 91, 96. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - May 16: Earvin Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with team owner Jerry Buss after they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA finals 4 games to 2 on May 16, 1980 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Johnson played for the Lakers from 1979 - 91, 96. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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1970’s: Rick Barry #24 of the Golden State Warriors shoots with his unorthodox freethrow style during an NBA game circa 1970’s. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
1970’s: Rick Barry #24 of the Golden State Warriors shoots with his unorthodox freethrow style during an NBA game circa 1970’s. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

25. Rick Barry, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia, Game 3 (1967)

Led by Wilt Chamberlain, the Philadelphia 76ers marched to a then-record 68 regular-season wins by averaging 125.1 points per game. Philly beat Boston and Bill Russell in the Eastern Division Finals.

Thus, the 1967 NBA Finals marked the first championship matchup in 11 years that didn’t include the Celtics.

The San Francisco Warriors were led by Hall of Famers Nate Thurmond and forward Rick Barry, who, like the modern-day Warriors’ top scorer, was not afraid to shoot and score from anywhere.

The Sixers won the first two games at home before Barry put up 55 points, driving the Warriors to a 130-124 win in Game 3. Defense wasn’t a concern in this season. Barry was in his second year out of Miami and was emerging as a superstar forward, averaging 35.6 points.

He had just come off a Rookie of the Year season in 1965-66 and was brimming with confidence. He was hampered by a badly sprained ankle throughout the Finals and required an anesthetic shot to play.

His 55 points in Game 3 was the second-best scoring performance in Finals history, but not enough to stop Chamberlain and Co. The Sixers won the series in six.

Next: A Game 1 Answer