10 best performances in the NBA Playoffs from the last 40 years

1. Michael Jordan, 1997 NBA Finals Game 5

Of course, Michael Jordan would claim the top spot here. He delivered enough outstanding playoff performances to warrant his own separate ranking. It’s impossible to select just one game, but here we are.

The 1997 Finals pit the defending champion Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz. Both teams won at home to split the first four games. Under the old 2-3-2 format, Game 5 would also be played in Salt Lake City. This gave the Jazz an improved chance as they had arguably the best home court advantage in the league. Their odds became more favorable once news of Michael Jordan’s illness became public.

You know the backstory of the “Flu Game,” so let’s skip ahead. In short, Jordan produced a line of 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 44 minutes. He also hit a dagger 3-pointer with 26 seconds left in the game. The Bulls won the game 90-88 and took a 3-2 series lead back to Chicago.

The illness and the surrounding suspicions make this a great American folktale. It took place before the rise of social media, so things were harder to disprove without the requisite channels to leak information. And the truths of the matter depend on who you ask. Most people affiliated with the Jazz believe it was overblown. Jalen Rose even speculated that Jordan was suffering from a hangover instead of the flu. Jordan’s trainer Tim Grover offered a more reasonable explanation of food poisoning.

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No matter what you believe, this only added to the mystical legend of Michael Jordan. He routinely displayed superhuman abilities even when everything implied he should be home in bed. Michael Jordan’s greatness not only lay in his basketball gifts, but his keen sense to always build a narrative.

Nonetheless, the legend of the “Flu Game” still lives today, albeit on the feet of cool teenage kids.

*Most stats courtesy of basketballreference.com.