NBA Playoffs: 30 best Game 7 performances in NBA Playoffs history

15 of 31

Tom Heinsohn (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

Best Game 7 performances in NBA Playoffs history: 17. Tom Heinsohn

Stat line:

37 points
22 rebounds

The Boston Celtics may have racked up more NBA Championships than any other team in history but the first will always be the sweetest.

During the 1957 Finals, everywhere you turned there was a Hall of Famer. Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and a few others were manning the Celtics side of the court, while Bob Pettit, Slater Martin and Cliff Hagan were on the other.

Regardless of how many stars were in the game, no one was better than Boston’s Tom Heinsohn. With Hall of Fame credentials of his own, Heinsohn lit the St. Louis Hawks up in Game 7. He scored a game-high 37 points, he also managed to record 22 unbelievable rebounds. If it wasn’t Heinsohn’s monster game, the Celtics would have certainly taken a loss as they won the game by only two points.

Of course, the Celtics have since gone on to win what feels like an endless amount of titles. Still, nothing beats the feeling of that first championship.