Top 5 Greatest NBA Finals MVP performances of all time
The NBA Finals is where the men are separated from the boys. It's where superstars are born and legacies are crushed. It's not a surprise that many crumble at the biggest stage there is in Basketball, but there are a few who manage to take their games to the next level.
In this article, we celebrate the greatest of those performances. Players who simply elevated their games to beyond reach of anyone else in the game. Here are the top 5 greatest performances by NBA Finals MVPs.
#5 Hakeem Olajuwon, 1995
Series Averages: 32.8 Points, 11.5 Rebounds, 5.5 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks
After winning MVP, DPOY and Finals MVP in 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets struggled the following season and finished 47-35 which meant, not many gave them much of a chance in the playoffs.
Despite being the underdogs in all three playoff series, the Rockets stunned the world to get back to the Finals. On his way, Olajuwon dominated some of the other great bigs of his generation, beating Karl Malone and the Jazz, Barkley and the Suns and finally David Robinson and the Spurs in an unforgettable Conference Finals.
The performance against Robinson who was the MVP that season was particularly impressive and in my opinion ranks as one of the greatest performances in a playoff series in NBA history.
Come the Finals, the Rockets were once again the underdogs, going up against Shaq's Orlando Magic. Olajuwon would surprisingly end up dominating O'Neal in the Finals, scoring at least 30 points in every game. He had two memorable moments in this series, tipping in the winner in Game 1 and capping off the sweep with a rare three-pointer late in Game 4, as the Rockets won back to back championships.