Winning an NBA Championship is a reflection of both great individual talent and incredible teamwork. In the minds of some fans—and even some players—winning a championship is a way to validate a player’s legacy, or sometimes even the legacy of a coach.
This is why even though the greatest finals performances are often remembered decades after the fact, it’s usually the winning performances that stick around in people’s minds.
So what about the great performances that ended up being just not enough? Well, DefPen has you covered. I have assembled a list of five of the greatest finals performances that never really mattered because, in the end, it was the other team that raised the trophy above their heads.
Perhaps stating that these performances “never mattered” is harsh, or even oversimplifying what occurred in these games. I’m not sure. However, one thing I am certain about is this; with so much talent assembled in the Finals this year, the odds are somebody will put on a performance that will end up on a list just like this.
Honourable mention: Allen Iverson (2001 NBA Finals game one)
What Allen Iverson did for the Philadelphia 76ers will never be forgotten. As an individual, he transcended the game of basketball and while a lot of fans would exclude him from their list of top ten players of all time, the cultural impact Iverson had on the game is matched by very few players (possibly only his Airness himself, Michael Jordan).
One of his most iconic moments on the court was game one of the 2001 NBA finals. Matched up against the powerhouse Lakers squad that would go on to win their second championship—completing their three-peat in the following year—, it was Iverson against the world.
Iverson finished game one with 48 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and arguably the most iconic photograph in basketball in the last twenty years; the infamous “step over”, which you’ll have noticed at the top of this article. As one of my personal favorite players of all time, I really wanted to include Iverson in this list but couldn’t legitimately argue him over the other five, alas, an honorable mention will have to suffice.
5. Isiah Thomas (1988 NBA Finals, game six)
43 points, 8 assists and 6 steals while shooting 56% from the field and 66% from deep. Not a bad stat line for a guy who averaged just 17 points per game in the first five games of the series. Isiah Thomas put on a heroic performance, leaving the game during the third quarter due to a sprained ankle only to return later in that same quarter and drop 25 points on the Lakers. The Pistons were up 3-2 in the series and Thomas was determined to end the night with the NBA Championship in his hands.
Unfortunately for everyone in Detroit and Isiah Thomas himself, the Pistons not only lost the game but ended up losing the entire series.
4. Draymond Green (2016 NBA Finals, game seven)
I’ll admit there may be some recency bias in this choice but it’s tough to ignore what Draymond Green did in game seven of the NBA finals last year. The triumphant comeback from Cleveland after being 3-1 down will always be the real story of this series, but Green’s play throughout game seven was spectacular and it left every Warriors fan wondering just what would have happened if Green hadn’t been suspended in game five of the series.
Game seven was close. It finished with twenty lead changes and eleven ties throughout the game. Green did everything he could to keep the Warriors in contention. He finished the night with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting an astonishing 73% from the field and 75% from deep.
As expected from a DPOY candidate, he played well on the other side of the ball while stuffing the stat sheet offensively. This is what truly separates his performance from most others. How many power forwards could lead their team in assists, rebounds, and points in the same game while also playing better defense than nearly anyone on either team?
Sadly, Greens efforts were wasted. The next top scorer was Stephen Curry with 17 points and although Green lead all players in game seven in scoring and rebounding, in the end, it didn’t really matter.
The Warriors as a whole collapsed in the last five minutes of the game. The only player to make a field goal in the last four minutes was Kyrie Irving as he delivered a clutch three to help seal the game and the championship for Cleveland.
3. Elgin Baylor (1962 NBA Finals, game five)
On April 14th, 1962, basketball fans were treated to an incredible game five of the NBA finals. With the Los Angeles Lakers and their rival Boston Celtics tied at two games a piece, Elgin Baylor decided now would be a good time to leave his mark in the history books. He set an NBA Finals record for the most points scored by an individual player when he finished the night with 61. As if that wasn’t enough, Baylor also pulled down 22 rebounds on the night.
Baylor’s Lakers went on to win the game building a 3-2 lead, only to squander it to the Celtics in game six and seven. As is the case in most of these situations, the shortcomings of the team can’t fall squarely on the shoulders of one player. In game seven of the NBA finals, Bill Russell grabbed 40 rebounds by himself while Baylor’s teammate Frank Selvy missed a potential game-winning shot with five seconds left that would have won the Lakers the series.
Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, while winning can seem to develop into a habit, so can losing. The loss in 1962 would go on to haunt them as they would lose to Boston in the finals another five times over the next seven years. The Lakers eventually beat Boston more than twenty years later in the 1985 NBA finals, long after Baylor had retired.
2. LeBron James (2015 NBA Finals, game six)
The performance of LeBron James in the 2015 finals is arguably the greatest ever for a losing team. With both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love injured game 6, the Cleveland Cavaliers were severely undermanned. James became the first player in the history of the league to lead both teams in points, rebounds, and assists in the finals. While James had a great performance overall, it was difficult to pinpoint one game that stands out ahead of the rest. In the end, I opted for game five for two reasons;
1. In regards to efficiency, it was one of his best games in the finals. He tallied 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists on 44% from the field and 37% from deep. The triple double also accurately reflects just how much Cleveland was relying on LeBron to do almost everything while his all-star teammates were sidelined.
2. At this point, the series was tied 2-2. This game was an opportunity for James to snatch the lead and set his team up for their best shot at a title with game six being played in Cleveland.
The game had been close throughout the first three-quarters and the Warriors entered the fourth quarter with a six-point lead. At the beginning of the fourth, Cleveland went on a 13-6 run and eventually took the lead behind a very deep three-pointer from James. With Cleveland leading 80-79, and only a little over seven minutes left in the game, the Warriors went on a run of their own and eventually won the game 104-91.
LeBron James was responsible for 70 of Cleveland’s 91 points and he became only the second player in NBA Finals history to score a 40 point triple double.
1. Jerry West (1969 NBA Finals, game seven)
The other player that scored a 40 point triple double was Jerry West.
This was an easy choice for the number one performance from a player on the losing team. West finished game seven of the 1969 finals with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists while shooting 48% from the field.
Jerry West remains the only player to receive the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award while playing on the losing team.
For West, that trophy appears to be a reminder of the team’s failures more than his own personal conquest.
Perhaps West was jinxed by then Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke who began preemptive celebrations, placing flyers on every seat in the stadium which stated; “When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the raftors, the USC marching band will play Happy Days Are Here Again”. This is also the same game where Wilt Chamberlain (who racked up 18 points and 27 rebounds) was benched down the stretch by Coach Butch Van Breda Kolff.
Given the circumstances and the numbers he put up, there’s no doubt that Jerry Wests performance is one of the greatest ever in the NBA finals despite the loss.
