The 10 Most Memorable NBA Finals Performances of My Lifetime

With the NBA finals upon us, I thought it would be fun to countdown my 10 most memorable finals performances. Before we jump in, a quick word about what I mean by “most memorable.” These are performances I specifically remember and my attempt to rank their significance.

The greatest finals performance of all time, Magic Johnson filling in for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and playing center as a 20-year rookie, does not make the list because I don’t remember watching it. I know my dad told me about it and the fact that Magic put up 42-15-7 in a finals clinching victory playing out of position may never be topped, but again, it’s not on this list since I don’t remember watching it.

Hopefully that all makes sense. Let’s get to the list!

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 50 to close out the Suns (2021)

Giannis finished with 50 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks to win the deciding game 6 of the underrated 2021 finals. He was incredible this game and the only reason it isn’t higher on the list is that I missed the first half and watched the second half in a hotel lobby. Had I been sitting in my recliner for the whole game this might have made the top 5!

9. Russell Westbrook lays it all on the line (2012)

The Thunder were trailing the Heat 2-1 in the series. LeBron and Durant were the headliners in the series, but Westbrook stole the show in game 4, putting up a 43-7-5 and doing everything he could to get his team the win. He fell just short as the Thunder lost a close game and ended up losing the series 4-1. I will never forget him relentlessly driving to the basket into multiple defenders repeatedly. Westbrook is a polarizing player, but his effort can’t be questioned.

8. Allen Iverson “step over” game (2001)

The Shaq/Kobe Lakers dominated the 2001 playoffs going 15-1 on their way to a second straight title. The only blemish to their record was game 1 of the finals when Allen Iverson scored 48 points to beat them in overtime. Iverson also had 6 assists and 5 rebounds while playing all but 3 seconds of a 53-minute game! The indelible memory of this game was Iverson stepping over Ty Lue after hitting a 3 pointer against him late in the game.

7. Tim Duncan’s near quadruple double (2003)

I want to let everyone in on a little secret. Early 2000s NBA was tough to watch. Games were VERY low scoring, there was a lot of 1on 1 hero ball, good shooting was in short supply, and the pace was agonizingly slow. In this context Duncan’s game is even more impressive. He finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks to close out the Nets in game 6. This was Duncan’s second of 5 titles and David Robinson’s final NBA game. Fun fact: I watched this game in a hotel with my brothers and dad on a family vacation to the D.C. area.

6. Steph’s game 4 against Boston (2022)

After making 5 straight finals from 2015-2019 (winning 3 titles) the Warriors’ time was supposed to be past. KD had left as a free agent. Klay suffered two devastating leg injuries and their young draft picks were not developing as they had hoped. Somehow, they made the finals against a younger, bigger, more athletic Celtics team. The Celtics won 2 of the first 3 games and were leading in game 4 before Curry delivered his signature finals performance. Scoring 43 points and hitting 10 three pointers on the way to a win. He also added 10 rebounds and 4 assists, and the Warriors never looked back on their way to a 4-2 series victory.

5. LeBron’s dominant game 1, A.K.A. The J.R. Smith game (2018)

The Warriors were poised to secure their 3^rd title in 4 years, they had 4 future hall of famers in their primes including 2 top 20 all time guys (Curry and Durant). The Cavs no longer had Kyrie Irving, their second best player of that era, and were completely overmatched. That didn’t stop LeBron from one of his greatest finals performances. Putting up 51 points on 19-32 shooting while also adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists. I am not a LeBron fan, but he was BY FAR the best player on the floor that day.

This game is best remembered for J.R. Smith running out the clock because he didn’t realize the game was tied and LeBron gesturing in frustration towards the basket (you’ve seen the meme). The Cavs would go on to lose the game in overtime and be swept in the series. This performance would be higher had the Cavs won the game.

4. Jordan’s “shrug” game (1992)

Going into the 1992 finals Michael Jordan was overwhelmingly considered the best player in the world. He won his second straight league MVP that year and led the league in scoring for the 6^th straight year. Clyde Drexler, Jordan’s counterpart on the Trailblazers, was a top 10 player as well and finished second in MVP voting that season. Jordan was considered better than Drexler at everything except for 3-point shooting where Clyde had the edge. This was technically true as Drexler made more 3s that year and shot a higher percentage than MJ.

That didn’t stop Jordan from taking it personally that anyone was considered better than him at anything! So, he proceeded to hit SIX 3s in the first half of game 1. This was a guy who ATTEMPTED about one 3 per game that season. He went on to score 39 points and shrug at the announcers after hitting his final three pointer. The Bulls won the series 4-2. I watched this game in St. Louis at my grandparents’ house.

3. Dirk’s redemption (2011)

This memory isn’t a single game. Dirk Nowitzki’s and the Mavericks were not supposed to win in 2011. Dirk had famously come up short in previous years. In 2006 his Mavs blew a 2-0 lead to the Heat in the finals. In 2007 he led the Mavs to the best record in the league and he won league MVP, but the team was stunned in the first round of the playoffs by the Warriors.

In 2011 the Mavs were a 4 seed in the Western Conference, but they defeated everyone in their path on the way to the finals where they had to face the mighty Miami Heat. The Heat were a super team that had formed the previous offseason and were expected to own the league for the next decade. The Heat did make 4 straight finals and won two championships, but the Mavs held them off in 2011 and the main reason was Dirk. He averaged 26 and 10 for the series, but it was more than just numbers. Even in games where he was shooting poorly, he seemed to make every big shot when it counted.

I was following game 2 on my way back from a trip to Utah. The Mavs were trailing when we took off on our flight and this being before wifi was readily available on flights, I had to wait until we landed to find out the score. To my surprise and delight, Dirk had taken over the game, scored 10 points late and the Mavs won! They would go on to win the series 4-2.

2. Isiah’s sprained ankle (1988)

I watched this game at a beach house in Panama owned by a family in our church. I hated the Lakers, so I was all in for the “bad boy” Pistons. The Lakers led by 7 at halftime of game 6. At the beginning of the third quarter the Piston’s best player, Isiah Thomas, severely sprained his ankle. Somehow, he limped around for the rest of the quarter and scored a finals record 25 points in the third quarter alone! This record still stands nearly 40 years later.

It’s the most incredible thing I have ever seen on a basketball court. Thomas finished with 43 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals, but the Pistons lost the game by 1 and lost the series 4-3 which prevents it from topping our list. The Pistons would go on to win back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990.

1. The Flu Game (1997)

It is unclear whether Michael Jordan was battling the flu or had food poisoning before this game. What is very clear is that he felt terrible while he played. He could barely stand at certain points, collapsed on the bench during timeouts and needed help from teammates to make it off the court. I was glued to the entire game, and while I was not a Jordan fan and was rooting for the Utah Jazz in the series, I still have to hand it to MJ.

Jordan could have skipped the game, he could have played very limited minutes and called on his teammates to pick up the slack, but he knew in a series tied 2-2 that he needed to step up. And step up he did, by scoring 39 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. His team needed everything he could give as they survived a 90-86 battle to go up 3-2 in a series they would eventually win. I hated every moment of it, but it tops my list of most memorable final’s performances.

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There you have it. My top 10. I would love to hear what other games would show up on people’s lists. Feel free to leave a comment.