The 25 Biggest Fails in NBA Playoff History

Image via Complex Original

Goat: Kobe Bryant

Game: Game 5, 1997 Western Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/12/1997

Real talk? It's probably even odds at this point that Kobe Bryant goes down as the greatest of all time (yeah, we said it). Another dose of real talk? The Lakers weren't gonna win this series (they were down 3-1 going into this game). But real talk, Kobe? First-year teenagers aren't supposed to jack up two airballs in the playoffs, much less four. Which leads us to our last bit of real talk (what is this, 2005?): Hey Rook: Stop shooting the effin' ball!

Goat: Scottie Pippen

Game: Game 7, 1990 Eastern Conference Finals

Date: 6/3/1990

Most of us remember Scottie Pippen as the greatest second banana that ever lived. Michael Jordan, being the "competitive" guy he is, probably remembers him as the reason he doesn't have seven championship rings. You see, MJ used to consider his sidekick a bit "soft." So did the Detroit Pistons (for the record though, he wasn't). While the focus of their defense was "The Jordan Rules", they also made sure to intimidate his teammates lest they got any ideas about contributing. Especially Scottie. For the second year in a row, the Bulls challenged the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, reaching a Game 7 in Detroit. And for the second year in a row, MJ and his supporting cast didn't have enough to get the Bulls past the Bad Boys, with Pippen coming down with a migraine before the crucial deciding game. It probably wasn't a coincidence that he got an ouchy before the biggest game (up to that point) of his life.

Goat: Rasheed Wallace

Game: Game 5, 2005 NBA Finals

Date: 6/19/2005

Rasheed Wallace plays hard. And smart. So Rasheed should've known the most dangerous man on an inbounds play is the passer and he definitely should've known not to leave Robert Effing "Big Shot Bob" Horry open with a championship on the line. Tell 'em Hubie!

Goat: Gilbert Arenas

Game: Game 6, 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Date: 5/5/2006

Washington was in the playoffs for just the second time since becoming the Wizards and LeBron James was in his first playoff series ever. After exchanging victories in the first four games, Cleveland took Game 5 and things came down to this: At the line with a chance to put the Wiz up by three, Gil missed the first free throw. Then LeBron walks up and reminds Gil that missing the second would all but guarantee a loss. Now with Arenas being the crazy bastard he is, maybe he dared Bron to make good on that threat. Or maybe the pressure got to him and he just missed. Either way, he lost.

Goat: David Robinson 

Game: 1995 Western Conference Finals

Date: 5/22-6/1/1995

It was the most dominating performance against a top-seeded MVP we'd ever seen. The Spurs, boasting the league's best record, were knocked off by the sixth seeded Rockets in the kind of beating that parents threaten their wayward kids with. Robinson's numbers for the series: 23.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals. Hakeem's? 35.3 points 12.5 rebounds 5.0 assists 4.1 blocks 1.3 steals. If you happen to be near The Admiral while he's reading this, give him a hug.

Goat: Atlanta Hawks

Game: 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/4-5/10/2010

The Hawks won 53 games in 2010, and after beating the Bucks in 7, Atlanta seemed primed for a matchup with Orlando. Until it started, that is. Swept, showered with boos, and losing by more than 25 points per game (including a 43-point loss in Game 1), Joe Johnson had a solution for embarrassed Hawks fans. "We could care less if they show up." How did management respond? By giving Joe $120 million, of course.

Goat: Kobe Bryant

Game: 2006 Western Conference Quarterfinals

Date: 5/6/2006

A 3-1 series lead is generally insurmountable. A 3-1 series lead with Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points that year, was more than enough to get the Lakers to the second round. It didn't happen. After scoring 50 in a Game 6 loss, Bryant attempted to play the facilitator in Game 7. But when his teammates were in trouble, Kobe stuck to the script. Really? For someone who's never been afraid to shoot, he certainly picked a curious time to stop.

Goat: Bill Russell

Game: Game 7, 1965 Eastern Conference Finals

Date: 4/15/1965

Everyone with two ears and a passing interest in basketball remembers Johnny Most's legendary call of "Havlicek steals the ball!", but the preceding play is hardly ever mentioned. With the Celtics protecting a one point lead over rival Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers, all Boston needed to do was inbound the ball and advance to another championship. But Russell's inbound pass bounced off the guide wire, giving Philly one more shot at the W. Of course, Hondo would save the day and Russell's mistake was largely forgotten. Until now.

Goat: Tracy McGrady

Game: 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Date: 4/20-5/4/2003

In 2003, Tracy McGrady was the man. He led the league in scoring, dunked on everyone in sight, and was regarded by many as the league's best player. Of course, those unwilling to give T-Mac his due cited his poor playoff record. He hadn't advanced to the second round once in six years in the league. So when he carried a lowly Magic squad to the playoffs and took a commanding 3-1 lead on the top-seeded Pistons, McGrady was relieved to finally have that monkey off his back. "It feels good to get in the second round," he said. Not so fast, Tracy. Orlando failed to close out the series in three straight games, losing by 31 in Game 5 and 15 in Games 6 and 7.

Goat: Bennett Salvatore

Game: Game 5, 2006 NBA Finals

Date: 6/18/2006

Dwyane Wade is unquestionably one of the most exciting players in league history. It's not so exciting to watch him shoot free throws, though. Wade went to the line 25 times in Game 5. So did the Mavericks. All of them. But like Dad always said, "Don't hate the player, hate the ref." Dad also said you're better than that, Mark.

Goat: Spike Lee

Game: Game 5, 1994 Eastern Conference Finals

Date: 5/30/1994

Courtside seats for an NBA game might be the best vantage point in sports. They really are close enough to feel like part of the action. But no one had actually become such a part of the action before Spike. In a nutshell, Spike Lee's mouth wrote some checks the Knicks couldn't cash, and Reggie Miller sent both their asses to collections. New York would go on to win the series in 7, but unfortunately, Spike didn't receive any votes for 6th Man of the Year.

Goat: Dirk Nowitzki

Game: Game 6, 2007 Western Conference Quarterfinals

Date: 5/4/2007

Feeling that they were cheated out of a title in '06, the Dallas Mavericks went through the 2007 season like a team possessed. Winning a league best 67 games, the Warriors—who hadn't even been to the playoffs since 1994—should've been an afterthought. Instead, they became the first eighth seed ever to win a seven-game first round series. Dirk Nowitzki, who went 2-13 in the decisive Game 6, was awarded the MVP a week later. Whoops.

Goat: Jack Kent Cooke

Game: Game 7, 1969 NBA Finals

Date: 5/5/1969

The Celtics were supposed to be done. On their last legs, up against the Lakers' trio of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor, who had home court advantage for the first time. There was supposed to be a party! No, really. There was a program in every seat of the Forum before Game 7. "When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the raftors, the USC marching band will play 'Happy Days Are Here Again' and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain in that order." Bill Russell told Jerry West what was on the Celtics program. "Those fucking balloons are staying up there." As usual, Russell got his way.

Goat: Patrick Ewing

Game: Game 7, 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/21/1995

Final seconds, game and series on the line with your star seven footer driving the lane. Gotta be feeling pretty confident, right? Sorry. Dunk the damn ball, Pat.

Goat: Magic Johnson

Game: 1984 NBA Finals

Date: 5/27-6/12/1984

By 1984, Magic Johnson wasn't new to this anymore. He was already a Finals MVP and playing in his third consecutive Finals. His first matchup with Larry Bird should've brought out the best, but instead of another trophy, he just got a new nickname. Why? He inexplicably dribbled out the clock when Game 2 was tied and the Lakers lost in overtime. He committed a costly turnover that sent Game 4 to overtime and missed two free throws that would've tied the score. Somehow, the Lakers still made it to Game 7...where Johnson lost the ball with just under a minute remaining and sealed a title for the Celtics.

Goat: Isiah Thomas

Game: Game 5 & 7, 1987 Eastern Conference Finals

Date: 5/26 & 5/30/1997

The young Pistons battled into their first Eastern Conference Finals with the Celtics and Isiah Thomas showed he still had a bit of growing to do. After literally throwing away the victory in Game 5 (to be fair, he'd just hit a tough shot to put them up by 1), and eventually losing in 7 games to the Celtics, Thomas said "If Larry Bird were black, he'd be just another good guy." If Larry Bird were black, he still would've seen that pass coming from a mile away, Zeke.

Goat: Michael Jordan

Game: Game 1, 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/7/1995

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over in my life. And that's why I succeed!" You forgot getting ripped by Nick Anderson! But considering this little mishap probably inspired three more championships, the man may have a point. So it was a good thing then, right?

Goat: Karl Malone

Game: Game 1, 1997 NBA Finals

Date: 6/1/1997

The 1997 MVP ballot (986-957) was the closest race in the award's history, but it was obvious why Karl Malone won. The voters got tired of giving it to Michael Jordan. The two would meet in that year's Finals and Malone all but demanded a recount. At the line, nine seconds remaining, with a chance to give Utah the lead and steal home court advantage, he missed two free throws. Then Michael did that thing he does and so began a pattern of Skechers Finals performances for 'ol Karl. Whoops. Sketchy.

Goat: Nick Anderson

Game: Game 1, 1995 NBA Finals

Date: 6/7/1995

Yeah, yeah, they're called free throws for a reason. But as we've learned by now, standing up there all alone can be harder than facing the toughest defense. Still, up three points and only needing to make one of four freebies to ice the game should be a bit easier, right? Right, Nick? Shit. Would Orlando have still lost the series had he made them? Probably. Was it an all time choke regardless? No doubt.

Goat: Charles Smith

Game: Game 5, 1993 Eastern Conference Finals

Date: 6/2/1993

This was their year. Tortured by the Bulls for what seemed like ages, New York was finally the preseason favorite to escape the East. Winning the first two games of the Conference Finals inched them that much closer to destiny. Back at the Garden with a shot at a commanding 3-2 lead, all Charles Smith had to do was either make the layup or draw a foul. You know what happened...

Goats: Portland Trail Blazers

Game: Game 7, 2000 Western Conference Finals

Date: 6/4/2000

The Lakers were up 3-1 over an upstart Blazers team before it all fell apart. Forced into a Game 7, they stumbled through the first three quarters and found themselves facing another summer of questions about Kobe and Shaq. But he who chokes last, chokes best. Missing 13 consecutive shots, the Blazers 15-point lead evaporated and L.A.'s duo etched themselves into the history books with the greatest fourth quarter comeback of all time. The Lakers would go on to threepeat. Portland would become the "Jail Blazers."

Goat: Scottie Pippen

Game: Game 3, 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/13/1994

Scottie Pippen's first season without Big Brother went better than most folks expected. The Bulls finished with just two fewer wins than the previous year, and Pip finished third in the MVP voting. But down 0-2 to the hated Knicks, with 1.8 seconds remaining, Scottie sat in the huddle and did something no one expected: He didn't get up, because Phil Jackson didn't draw up the final shot for him. Guess he didn't expect Toni Kukoc would make the shot, huh? Hater.

Goat: LeBron James

Game: Game 5, 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Date: 5/11/2010

The 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers were another supposed team of destiny. For the second straight year, they owned the league's best record, had the league's MVP and set their sights on the first championship in franchise history. But in a pivotal Game 5 against their Celtic nemeses, LeBron James...well, who the hell knows? No one can say for sure that he quit, but jetting for South Beach two months later didn't do much to change anyone's mind.

Goat: John Starks 

Game: Game 7, 1994 NBA Finals

Date: 6/22/1994

John Starks' story is one of persistence. He played for several community colleges before making it to Oklahoma State. He was undrafted and passed around the CBA before becoming the Knicks second leading scorer. He never gave up. Sadly, that meant he didn't know when to stop either, shooting 2-18 in Game 7, including 0-10 in the fourth quarter.

Goats: Los Angeles Lakers

Game: Game 4, 2008 NBA Finals

Date: 6/13/2008

21 years after the last classic Boston-L.A. Finals match-up, we were blessed with another chapter in the storied Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Except this chapter was kind of short and shitty. Boston held home court through the first two games, but the Lakers suffered an epic collapse in Game 4. With a chance to tie the series L.A. took a 35-14 first quarter lead, the largest in Finals history. The lead grew to 24 in the second half. And then...the wheels fell off the bandwagon. Fueled by a 21-3 third quarter run, Boston took their first lead late in the fourth and the Lakers were stunned. What was a sure 2-2 tie, became a 3-1 series deficit. Adding insult to injury the Celtics won the series clinching Game 6 by a Finals-record 39 points.