The best personal show in the finals in the past decade: James is on the list three times, Antetokounmpo & Butler ranked second and third

With his final shot in the finals in the finals, Teres Halliburton has left an indelible mark in the 2025 NBA Finals. However, the Pacers star is far from reaching one of the greatest Finals singles in the past 10 years.

Hey, even with 38 points in that loss, Thunder's leader, new MVP Shea Gilgers Alexander, failed to make the top 50 in this performance according to the Game Score of the Basketball Reference website.

In the 2025 Finals, a certain player—or multiple players—still have enough time to get a big explosion. During this period, let’s review the finals of the past 10 years and select the best personal performance on the league’s biggest stage.

We use the Game Score mentioned above as a guide to this selection, although it is not the only criterion for judgment. The game background must also be taken into account, right? Scoring high scores in a home loss is not exactly the same as playing excellent in a key away win. Because of this, we feel it is necessary to add a layer of subjectivity.

Honorary nominations

Kawhi Leonard: 36 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, G4

Stephen Curry away against the Warriors in 2019: 47 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, G3

Nicola Jokic against the Raptors in 2019: 27 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, G1

Draymond Green against the Heat in 2023: 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists Attack, G7

Giannis Antetokounmpo against the Cavaliers in 2016: 41 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, G3

10 against the Suns in 2021, Stephen Curry: G4

away against the Celtics in 2022: Statistics: 43 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists

Although Curry's 43 points in this game tied for fifth in the single-game score in the last 10 years, his Game Score ranked 26th and felt outrageously low. As mentioned above, this is a game where subjectivity and the background of the game gave Curry a huge bonus.

In short, the Warriors must win this game. They trailed the Celtics 1-2 in the series and could not return to the Bay Area with another loss. Someone needs to turn the situation around, and as it has happened a lot in the past decade, this guy is Curry.

When the team was forced into a desperate situation, Curry ushered in a super god-like explosion. He scored 43 points and made 7 of 14 three-pointers, including 14 points in the key third-quarter offensive and 4 three-pointers. Curry also secured the victory by scoring 10 of the last 12 points of the Golden State Warriors.

"He won't let us lose the game. That's it," Draymond Green said after the game. "I can tell from his look that he will play with that fighting spirit in the past few days, even after G3." The

series trends reversed because of this game, and the Warriors won the next two games, thus winning the championship. It probably wouldn't have happened without Curry carrying the Warriors on his shoulders in G4.

9. LeBron James: G1

statistics for away games against the Warriors in 2018: 51 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. To be honest, LeBron James should have gotten better results here. That was the case at that time, and it is still the case now.

James scored his highest score since Michael Jordan scored 55 points in the 1993 Finals G4, with his 51 points fifth in the finals single-game scoring history, and his Game Score tied for fourth in the past 10 years.

But the Cavaliers lost the game. And they were swept in the series.

Now, we are not blaming LeBron for this. It is not his responsibility to miss George Hill's free throw or JR Smith's rebound and dribble until the time runs out. Facing the Warriors with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, the difficulty factor is also very high.

Therefore, it is a legendary performance against the Warriors. But doing this in a loss — especially in a loss where a teammate’s turnover became one of the eternal images of the series — makes it all bittersweet.

8. Nikola Jokic: Statistics of G3

away against the Heat in 2023: 32 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks

No matter what indicators are selected - Game Score, plus-minus values, scores, rebounds, etc. - Jokic's performance this time is not unique. In previous NBA Finals, there were people who tied or surpassed every statistic that he had.

But putting them all together, Jokic is the only one. Before this game, no one in NBA history has ever played 30+20+10 games in the Finals.

Although he has only ranked 20th in this game in the past 10 years, this is another example of the history and background of the game that has added points. When a player plays unprecedented numbers and does this away, helping his team take a 2-1 lead in the Finals, it seems to us that it is worth adding a lot of points to the Game Score.

also paid special tribute to Jokic's partner Jamal Murray, who also scored a triple-double in G3, contributing 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. If this is a list of the best single-game performances in the duo, they both will be at the top.

7, Jimmy Butler: 2020 away against the Lakers Statistics: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block

This game is the origin of the emoticon package "The exhausted Jimmy Butler" (see the picture above), but Butler's performance is by no means a joke. In the 2020 Finals, the Heat trailed the Lakers 1-3, and Butler devoted all of it to continue the Heat's journey.

Butler played the whole game in just 48 seconds, and he had to carry the Heat every moment on the court just to bring them a glimmer of hope. With less than two minutes left and the score was even, Butler and LeBron James fought against each other in a number of difficult rounds until Anthony Davis helped the Lakers gain a point advantage with 21.8 seconds left. In the next offensive round, the Heat will go without a doubt. Butler made a breakthrough layup and was fouled by Davis. At this moment, he leaned on the cushion on the sidelines for a moment. Then Butler made both free throws, the Lakers returned in the next round, and the Heat continued their journey in the park.

While Butler's performance in this game is iconic and his Game Score tied for fourth in the last 10 years of finals, this is not his best match in the 2020 Finals. As the Heat fell 1-3 before starting the game and they lost the series after six games, they slightly downgraded his ranking on our list, but it is undeniable that Butler gave all of it on the court.

6, Kyrie Irving: 2016 away against the Warriors Statistics: 41 points (17 of 24 shots), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, as we all know, they were behind the 73-win Warriors 1-3, and the Cavaliers needed to seize the opportunity of Draymond Green being suspended in G5. They did, and they did a great job.

Irving helped the team to win a life-sustaining victory at Oracle Arena and played an important role in the game, scoring 41 points with a shooting percentage of up to 70.8%. He saved his best performance to the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points through four attacks in less than two minutes, extending the Cavaliers' lead to 13 points, basically locking in the victory.

Even with all the firepower, the Warriors' Splash Brothers cannot keep up with Irving's accurate shooting.

In this game, LeBron James also made an extraordinary performance to help the team continue the series, but we will introduce it in detail later...

5, Kevin Durant: 2018 away against the Cavaliers Statistics: 43 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block

Durant was the 2017 Finals MVP, but any performance in that series did not reach the level he achieved when he played against the Cavaliers in the 2018 Series G3 away match.

The Warriors took a 2-0 series lead at the time, but they had to withstand a Cavaliers who both played at home and fought back. Durant resolved every fierce counterattack from the Cavaliers. The Warriors were two digits behind at the end of the second quarter, but Durant scored 6 points in the last minute, narrowing the half-time gap to 6 points. Durant led them with 10 points in a single quarter when the Warriors fought back and took the lead in the third quarter.

And when the Cavaliers needed a defense to keep their hopes of a comeback, Durant completed a fatal blow with a 32-foot (about 9.8 meters) long shot with 49.8 seconds left - a goal that reminded him of another winning shot from the same stadium the previous year.

Just like in 2017, Durant ended the series as the Finals MVP. But of all his outstanding performances – he has scored in the top 22 in four finals games over the past 10 years – the 2018 G3 is undoubtedly his best performance.

4. LeBron James: Statistics of G5

away against the Warriors in 2016: 41 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks

Remember when we mentioned earlier, Kyrie Irving scored 41 points in the 2016 NBA Finals G5 with a shooting percentage of 70.8%, but wasn't that even the best personal performance in that game? Yes, this honor belongs to LeBron.

Recalling the scene again, the Cavaliers trailed 1-3 in the series, although they faced a short-lived Warriors team, which was suspended for Draymond Green for being punished for a malicious foul for hitting James in the groin in G4. But even so, it was a 73-win Warriors, and they had a seemingly insurmountable series lead when they returned to Oracle Arena.

However, G5 became a show for LeBron and Carey, and the Cavaliers started their legendary reversal. In addition to 41 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists, James also had 3 steals and 3 blocks, and with up to 30 shots, his shooting percentage reached 53.3%.

LeBron set the tone early, scoring 12 points of 41 points in the first quarter, leading the team, and he has not relaxed since then. He worked hard on both offense and defense, helping the Cavaliers defeat the Warriors by 15 points, bringing the series back to the Cavaliers' home court.

3. Jimmy Butler: G3

statistics against the Lakers in 2020: 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, Now, we have come to where Game Score matches the game background, and the top three should not be too surprised. If you want to reorder it, please give yourself a try, but these top three are all elites among the elites.

After two double-digit losses at the start of the 2020 NBA Finals, the Heat need a shot of a heartbeat to return to the series. Naturally, Butler did it.

Butler, the scoring champion in every quarter (or at least tied for scoring), brought incredible stability to the Heat, leading the Heat to a victory, in which they led by more than 41 minutes.

With less than nine minutes left in the game, the Lakers took the lead for the first time since the beginning of the second quarter. This advantage lasted only 25 seconds, and Butler equalized the score with a 10-foot jump shot away. Shortly thereafter, Butler assisted Kelly Olynick to make a three-pointer to overtake the score, helping the Heat gain a decisive lead.

In addition to scoring, rebounds and assists, Butler also contributed two steals and two blocks, and shot up to 70% from the field (14 of 20 shots). In the fourth quarter, he helped the team complete 8 of 11 goals through scoring or assisting, thus securing the victory of the game.

Although the Heat did not win the series, the G3 victory gave the Heat hope to eventually be able to reverse. It takes an incredible performance from Butler (Ticketed to be the second highest Game Score in the last 10 years), but as mentioned, he still has more energy to devote before the series is over.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: G6

against the Suns in 2021: 50 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists

Giannis Antetokounmpo is unstoppable. Especially when he had the chance to lock in his first championship and the Bucks' first championship in 50 years.

With a 3-2 series lead, Antetokounmpo performed a performance that will be recorded in history in front of the noisy crowd in the Fezer Forum Arena, tied Bob Pettit's final score record in 1958 with 50 points.

Most of the score came from the third quarter, and the Bucks were once behind by as many as 7 points in the opening minute. But then Antetokounmpo took over the game, he dominated the inside, and also hit a three-pointer, and the free throw was steady, scoring 20 points in this quarter alone. Throughout the game, he shot as high as 64% from the field (16 of 25 shots). Antetokounmpo, who is often ridiculed by opponent fans for his struggle performance at the free throw line, made 17 of 19 free throws in G6, including a free throw with 9 seconds left, which brought his score to the 50-point mark.

"People told me I didn't score a penalty, but I did it tonight. And I'm a champion," Antetokounmpo said after the game.

Apart from scoring, Antetokounmpo is also everywhere in rebounding and is a huge threat on the defensive end, and he contributed five blocks in that victory.

Arguably this performance—with Butler tied for second in Game Score—is the best of the past 10 years as it directly brought a championship trophy. But there was a performance that surpassed Antetokounmpo's 50-minute night.

1. LeBron James: G6

statistics against the Warriors in 2016: 41 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks

It is hard to imagine who is more difficult and more risky than LeBron and the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals G6.

At that time, they were behind 2-3 in the series, and after missing G5 due to All-Star forward Draymond Green's suspension, the 73-win Warriors were all in a stake, aiming to end the best season in NBA history. The game was played in northeast Ohio, where James was born, raised and regarded as a hero, and he will one day lead the Cavaliers to the Promised Land.

He failed to achieve that goal in his first period with the Cavaliers, and he and the Cavaliers failed to face the same opponent, the Warriors in 2015. Now, if they want to win in 2016, they are facing an unprecedented reversal.

Against all this background, LeBron played arguably the greatest performance in the NBA Finals. According to Basketball Reference's Game Score (which dates back to 1978), no one has ever played a better Finals performance.

In addition to 41 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds, James also contributed 4 steals and 3 blocks, and although his usage rate exceeded 35%, he only had one turnover. He made 16 of 27 shots (59.3% from the field), including 6 three-point shots and half of them. The Cavaliers started 8-0 with James scored 5 of them - and led 31-11 after the first quarter. They never fell behind the game, and as the game progressed, James would only continue to increase his intensity. In a game that declared a 115-101 victory, he scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone.

This victory paved the way for one of the greatest tiebreak battles in NBA history. While that game might be even more memorable, that game would never have happened without LeBron’s extraordinary performance in Game 6.

Author: Matt Velazquez

Translator: GWayNe