For some people, rings are everything when it comes to ranking players.
But when you look at the number of NBA stars they’ve defeated in the Finals, you can see how flawed that logic is. Sometimes, despite your heroic play, your opponent may be too tough to overcome.
Jerry West, lebron james and kevin durantFor example, there are all the published stat lines for a loss that would have undoubtedly earned Finals MVP had the series been won. West actually won Finals MVP in 1969 despite the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Boston Celtics in Game 7, becoming the only player in league history to win Finals MVP despite losing in the championship series.
And looking at some of the numbers below, it seems like this probably needs to happen more often.
Besides West, James, and Durant, there are several other players who actually have a lot of losses but have a reputation for struggling to beat the big guys below them.
Take a look at the gallery below to learn more about how NBA legends lost in the Finals.
Jerry West: 9 finals appearances, 8 losses.
Finals loss stats: 31.6 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.1 rpg, 47.2 FG%.
Elgin Baylor: 7 finals, 7 losses.
Finals loss stats: 26.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 43.2 FG%.
LeBron James: 10 finals games, 6 losses
Finals loss stats: 28.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 7.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 47.3 FG%, 34.9 3P%.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 10 finals games, 4 losses
Finals loss stats: 25.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.9 bpg, 50.4 FG%.
Wilt Chamberlain: 6 finals, 4 losses
Finals loss stats: 18.7 ppg, 24.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 55.1 FG%.
Magic Johnson: 9 finals appearances, 4 losses
Finals loss stats: 17.4 ppg, 12.2 apg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 spg, 47.4 FG%, 21.7 3P%.
Bob Pettit: 4 finals games, 3 losses
Finals loss stats: 28.1 ppg, 16.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 41.7 FG%.
Julius Erving: 4 finals games, 3 losses
Finals loss stats: 26.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.5 bpg, 53.6 FG%.
James Worthy: 6 finals, 3 losses
Finals loss stats: 22.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 54.4 FG%.
Karl Malone: 3 finals, 3 losses
Finals loss stats: 19.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 46.0 FG%.
Wes Unseld: 4 finals games, 3 losses.
Finals loss stats: 12.6 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 45.6 FG%.
Kevin Durant: 4 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 27.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 55.0 FG%.
Shaquille O’Neal: 6 Finals, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 27.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 61.4 FG%.
Stephen Curry: 6 Finals, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 26.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 40.9 FG%, 37.4 3P%.
Clyde Drexler: 3 finals, loss 2
Finals loss stats: 25.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 46.7 FG%, 15.6 3P%.
Larry Bird: 5 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 25.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.6 rpg, 46.0 FG%, 47.8 3P%.
Kobe Bryant: 7 Finals, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 24.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 spg, 39.3 FG%, 25.5 3P%.
Kevin McHale: 5 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 23.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 59.2 FG%.
Dwyane Wade: 5 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 21.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 50.6 FG%, 31.0 3P%.
Elvin Hayes: 3 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 20.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 40.5 FG%.
Jason Kidd: 3 finals matches, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 20.1 ppg, 8.6 apg, 6.6 rpg, 39.3 FG%, 28.1 3P%.
Ray Allen: 4 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 12.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 38.2 FG%, 33.3 3P%.
John Stockton: Twice in finals, lost twice.
Finals loss stats: 12.3 ppg, 8.8 apg, 3.3 rpg, 49.5 FG%, 33.3 3P%.
Bob McAdoo: 4 finals games, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 44.6 FG%.
Gary Payton: 3 finals, 2 losses
Finals loss stats: 11.7 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.8 rpg, 41.5 FG%, 29.7 3P%.
