Listing the 3 players with the highest scoring average in NBA playoff history (with at least 50 games played)
The NBA playoffs have started with some exciting games in the first round. Young talent is definitely shining bright at the moment, with some impressive postseason debuts.
Minnesota Timberwolves sophomore Anthony Edwards got off to a hot start as the seventh-seeded T-Wolves took a Game 1 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Ja Morant's team then tied the series in Game 2. Edwards scored 36 points in Game 1, the fourth-highest in a playoff debut in NBA history.
Jordan Poole did something similar for the Golden State Warriors in their two wins against the Denver Nuggets at home. JP3 scored 30 points in his first-ever playoff game and followed it up with 29 in a Game 2 blowout.
Top three scoring average leaders in NBA playoff history among players with at least 50 games played
In this article, we will continue to look at scoring in the NBA's postseason. We will give you the top three leaders in playoff history in terms of career points per game. To qualify, players must have at least 50 career playoff games.
Without further ado, let us start.
No. 3: Kevin Durant
In Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, Kevin Durant reached the ninth spot in terms of total points in the NBA playoffs, surpassing the legendary Jerry West.
Durant's 4,477 career points in the postseason have come in 152 games. That gives him a career average of 29.5 points per game in the playoffs, the third-highest in league history.
The two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP has a 47/36/87 shooting split in his postseason career. He's also averaged 30.3 ppg in the NBA Finals, which is the fourth-best among players with multiple appearances.
No. 2: Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson had some incredible performances in the playoffs. And the four-time scoring champion managed to keep his scoring efforts high even when the pressure was at its greatest stage, the postseason.
Iverson played 71 playoff games but, unfortunately for him, could not win a title. Still, he was a monster and managed to guide his 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals, although the dominant LA Lakers defeated them in five games.
Iverson averaged 29.7 ppg in the postseason. His field-goal percentage wasn't the greatest (40%). But with his style of play and the load he had to carry, it was certainly difficult for a small guard to have a higher percentage.
In his sole NBA Finals appearance, Iverson averaged 35.6 ppg in 2001. That average ranks second in finals history, without considering the number of games played (behind Rick Barry's 36.3 ppg in 10 finals games).
No. 1: Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan dominated the NBA playoffs like no other player has been able to do so in the modern era of the league. The six-time champion and six-time Finals MVP managed to score at an unbelievable rate during every stage of the postseason and is first on our list.
Jordan is the all-time leader in career scoring average in the regular season with 30.1 ppg. He kept that same style in the playoffs, with his all-time best of 33.4 ppg in 179 appearances.
A series that could certainly exemplify Jordan's level in the postseason could be the 1993 NBA Finals, when he averaged a record 41 ppg in six games. He shot 48.7% and still put up 6.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game to win his third title.
Of course, Jordan also owns the record for most points in a single playoff game, with 63 points in Game 2 of the first round against the Boston Celtics in 1986. That was only his sixth career playoff game.