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

Best Game 7 performances in NBA Playoffs history: 11. Paul Pierce (2008)

Stat line:

• 41 points
• 5 assists
• 65% from distance

The King had officially arrived. Or so, that’s how it appeared.

With only a handful of years in the league, LeBron James was a multiple-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, led the league in scoring and already had a Finals appearance on his resume as well. Although he ultimately came up short against the San Antonio Spurs the year prior, many believed James would head right back to the Finals again. That is, until the Boston Celtics pushed out a lineup riddled with Hall of Famers left and right.

Despite the stacked team he was up against, James pushed them to a Game 7. And while many expected him to dominate, which he did, Paul Pierce was right there with him. The newly inducted Hall of Famer dropped 41 points, got his hands on four rebounds and was responsible for five assists. James though, dropped 45 of his own but it was the efficiency of Pierce that gives him the nod here. He shot over 50% from the field, over 65% from 3-point land and missed only one free throw out of the 12 he attempted.

The Celtics picked up the five-point win and would later take care of the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA title.