To say everything means more in the NBA Finals would be stating the obvious. In the Finals, the league's finest battle to win an ever-elusive championship.
They have served as the proving ground for incredible moments of individual brilliance—not just in a single game, but sustained over an entire series.
Today, we're looking back at the greatest performances in NBA Finals history.
For the purposes of our list, the player must have led his team to a championship. So, as impressive as Jerry West was in 1969, Isiah Thomas was in 1988 or LeBron James was in 2015, they will not be making the list for those Finals appearances.
We're also only including a player's best Finals performance. Some players were undoubtedly great in multiple championship series, but we've narrowed it down to their most prolific.
It's also worth noting that these are not numbered or structured or ranked in any particular way. Rather, it is simply a collection of the most impressive performances in NBA Finals history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
NBA Finals Stats: 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG
Antetokounmpo hyperextended his knee during the Eastern Conference finals, making fans and pundits question how healthy and effective he would be in the Finals against a white-hot Phoenix Suns team.
He was just fine.
The Greek Freak dominated both ends of the floor, was clutch from the free-throw line (he went 17 of 19 in Game 6) and finished the series with a 50-point outburst in a game that saw only five Milwaukee players score.
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (2023)
NBA Finals Stats: 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 7.2 APG
Jokić’s 2023 NBA Finals was a masterclass. Not only did he dictate the pace and tempo of the entire series, but he did so as a center, which is something very rare. But on top of that, he was essentially running Denver's offense from the top of the key, dishing out assists at a historic rate for a big man.
In Game 3, he became the first player in NBA history to post a 30-20-10 triple-double in the Finals (32 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists).
But perhaps the most impressive part of Jokić’s Finals was his efficiency. He shot nearly 60% from the field and 42% from three-point range en route to becoming the first player in league history to lead the playoffs in points, rebounds and assists.
Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets (1995)
NBA Finals Stats: 32.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.5 APG
The Dream's entire playoff run in 1995 is nothing short of magnificent, with Olajuwon dispatching most of the top 10 players in that season's NBA MVP voting en route to his second championship in as many years.
But the Finals, specifically, were supremely interesting because the best center in the league was looking at the player who would take on that title. Olajuwon faced off with a young Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic, quickly dispatching them while controlling both ends of the floor.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (2016)
NBA Finals Stats: 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.9 APG
Trailing a 73-win Golden State Warriors team 3–1, James simply wouldn't die. Over the course of Games 5, 6 and 7 he scored 41, 41 and 27 (along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists), respectively.
Not to mention one of the most iconic plays in NBA history: his chase down block on Andre Iguodala.
James led both the Cavs and Warriors in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks over the course of the Finals—the first and only time that's happened in history. It was a dominant performance from King James and it cemented his legacy.
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics (1986)
NBA Finals Stats: 24.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 9.5 APG
Bird's 1986 Finals was a showcase of just how complete his game truly was. There simply wasn't an element of basketball that Bird wasn't great at and that was on full display against a young, talented Houston Rockets team that featured both Ralph Samson and Olajuwon.
In Game 6 Larry Legend dropped a triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists), capping off an incredible season where he won NBA MVP, Finals MVP and a championship.
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls (1993)
NBA Finals Stats: 41.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.3 APG
Jordan's 1993 Finals performance might be the best in NBA history, and it is certainly the best of his legendary career.
Facing NBA MVP Charles Barkley and the Suns, Jordan averaged 41 points per game—the most in Finals history—and completed his first three-peat.
Jordan did all the things that made him the greatest basketball player of all-time. He controlled the flow of each game, he made huge plays defensively when the Bulls needed it and he scored in droves. He dropped 40+ points in four-straight games, including 55 on the road in Phoenix in Game 4.
In the end, Jordan was named Finals MVP for the third-straight year.
Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers (2000)
NBA Finals Stats: 38.0 PPG, 16.7 RPG, 2.3 APG
Watching prime Shaq was something else. When O'Neal was at his peak (specifically during this era with the Lakers), he was an unstoppable force.
This year was his first of three-straight NBA Finals MVPs and he remains the only player not named Michael Jordan to accomplish that feat.
Indiana had no answer for O'Neal as he shot out of the gates with a 43-point, 19-rebound game. Shaq did whatever he wanted and no team (the Pacers included) could do anything to slow him down except foul him.
Even still, O'Neal was the high scorer in every game of the Finals.
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (2003)
NBA Finals Stats: 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG
Duncan's 2003 Finals performance is often overlooked, but he turned in one of the most complete series from any big man in NBA history.
Capping off an MVP season, The Big Fundamental dropped a near quadruple-double in the decisive Game 6 with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and eight blocks.
Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat (2006)
NBA Finals Stats: 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG
At just 24-years-old, Wade cemented himself as one of the best players in the league by leading Miami to championship in 2006.
After falling behind 2-0 to the Mavericks, Wade willed the Heat to four-straight wins. In those games, Wade averaged nearly 40 points per game.
More NBA Finals on Sports Illustrated