Michael Jordan’s 69 points against Cleveland.
23 of 27 from the field, 21 of 23 from the free throw line + 18 rebounds + 6 assists + 4 steals in 50 minutes.
In the game against Cleveland, Jordan was on fire and played 50 minutes on the floor. Michael was incredibly efficient in scoring, hitting just 4-of-27 shots from the field. He also remembered to rebound and steal the ball from his opponent. At the time, that was enough to put him in the top 10 of all-time individual scoring performances.
Kobe Bryant’s 81 points.
28 of 46 from the field, 7 of 13 three-pointers, 18 of 20 from the free throw line.
In his legendary game, Bryant proved that it’s possible to come close to Wilt Chamberlain’s (still) inimitable 100 in today’s competitive basketball environment. Bryant’s 81 points against Toronto is still the second-highest total in history. Even with 10,000 games since that event.
ShaCa’s 61 points on his birthday.
24 of 35 from the field, 13 of 22 from the free throw line + 23 rebounds.
There’s no better birthday gift for an athlete than a win. But Shaq had a much better surprise on his 28th birthday. Not only did he defeat the Clippers and give the Lakers their 16th win in a row, but he also managed to post a career-high 61 points per game.
Larry Bird’s 60 points.
22 of 36 from the game and 15 of 16 from the free throw line.
In the game against Atlanta, Larry Bird set an unbeaten record in Boston with 60 points. Celtics center Robert Parish commented on the last quarter of that game, “At halftime, Byrd told us to just give him the ball and get out of his way.”
“Larry was on fire, and there was nothing we could do about it. I had eight of our players taking turns against him and it was no use,” Hawks coach Mike Fratello said in a postgame interview.
Duel between Nash and Kidd in 2006
Nash: 42 points + 13 assists.
Kidd: 38 points + 14 rebounds + 14 assists
A vivid showdown between two virtuosos of the ball, incredibly talented and highly intelligent point guards. It was a July heat in the Phoenix arena that December. It was a head-to-head game, nobody wanted to lose, two overtime periods and Nash’s 40 points to Kidd’s triple-double. This game was a thriller!
Tracy McGrady and his 13 points in 35 seconds.
“Houston loses to San Antonio by 8 points. Just over thirty seconds left to play. There were only two other options: to hang tough or take matters into their own hands and pull out a win for their team. Tracy chose the latter and made history with this legendary ending.
Magic plays every position and wins the NBA ring
42 points + 15 rebounds + 7 assists + 3 steals.
Game 5 of the series finale against Philadelphia. 3-2 in favor of the Lakers. Center Kareem Abdul-Jabar twists his leg and drops out of the game.
All the responsibility falls on the star, but very young rookie of the Californians, Magic Johnson, who does well. Playing guard, forward and even center, he leads his team to a series win and earns his first career NBA championship ring.
Iverson gives the Lakers a battle of Shaq and Kobe in the NBA Finals
48 points + 6 rebounds + 5 assists + 5 steals.
On this night, the world got a new king, weighing in at 75 pounds. No one could believe that Philadelphia’s small point guard was capable of being a giant problem for the unstoppable Lakers team that reached the finals without a single loss.
Allen himself commented after the game, “We’re the biggest underdogs in Finals history. But I’m glad nobody put their lives on the line for this match. Otherwise those people would be dead already.” After these words there was a deathly silence in the press conference room.