For some, it’s all about the rings when ranking players.
But if you look at the numbers of NBA stars in Finals they lost, it shows how flawed that logic can be. Sometimes, opponents are just too tough to overcome despite heroic performances.
Jerry West, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, for example, all posted stat lines in defeats that would have gotten them Finals MVP without a doubt had they won their series. West actually did win Finals MVP in 1969 despite his Los Angeles Lakers falling to the Boston Celtics in Game 7, making him the only player in league history to earn Finals MVP despite losing in the championship series.
And looking at some of the numbers below, maybe that’s something that should happen more often.
Besides West, James and Durant, there are a few other players who have a reputation for struggling to win the big one below who actually posted great numbers in defeat.
For more on how NBA legends fared in Finals losses, just peruse the gallery we put together below.
Jerry West: Nine Finals played, eight lost
Stats in lost Finals: 31.6 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.1 rpg, 47.2 FG%
Elgin Baylor: Seven Finals played, seven lost
Stats in lost Finals: 26.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 43.2 FG%
LeBron James: Nine Finals played, six lost
Stats in lost Finals: 28.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 7.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 47.3 FG%, 34.9 3P%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Ten Finals played, four lost
Stats in lost Finals: 25.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.9 bpg, 50.4 FG%
Wilt Chamberlain: Six Finals played, four lost
Stats in lost Finals: 18.7 ppg, 24.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 55.1 FG%
Magic Johnson: Nine Finals played, four lost
Stats in lost Finals: 17.4 ppg, 12.2 apg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 spg, 47.4 FG%, 21.7 3P%
Bob Pettit: Four Finals played, three lost
Stats in lost Finals: 28.1 ppg, 16.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 41.7 FG%
Julius Erving: Four Finals played, three lost
Stats in lost Finals: 26.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.5 bpg, 53.6 FG%
James Worthy: Six Finals played, three lost
Stats in lost Finals: 22.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 54.4 FG%
Karl Malone: Three Finals played, three lost
Stats in lost Finals: 19.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 46.0 FG%
Wes Unseld: Four Finals played, three lost
Stats in lost Finals: 12.6 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 45.6 FG%
Kevin Durant: Four Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 27.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 55.0 FG%
Shaquille O'Neal: Six Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 27.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 61.4 FG%
Stephen Curry: Five Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 26.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 40.9 FG%, 37.4 3P%
Clyde Drexler: Three Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 25.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 46.7 FG%, 15.6 3P%
Larry Bird: Five Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 25.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.6 rpg, 46.0 FG%, 47.8 3P%
Kobe Bryant: Seven Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 24.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 spg, 39.3 FG%, 25.5 3P%
Kevin McHale: Five Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 23.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 59.2 FG%
Dwyane Wade: Five Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 21.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 50.6 FG%, 31.0 3P%
Elvin Hayes: Three Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 20.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 40.5 FG%
Jason Kidd: Three Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 20.1 ppg, 8.6 apg, 6.6 rpg, 39.3 FG%, 28.1 3P%
Ray Allen: Four Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 12.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 38.2 FG%, 33.3 3P%
John Stockton: Two Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 12.3 ppg, 8.8 apg, 3.3 rpg, 49.5 FG%, 33.3 3P%
Bob McAdoo: Four Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 44.6 FG%
Gary Payton: Three Finals played, two lost
Stats in lost Finals: 11.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.8 rpg, 41.5 FG%, 29.7 3P%
