The Worst NBA Playoff Performances by Great Players

We remember Michael Jordan for moments like “The Shrug” and “The Final Shot.” But does anyone remember when Nick Anderson made him look like a fool in the 1995 playoffs? Chances are, unless you have a photographic memory or are Nick Anderson, the answer is no. The greats are judged by what made them great, not by what was done on their worst nights.

Bad nights from great players, however, have arguably had just as much of an impact on the game as great players having great nights. Maybe if LeBron James’ Cavs made it past the Celtics in 2010, he never would have gone to Miami. Maybe if John Starks shot better than 2-for-18 from the field in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, the Knicks would have a series championship in an era in which cell phones exist.

A perfect example of this is taking place right now, with everyone in awe of the Warriors’ dominance. The speculation as to how they would do against the ‘80s Celtics, ‘90s Bulls, and early-‘00s Lakers will easily kill all of the “Warriors blew a 3-1 lead” memes for good, just like Michael Jordan made everyone forget about the Nick Anderson steal by winning three straight championships. Winning is the best amnesia-inducer on the market in the sports world. So, at the end of the day, none of us will remember this decade’s Warriors team for their worst nights. Complex has compiled a list of NBA greats’ worst playoff games, and our bet is that you probably don’t even remember at least half of these, as if they didn’t happen. The player's’ greatness were like those little silver things from Men In Black that erase memories of their bad games—even for playoff games.

So with that said, here is a list of legends and their worst performances in the NBA playoffs.

The game: Game 4, 1985 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Sixers

The stats: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 turnovers, 4-for-15 from the field

The result: Sixers 115, Celtics 104

Larry Legend didn’t have a lot of bad games, but this was definitely an exception. A game-high eight turnovers and an abysmal night from the field allowed the Sixers to take this game, which, thankfully for Boston, was their only win of the series.

The game: Game 6, 1988 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Jazz

The stats: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 3-for-12 from the field

The result: Jazz 108, Lakers 80

Magic was anything but magic on this night. He shot just .250 from the field, and managed only ten points. But most Lakers fans probably don’t even remember this game, since L.A. won their second-straight championship in 1988, as well.

The game: Game 1, 1991 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Bulls

The stats: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 fouls, 5 turnovers

The result: Bulls 126, Knicks 85

There was nothing redeeming about this game for the Knicks, and there was especially nothing redeeming about it for Patrick Ewing. He was in foul trouble all night, scored just six points, and turned the ball over five times. The sad thing is, I’m sure there are plenty of Knicks fans who miss seeing the Knicks get crushed in the playoffs by the Bulls. At least the Knicks made the playoffs back then.

The game: Game 1, 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Magic

The stats: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 8-for-22 from the field, 8 turnovers

The result: Magic 94, Bulls 91.

You’re down three in a playoff game. Ten seconds to go. If you could have any player in the history of ever take that shot, most people would say they want Jordan.

This actually happened on May 7, 1995, but thanks to Magic swingman Nick Anderson, it was not to be. He stole the ball away from No. 45 Jordan in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to hand Orlando the game. This stands as Jordan’s worst playoff game, as he turned the ball over eight times and went just 8-for-22 from the field, scoring 19 points.

This game actually caused many to wonder if Jordan’s best days were behind him. Anderson then infamously took Jordan to task after the game, saying, “No. 45 doesn’t explode like No. 23 used to. I couldn’t have done that to No. 23.”

Jordan then switched back to 23 the following game, and went on to win another three championships. So talk of Jordan’s demise was premature, to say the least.

The game: Game 3, 1995 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Rockets

The stats: 5 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 0-for-10 from the field

The result: Rockets 118, Suns 85

If you’re reading this article and your name isn’t Hakeem Olajuwon, there’s a good chance you had the same amount of field goals as Barkley had in this game.

The game: Game 3, 1997 Western Conference Semifinals

The stats: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 0 assists, 2-for-20 from the field

The result: Lakers 104, Jazz 84

Aside from hitting 11 of 12 free throws, Malone was ice cold all night. He hit just two of 20 shots from the field, struggling mightily as the Lakers blew out the Jazz. The Mailman would bounce back though, by leading the Jazz to a series win en route to their first of back-to-back Finals appearances.

The game: Game 5, 1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Supersonics

The stats: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 10 turnovers, 3-for-11 shooting

The result: Sonics 97, Timberwolves 84

With a win in this game, the Timberwolves would have gone to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. But thanks in part to a poor game from Garnett, it was not to be. He recorded just seven points and turned the ball over ten times.

Garnett’s T-Wolves were eliminated in the first round every year from 1997-2003, before making a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. This was the only time the Timberwolves would make it out of the first round, and to this date, it’s their most recent playoff appearance.

The game: Game 2, 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Magic

The stats: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers, 4-for-15 from the field, 1-for-7 from three

The result: Magic 79, Sixers 68

Iverson spent the bulk of his career carrying Sixers teams—who would have otherwise had no business making the playoffs—into the playoffs. So unlike Kevin Durant or LeBron James, he couldn’t just let Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving take over when he was having a bad game. Game 2 of the 1999 quarterfinals was a perfect example of that. He was just 4-for-15 from the field, and 1-for-7 from three-point range. Even when Iverson was ice cold, it wasn’t like the Sixers had a better option. You going to let Eric Snow take a buzzer beater?

The game: Game 5, 2000 NBA Finals vs. Pacers

The stats: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-20 from the field

The result: Pacers 120, Lakers 87 Kobe’s worst NBA Finals performance came in his first-ever NBA Finals. The Lakers came into the game with a 3-1 lead and a chance to clinch a championship, but they were forced to wait until Game 6 to do so, thanks in part to this performance from Kobe. If Kobe were reminded of this game, we’re guessing his response would look a little something like this:

https://twitter.com/Chiefjoel28/status/872670100452769792 Best. GIF. Ever.

The game: Game 1, 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Hornets

The stats: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 8-for-21 shooting, 4-for-7 on free throws

The result: Hornets 80, Magic 79

This isn’t the worst statline ever, but McGrady’s three missed free throws were a killer in a one-point game. If McGrady would have hit one more field goal or two more free throws, the Magic could have won this game—and maybe even the series, which they lost 3-1.

The game: Game 4, 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Trail Blazers

The stats: 0 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, 0-for-4 from the field

The result: Blazers 98, Mavs 79

There’s no way to sugarcoat your star point guard not scoring any points.

The game: Game 6, 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Trail Blazers

The stats: 4 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-for-11 from the field

The result: Blazers 125, Mavs 103

Much like Nash in Game 4 of the series, Nowitzki had a dud of his own in Game 6, scoring just four points. Despite this pair of poor performances, the Mavs were able to win this series in seven games.

The game: Game 3, 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Bulls

The stats: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 7 turnovers, 0-for-6 on free throws

The result: Bulls 109, Heat 90

The Big Aristotle looked about as alive as the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in this one. He turned the ball over a post-season-high seven times, and missed all six of his free throws en route to a blowout Bulls win. Shaq played in 216 playoff games during his NBA career, and there’s a good chance he might rank this one as his 216th-best.

The game: Game 1, 2008 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Hornets

The stats: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-9 from the field

The result: Hornets 101, Spurs 82

When you make the playoffs every year for almost 20 years, you’re allowed to have a bad game every once in awhile. And Duncan had a real bad one to open up the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals, hitting just one field goal the entire game.

The game: 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Pacers

The stats: 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 turnovers, 2-for-13 from the field

The result: Pacers 94, Heat 75

It started to look like the Big Three Heat were in trouble at this point in 2012; Wade scored just five points on two of 13 shooting in a blowout Pacers win. The win put the Pacers up 2-1; and this loss combined with the team’s disappointing Finals loss in 2011 to form a “Big Three Can’t Win” narrative. This was put to bed rather quickly, though. The Heat won the last three games of the series, and took both the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals in five games. So much for that.

The game: Game 4, 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals

The stats: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 turnovers, 2-for-7 from the field

The result: Nuggets 121, Hornets 63

This is probably a fitting time to point out that the only two teams who haven’t made a Western Conference Final since 2000 are the Pelicans (formerly the Hornets) and the Clippers—the two teams that Chris Paul has played for. To be fair to Paul though, most of his team’s shortcomings weren’t totally his fault. He played on lackluster Hornets teams early in his career, and his Clippers teams have always dealt with injuries at inopportune times.

Oh, and about this game: This 58-point blowout was probably Paul’s worst in the playoffs—maybe ever. He scored just four points and didn’t even attempt a free throw.

The game: Game 5, 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Celtics

The stats: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3-for-14 from the field, 0-for-4 from three

The result: Celtics 120, Cavs 88

Many in the media, along with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, criticized LeBron for what they saw as quitting in this series—which would be the last of LeBron’s first stint in Cleveland.

Whether he quit or not, there’s no question that he turned in an awful performance in Game 5. James scored just 15 points on three of 14 shooting, and missed all four of his three-point attempts. The series was tied at two games apiece at that point, so to see the best player in the league have that kind of an output in a must-win game was very disappointing to say the least. It’s amazing how much has changed in just seven years, by the way. The prospects of LeBron “quitting” or putting up a statline like this in a big game is now almost unfathomable.

The game: Game 6, 2011 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Grizzlies

The stats: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-for-14 from the field, 1-for-9 from three

The result: Grizzlies 95, Thunder 83

At least now if Durant has a game like this, he has three other superstars to rely on. He only had one back then—and it wasn’t enough to get the Thunder past the Grizzlies on this night.

The game: Game 4, 2012 Western Conference Finals vs. Spurs

The stats: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2-for-10 from the field

The result: Thunder 109, Spurs 103

Westbrook had an awful night here, shooting two of ten from the field and managing just seven points. Thankfully for Westbrook and the Thunder though, a 36-point effort by Kevin Durant and 26 points from Serge Ibaka on a perfect 11 of 11 from the field were able to put the Thunder over the top.

The game: Game 1, 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Heat

The stats: 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-for-15 shooting

The result: Heat 100, Knicks 67

Yeah, the Knicks actually did make the playoffs in this decade. That isn’t a typo.

Although Carmelo Anthony came to the Knicks with much fanfare, it has failed to materialize into any sort of long-term success. They’ve missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, and have made it out of the first round just once since Melo arrived. This quick first-round exit actually serves as one of the better memories of the Carmelo era.

The game: Game 2, 2015 NBA Finals

The stats: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5-for-23 from the field; 2-for-15 from three

The result: Cavs 95, Warriors 93

A .133 percentage from three-point isn’t good coming from anyone, never mind the coming from the best shooter in league history. This was Curry’s fourth-worst night from beyond the arc of the season, so he was in rare, rare form in Game 2.

Luckily for Curry though, literally no one (except the people reading this article) is going to remember any of these games when they look back at the 2015 Finals, which transformed Golden State from a perennial loser to the greatest franchise in the NBA right now.