Preamble:
For the eight teams that need to play the play-offs, each game is a do-or-die match. After the play-offs, the eight teams in the East and West will officially play each other, and each team will also enter playoff mode, which will be completely different from the regular season in terms of defensive intensity and penalty scale. Therefore, in the face of a more brutal playoffs, it will be very difficult for players to come up with better performances and statistics.
But for those supergiants, none of this seems to be a problem. Even if they are targeted, these people can still put up enough terrifying statistics. Let's take a look back at the god-level statistical performances in a single game of the NBA playoffs, and discuss which ones may be broken in the future!
Highest score in a single game: 63 points
Founder: Jordan (1985-86)
In 1984, the Bulls acquired Jordan in the draft. In his rookie season, Jordan played a star-level performance, and the Bulls successfully got out of the quagmire of a bad team. Just when everyone was looking forward to Jordan's second season of career, he suffered the most serious injury of his career at the beginning of the season, and this serious injury almost made Jordan say goodbye to basketball completely. When Jordan was unavailable, the Bulls' record was naturally beaten back to its original shape, and the team seemed to be returning to the familiar bottom position in the East.
Fortunately, in the second half of the season, Jordan successfully completed his comeback. Under his leadership, the Bulls began to slowly climb their record, and finally advanced to the playoffs with a 30-52 record. Jordan averaged 22.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in 18 games.
It is certainly a joy to be able to make the playoffs, but the Bulls, who advanced eighth, met the Celtics with the best record in the league in the first round. That season, the Green Army, led by players such as Bird and McHale, had a proud 67-15 record. When the Bulls encountered the Green Army, they naturally had no chance of winning.
In the end, the Bulls failed to create a miracle and were swept by the Celtics 0-3. However, Jordan's performance was good enough, and he scored a game-high 49 points in the first game. In the second game, he ushered in a full-scale outburst, relying on his own strength, the Bulls lost 131-135 after a fierce double overtime. Jordan played 53 minutes, shooting 22-of-41 from the field and scoring 63 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, creating a new history in the NBA.
If there is anyone who has the best chance of breaking Jordan's 38-year-old record, then I believe Doncic will be the best answer. Over the past two seasons, Doncic's scoring performance has been getting better and better. This season, he managed to win the title of scoring champion, and also played an amazing performance of 73 points in a single game.
Entering the playoff competition, the Mavericks will definitely still revolve around his big core, and once Doncic's hand is hot, no one can stop him from scoring points in the matchup. So as long as Doncic is in good enough shape, he's the player most likely to break Jordan's record.
Highest rebounds per game: 41
Founder: Chamberlain (1966-67)
When it comes to the inventory of interior players, it is naturally impossible to bypass the ancient monster Chamberlain. His dominance in the restricted area is unique in NBA history. Getting 20+ rebounds per game couldn't be easier for him. In the 1966-67 season, when Chamberlain set a single-game rebounding record, the 76ers also played the brightest performance in team history.
During the regular season, Chamberlain averaged 24.1 points (third in the league) and 24.6 rebounds (first in the league) per game, and with his help, the 76ers had an all-time best record of 68-13, a team record that has not been broken to this day.
Heading into the playoffs, the 76ers met the Celtics in the semifinals. Chamberlain and Russell, two legendary insiders, met again in the game. In this series, it was clearly Chamberlain's performance that prevailed. Especially in the G3 competition, Chamberlain directly grabbed 41 rebounds, more than the Celtics' eight combined.
In the past decade, as the tactical status of the center in the team has become lower and lower, it has been very difficult for interior players to get more rebounds. Biyombo's 26 rebounds in a single game is already a very extreme statistic. Therefore, if the league's small-ball trend does not end and there is no way to return to the most exciting version of the center, Chamberlain's record may not be able to be attacked in a few decades.
Highest assists per game: 24
Founders: Stockton (1987-88), Johnson (1983-84)
As the NBA's all-time assist leader, Stockton's career, although he did not have a championship ring, did not affect his status and great achievements at all. His style of play is unpretentious, and he always has the ability to pass the ball that makes the opponent feel comfortable scoring in the game. And his single-game assist record was set when facing the senior Magic Johnson.
The time happened in the 1988 playoffs, when the Jazz and Lakers met in the Western Conference semifinals. The two teams had the most exciting round of the series, and in the end, the Lakers won 4-3. Stockton was in front of the Magic, contributing 24 assists in a single game, tying the record set by Johnson in previous years.
The Magic's 24 assists in a single game occurred in the 1983-84 season. In the playoffs, the team was blocked by the Suns. The Suns also did their homework before the game and focused all their defensive attention on Johnson. But what they didn't know was that even if Johnson didn't score a point in the whole game, he could still help the Lakers win the game.
So in that matchup, Johnson put all his energy into the tandem attack, and he only took five shots in the whole game. In the end, the data of 24 assists was handed over, and the Lakers also managed to win the game.
Highest steals per game: 10
Founder: Iverson (1998-99)
Iverson's most impressive playoff performance was definitely the one-on-one heads-up "OK combination" in the finals, although he missed the championship 1-4 in the end, but he has proven his outstanding offensive performance. In the previous 1998-99 season, Iverson had already shown his ability on the defensive end.
In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the 76ers met the Magic in the game. At that time, the star of the Magic was Hardaway, who was known as Jordan's successor. The two teams were tied 1-1 in the first two games, and in that best-of-five format, the importance of the third game for the series was self-evident, so Iverson opted for direct ace vs. ace.
He began to play close defense against Hardaway. Under Iverson's pressure, Hardaway made five turnovers. Iverson contributed 33 points and 10 steals to lead the 76ers to the Eastern Conference semifinals 3-1.
Highest blocks in a single game: 10
Founders: Eaton, Olajuwon, Bynum
With a height of 2.21 meters, even if Eaton doesn't jump, it's a completely unavoidable wall on the inside. He is a typical late bloomer, becoming a member of the NBA at the age of 25. However, he soon used his solid defensive fundamentals to make fans remember this player who looked bulky but had excellent defensive area.
One of Eaton's biggest characteristics is that he has a very good grasp of the timing of his shots, and often his block is successfully presented the moment the opponent chooses to shoot. What's even more frightening is that in the 1984-85 season, he averaged a very exaggerated 5.56 blocks per game, a stat that Abdul-Jabbar didn't reach at his peak.
And his 10 blocks in a single game made Olajuwon suffer. In the playoffs against the Rockets, facing Olajuwon, who is still a rookie, Eaton can be said to be completely faceless. In the end, his hot pot feast made his big dream full of meat and vegetables. And the Jazz also beat the Rockets 4-1 to complete the promotion.
And with the continuous improvement of personal strength and experience, Olajuwon has gradually become a defensive warrior on the inside. So in the playoffs against the Lakers, Da Meng also invited the Lakers to eat his signature hot pot dish. He had a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks.
After entering the 21st century, the only player who can complete the feat of 10 blocks is Bynum during the Lakers. The Shark Jr. used to be a player that the Lakers were fully developing. And by Kobe Bryant's side and Gasol's side, he did play well in a couple of seasons. In the 2012 playoffs, facing the Nuggets' half-orc Faried, Bynum directly beat the opponent into a kitten. He dominated the defensive penalty area and handed in 10 blocks, which successfully equaled the record of two legendary predecessors.
Through these data, it is not difficult to find that in addition to Jordan's 63 points in a single game, which may be broken in today's small-ball era, 41 rebounds, 24 assists, 10 steals, and 10 blocks may continue to be dusty for many years.