Best individual performances in NBA Finals history

With their backs against the wall, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gave a pair of NBA Finals performances Monday night in Oakland that will not be forgotten. The Cavaliers' dynamic duo combined for 82 points on 33-54 shooting from the field, leading Cleveland to a 112-97 win over the Warriors. In fact, James and Irving either scored or assisted on 97 of the Cavs' 112 points.

Granted, the suspension of Warriors forward and All-NBA Defensive First-Team player Draymond Green may muddy the numbers put up by James and Irving in the box score, but there was no question that while watching the two Cavs' stars play last night, something special was going on. So with that said, here are eight other NBA Finals performances that were nothing short of spectacular.

1) Magic Johnson starts at center

With star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out with an ankle injury, the Los Angeles Lakers needed someone to step in to Kareem’s starting role at center in order to close out the 1980 NBA Finals at Philadelphia in Game 6. Up stepped 20-year-old rookie Magic Johnson to fill the void. In Kareem’s absence, Magic put up 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. As the result, the Lakers won Game 6 and took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

To be clear, however, this game gets mythologized in a way it shouldn’t. Yes, Magic did start at center, but he certainly didn’t play at the five position and guard 76ers big man Darryl Dawkins. That responsibility largely belonged to Lakers backup Jim Chones, who did an admirable job keeping Dawkins at bay in the paint.

Still, a star was born in the NBA that night in Philadelphia. Johnson’s performance was one for the ages, as the Lakers won what would be their first of five championships in the 1980s.

2) Michael Jordan’s “flu” game

Whether he had food poisoning, he was hungover or he truly did have the flu, something was clearly not right with Michael Jordan’s body in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. Despite the fact that MJ could barely even walk to his own bench during timeouts, the greatest NBA player of all time still had the willpower to deliver for his team when it needed him most.

With the series tied at two games apiece, the Utah Jazz had a chance to take a lead in the series at home against the Chicago Bulls, but Jordan wouldn’t allow it. MJ scored 37 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists, leading his Bulls to a 90-88 victory. The Bulls would finish off the Jazz to win their fifth NBA title a few nights later. Jordan’s Game 5 performance would forever be known as the “flu” game.

3) Bill Russell puts up 30-40

One of the great forgotten sports performances of all time, Celtics Hall of Fame center Bill Russell scored 30 points,and pulled down a remarkable 40 rebounds in the Celtics' Game 7 win of the 1962 NBA Finals. By today’s standards, a 30-40 game is utterly unthinkable, let alone to do it a Game 7 of an NBA Finals. It just proves why Bill Russell is universally considered one of the top basketball players ever.

4) Willis Reed in 1970

He only made the first two shots of the game, but that was all the New York Knicks would need from Willis Reed in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Reed, who was not expected to play the decisive game at home against the Lakers due to a leg injury, arrived on the court just a few minutes before tip-off in his uniform, ready to go. After Reed nailed his first two shots of the game, the Knicks had all the momentum in the world and would take down the Lakers with ease.

After winning the game 113-99, the “captain” was named NBA Finals MVP, as the Knicks won their first ever NBA championship.

5) “Big Game” James comes through

After the Lakers escaped Game 6 of the 1988 Finals with a one-point win to force a Game 7, the Purple and Gold needed a player other than Magic Johnson to raise his level of play in order to win their fifth championship of the decade. It would be small forward James Worthy who would deliver.

In Game 7 against Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons, Worthy earned the nickname of “Big Game” James, as he recorded a triple-double in the Lakers' 108-105 victory. With totals of 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, Worthy earned himself Finals MVP and was the primary reason why the Lakers were able to come back from a 3-2 series deficit against Detroit.

6) Jordan scores 55 against the Suns

A triple-double from regular-season MVP Charles Barkley wouldn’t be enough for the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the 1993 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls. Bulls legend Michael Jordan scored an incredible 55 points on 21-37 shooting, leading Bulls to a 111-105 victory. The Bulls would go on to win the series in six games. Jordan’s 55 points tied him for the second most points scored in an NBA Finals game.

7) Elgin Baylor scores 61 points against the Celtics

The record for most points ever scored in an NBA Finals game belongs to Lakers Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor. In Game 5 of the 1962 Finals against the Celtics, Baylor scored 61 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to help give the Lakers a 3-2 series lead over the Celts. Unfortunately for Baylor and the Lakers, the Celtics would come back to win the next two games and take home that season’s NBA championship.

8) “The Answer” in Los Angeles

Coming into the 2001 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers had not lost a single postseason game. After sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs, it appeared dispatching Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in four games would simply be a formality for Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Iverson, however, had other plans.

“The Answer” scored 48 points in a stunning Game 1 overtime victory in Los Angeles, with perhaps the most iconic moment of Iverson’s career coming when he stepped over Lakers point guard Tyronn Lue after he burned him on sidelines with a jump shot. Although the Lakers would win four straight from there out and take the series, Iverson’s Game 1 performance left an indelible impression in the minds of all basketball fans who witnessed it.