10 best performances in the NBA Playoffs from the last 40 years
By Dre Elder
The 2017 NBA Playoffs have produced compelling action so far and we have seen individual greatness on display, but let’s recall the 10 best playoff performances from the last 40 years.
As the 2017 NBA Playoffs continue, we are sure to see more puzzling disappointments, stunning victories, and staggering individual performances. Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron James have already delivered resounding statements this postseason. But where do their efforts rank among the best playoff performances?
First, let’s start with a disclaimer. There were monstrous performances from the 1960’s and 1970’s by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, and others. But the following ranking only goes back to 1980 due to challenges with finding complete statistics from those preceding eras. Understandably, it was also difficult to find solid video clips of games.
The upcoming list goes beyond raw stats and encompasses a little bit of everything. It has the pressure of high-stakes elimination games. There are improbable displays of talent against impossible odds. You’ll see the power of the human spirit, player-fan beef in action, and players leading comeback victories. Behold the 10 best playoff performances over the last 40 years.
10. Reggie Miller, 1994 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5
The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks met in the Eastern Conference Finals during the first year of Michael Jordan’s hiatus from basketball. The No. 2 seed Knicks and No. 5 seed Pacers split the first four games of the series with each team protecting home court. The stage was set as the Pacers visited Madison Square Garden on June 1, 1994 for Game 5.
The Knicks went 32-9 at home during the regular season and were 8-0 in the playoffs leading up to this pivotal game. New York was more talented than Indiana and it showed. Patrick Ewing led a balanced attack and New York built a 12-point lead over Indiana going into the final period.
Pacers’ sharpshooter Reggie Miller had been relatively quiet, scoring just 14 points through three quarters. But something happened. Knicks’ super fan Spike Lee did not do the right thing in this instance. Lee had apparently been trash-talking Miller who came alive to accept the challenge.
The Pacers came roaring back behind the slick shooting of Miller. He had taken over the game and silenced the loud-mouthed Lee in the process. He yelled expletives at Lee before unleashing the choke gesture to taunt Lee about the Knicks’ late collapse.
Miller engulfed the Knicks with 25 points in the final frame to give the Pacers a 3-2 lead in the series. He finished the game with 39 points on 14-of-26 shooting, including six 3-pointers. Haywoode Workman was the Pacers’ second leading scorer that night. Reggie Miller carried his team to an unlikely road win against a superior opponent. But, the best part was how he thrived while throwing major shade in the world’s most famous arena.