When we think of all-time greats or Legends, a common factor the common fan associates with them is often team accomplishments such as championships or at a more basic level: Wins or Series Wins. However, no all-time great has a perfect record in playoff series and a lot of that has to do with their team losing DESPITE their best efforts.
Here, I look at the best series in losses from 3 all-time greats: Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Jordan’s best series in a loss- 1986 first round vs the Celtics (0-3)
In an injury-riddled season for Jordan, the Bulls scraped to the playoffs with a 30-52 record (and the 8th seed) and faced the previous year’s finalists, the 1 seeded Boston Celtics with league MVP Larry Bird and a great supporting cast around him. The Bulls were given no chance and the result of the series went as expected with the Celtics sweeping the Bulls. But there was an unexpected side to the series… The Emergence and Insane Performance by Michael Jordan. In his second season and first postseason, Jordan dropped a combined 112 points in the first 2 games of the series! This included an NBA playoff record 63 points in Game 2 (a record that still stands). The bulls did get swept in the first round but it was despite MJ’s best efforts who averaged 43.7 points a game, 6.3 Rebounds Per Game, 5.7 Assists Per Game, 2.3 Steals Per Game, 1.3 Blocks Per Game while scoring at an impressive 58.4% True Shooting with 51/100/83 splits.
LeBron’s best series in a loss- 2009 Eastern Conference Final vs the Magic (2-4)
In 2009, LeBron James arguably had his best playoff run from a production standpoint however his supporting cast wasn’t good enough to win a title whatsoever. Never was this more evident than in the eastern conference finals of that year. At one point in the series (after game 4), LeBron was averaging a 42/7/7 statline and his cavs were down 3-1. And LeBron was pretty clutch in these games too, hitting the game winner in game 2 to give the Cavs the only win in the series thus far and averaged more than 10 points a 4th quarter. LeBron proceeded to have an insane game 5 after this insane stretch. As he did in the previous 4 games, he led both teams in points with 37 points (on solid efficiency) but this time, he also led both teams in rebounds and assists grabbing 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Going into the 4th quarter of the game, the Cavs were down by 1 before LeBron put up 17 points in the 4th to lead the Cavs to a 10 point win. LeBron cooled down a bit in Game 6 as the Cavs lost the series in 6 games but his averages from the series were insane: 39 points per game, 8 rebounds and 8 assists a game on 59% True Shooting.
For LeBron’s best playoff series in a loss, I also considered the 2017 NBA finals where he averaged a triple double for the whole finals and was insanely efficient but due to his better defense and insane clutch moments in 2009, I ended up going with this instead.
Kobe’s best playoff series in a loss- 2006 First Round vs the Suns (3-4)
This was one of Kobe’s most efficient playoff series with many iconic clutch moments despite the series coming in a loss. For the series, Kobe averaged 28 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds a game on splits of 50/41/77 and a good true shooting of 59 percent. Game 4 of that series remains one of the most memorable and iconic games as Kobe hit a layup/floater which tied the game and sent it to overtime. And then in overtime, off a jump ball with 5 seconds left in the game, no timeouts and Lakers down 1, Kobe hit a shot over two defenders to give the Lakers the win at the buzzer and give them a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers would blow this lead however it was despite Kobe’s best efforts. In Game 6, Kobe Bryant dropped a 50 point game on elite efficiency of 66.4% true shooting but would still lose the game in heartbreaking fashion as the Lakers couldn’t box-out which led to an offensive rebound and 3 from the suns to tie the game and send it over-time. In Overtime despite Kobe’s 12 points, the Suns would get the Win. Game 7 would be a blowout win for the 2nd seeded Suns as after a great first half individually, Kobe would only score 1 point and take 3 shots in the 2nd half. Overall, despite Kobe’s valiant efforts, his team would lose the series in 7.
An important conclusion that can be taken from these various series is that when assessing individual players, considering the context of the situation is important. When some of the greatest players of all-time performing at elite levels couldn’t lead their team to victories, then perhaps sometimes a situation can outweigh individual production and play as it is a team game at the end of the day and therefore such context needs to be considered.
The Hoops Enthusiast 