Preface
Often, in the regular season, we see people who make one or twenty free throws in a single game, but in the playoffs it's rare, because the referees in the playoffs allow for more intense confrontation than in the regular season. So even like Harden in his prime, and Embiid now, they can be said to be the players who can make the most fouls, but they have never made 20+ free throws in a single game in the playoffs.
Therefore, it is difficult to make at least 3 free throws of 20+ in a single game in the playoffs, even from ancient times to the present, only 5 people have ever done it, among which only James is on the list, and he can only be ranked last.
5. James (3 free throws of 20+ in a single game, maximum free throws in a single game of 24)
In the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals G3, James scored 41 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals on 18-of-24 free throws
In the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals G2, James scored 34 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists on 18-of-24 free throws
James is a very impactful player, he was fast and strong when he was young, and when he accelerated with all his might, few people could stop him, so he has always made a lot of free throws. Even in the playoffs, James is still very prone to fouls, and he has averaged more than double digits in four free throws per game in his playoff career, including 14.2 free throws per game in the 2009 playoffs.
In the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals G3 game, James scored 24 free throws in a single game through non-stop impact, and finally cut 41+7+9 in the whole game, but unfortunately they still lost to the Magic in the end, and James also tried his best in that series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8 assists and 15.7 free throws per game, but unfortunately the team was still eliminated 2-4.
In the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals G2, facing the strong rival Celtics, James felt only 7 of 20 shots in the whole game, but through continuous killing, he still got 24 free throws and hit 18 times, and with his help, the Heat also successfully rewrote the series score to 2-0. However, the Celtics chased three games in a row, and the Heat almost overturned, but in the end, it was James who stepped up to help the team reach the Finals.
4. Chamberlain (4 20+ free throws per game, maximum 25 free throws per game)
In the 1966 Eastern Conference Finals G5, Chamberlain scored 46 points, 34 rebounds and 1 assist on 8-of-25 free throws
As a major hegemon in the NBA in ancient times, Chamberlain's talent was completely unique in the league of that era, so opponents may not be able to avoid foul trouble if they want to defend him with all their might. Chamberlain in the playoffs, he shot 20+ free throws in a total of 4 games, including in the 1966 G5 game, Chamberlain caused the Bucks to defend fouls many times, and finally he made 25 free throws in one game, but unfortunately everyone's overall shooting level was average at that time, so he only made 8 shots, but he still hit 40+30 in the whole game, which shows how strong his dominance was at that time.
3. Malone (5 free throws of 20+ in a single game, maximum free throws in a single game of 24)
In the first round of G4 in 1992, Malone scored 44 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists on 22-of-24 free throws
Malone is also a very explosive star with physical fitness, he is also very good at using his body to cause opponents to foul on the court, and with the help of Stockton, he can get more opportunities to attack the frame and score, so it is not surprising that he has stood on the free throw line many times in a game. In Malone's playoff career, he averaged more than double digits on six free throws per game, including 15.6 free throws per game in the 1995 playoffs, but they lost to the Rockets in that series.
Malone stood on the free throw line for the most times in the playoffs in 1992 in the first round of G4, when their opponent was the Clippers, in the case of having already got the match point, this Malone still did not relax, he slashed 44 points and 11 rebounds in 22 of 24 free throws in a single game, but the overall offensive state of the opposite Clippers is obviously better, a total of 5 people scored double-doubles, Manning and Harper scored 59 points together, and the final series was also dragged into a life-and-death battle on both sides, but fortunately, in the last game, the Jazz everyone still withstood the pressure and did not let the victory slip away in vain.
2. Jordan (5 free throws of 20+ per game, maximum free throws per game of 28)
In the 1989 Eastern Conference semifinals G4, Jordan scored 47 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks on 23-of-28 free throws
Jordan is one of the greatest scorers in history, his skills on the offensive end are quite comprehensive, and making fouls is also one of his important weapons. Jordan averaged double-digit free throws per game in six of his playoff careers, and at least 13 free throws per game in four of those seasons, and he did get a lot of opportunities to get to the free throw line in that era of fierce competition, and he led the team to the playoffs in his rookie season to average 29.3 points per game, and his 14.5 free throws per game that year was also a career-high.
In the 1989 playoffs, Jordan led the Bulls to the semifinals, and in order to defend Jordan, the opposite Knicks played him up every game, so the latter was fouled in this series. In the fourth game of the series, Jordan also did his best to help the team get the match point, he shot 12 of 18 from the field, 23 of 28 free throws and slashed 47+11+6+2, and his score alone was higher than the three people with the most points on the Knicks side combined, so the Bulls also successfully got the match point and also advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
1. O'Neal (7 free throws of 20+ per game, maximum free throws per game of 39)
In the 2000 Finals G2, O'Neal scored 40 points, 24 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks on 18-of-39 free throws
O'Neal's destructive power on the court at his peak was unique in history, as long as he received the ball inside, he could either score or stand at the free throw line in this round. However, O'Neal's biggest shortcoming is that his projection is all-round stretching, three-point, mid-range, and free throws, so in order to target his impact on the court, many teams will deliberately foul him, and this situation is also very common in 2 free throws and 0.
In his playoff career, O'Neal averaged at least 10+ free throws per game for 12 seasons, and in the 2000 playoffs he averaged 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game, while averaging 12.9 free throws per game. This year, in the finals, O'Neal also continued his dominance, G2 sent 38 fouls to the Pacers team in order to limit him, and in the end, two players left the court with 6 fouls, but even so, O'Neal still hit 40+20, but the Pacers' strategy cannot be said to be unsuccessful, after all, O'Neal's free throw shooting rate is not even 50%.