The NBA Finals are one of the most exciting series in the world of sports, and fans love it because it's usually extremely even and dramatic. But for the players on the court, it's not easy, and that's why we don't often see the legendary performances in the Finals that we see more often in the regular season.

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To put it in perspective, in the regular season there have been individual performances of 70 points in a single game 12 times, and 60 points 79 times. On the other hand, in the Finals only one player was able to score 60 points. The NBA Finals are simply another level of competition, but even so there have been players who have had formidable performances. Without further ado, here are the 10 players with the most points in a single NBA Finals game.

UPDATE: 2023/01/16 23:30 EST BY JOEY HAVERFORD

Time will see the greatest NBA Finals performances being remembered more fondly as the years go by. There is no NBA stage greater than reaching the finals since the entire world is watching to see who wins the title. Regular season games, All-Star games and even other postseason games pale in comparison.

The greatest scoring performances deserve to all be delved deeper to see just how their historic nights impacted the respective games. No name on this list should be overlooked given the difficulty involved. Many all-time greats are nowhere near this elusive class. Only a select few can say they had an all-time great NBA Finals scoring performance.

14 Jerry West (45)

Jerry West had a unique track record of being a tremendous performer in the NBA Finals but often losing his series. The total of eight NBA Finals defeats saw West only winning one in comparison during his time as a Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

Game 2 of the 1965 NBA Finals featured West putting up an astonishing 45 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics. West added 5 rebounds and 5 assists to contribute all around, despite the ultimate losing effort to a better team.

13 Michael Jordan (45)

It is only fitting that Michael Jordan was still an icon at the end of a special run. The Chicago Bulls dynasty ended in 1998 when Jordan planned to retire at the end of the season. Injury issues to Scottie Pippen saw Jordan having to carry the workload against the Utah Jazz at an older age.

The infamous Game 6 featured Jordan hitting his classic game winner to clinch his sixth title. However, it gets overlooked that Jordan delivered an incredible 45 points in that game to carry them into even having a chance. Fans remember the final two points since it felt more important than any basket in league history up to that point.

12 Wilt Chamberlain (45)

Few NBA players dominated at the level of Wilt Chamberlain with his video game statistics. Even though the league competition wasn’t as strong as future eras, Chamberlain showed his greatness in tremendous fashion.

Game 6 of the 1970 NBA Finals saw Chamberlain putting up 45 points on a remarkable 20 of 27 shooting from the field. Chamberlain also added 27 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers in their victory over the New York Knicks. Unfortunately for Wilt, the Knicks won Game 7 to take that title ring from him.

11 Jerry West (45)

Another incredible Jerry West NBA Finals performance to come in a loss featured his Los Angeles Lakers once again falling short to the Boston Celtics. Game 4 of the 1966 NBA Finals featured West having an all-time great performance with 45 points and 10 assists.

West shot effectively from the field with 19 makes on 31 attempts. Unfortunately, Boston once again took control for a victory led by Bill Russell and John Havlicek. The HBO series Winning Time portrayed West as being bitter over having that many high-profile losses after giving his all, but he has denied this portrayal vehemently.

10 Michael Jordan (46)

You probably knew that Michael Jordan was going to be mentioned in this list, and he will be mentioned a couple more times, by the way. In Game 5 of the 1992 NBA Finals, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 119-106 thanks to a tremendous performance by His Airness.

Jordan scored 46 points, making 14 of 23 shots from the field, with two three-pointers, and converting 16 of 19 free throws. In addition, Mike grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, and had one block. It was another day at the office for Michael Jordan making life miserable for his opponents.

9 Stephen Curry (47)

In the third game of the 2019 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry shined with 47 points, making six three-point shots, hitting 14-of-31 shots from the field and making 13-of-14 free throws. The Chef Curry also had eight rebounds, seven dimes, two steals and an impressive 17.2 box plus/minus.

Despite this stellar performance, the Golden State Warriors lost the game to the Toronto Raptors, 123-109. The key was teamwork, as five of the Raptors' players scored more than 17 points. Kevin Durant missing the game due to an injury certainly made it a tougher task for Curry with the opposing defense all over him.

8 Allen Iverson (48)

Allen Iverson proved he was cold-blooded when he stole the show in his first NBA Finals game appearance, as he scored 48 points in Game 1 of the 2001 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson managed to score that many points despite having a 43.9% field goal percentage, although he did not miss from the free throw line (nine shots). Iverson also had six assists, five rebounds and five steals.

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The Philadelphia 76ers ended up winning the game in overtime by a score of 107-101. However, the Lakers would go on to win the next four games to win the championship in dominant fashion. This was the only game lost by Los Angeles during that entire playoff run. Many fans remember this game for the wild visual of Iverson stepping over Ty Lue.

7 Bob Pettit (50)

NBA Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, arguably the best second overall pick in NBA Draft history, had a game for the ages on April 12, 1958, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The underrated legend proved why he was among the best players of his generation in the decades before the league truly expanded.

Pettit scored 50 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead the St. Louis Hawks to a 110-109 victory over the Boston Celtics to win the NBA Championship. The epic performance being capped off by a title made it quite special.

6 Giannis Antetokounmpo (50)

The most recent 50-point performance in an NBA Finals game came courtesy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6 of the 2021 Finals. The Greek Freak put on an insane performance to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the championship victory, 105-98 over the Phoenix Suns.

Giannis scored 50 points, with 14 rebounds and five blocks, becoming the first player in history with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in an NBA Finals game. Milwaukee fans will love Antetokounmpo forever due to leading them to the promise land in iconic fashion.

5 LeBron James (51)

LeBron James is a phenomenal player, so it's no wonder he's on pretty much every record list. In Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, King James erupted for 51 points, with a 59.4 field goal percentage and 10-of-11 free throws made.

In addition, James had eight rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block. Despite LeBron's barbaric effort, the Cavs were defeated, 124-114. The infamous of JR Smith forgetting the score and failing to get a shot before regulation ended is how many remember this game.

4 Jerry West (53)

Jerry West was nicknamed Mr. Clutch for a reason, he responded in the big moments, averaging 29.1 points per game in the playoffs and 30.5 points per game in the Finals. Few players made their opponents fear as much as West in a close playoff game.

With that said, it's not surprising that West scored 53 points in an NBA Finals game, specifically in the first game of the 1969 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. But West's contribution was not enough for the Lakers to take the win.

3 Rick Barry (55)

In Game 3 of the 1967 NBA Finals, Rick Barry scored 55 points to lead the San Francisco Warriors 130-124 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The dazzling performance helped define his legacy as an all-time great Warrior.

It is worth mentioning that Barry also had 12 rebounds and five assists. This was the Warriors' first win after losing the first two games. It was undoubtedly one of the best games of Rick Barry's illustrious career.

2 Michael Jordan (55)

Once again Michael Jordan is present, as in Game 4 of the 1993 NBA Finals, he led the Chicago Bulls to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 111-105. Mike scored 55 points (almost 50% of his team's points), grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists.

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It was a spectacular performance by Michael Jordan in front of 18,676 fans at Chicago Stadium. The Bulls would go on to win the championship, and Jordan would be named the Finals MVP as part of his storied legacy.

1 Elgin Baylor (61)

The player with the most points in a single NBA Finals game is Elgin Baylor, who scored 61 points on April 14, 1962, in the Game 5 of the finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Lakers history is so strong that Baylor often doesn't get the love he deserves.

As if that wasn’t enough, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds during that game. The Lakers won the game, 126-121, to take a 3-2 lead, but the Celtics ended up winning the title after seven games.