Throughout basketball history, the players who are considered to be the greatest that ever played all have one thing in common. They all elevated their games to legendary heights on the biggest stage that the game has to offer, the NBA Finals. Every player that gets debated as the GOAT or in someone’s top 10 players of all-time list, has given the performances of a lifetime in the NBA Finals and was the main contributing factor on a championship team multiple times in their career. There is a reason the 10 players below make up the majority of the top of the NBA’s GOAT pyramid and it can all be tied back to the performances in the NBA Finals that live on as time passes.
First, you have seen us talk about the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring Finals MVP performances in NBA history. Now, it is time to take the most complete Finals MVP performances in NBA history and rank them from best to worst based on a variety of criteria. We will take a look at the numbers, of course, but the overall impact on the outcome of the series and controlling the game from start to finish are the things we will hold in the highest regard. The Finals performances below are ones that every NBA fan remembers and can agree on their placement today.
These are the 10 greatest Finals MVP performances in NBA history.
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 2021 NBA Finals
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 BPG
Prior to leading the Bucks to their second NBA championship in franchise history, the narrative surrounding Giannis was beginning to change for the worse. Giannis was already a two-time MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year prior to the 2021 season but people were beginning to suspect that all he could be was a regular-season player. They began to suspect that he didn’t have what it takes to lead his team to a championship after two early exits in back-to-back playoff appearances led by their MVP.
This all changed in 2021 when Giannis led the Bucks to a sweep of the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and victories over the Nets and Hawks followed. Giannis would suffer a nasty hyperextension of his knee in the Conference Finals but would gut it out for the Finals. After falling down 2-0 in the series to the Suns, Giannis took his game to an ever higher level leading the Bucks to four straight victories. Giannis was dominant in their comeback victory over Phoenix, recording a 50-point, 14-rebound game in Game Six to capture the championship.
9. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1971 NBA Finals
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 27.0 PPG, 18.5 RPG, 2.8 APG
Kareem Abdlu-Jabbar was just a second-year phenom when he delivered his masterful 1971 Finals MVP performance. He had already captured the Rookie of the Year in 1970 averaging 28.8 PPG and 14.5 RPG on 51.8% shooting. In his second season in 1971, he followed up his incredible first season with an MVP campaign that saw him win the scoring title at 31.7 PPG and grab 16.0 RPG while leading the Bucks to 66 wins. Kareem and the Bucks headed to the playoffs as heavy favorites to win it all.
Kareem and the Bucks would take down the Warriors and Lakers both in five games to advance to the Finals against the Baltimore Bullets. In Game one, Kareem took control early and led the Bucks to victory with 31 points and 17 rebounds. He followed that up with 27 points and 24 rebounds in Game Two to give the Bucks a 2-0 series lead. He would score 23 points in Game Three and 27 in Game Four to give the Bucks their first championship in franchise history in a four-game sweep.
8. Larry Bird – 1986 NBA Finals
Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 24.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 9.4 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
By the time 1986 rolled around, Larry Bird has won back-to-back MVP awards in 1984 and 1985 and was already a two-time NBA champion in 1981 and 1984. Bird and the Celtics headed into 1986 fresh off a loss in the Finals to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1986, Bird would secure his third straight MVP award with 25.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, and 2.0 SPG as the Celtics won 67 games and looked ready to return to the NBA Finals.
The Celtics’ path to the Finals was relatively easy as they went 11-1 in the playoffs to eliminate the Bulls, Hawks, and Bucks. In the NBA Finals, they were set to meet the team they defeated in 1981, the Houston Rockets. The Celtics had control of the series for the majority of the time and never relinquished a series lead. Bird had a monster Game Two with 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. In the decisive Game Six, Bird would record 29 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals to bring home his third championship and second Finals MVP award.
7. Tim Duncan – 2003 NBA Finals
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 5.3 BPG
Tim Duncan set the NBA ablaze when he came into the league in the 1997-98 season and had one of the better rookie seasons ever. In 1999, Duncan led the Spurs to the NBA Finals in a lockout-shortened season. He and the Spurs would end up winning that NBA championship and the stage was set for the rest of Duncan’s career. In the 2003 regular season, Duncan would be named MVP with 23.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 2.9 BPG. The Spurs would be well on their way to their second NBA championship from that point.
They breezed through the playoffs for a showdown with the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals. Duncan would set the tone in Game One when he recorded 32 points, 20 rebounds, and seven blocks to give the Spurs the 1-0 lead. In Game Four, he would have another monster performance with 23 points and 17 rebounds in a loss. In Game Six, Duncan would wrap up the Finals with one of the great single-game performances in NBA history. He would have 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and eight blocks to secure the NBA championship becoming one of the few in NBA history to win MVP, an NBA title, and Finals MVP in the same season.
6. Dwyane Wade – 2006 NBA Finals
Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Dwyane Wade was the fifth overall pick to the Miami Heat in the 2003 NBA Draft, tabbed as the next franchise star to come through South Beach. Wade would fill that tole perfectly and go on to become the greatest player in franchise history. Over his first two seasons with Miami, Wade averaged 20.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG. The Heat failed to make it out of the East in his first two seasons but 2006 would be a different story.
The 2006 Heat roster was stacked with incredible veterans such as Shaq, Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker. When they advanced to the NBA Finals against the Mavericks, the Heat needed someone to lift them out of the 2-0 hole they fell in and deliver a championship. Dwyane Wade was the guy who would do just that. Wade would lead the Heat to four straight wins and rejoice as the first team in Heat history to win the championship. Wade would have performances of 42 points, 36 points, 43 points, and 36 points again to put away Dallas for good in one of the greatest performances ever.
5. Magic Johnson – 1980 NBA Finals
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 21.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 8.4 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Magic Johnson was just a rookie when he delivered the greatest Finals performance in his career and the first of many legendary performances in his career. Johnson had already dominated at the college level at Michigan State and came into the NBA as the first overall pick in 1979. Johnson would become an All-Star in 1980 averaging 18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, and 2.4 SPG. However, he would save his best stretch for the NBA playoffs where he would make NBA history.
The Lakers would advance to the NBA Finals where they would take on the Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving. The Lakers would hold a 3-2 advantage heading into Game Six but would be without their big man in the middle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the remainder of the series regardless if they went to Game Seven or not. Magic Johnson would step in and fill Kareem’s role perfectly going for 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. The Lakers would rout the Sixers in the game and Magic would have his first of five NBA championships in the decade as the youngest Finals MVP in NBA history.
4. Hakeem Olajuwon – 1995 NBA Finals
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG
In 1994-95, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets were coming off their first NBA championship behind a near-perfect season from Olajuwon. The Rockets were determined to defend their title at all costs but things did not go to plan at first. The Rockets struggled out of the gates and stumbled to a mediocre record by the middle of the season. At the deadline, they would acquire Clyde Drexler from Portland and it was just the push they needed to right the ship.
Hakeem would finish runner-up for the MVO award in 1995 but would have the last laugh over winner David Robinson on his way to the NBA Finals. Olajuwon and the Rockets defied the odds to reach the NBA Finals once again and were headed for a showdown with Shaq and the Orlando Magic. The Finals wouldn’t even be a series after Game One and the Rockets would sweep Orlando for their second straight title. Olajuwon would have 31 points and 16 rebounds in Game One, 31 points and 14 rebounds in Game Three, and 35 points and 15 rebounds in Game Four to secure the sweep.
3. Shaquille O’Neal – 2000 NBA Finals
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 38.0 PPG, 16.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.7 BPG
Before the year 2000 set upon the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal had been known as a superstar who had gotten so close to winning an NBA championship but could never get over the proverbial hump. O’Neal had been to two Eastern Conference Finals early in his career and an NBA Finals but saw he and his team destroyed by the opposition. In 2000, he would enter the peak of his power and the most dominant stretch in NBA history by a big man was underway. O’Neal would win the 2000 MVP and 2000 All-Star Game MVP with 29.7 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 3.0 BPG.
The Lakers and O’Neal were pretty much unstoppable on their way to the NBA Finals where they were set to take on Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers’ frontline would be no match for O’Neal who would have one of the highest-scoring performances by a Finals MVP in NBA history with 38.0 PPG. In the deciding Game Six, Shaq would put away the pacers with 41 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks to give the Lakers their first NBA championship since 1988.
2. LeBron James – 2016 NBA Finals
Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 2.6 SPG, 2.3 BPG
LeBron James’ miraculous 2016 championship run makes it to number two on our list for numerous reasons. In 2015, LeBron and the Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in five games in the NBA Finals and many had doubts if Cleveland could get back to the Finals to get another chance. The Warriors would have the best season of any team in history in 2016, going 73-9 and setting a new NBA record for wins. Absolutely none of this intimidated or deterred LeBron.
The Warriors and Cavaliers would meet again in the NBA Finals with nobody giving Cleveland a chance to win. After falling down 3-1, the eulogy for Cleveland was being written as they were about to be buried once again in the Finals. However, LeBron had other plans. James would have a pair of 41-point games in Games Five and Six to force a Game Seven and attempt to seal the greatest comeback in NBA history. In Game Seven, James would deliver and go for 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to capture the first championship in franchise history as well as his third Finals MVP award.
1. Michael Jordan – 1993 NBA Finals
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Finals Stats: 41.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG
As the 1993 season approached, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were the kings of the league with back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. Jordan and the Bulls had claimed title wins over the Lakers and Trail Blazers in their first two championships but were seeking something only done once before them and in the 1960s. They wanted and needed to three-peat as NBA champions. They would get their shot at the incredible feat later that season.
Jordan would lose out on another MVP award in 1993, losing to Charles Barkley of the Suns. Jordan would exact his revenge in the NBA Finals in a big way. He would go for 41.0 PPG over the course of six games, leading the Bulls to their third straight championship. He recorded 31 points in Game One, 42 points in Game Two, 44 points in Game Three, 55 points in Game Four, 41 points in Game Five, and 33 points in Game Six. Jordan was named Finals MVP with the most PPG for any Finals MVP in history and was already being referred to as the GOAT by many across the NBA.
Source: fadeawayworld
