The history of the NBA Playoffs have seen some historic performances. Some good. Some bad. This list will cover the worst of the worst. Buckle up.
10. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (1997)
As a rookie in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star shooting guard Kobe Bryant took the basketball world by storm. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year and along with newly acquired big man Shaquille O’Neal, LA formed a dynamic duo that would become legendary. But before winning five total championships in his Hall of Fame career, Bryant had to go through the learning curve of the NBA Playoffs.
In a must win Game 5 in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz, Bryant struggled mightily all night long — only scoring 11 points on 4-of-14 from the field. It was unfortunately the last two minutes of overtime that everyone remembers of that performance. He air balled three consecutive three-point attempts and the Lakers ended up being eliminated by Utah 98-93. Safe to say, he never looked back after that and worked his way into being one of the all-time greats.
Related: 20 worst NBA players of all-time
9. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (2016)
The Warriors’ collapse against the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers was one for the record books. Golden State became the first and only team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 Finals lead. Cleveland dominated games five and six to force a Game 7 back in Oakland. Curry’s performance in that one was subpar and disappointing.
Curry could not get anything going the entire night as he only scored 14 points and was 9-of-23 from the field. That included 4-of-14 from three-point range. We have never seen Curry so uptight and flustered but the Cavs made him work for points. He only averaged 22 points the entire series. Needless to say, this was the one NBAFinals loss that might put a damper on Curry being a top-10 player all time in some fans eyes.
8. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (2024)
Like his fellow teammate Steph Curry, Klay Thompson has had the occasional struggle in the NBA Playoffs. However, nothing tops a recent no show performance in a win or go home single elimination game in the Play-In tournament just a few weeks back.
For one of the all time greatest shooters, it’s rare to see a zero in the points column. But against the Sacramento Kings, Thompson did just that. He went 0-of-10 from the field overall, including 0-of-7 from three-point range. It was perhaps the last game for Klay in a Golden State uniform as he is due to hit free agency this summer. The Warriors entire team couldn’t get their mojo going and lost to the Kings in a blowout, 122-101.
7. Houston Rockets team (2018)
This list of the worst performances in the history of the NBA Playoffs is mostly covering individual players. But we have one exception. In Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Houston Rockets three-point shooting was atrocious against the Golden State Warriors. They couldn’t hit a parked car, let alone a perimeter shot.
The Rockets set an NBA record for most consecutive missed three pointers in a game with 27. Yes, that is correct: 27 missed three-point attempts in a row. That record will never be broken and we just had to put it on the list for that reason.
6. Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks (1991)
To put it simply, Ewing’s performance in Game 1 of the 1991 first-round series against the Chicago Bulls was unacceptable. This is short, sweet and to the point. The Knicks got destroyed in the opener, 126-85. Ewing had absolutely no positive impact on this game whatsoever. He scored only six points with six rebounds and five turnovers. The Knicks would lose the series in five games. It was not Ewing’s finest moment.
5. LeBron James, Miami Heat (2011)
he 2011 NBA Finals for LeBron James is one of the few things basketball greats and media members hold against him. The expectation when he joined the Miami Heat before the 2010-11 season was championship or bust. Miami did get to the Finals (the first of four consecutive appearances) but it was one game in particular that doesn’t sit well with fans. Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Miami had taken a 2-1 series lead and had a chance to really take things into its own hands had the team won Game 4. Unfortunately, the series turned for the worst. James went 3-of-11 from the field and only scored eight points. He also turned the ball over four times total with no points in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks would end up winning games four, five and six to win the Finals. Had the Heat won game four, they more than likely win the title in six games.
4. Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers (2024)
This past season was a championship or bust for the Los Angeles Clippers, especially with four future Hall of Famers in Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. In their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Clips were thoroughly outplayed and lost in six games. Kawhi was out with a knee injury during the series which played a role. More pressure on Russ.
In Game 3 of the series, it was a disaster. Westbrook had come off the bench and was basically doing cardio instead of actually playing basketball. In 19 minutes of play, he had one point, three rebounds and one assist. He was also ejected from the game after committing two flagrant fouls. It was a performance that he and Clipper fans would like to forget.
Related: 10 greatest players in the history of the NBA Playoffs
3. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers (2018)
Truth be told, we did not want to put this on the list because Ben Simmons has had so much backlash for this game specifically and he was not himself. However, the stakes were just so important this particular game.
In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics, Simmons was nowhere to be found. In 30 minutes of play, he had more turnovers than points. Five turnovers, one point. He only attempted four shots and only had two free-throw attempts. Simmons looked completely checked out and disinterested. It was a small glimpse of what the future was in Philadelphia: consistently inconsistent.
2. Dennis Johnson, Seattle Sonics (1978)
It’s not too often that a player goes 0-of-14 from the field in a close out Game 7. In the 1978 NBA Finals, Seattle SuperSonics star Dennis Johnson found himself in that exact situation. The Sonics had lost Game 6 on the road to the Washington Bullets 117-82 when they had a chance to close out the series but it didn’t happen.
In Game 7, Johnson had one of the worst elimination games in the history of the NBA Playoffs, only scoring four points and not making a single field goal attempt. The Sonics lost the game by the score of 105-99. That summer, Johnson made a promise to himself that he was not going to have that type of performance again. The very next year, the Sonics would win the championship over Washington in five games and he was named NBA Finals MVP.
Related: 10 highest-scoring performances in the history of the NBA Playoffs
1. John Starks, New York Knicks (1994)
This was nothing short of a NIGHTMARE performance from one of the New York Knicks best players: John Starks. In game seven of the 1994 Finals against the Houston Rockets, this man was nowhere to be found and is without a doubt the worst performance among the top 10.
Starks inexcusably went 2-18 overall on field goals, 0-11 from three point range. He missed what would’ve been the game winning three with 30 seconds left and the Rockets won the game, 90-84. What could’ve been the greatest win in franchise history if they had finished it off.
After that game, change was abrupt for the Knicks organization as head coach Pat Riley was fired and eventually became coach of the Miami Heat. The Knicks would not reach another NBA Finals for another five years. In 1999, they would lose to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Since 2000, the Knicks have not reached the NBA Finals.