SECTION 24 - The Three Greatest Playoff Runs of All-Time

In this section, we will look at what I feel are the three greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history. The two main criteria in deciding the three greatest playoff runs will be 

1. The degree to which each individual had to carry their team on both ends
2. Level of competition

The three greatest individual playoff runs according to this criteria, in my view, are

3. Tim Duncan, 2003
2. Michael Jordan, 1997
1. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1994

I understand some people will feel that other players may have had better individual playoff runs, but at the end of this section it will be explained why other players such as Magic, Bird, Kareem, Russell, Shaq etc. were not included. But right now, we are going to start by analyzing Tim Duncan's 2003 Playoff run in detail.

3. TIM DUNCAN, 2003 

The 2003 Playoff run is one of the most underrated playoff runs of all-time and overlooked by many fans for some reason. People assume that because Parker, Ginobili, and Robinson were on the team, that Duncan had a lot of help in this run when that is not the case. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th scoring options on the Spurs all shot under 42% FG for the entirety of the 2003 Playoffs, the only time that this has happened on a championship team since 1964.

2003 Spurs scoring options 2 through 5 in the playoffs

• Parker - 14.7 ppg on 40%
• Jackson - 12.8 ppg on 41%
• Ginobili - 9.4 ppg on 39%
• Rose - 9.3 ppg on 41.9%

David Robinson was the 6th scoring option at 7.8 ppg on 54%. As you can see, the name value of Duncan's teammates didn't nearly match their production. Duncan led the team in points, rebounds, blocks, and even assists for the entire playoff run, with incredible averages of 24.7 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 5.3 apg, 0.6 spg, 3.3 bpg on 53%. Duncan is the only PF to lead a title team in scoring and assists at the same time for the playoffs. And of course, you have to remember that Tim Duncan is a top 10 defender of all-time due to his rim protection and ability to anchor the Spurs defense.

Duncan is the only player to average 24-15-5 with 3 blocks per game in any playoff run in general, regardless of the number of games played. Only two other people have averaged 24-15-5 in a playoff run past the first round, Kareem in 1972 and Barkley in 1986. However, neither Kareem nor Barkley made it to the Finals in either of those seasons, only winning one playoff series apiece, and neither had to carry an offensive load nearly as big as Duncan's. And on the other end, neither of them were as dominant defensively as Duncan. 

It's true that blocks weren't recorded and that Kareem probably did average 3+ bpg in the 1972 Playoffs, but again he only won one playoff series and wasn't carrying nearly as big a load as Duncan. In fact, it was Oscar's running of the offense that led the Bucks to their first-round playoff win in 1972, as Kareem was shut down and outscored by Thurmond. This forced Oscar to redirect the offense to Dandridge, who outscored Kareem in that series, after Kareem had his best scoring season, to take them to the 2nd round.

Now, let's get back to the 2003 Playoffs. In the first round, the Spurs played a 44-win Suns team with Marbury, Marion, and a rookie Amare Stoudemire. For an 8-seed, this was a pretty solid team, and they took the Spurs to 6 games thanks in part to Stephon Marbury's buzzer beater in Game 1. The Spurs bounced back, however, as Duncan carried them past the Suns with a great series of 19-16-5 and 3.5 blocks per game.

In the 2003 WCSF, the Spurs faced their familiar rivals, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers who were the defending 3peat champions. The Lakers underachived in the regular season getting only a 50-32 record - partly due to missing Shaq for 15 games, but obviously were a huge threat once the playoffs came around. Kobe averaged 30-7-6-2-1 on 45% that year, which was probably his best all-around season. Shaq was also still a monster, putting up 28-11-3 with 2.4 bpg on 57% in the season. The crazy part is that Duncan outplayed both Kobe and Shaq at the same time in the WCSF, and while having less help than either of them.

Duncan outplayed prime Kobe and Shaq at the
same time in the 2003 WCSF, and while having
much less help than Shaq and Kobe did from each other

Duncan - 28-12-5 on 53% with 1.3 bpg

Kobe - 32-5-4 on 43% with 1 spg

Shaq - 25-14-4 on 56% with 2.8 bpg

Remember, both Kobe and Shaq had each other to draw the defense away from them, whereas Duncan had minimal offensive help - which meant the Lakers defense could focus much more on him. In spite of that Duncan's numbers are still better than Shaq and Kobe's. Kobe scored more, but shot noticeably less efficiently, and Duncan had much more rebounds and even more assists than Kobe. Duncan also beat Shaq in scoring and assists, but Shaq had an edge in rebounds and blocks. And it goes without saying that Duncan was always the much better defender compared to Shaq.

Let's put Duncan's lack of help compared to Kobe and Shaq in perspective. Kobe by himself averaged 32.3 ppg, compared to the combined averages of Parker, Ginobili, and Bowen of 37.7 ppg - the top 3 Spurs scorers after Duncan in that series. Shaq had 14.3 rpg, compared to the combined 14.2 rpg from Robinson, Malik Rose, and Stephen Jackson - the top 3 Spurs in rebounding after Duncan. Kobe and Shaq by themselves nearly equalled the scoring and rebounding production of Duncan's 3 best teammates in both categories, yet he still carried his team to the win.

Next came the 60-win Mavericks in the 2003 WCF, tied for the best record in the league with Duncan's Spurs. Dirk did suffer a knee injury near the end of Game 3 that put him out of commission for the rest of the series. However, the Spurs were already winning by 14 with 7:45 to go in the 4th quarter when Dirk was injured, and Dirk only had 15-9-2 on 7/20 FG (35%), so it's unlikely that the Mavericks would have came back with Dirk in that game. The Spurs were still up 2-1 through 3 games before Dirk sat out the rest of the series, and Duncan outplayed him in each of the first 2 games as well as Game 3 before Dirk went down. 

This slightly hurts Duncan's 2003 run from the competition aspect, but in spite of that I still feel it ranks in the top 3. The runs that fell short of the top 3 had either better individual help or even easier competition in spite of Dirk's injury, or a combination of both. They will be explained at the end of this article. Duncan had great averages of 28-17-6-1-3 on 57% to carry the Spurs to the NBA Finals against Jason Kidd's Nets.

Although Dirk was injured at the end of Game 3,
Duncan had still outplayed him through
each of the first 3 games and led them
to a 2-1 lead in spite of the Mavericks
stealing Game 1. It's unlikely that the Mavs
would have beaten them even with Dirk

Now the Nets were not that great a team, only having a 49-33 record and with Jason Kidd being the only reason that team was relevant. However, Duncan's teammates failed to have a great performance in spite of the fact that they were playing what should have been an easy opponent. Duncan's best teammates in the 2003 Finals were

Parker 14-3-4 on 39%
Robinson 11-7-1 on 61% with 2 bpg
Jackson 10-4-3 on 38%
Ginobili 9-5-2 on 35%

It says a lot that Duncan carried a team that struggled so badly against the 49-win Nets past the 3peat Lakers, while outplaying Shaq and Kobe at the same time. For comparison, none of Duncan's teammates in the 2003 Finals had more than 14 ppg, but LeBron had 15 and 14 ppg from Wade and Bosh in the 2014 Finals.

Duncan had an incredible 24-17-5-1-5 on 50% for the 2003 Finals, easily one of the best Finals performances of all-time, with a Finals record 5.3 bpg, and a near-quadruple double in Game 6 to clinch the title with 21-20-10 and 8 blocks. For the overall playoff run, Duncan had good defensive help from Bowen and David Robinson, but he was still by far the best defensive player on the team and had to carry an insane offensive load. And even Robinson played a limited 23 mpg, so Duncan couldn't rely on his defense nearly as much as past years. Let's quickly go over the points that make this a top 3 playoff run in history

Duncan capped off the 2003 Playoffs with one of
the greatest overall Finals performances of
all-time, and one of the greatest individual
Finals games in history to clinch the title

1. Duncan had to carry a huge offensive and defensive load

This is the only championship team since the 1964 Celtics to win the title with scoring options 2 through 5 all shooting under 42% for the playoffs. Duncan led the Spurs in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks for the entire playoffs and Finals. 

2. Duncan played great competition while carrying his team to such a high degree

The Suns were very good for an 8-seed team, then he beat the 3peat Lakers while outplaying prime Shaq and Kobe at the same time. In the WCF he led the Spurs to a 2-1 lead over the 60-win Mavs before Dirk was out of commission, and still outplayed Dirk in each of the first 3 games. In the Finals, the Nets team wasn't so great because the East has been terrible for the vast majority of the post-Jordan era, but his teammates still played poorly in spite of the fact that the Nets should have been an easy opponent. 

3. Duncan played some of the greatest defense of all-time

Duncan had to anchor the Spurs defense with Robinson on his last legs playing limited minutes, and his only other defensive help being Bruce Bowen. Duncan was by far the best defender on his team, and played like the top 10 all-time defender he is throughout the entire playoff run through his rim and paint protection. 

Duncan also completely shut down Kenyon Martin in the Finals.

Kenyon Martin 2003 Rounds 1-3 

20.7 PPG - 9.1 RPG - 3.1 APG on 50% FG and 2.6 TOpg

Kenyon Martin 2003 Finals vs Duncan

14.7 PPG - 10.0 RPG - 2.2 APG on 34% FG and 3.7 TOpg

4. Duncan's Finals performance

Duncan as mentioned earlier played at the level of a top 10 all-time defender, while putting up an insane 24-17-5-1-5 on 50% in the Finals. His 5.3 bpg is an NBA Finals record, and he had perhaps the best individual Finals game of all-time with his near-quadruple double to clinch the title. And he did this while having minimal offensive help.

Now, on to the 2nd greatest playoff run of all-time

2. MICHAEL JORDAN, 1997

Some people may consider Jordan's 1991, 1992, and 1993 playoff runs to be superior to Jordan's 1997 run simply by looking at individual stats, but this is not the case. Jordan had 31.1 ppg 7.9 rpg 4.8 apg 1.6 spg 0.9 bpg on 46% for the 1997 Playoffs, which looks great, but at first glance doesn't seem like a top 2 playoff run of all-time. However, pure stats don't tell the full story, and we have to put them in context. Jordan had far less help in the 1997 title run compared to any of his first 3 rings, and carried his team to an insanely high degree, having much less help compared to any of his other championships. Let's take a look.

During the 1997 Playoffs, Jordan only had one other teammate that averaged double figures in scoring - Pippen with 19 ppg on a sub-par 42% FG. Every other Bulls teammate failed to even reach 8 ppg for the playoffs. This is the only time in history that a championship team only had 2 double digit scorers during the playoffs (Jordan and Pippen), and as far as I know it's the only time a team even made the Finals with only 2 double-digit scorers to begin with. Let that sink in for a moment, Jordan is the only player in history to lead a team to the title with only one other double-digit scorer. And even so, Pippen shot a poor 42% FG for the playoffs.

Take a look at Jordan's poor offensive help in the 1997 Playoffs

• Scottie Pippen 19 ppg on 42%
• Toni Kukoc 7.9 ppg on 36%
• Ron Harper 7.5 ppg on 40%
• Luc Longley 6.5 ppg on 55%
• Brian Williams 6.1 ppg on 48% (R.I.P.)

But it wasn't just that Jordan had to carry a gigantic offensive load, Jordan nearly led the Bulls in all five categories - points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks - for the entirety of the 1997 Playoffs. Jordan was only 10 rebounds (0.53 rpg) and 1 block (0.05 bpg) from leading the 1997 Bulls in every category for the playoffs - at age 34 no less. 

And for the last 3 rounds, Jordan did in fact lead the team in 5/5 categories. Rodman and Pippen squeezed out just enough rebounds and blocks, respectively, in the 3-game first round sweep against the 44-38 Bullets to have a small edge over Jordan in those categories for the overall playoffs. But against their 3 best opponents, Jordan led the Bulls in 5/5 categories. Last 3 rounds (16 games) Michael Jordan 29.9 - 8.3 - 4.7 - 1.6 - 1.0 on 43% Scottie Pippen 19.7 - 6.4 - 3.9 - 1.5 - 0.9 on 42% Dennis Rodman 3.8 - 8.3 - 1.6 - 0.6 - 0.2 on 33% Rodman and Jordan tied with 133 rebounds over the last 3 rounds the Bulls' other role players didn't have enough steals or blocks to exceed Jordan for the last 3 rounds, and weren't close in the other 3 categories Ron Harper - 1.3 spg 0.8 bpg Luc Longley - 0.4 spg, 0.9 bpg Brian Williams - 1.1 spg 0.5 bpg (RIP) Steve Kerr - 0.9 spg 0.1 bpg Toni Kukoc - 0.6 spg, 0.0 bpg And for good measure, the only players with a higher FG% or FT% than Jordan in the playoffs were 6.5 ppg Longley, 6.1 ppg Williams, and 5.0 ppg Kerr. On top of that, Jordan was playing in the triangle offense in which his assists are limited, because the triangle promotes sharing playmaking amongst the team rather than one player controlling the offense - like a pick and roll system. For example, Jordan averaged more assists at age 38 with the 2002 Wizards than he did in each of his last 3 seasons with the Bulls after leaving the triangle. The fact that Jordan led his team in assists for the 1997 run under the triangle makes it much more impressive than a number by itself would indicate.

Only one person has actually led a championship team in all 5 categories for the playoffs, and that's the player who's number 1 on this countdown. After him, Jordan is the closest player in history to matching that feat - carrying a team in all aspects. I've never been a fan of Defensive Win Shares, as they are an extremely inaccurate stat (DPOY Ron Artest and James Harden have 1 season apiece in which they were top 10 in DWS), but Jordan led the 1997 Bulls in that for the playoffs as well - for those who do find value in this stat.

Now, time to analyze the 1997 Playoffs round by round. The Bulls faced a 44-38 Bullets team that was very good for an 8-seed - featuring Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, and Rod Strickland. The Bullets had a rough 22-25 start to the season, but went 22-13 after they obtained Bernie Bickerstaff as a head coach - this would be on pace for 51 or 52 wins in a full season. Jordan dropped 37-6-5 on 57% against the Bullets in this series, and each of his next 3 scoring options (Pippen, Kukoc, Harper) all shot under 39%. Jordan also shut down the underrated Rod Strickland in this series, who got the majority of his numbers on Kerr and Harper (similar to Tim Hardaway in 1996). Strickland averaged 17 ppg 9 apg on 47% for the 1997 season, and led the league in assists the next year.

Pippen's back injury and Rodman's
referee problems further increased
the load that Jordan had to carry

The only bad thing about Jordan's performance in this series is that he lost the ball on the game-winning attempt in Game 3, after which Pippen made the series-winning dunk and injured his back. However, it's unlikely the Bullets would have came back from a 2-0 deficit even if they won that game, and Jordan more than made up for this error with his clutch play in the Finals. But first, we have to look at the 1997 ECSF.

The Bulls played a very underrated 56-26 Hawks team in the 1997 ECSF. They had DPOY Dikembe Mutombo, a top 10 defender of all-time, a 20 ppg scorer in Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock, one of the best defensive point guards in history, and an 18-9 player in Christian Laettner.

Jordan once again carried his team to a high degree in this series, coming up only 2 total assists short of leading them in 5/5 categories for the series as a whole. He also locked down Steve Smith, who averaged 20 ppg that year. The main problem for the Bulls in this series was that Dennis Rodman was badly screwed over by the officiating, getting into foul trouble and drawing many technicals, as well as getting ejected three times. As a result, Rodman was benched in the series and only played 20 mpg, averaging a mere 5 rpg.

In the next round, the Bulls played the 61-win Heat with Alonzo Mourning, another top 10 defender of all-time, along with a great PG in Tim Hardaway. The impressive thing about the Heat record is that Alonzo missed 16 games, otherwise they could have very well been a 65+ win team. The Heat were backed up by other good players like Jamal Mashburn and Voshon Lenard. They also had PJ Brown, an extremely underrated defender who at age 38 shut down Pau Gasol in the 2008 Finals. Jordan shot 39% in the 1997 ECF, the only time he ever shot under 40% for a playoff series. However, even this is not nearly as bad as it looks. Jordan's 39% FG mostly came from an anomaly in the Game 4 loss where Jordan shot 9/35 FG (26%). In the 4 wins of that series, Jordan still averaged 30-8-4-2-1 on 43%. Pippen had 17-5-3 on 42% with 3 TOpg for the series, and only played 7 minutes in Game 5 due to a foot injury

Outside of an anomaly in Game 4, Jordan still had
very good averages against Miami in the 1997 ECF

Now the 1997 Finals is where Jordan carried his team to a whole other level compared to the first 3 rounds, and while playing the 64-18 Jazz with Stockton and Malone. Assuming that all assists are 2 points, Jordan scored/assisted 50% of his team points in the 1997 Finals (as well as 1991 and 1993) while averaging 32-7-6-1-1 on 46%. Jordan didn't guard Stockton as often as he would have in his prime, but even at age 34 he troubled him especially with help defense. As always, Jordan's great defense was key to keeping the Bulls alive.

LeBron is the only other person to score/assist 50% of team points in the Finals under this criteria, but he took 33 shots a game on under 40% FG and while playing no defense to do so in the 2015 Finals. 

In the 1997 Finals, Pippen had 20-8-4 on 42%, but these stats are deceptive, as they were mostly built in Game 1 and the Game 3 and 4 losses. In the last 3 wins of the series, Pippen played poorly and Jordan had to win each of their last 3 games nearly singlehandedly. And nobody besides Jordan or Pippen had more than 8 ppg in the 1997 Finals.

Let's take a look at the load Jordan had to carry during the 1997 Finals in detail.

Game 1 of the 1997 Finals is the only win in which Jordan had good help. Jordan had 31-4-8 on 48%, and the buzzer beater, along with 27-9-2-3-4 on 58% from Pippen. Assuming all assists are 2 points, Jordan scored/assisted 47 of 84 or 56% of team points in Game 1. From there on, Jordan nearly singlehandedly won each of the last 3 games for the Bulls. 

In Game 2, Pippen had 10-6-4 on a terrible 31%. Rodman only had 7 rebounds in 25 minutes, and Harper was the only other double digit teammate with 13-2-4 on 50%. Jordan carried the team with 38-13-9-2 on 55%, leading them in points, rebounds, and assists by a large margin. He had almost triple the points of his next leading scorer (38 to 13), almost double the rebounds of the next rebounder (13 to 7) and more than double the next-leading player in assists (9 to 4). Assuming all assists are 2 points, Jordan scored/assisted 56 of 97 or 58% of team points in Game 2.

The Jazz won Games 3 and 4 to tie the series at 2-2. In Game 5, the Flu Game, Jordan carried a huge load again. Pippen had 17 pts but on a horrible 29% FG. Pippen also had 5 assists to 3 turnovers and 4 fouls. Kukoc was the only other Jordan teammate in double figures with 12. 

Jordan carried the 1997 Bulls on both ends, and led
them in 5/5 categories for the last 3 rounds. Not only
that, but he did it against a high level of competition

Dennis Rodman fouled out in only 23 minutes, and Greg Ostertag, of all people, outrebounded all of Jordan's teammates with 15 rebounds. Ostertag and Stockton both outscored all of Jordan's teammates besides Pippen, who needed a shot-jacking 29% to get his points. Despite having so little help on offense, Jordan singlehandedly brought the Bulls back from 16 down and had the go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Jordan finished with 38-7-5-3 on 48%, leading his team in points, assists, and steals. All 3 of Jordan's steals in this game came off of Stockton's passes. Assuming all assists are 2 points, Jordan scored/assisted 48 of 90 or 53% of team points in Game 5.

In Game 6, Pippen had 23 points, but on a horrible 35% with 2 assists to 5 turnovers and 5 fouls. To his credit, he did force a turnover on the last possession of the game, but that was only possible thanks to Jordan having the game-winning assist one play earlier in spite of Pippen's poor play. 

In Game 6, no other player besides Pippen and Jordan had 10 points, and as we saw Pippen was shooting horribly to get those points. Every other teammate of Jordan's got outscored by John Stockton, Bryon Russell, Jeff Hornacek, and Karl Malone. Despite the lack of help, Jordan ended up with 39-11-4, leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists, and set up Steve Kerr for a wide-open shot with his championship-winning assist. Assuming all assists are 2 points, Jordan scored/assisted 47 of 90 or 52% of team points. In the 4 wins, Jordan scored/assisted 198 of 361 or 55% of team points.

After having 27-9-2 on 58% in the Game 1 win, Pippen averaged 16.7 - 8.3 - 3.7 on 32% with 3.0 TOpg and 3.7 fouls per game in their last 3 wins during Games 2-5-6. Including Pippen's good Game 1, he averaged 19.3 - 8.5 - 3.3 on 39% with 3.8 TOpg and 3.3 fouls per game in the 4 wins. Pippen averaged more turnovers than assists and as many fouls as assists in the 4 wins while shooting 35% or worse in 3/4 wins. Similar to Parker, Ginobili, and Robinson in the 2003 run for Duncan, Rodman and Pippen's production didn't nearly match their name value in the playoff run.


Now let's quickly recap why this is the 2nd greatest playoff run of all-time.

1. Jordan nearly led the team in every category

Jordan became the closest person to join the number 1 player on this countdown in leading a championship team in 5/5 categories for an entire playoff run. He was 10 rebounds (0.53 rpg) and 1 block (0.05 bpg) short of doing so, and did in fact lead the team in 5/5 categories for the last 3 rounds. To think that a 34-year old Jordan was the best scorer, passer, and stealer, and just barely short of being the best rebounder and shot-blocker on the 1997 Bulls during the playoffs is mind-blowing. Jordan also played amazing defense, shutting down the Bullets' and Hawks' best perimeter players in Rod Strickland and Steve Smith, and then playing great on-ball and help defense against John Stockton in the 1997 Finals.

2. The 1997 Bulls are arguably the worst offensive supporting cast amongst all championship teams

As we mentioned earlier, the 1997 Bulls are the only championship team with only two double-digit scorers for the playoffs in Jordan and Pippen. No other Bull could even reach a measly 8 ppg. And even Pippen did not shoot well at 42% FG. Jordan may have carried the biggest offensive load out of anyone in the history of championship teams. But as point 1 says, Jordan also nearly led the Bulls in every category, he didn't only carry them offensively. 

In the Finals, we saw that Pippen shot 35% FG or worse in 3 out of 4 wins, and none of the remaining supporting cast could surpass 8 ppg for the Finals. Jordan scored/assisted at least 50% of team points in the Finals, and well over 50% of team points in each of the 4 wins. Nobody besides LeBron has done that in the Finals and, as we stated earlier, he took 33 shots a game on under 40% FG to do so, while not contributing on defense at all. 

Jordan did this while taking 26 shots a game, without having the luxury of dominating the ball on every possession, playing all-time great defense, making a game-winning play in 3/4 wins, and while playing under the limitations of the triangle offense - making it much harder for him to accumulate assists - and without factoring in the minimal offensive help he had.

All Sub-60 ppg supporting casts in the NBA Finals for Championship Teams Post-1954
1994 Rockets - 59.3 ppg
2006 Heat - 58.2 ppg
1999 Spurs - 57.4 ppg
1997 Bulls - 55.5 ppg
1998 Bulls - 54.5 ppg

3. The competition that Jordan beat was of a historically high quality

The 1997 Bulls are one of only two teams in history to beat 3 56+ win teams in one playoff run, the other being the 1995 Rockets who beat 4 57+ win teams. And the Bulls also beat 2 60+ win teams in this run, which is a shared record amongst several teams. To be able to beat that level of competition, with minimal offensive help, and while nearly leading a team in 5/5 categories along with amazing defense is truly astonishing. Jordan didn't just carry the 1997 Bulls to an almost unmatchable degree, he did it while playing a historically high level of competition that only one other team can top.

Jordan at age 34 proved himself under one of the top 3 hardest defensive circumstances for a championship team. In the shot-clock era, only the

- 1997 Bulls

- 1999 Spurs

- 2004 Pistons 

have won the championship while facing 2 sub-90 PPG defenses in the Playoffs. 

All 3 teams that faced more than 2 sub-90 PPG defenses in the Playoffs

- 1998 Pacers (3)

- 1999 Knicks (3)

- 2004 Lakers (4) 

failed to win the championship, confirming the harder circumstances become as a team faces more sub-90 defenses

The 2013 Grizzlies are the last sub-90 PPG defense in NBA history at 89.3 PPG allowed. So Jordan would no longer be facing defenses of comparable quality from 2014-present. 

The 1997 Bulls collective Playoff opponent win% was 0.686, the 2nd-highest of any Title team that played 4 rounds. Among Title teams that played 4 rounds, only the 1995 Rockets had a harder Playoff strength of schedule with a 0.726 collective Playoff opponent win%. 

Under these incredibly hard circumstances, both in terms of competition and defense, Jordan at age 34 still put up 31-8-5 on 46% FG - 81% FT for the 1997 Playoffs and led the team in 5/5 categories for the last 3 rounds collectively. 

All shot-clock era teams to face multiple sub-90 PPG defenses in one playoff run 

- 1997 Bulls (2) 

- 1998 Jazz (2) 

- 1998 Pacers (3) 

- 1999 Hawks (2) 

- 1999 Pacers (2) 

- 1999 Blazers (2) 

- 1999 Spurs (2) 

- 1999 Knicks (3) 

- 2004 Pacers (2) 

- 2004 Pistons (2) 

- 2004 Lakers (4) 

- 2012 Sixers (2) 

The 2012 Sixers are the only team post-2004/05 rule changes to face two sub-90 PPG defenses, but this comes with multiple asterisks 

1. The Sixers faced injured teams in both rounds of the 2012 Playoffs - Bulls with Derrick Rose missing all but 1 game and Joakim Noah missing 3 of 6 games in the 1st Round - Celtics with Avery Bradley missing 3 of 7 games in the ECSF, after starting every playoff game 

2. The 2012 Bulls and 2012 Celtics also had much worse defensive numbers against the Western Conference. Their defensive numbers were heavily protected by playing most of their games against Eastern Conference teams, and they were not true sub-90 PPG defenses. 

- 2012 Bulls = 94.1 PPG allowed vs West teams 

- 2012 Celtics = 92.7 PPG allowed vs West teams

The 2012 Celtics had a losing 7-11 record vs West teams as well. 

Players Averaging 20+ PPG in the Playoffs when facing 2+ sub-90 PPG defenses 

Unless otherwise noted, these Playoff runs are against exactly 2 sub-90 PPG defenses 

31.1 PPG - Michael Jordan (1997) - 31-8-5 on 46% 

26.3 PPG - Karl Malone (1998) - 26-11-3 on 47% 

24.5 PPG* - Kobe Bryant (2004) - 25-5-6 on 41% 

23.2 PPG - Tim Duncan (1999) - 23-12-3 on 51% 

21.5 PPG* - Shaquille O'Neal (2004) - 22-13-3 on 59% 

21.5 PPG - Richard Hamilton (2004) - 22-5-4 on 45% 

20.4 PPG** - Latrell Sprewell (1999) - 20-5-2 on 42% 

20.2 PPG - Reggie Miller (1999) - 20-4-3 on 40% 

*Shaq and Kobe faced 4 sub-90 PPG defenses, 2 sub-85 PPG defenses

**Sprewell faced 3 sub-85 PPG defenses, 4 sub-91 PPG defenses 

Reggie Miller in 1998 was exactly 1 total point away from having 20 PPG against 3 sub-90 PPG defenses, but went scoreless in the 4th quarter of Game 7. 

Under comparable statistical defensive circumstances to Jordan's in 1997 (not to mention competition in terms of collective opponent win%), no player has come close to Jordan's 1997 Playoffs performance, at age 34 and well past his prime no less. 

Jordan had by far the highest volume of PPG under these circumstances at 31.1 PPG. No other player has even reached 26.5 PPG in the Playoffs against multiple sub-90 PPG defenses. Of any 20+ PPG player under these circumstances, Jordan had the highest FG% of any non-PF/C. and Jordan also led the Bulls in 5/5 categories for the last 3 rounds of the 1997 Playoffs collectively.

4. Jordan was insanely clutch during the 1997 Finals.

Jordan had a game-winning play in 3 of the 4 wins during the 1997 Finals. He had the buzzer beater in Game 1, the go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the flu game, and he set up Steve Kerr for a wide open game-winner with an assist. Nobody else has made 3 game-winning/tying plays in one NBA Finals. This is the most clutch Finals performance in history.

For these reasons, Jordan's 1997 title run deserves to be ranked higher than Duncan's 2003 title run. Jordan carried the team in more aspects and had even less offensive help, while playing better overall competition. Jordan also had to deliver in the clutch far more often during the Finals, and against a much better Finals opponent. In spite of all these amazing feats and the incredible competition that Jordan went against in 1997, there is still one person who in my opinion had a greater playoff run - and the greatest playoff run of all-time.

1. HAKEEM OLAJUWON, 1994

In 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon had what is in my opinion the greatest individual playoff run of all-time. As has been mentioned a few times, Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player in history to ever lead a championship team in 5/5 categories for an entire playoff run. Essentially, Hakeem was the best scorer, rebounder, passer, stealer, shot-blocker, and best overall defender on his team - and perhaps all-time - during the 1994 Playoffs on the way to the championship. Nobody else can say they carried as big of a load during a championship, though as we saw, Jordan did it for the last 3 rounds in 1997.

The other remarkable thing about this title run is that Hakeem became the only player to win the title without another Hall of Famer and without another player who made the all-star team. Otis Thorpe was an all star in 1992, but in the 12 games Hakeem missed that year, Thorpe "led" the Rockets to a 2-10 record, causing them to miss the playoffs. Sam Cassel was a rookie in 1994 and didn't become an all-star until 2004 while playing with Garnett. Rudy Tomjanovich also is not a Hall of Fame coach, and never coached a team without Hakeem to the playoffs.

No player before or since has won a title without a Hall of Fame coach or teammate and without an all-star, and no player before or since has led a championship team in every one of the 5 categories during the playoffs. Hakeem did both at the same time, while playing arguably the best defense of all-time. To get an idea of how big a load Hakeem had to carry, you have to look at the overall picture of how long Hakeem was carrying his team, not just looking at 1994 alone.

No player ever carried as large of a load for their
team for as long a period of time that Hakeem did 

Hakeem led his team in averaging 4/5 categories for a record 9 different seasons, 8 straight seasons from 1985/86 to 1992/93 and again in 1994/95. Hakeem was 0.1 spg short of leading his team in 4/5 categories for the 1993/94 season, which would have made it 10 straight years of leading a team in averaging 4/5 categories. Only one other person has done it more than three times, and that's Kevin Garnett who did it in 7 different seasons. However, Garnett only led his team out the first round once in a season that he led the team in averaging 4/5 categories (2004). 

Only one person ever came close to matching Hakeem's load in carrying a team, and he had almost no playoff success under those circumstances. This is why Hakeem's lack of rings and multiple early playoff exits can't be used against him. To fault Hakeem for only having 2 rings when he had such a historically huge load to carry, and the closest guy to him in terms of carrying a team for so long only had one year of playoff success, is simply illogical. Now that we have an understanding of the historic degree to which Hakeem carried his teams for the vast majority of his prime, we can analyze what may be the greatest individual playoff run of all-time.


The Rockets were the 2-seed in the 1994 Playoffs, so they played a good 47-35 Blazers team in the first round with Clyde Drexler leading the way. The Blazers also added Rod Strickland after losing the 1992 Finals, and had much of the remaining supporting cast from the 1992 team that made the Finals in Buck Williams, Jerome Kersey, Cliff Robinson, and Terry Porter. Hakeem carried his team past the first round with an incredible 34-11-5-2-4 on 50%. In Game 2 against the Blazers, Hakeem had 46-8-4-4-6 on 53%, achieving the rare accomplishment of a playoff 5-by-4 (at least 4 in each stat). Nobody has ever had a playoff 5-by-5, so a playoff 5-by-4 is an incredible accomplishment. 

Then the Rockets played the Barkley and Kevin Johnson 56-26 Suns in the WCSF, the same team that made the 1993 Finals the previous year. Kevin Johnson, as we've seen in Section 25, is probably the most underrated point guard of all-time, and should have been a 1st-ballot Hall of Famer. KJ averaged an insane 27-4-10 on 44% for the series while Hakeem's interior presence and defense troubled Barkley. Barkley had 23-13-4 but a sub-par 46% FG for a PF. Hakeem put up another unbelievable stat line in 29-14-5-1-4 on 56% - along with his arguably GOAT defense, and carried them in Game 7 as well. Hakeem put up a crazy 37-17-5 with 3 blocks on 55% in Game 7 to carry them to the WCF where they faced Stockton and Malone's Jazz.

Hakeem played great defense on Karl Malone in the
1994 WCF and had two 5-by-4s in the WCF alone.
Ben Wallace is the only other player in history
with two 5-by-4s in their entire playoff career

Hakeem went from facing the Suns with a top 10 PG and top 10 PF of all-time to facing the 53-29 Jazz with a top 5 PG and top 5 PF of all-time. Hakeem also carried his team to a huge degree in this series, putting up 28-10-4-3-5 on 50%, and his defense was a huge reason that Karl Malone shot a sub-par 43% FG. Hakeem had not one, but two 5-by-4s in the 1994 WCF. In the Game 3 loss, Hakeem had 29-13-5-4-4 on 44%. In Game 5 to clinch a Finals appearance, Hakeem put up 22-10-6-4-7 on 47%, coming just one steal short of recording the only playoff 5-by-5 in NBA history.

Ben Wallace is the only other player in history with multiple playoff 5-by-4s, and he only did it twice. Even so, Ben's 5-by-4s weren't nearly as impressive as Hakeem's. He had 7-9-5-4-4 in Game 4 against the 2004 Bucks, and 7-10-4-4-7 against the 2005 Sixers. Hakeem had two 5-by-4s in the 1994 WCF alone, and 3 in the 1994 Playoff run alone. That is a mind-blowing feat, considering only one other person has ever done it twice in their entire playoff career. Hakeem has the most playoff 5-by-4s in history with 8 - clear proof that Hakeem is the most well-rounded player of all-time, as if leading a championship team in 5/5 categories combined with arguably GOAT defense wasn't enough.

Then came the 1994 Finals against one of the greatest defenses and one of the best defensive frontcourts of all-time - the Knicks with Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Charles Smith, and the underrated Anthony Mason. Ewing set a then-record for blocks in an NBA Finals, since broken by Tim Duncan in 2003, and Anthony Mason is one of the most underrated defenders of all-time. 

In the 1994 Finals, Hakeem had extremely limited offensive help as his top 3 scorers all shot under 43%. This is the only time since 1961 that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th scoring options all shot under 43% on a championship team during the Finals. 

Maxwell 13 ppg on 37%
Horry 10 ppg on 32%
Cassel 10 ppg on 42%

Compare this with LeBron's help in the 2007 Finals

Gooden 13 ppg on 50%
Gibson 11 ppg on 44%
Pavlovic 10 ppg on 36%

Hakeem had to win the 1994 Finals with less help than LeBron did in the 2007 Finals, and the 2007 Cavs also had better defensive help compared to Hakeem's Rockets, as they held the Spurs to 85 or less in 3 out of 4 games, whereas even with Hakeem shutting down Ewing, the Rockets held the Knicks to 85 or less in 3/7 games. Every game of the 1994 Finals was decided by single digits, in spite of the fact that Hakeem totally shut down the Knicks' best player in Patrick Ewing. 

Hakeem shut down Ewing in 6 out of 7 games, but
the series still went to 7 games with all games
decided by single digits. This was in large part due
to the offensive struggles of Hakeem's teammates.

In Game 1, the only help Hakeem had was 14 points and 16 rebounds from Otis Thorpe. Maxwell had 11-3-3 on 4/16 (25%), Horry had 9-7-4 on 3/10 (30%), Cassell had 8-6-3 on 50%, and Kenny Smith had 3-2-5 on 25%. Hakeem carried them with 28-10-1-3-2 on 46% and shut down Ewing to get them the win.

In Game 3 Hakeem led the team in 5/5 categories, dropping 21-11-7-1-7, and made the go-ahead assist to Cassell with 33 seconds left to get the win. And once again he shut down Ewing. It was through Hakeem leading the team in every category that his teammates were able to step up in Game 3.

In Game 6 Hakeem put up 30-10-2-1-4 on 52% and had little help from his teammates. Herrera had 12 points on 6/6 FG, but then he had 3-10-6 from Thorpe, 11-9-4 on 30% from Horry, 10-1-5 on 31% from Maxwell. Hakeem again shut down Ewing and made the series-saving block on Starks.

In Game 7, Hakeem had a sub-par shooting performance but led the Rockets in 4/5 categories putting up 25-10-7-1-3 on 40% and once again shutting down Ewing. Ewing only had one good game out of seven in the entire series, during Game 5. Through Hakeem's playmaking and leading the team in assists, Maxwell had a good game of 21 points on 55%.

Similar to Jordan in 1997, Hakeem had minimal help in the majority of his wins and made the clutch plays in Game 3 and 6 to get the win. And on top of that, he shut down the Knicks' best player in 6 out of 7 games of the series. Now let's recap why this is the greatest playoff run of all-time

1. Hakeem led the team in 5/5 categories for the entire playoffs, while also playing arguably GOAT defense 

No other player has ever been the best scorer, rebounder, passer, stealer, shot-blocker, and arguably GOAT defender for their team in any championship run. Jordan came close in 1997, but he only did it for the last 3 rounds. And although he may be the best perimeter defender ever, the best perimeter defenders can't match the best big men defensively. 

Hakeem shut down Ewing in all but one game of the 1994 Finals, and also forced Malone to shoot a sub-par 43% FG in the 1994 WCF. His interior presence and defense also limited Barkley and forced Kevin Johnson to take over as the best player for the Suns. Not only did Hakeem lead them in every category, he locked down some of the greatest players in history and while anchoring his defense. 

The one thing you can say in favor of Jordan's 1997 run is that he played better overall competition, beating 3 56+ win teams and 2 60+ win teams. In my view, however, the degree to which Hakeem had to carry his team is more impressive than the level of competition that Jordan had to face. Jordan led his team in 5/5 categories for 3 rounds, but Hakeem did it for all 4 rounds, and had a bigger load to carry on defense than Jordan, although Jordan carried a larger offensive load. To me it seems that the load Hakeem carried his team on defense outdoes the load that Jordan had to carry on offense. 

2. Hakeem had three 5-by-4s in the 1994 Playoff run alone

As we stated earlier, Hakeem had a 5-by-4 against the Blazers and two 5-by-4s in the WCF against the Jazz, coming one steal shy of the only playoff 5-by-5 in history during Game 5. Ben Wallace is the only other player in history with two playoff 5-by-4s in his entire playoff career, but Hakeem did it twice in the 1994 WCF alone and 3 times in the 1994 Playoffs alone, and while putting up much more impressive numbers than Wallace did in his 5-by-4s. Along with leading the team in 5/5 and his arguably GOAT defense, this cements that Hakeem is the most well-rounded and complete player of all-time. 

3. Hakeem won without an All-star or a Hall of Fame teammate/coach

Every other player who led a team to the championship had either a Hall of Fame teammate/coach or a player who made the all-star team that year. Hakeem had neither, and Tomjanovich never coached a team without Hakeem to the playoffs. Hakeem was as close to winning the title alone as you can get. And the incredible part is he did this while also leading the team in every category. Neither of these accomplishments have been done before or since, but Hakeem did both at the same time. That's the epitome of carrying a team.

4. Hakeem was incredibly clutch 

His Game 7 performance against the Suns and Knicks were incredible. He also made the go-ahead assist to Cassel in Game 3 against the Knicks and the series-saving block on Starks in Game 6. Similar to how Jordan made a game-winning play in 3/4 wins of the 1997 Finals, Hakeem also made 2 game-winning plays in the 1994 Finals. 

5. Hakeem's lack of offensive help

All Sub-60 ppg supporting casts in the NBA Finals for Championship Teams Post-1954
1994 Rockets - 59.3 ppg
2006 Heat - 58.2 ppg
1999 Spurs - 57.4 ppg
1997 Bulls - 55.5 ppg
1998 Bulls - 54.5 ppg

5. Hakeem's Finals performance

The 1994 Rockets became the first team since 1961 to win the title with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th scoring options all shooting under 43%. In comparing Hakeem's Rockets to the 2007 Cavs, Hakeem had less help in the Finals compared to Lebron on both ends but still got the win

Hakeem's teammates struggled badly in the 1994 Finals,
further adding to the already huge load he had to carry.

1994 Finals
Maxwell 13 ppg on 37%
Horry 10 ppg on 32%
Cassel 10 ppg on 42%

2007 Finals
Gooden 13 ppg on 50%
Gibson 11 ppg on 44%
Pavlovic 10 ppg on 36%

As mentioned earlier, the Cavs held the Spurs to 85 or less in 3/4 games but Hakeem's Rockets, even with Hakeem shutting down Ewing in 6 out of 7 games, only held the Knicks to 85 or less in 3/7 games. Hakeem's defense cannot be understated, rarely do you see a Hall of Fame player play so poorly so consistently in a 7-game series. 

Hakeem also made many clutch plays

1. The go-ahead assist to Cassell with 33 seconds left in Game 3.
2. A clutch steal on Starks with 40 seconds left in Game 6. Hakeem was fouled and pushed the lead to 4
3. The series-saving block in Game 6 on John Starks.

So Hakeem filled the criteria of carrying the 1994 Rockets in all aspects. He led them in 5/5 categories, played arguably GOAT defense, carried them both offensively and defensively, made multiple clutch plays, and did it while not having the benefit of a Hall of Famer or All-star.

Now some people may be questioning why other people were left off this list, so we'll go through them one by one

Magic Johnson 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988
Magic had great averages and Finals performances, putting up 12+ apg in a record 6 NBA Finals (nobody else has done this once) and a record 15.2 and 14.0 apg in the 1985 Playoffs and Finals. However, the 80s West did not have good competition. In 1987 for example, the Lakers beat two losing teams and a 42-40 Sonics team to make the Finals. And Magic also had much more help compared to Duncan, Hakeem, or Jordan in these 3 runs from Kareem, Worthy, Wilkes, etc. He also didn't contribute much on defense whereas DPOY Cooper filled in for that role.

Magic and Bird didn't have to
carry as much of an offensive
or defensive load as Jordan,
Hakeem, and Duncan

Larry Bird 1984, 1986
Bird carried a big load in 1984, leading the Celtics in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and FG% for the playoffs. In 1986 he nearly averaged a triple double in the Finals. In spite of that, Bird had more help on offense in both runs and better rebounding help compared to Duncan, Jordan, and Hakeem.

Kareem 1971, 1980
Kareem was very dependent on Magic and Oscar to create his offense for him - evidenced by the fact that he won the only 2 scoring titles of his career playing with Oscar and averaged a career high FG% in his first year with Magic. Kareem struggled badly in his 5 prime seasons without Oscar or Magic, missing the playoffs twice and going 2-3 in playoff series, never winning consecutive rounds. 

Kareem needed far more help than Jordan, Duncan, or Hakeem did in these runs - which is further evidenced by Magic clinching the 1980 title without Kareem. And he also played easier competition in the 80s West, on top of only playing 3 rounds to win the 1971 title, playing a Lakers team with no Jerry West and a 42-40 Bullets team in the Finals. Kareem beat 0 50+ win teams to win his first title. The only other time Kareem won Finals MVP, Magic Johnson averaged a playoff and Finals record 15.2 and 14.0 apg.

Bill Russell
Russell played only 2 or 3 rounds to win championships in his era, and although he could step up on offense if he had to 

- leading the Celtics in scoring in the 1962 title run
- setting an NBA Finals 70% FG record in 1965
- leading them in assists for the 1965 title run

He never had to carry a team in all aspects offensively like Jordan, Hakeem, and Duncan did. Russell doesn't have one single playoff run that stands out as a top 3 run, but it's his sustained dominance for 13 seasons that makes him a GOAT candidate.

Wilt Chamberlain 1967, 1972
Wilt in 1967 became the only player to lead a team past a healthy Bill Russell in the playoffs, but also only had to play 3 rounds to win the championship. Wilt also had to sacrifice his scoring for the benefit of the team, meaning that he didn't have to carry as big of an offensive load. He had big offensive contributions from Hal Greer and Chet Walker. On top of that, he only played a 44-37 Warriors team in the Finals.

In 1972, Wilt beat a Knicks team with no Willis Reed, their best player, to win his 2nd championship and had a very small offensive role - allowing Goodrich to take over in that regard. When Willis Reed played in 1970 and 1973, the Lakers lost. For easier competition, less playoff rounds, and not as big a responsibility on offense, Wilt falls short of a claim to one of the 3 greatest playoff runs of all-time.

Shaq and Kobe
The problem with Shaq and Kobe is that both of them helped each other out too much from 2000-02 for one of them to be placed as a top 3 playoff run of all-time. In the 2000 title run, Shaq was bailed out in Game 7 by Kobe as he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks to save their season. Kobe still averaged 22.8 - 4.4 - 4.5 - 1.6 - 1.5 on 46% through 3 rounds before his injury in the Finals brought his numbers down, better than any of Duncan, Jordan, or Hakeem's teammates through 3 rounds or overall. Shaq had less offensive help in the Finals in part due to Kobe's injury, but still lost in Game 3 when Kobe was out. In Game 2 when Kobe was injured, he still scored/assisted 11 points in a game that the Lakers won by 7. So Shaq didn't really carry the Lakers by himself despite his great 31-15 averages for the playoffs. On top of that, the Blazers were the only good team they played in the 2000 Playoffs. The Pacers had Reggie Miller at age 34 and no Antonio Davis in the paint, plus Derrick Mckey and Chris Mullin barely got any playing time. Rik Smits was also playing in the last games of his career. They were not nearly at the level of the underrated 90s Pacers.

Both Shaq and Kobe gave each other a lot
of help in winning their championships

In 2001 Shaq was pretty much even with Kobe in the 2001 WCSF against the Kings and outplayed by Kobe against the Spurs in the WCF. In leading the Lakers to the Finals past their toughest Western competition, Shaq was outscored by Kobe and had far more help than Hakeem Jordan or Duncan ever did. 

In 2002 Shaq again had great help from Kobe who outplayed him against the 2002 Spurs, shooting a higher FG% even though David Robinson had a back injury and missed 2 games of that series. Shaq was outscored by Kobe in both series against the Spurs as well as the 2001 Kings, and outscored by Kobe through 3 rounds before playing the Nets in the Finals. So Shaq once again had much, much more help than Duncan, Hakeem, or Jordan did. Kobe's 2009 and 2010 runs were great, but his Finals performances weren't as good as Duncan, Jordan, or Hakeem and he had better offensive help in Gasol compared to any of their teammates in the aforementioned runs.

LeBron James 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
LeBron averaged a great 35-9-7 on 51% in 2009, but the problem is that he beat 0 elite teams. The Pistons had a losing 39-43 record, and the Hawks were an average 47-35 team. The Magic were the only good team he played and the Cavs lost. During LeBron's entire first run in Cleveland, he only beat one 50-win team - the 2007 Pistons who had no 4x DPOY Ben Wallace and no Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown. Any run from LeBron's first stint in Cleveland has to be disregarded because he beat 0 notable teams in that timespan.

In 2012 and 2013, LeBron again benefited from easy competition. Five out of six teams in the 2012 and 2013 Eastern Conference had under 50-wins, adjusting lockout teams for 82 games. In 2013 he beat 3 teams with under 50-wins - a luxury that Jordan, Hakeem, and Duncan never had in any playoff run. He also had good help from Wade in both runs who averaged 23-5-4-2-1 on 46% in the 2012 Playoffs. His production slipped in the 2013 Playoffs to 16-5-5-2 on 46% in 2013, but this is offset easily by the weak East competition that LeBron played, facing 3 sub-50 teams. When they played a good team in the Spurs, Wade stepped up his game and had 20-4-5-2-1 on 48% for the Finals. So LeBron had very good help against the only good team he played in 2013.

LeBron's competition nor his defense
were good enough to earn him the
recognition of a top 3 playoff run of all-time

The other thing is that LeBron's defense was nowhere near that of Duncan, Hakeem, or Jordan's. In 2012 LeBron's overrated defense was exposed in the 2012 Finals by Durant and Westbrook, and Wade was the best perimeter defender for the series just like the 2011 Finals, thanks to his good defense on Westbrook, who only had one big game in the series during Game 4. In 2013 LeBron stepped up on defense in the Finals, but was exposed by Paul George in the 2013 ECF who only had 17 ppg on 42% for the season. For the incredibly easy opposition he faced and his vastly inferior defense, LeBron's 2 title runs can't compare to Jordan, Hakeem, or Duncan. 

In 2015 LeBron had Kyrie through 3 rounds and Thompson averaged 12 rpg in the last 3 rounds after Love went down, which is better than any rebounder Duncan, Jordan, or Hakeem had in their aforementioned title runs. LeBron also played 0 defense in the 2015 Finals and shot under 40%, making it far easier for him to put up good numbers while only playing one end, whereas Duncan, Jordan, and Hakeem had to play both ends. The other thing is that LeBron was not clutch in the Finals. He had 0 points in the OT of Game 1 before a garbage time layup, 0 points in the 4th quarter of Game 4, and was 0/3 on game-winners.

In 2016, LeBron joined Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead a championship team in 5/5 categories for 4 rounds. However, he had great offensive help from Kyrie Irving, who averaged 25 ppg in the entire playoffs. Neither Jordan nor Hakeem ever had 25 ppg from any teammate in a single playoff series. So LeBron had quite a lot of help in that run, and didn't have to carry as big of a load even with leading the team in 5/5. LeBron also still was not near Duncan, Hakeem, or Jordan's level on the defensive end, as Draymond Green and the Warriors exposed his defense quite often in the 2016 Finals.

Dwyane Wade 2006

You can make a case that Wade's 2006 Finals performance is the best ever, as he had numerous clutch moments and limited offensive help. He also played great defense in those Finals. What also makes this run impressive is that Wade beat 2 60+ win teams in the Pistons and Mavs, the only time this has happened on a title team since the 1997 Bulls. Wade also shot over 60% on the stacked 2006 Pistons defense which is insane, considering they still had the starting 5 from their 2004 championship team and 2005 Finals team, although Coach Larry Brown had left.

However, what makes Wade's 2006 run not as impressive as the aforementioned runs (though it was very impressive) is that he had good help from Shaq through 3 rounds, and in the Eastern Conference didn't have to carry as big an offensive load. In the Finals Shaq disappeared, but through 3 rounds he played well. Shaq had 20-11 on 61% in the first round, a less impressive 19-7 on 57% in the ECSF, and a great 22-11 on 66% in the ECF. Had Shaq disappeared through 3 rounds like he did in the Finals, then Wade may have had a case for the greatest playoff run of all-time. 


Dirk Nowitzki, 2011


The Mavericks beat great overall competition in the 2011 run - the 2x defending champ Lakers, an up and coming Thunder team, and the Heat's Big 3. However, Dirk had very little contribution on defense for this playoff run, and his Finals performance, though good, was not as great as the aforementioned players on this list. On top of that, he had much better help from his supporting cast compared to the 3 guys on this list.

He didn't have to carry a big rebounding load, as Chandler led the team with 9.2 rpg for the playoffs. Dirk had 8.1 rpg for the 2011 Playoffs, and Jordan as a shooting guard had 7.9 rpg at age 34 for the 1997 Playoffs while playing against teams with much stronger interior presences - Webber/Howard, Mutombo/Laettner, Alonzo/Brown, and Malone. In fact, Dirk didn't lead the team in any category outside of scoring for the playoffs, whereas Jordan, Duncan, and Hakeem carried huge loads on both ends of the floor in their runs. Hakeem led the team in 5/5 categories for the whole playoffs, Jordan led them in 5/5 categories for the last 3 rounds, and Duncan led the team in 4/5 categories.

Rick Barry, 1975
This might not be one of the first runs that come to mind, but it is a very underrated run, in spite of the fact that it is not in my personal top 3. Barry won with little offensive help in the playoffs, only having 2 double digit scorers in Wilkes (15 ppg on 45%) and Charles Johnson (12.5 ppg on 42%). In the Finals, Wilkes had very poor help against a 60-22 Bullets team with Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld


Barry's help in the 1975 Finals

• Wilkes 12-10-1 on 32%
• Smith 11-3-3 on 41%
• Dickey 9-6-1 on 74%
• Mullins 8-3-2 on 55%
• Johnson 8-4-2 on 35%
• Beard 7-3-2 on 39%
• Ray 7-10-3 on 62%

However, Barry only played 3 rounds to win the title, and the Sonics and Bulls that he beat both had under 50 wins. The Bullets were the only elite team he played. On top of that, Barry was 4th in rebounding on his team for the playoffs, whereas Hakeem and Duncan led their teams in rebounding and Jordan was barely short by 0.53 rpg. So although Barry carried them offensively, he falls short compared to the other 3 in level of competition, carrying the rebounding load, and Barry was not in their league defensively.

SECTION 1 - Players From Jordan's Day Against 2000s Defenses

- Looking at how the Jordan Era players had an easier time in the modern era

SECTION 2 - How Washed-up Jordan Did Against the Top Defenders of the "Advanced, More Athletic, Superior" 2000s Era

- Looking at how a 38-40 year old Jordan himself schooled the 2000s defenders

SECTION 3 - Jordan's "Weak" Defensive Competition Compared to Lebron/Kobe's "Advanced" Competition
- Proving the vast superiority of individual defenders of Jordan's era compared to the 2000s

SECTION 4 - The "Jordan Never Faced Zone" Myth

- Destroying the myth that Jordan never played zone defense

SECTION 5 - The Myth That 80s/90s Defenses Can't Contain Modern Players Without the 80s/90s Rules

- Proof that 80s/90s players would still have success guarding 2000s players without the 80s/90s rules

SECTION 6 - The Myth of Jordan's Inability to Deal with 80s Teams, and the Truth About Expansion

- Looking at how Jordan did against the 80s teams and why expansion did not make it easier to win championships

SECTION 7 - "Jordan Played Weak Competition in the 80s/90s"

- Proof that Jordan's Competition was 80s-quality and far better than the 2000s era

SECTION 8 - The Myth that Jordan Was Not As Valuable to His Teams' Success

- Looking at the truth of how the Bulls did without Jordan, and how other great teams did without their stars.

SECTION 9 - "Jordan Got All the Calls"

- Did Jordan really get any more special treatment than other superstars? Nope.

SECTION 10 - Wilt Chamberlain: Great, but Far From the Greatest

- Exposing the myths behind the great, but misunderstood, Wilt Chamberlain

SECTION 11 - The "Lebron is a 6-8 250 Freight Train and too Big/Strong/Fast to be Guarded in the 80s/90s era" Myth

- Looking at how Lebron got locked down by defenders of the 2000s era and comparing them to the vastly superior 80s/90s

SECTION 12 - Lebron: The Most Overrated Defender of All-Time

- Destroying one of the media's biggest misconceptions regarding Lebron's solid but vastly overrated defense

SECTION 13 - "Lebron Doesn't Have Enough Help, and No One Can Carry a Team Like Him"

- Lebron fans think no player in history could succeed if their teammates don't step up, and that Lebron is the only one who has carried a team on his back. Is that really the case?

SECTION 14 - Jordan vs Lebron: The Truth

- The real Jordan vs Lebron comparison

SECTION 15 - Jordan vs Kobe: The Truth

- The real Jordan vs Kobe comparison

SECTION 16 - Jordan (and Hakeem) vs Kareem

- Kareem is great, but he is not even the greatest center of all-time, let alone the greatest of all-time.

SECTION 17 - The Truth about Michael Jordan Without Scottie Pippen

- The full context behind Jordan's struggles without Pippen

SECTION 18 - Michael Jordan's Wizards Years

- A look at how Jordan turned the Wizards around before his knee injury caught up to him

SECTION 19 - The Case for Jordan as the Best Perimeter Defender of All-Time

- Looking at Jordan's defensive impact in detail, both as a team player and 1 on 1 defender

SECTION 20 - Why Jordan Would Accomplish More In Cleveland and Miami than LeBron

- Looking at the strong evidence supporting that Jordan would have achieved more than what LeBron has in Cleveland and Miami 

SECTION 21 - Hakeem Olajuwon: The Greatest Center of All-Time
- Hakeem Olajuwon is the best center of all-time, and there is strong evidence to prove it

SECTION 22 - Chris Paul: The Most Overrated Point Guard Of All-Time
- Chris Paul is an extremely overrated playoff performer and defender, and isn't even a top 5 PG of his own era, let alone all-time

SECTION 23 - Kevin Johnson: The Most Underrated Point Guard Of All-Time
- Kevin Johnson is an extremely underrated and under-appreciated point guard, who should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer and considered a top-10 point guard of all-time

SECTION 24 - The Three Greatest Playoff Runs of All-Time
- Analyzing the three greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history

SECTION 25 - The Worst Finals Performances of All-Time
- Analyzing the worst performances in NBA Finals history

SECTION 26 - Jordan vs Russell
- Comparing the two players who won the most championships as the best player on their team

SECTION 27 - The Five Greatest Coaches of All-Time
- Taking a look at the greatest coaches in NBA history

SECTION 28 - The Least Deserving Finals MVPs of All-Time
- Taking a look at the players who least deserved to win their Finals MVPs

SECTION 29 - Refuting 10 Myths About Michael Jordan
- Refuting certain myths about Jordan, as well as abridging of some of the main points in earlier sections for easier reference.

SECTION 30 - The 20 Greatest Conference Finals Runs of All-Time
- Ranking the 20 greatest playoff runs in which a player played 3 rounds before losing prior to the NBA Finals

SECTION 31 - The 1970s: The Weakest Decade of the NBA's Post-Infancy
- Why the 1970s was the weakest decade of any era from 1960-present

SECTION 32 - The 10 Worst Supporting Casts on NBA Finals Teams (1960-Present)
- Examining the worst supporting casts on teams that reached the NBA Finals

SECTION 33 - The 10 Greatest Rookie Playoff Runs of All-Time
- The most impressive playoff runs in which rookies led their team to at least one series win