Listing Shaquille O'Neal's Top 3 games in the NBA Playoffs in terms of points scored
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant NBA players of all time, and anyone could argue that he was indeed the most dominant force ever seen in the league.
Many would say that the period between the 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons is the most impressive in terms of physical dominance in the NBA, and only Wilt Chamberlain or even LeBron James could enter such discussion.
O'Neal guided the LA Lakers to a three-peat between 2000 and 2002, while winning three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards, joining Michael Jordan as the only player to ever do it.
O'Neal was unstoppable in those NBA Playoffs runs, putting up numbers that are simply hard to imagine. He won one regular-season MVP during that run after the 1999-00 campaign, while also winning the All-Star MVP that year (only Willis Reed and Michael Jordan - twice - had done so in league history).
Shaquille O'Neal's Top 3 games in the NBA Playoffs in terms of points scored
Throughout his 19-year career, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in his career in the regular season, while making 58.2% of his field goals.
In the NBA Playoffs, O'Neal played 216 games (the ninth-most in league history) and averaged 24.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. He ranks fifth in points scored in the postseason and fourth in total blocks.
In this article, we will give you Shaquille O'Neal's Top 3 games in the NBA Playoffs in terms of points scored.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#3 43 points | Achieved twice in NBA Playoffs
Shaquille O'Neal recorded a couple of 43-point games in his NBA Playoffs career, with both coming during his most dominant era with the LA Lakers (2000-2002).
The first of those came in the 2000 NBA Finals against Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers. In Game 1, Shaq put up 43 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and three blocks to guide the LA Lakers to a 17-point win. He also made 21 of his 31 attempts from the field that night.
The other game, with exactly 43 points in the playoffs, came in 2001, during the LA Lakers' most dominant postseason run. In Game 2 of the second round against the Sacramento Kings, O'Neal scored 43 points while making 18 of his 26 shots. He also grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked three shots in a six-point win.
#2 44 points | Achieved twice in NBA Playoffs
Shaquille O'Neal scored exactly 44 points twice in his NBA Playoffs career. Both efforts came during the 2001 NBA Playoffs, when the Shaq-Kobe Bryant LA Lakers went 15-1 to win their second consecutive championship.
The first 44-point outing of those playoffs for Shaquille O'Neal came in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Sacramento Kings, when the LA Lakers took a three-point win. O'Neal scored 44 points (17/32 from the field), grabbed 21 rebounds, gave out four assists and blocked seven shots in 43 minutes.
In the 2001 NBA Finals, the LA Lakers suffered their only loss of those playoffs in Game 1, against Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers in an iconic game. O'Neal scored 44 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and also recorded five assists on the night. He made 17 of his 28 attempts from the field.
O'Neal scored at least 40 points in the NBA Playoffs 12 times, and Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals was the only time his team lost while he scored 40 or more.
#1 46 points | Achieved twice in NBA Playoffs
Shaquille O'Neal's career-high in the NBA Playoffs (in terms of points) is 46, which he achieved a couple of times during his illustrious postseason career. The three-time Finals MVP never scored at least 50 in the playoffs, but he managed to be consistent and help his teams earn four NBA titles.
His two games with 46 points in the NBA Playoffs came with the LA Lakers, the first of which was in 1997, during a first-round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. O'Neal also grabbed 11 rebounds in that outing and recorded a couple of blocks.
His second game of 46 points in the postseason came in the 2000 NBA Playoffs, on his way to his first NBA title. In Game 1 of that postseason, against the Sacramento Kings, O'Neal got off to a great start and scored 46 points (21/33 from the field), grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked five shots in a 10-point victory.