We’ve asked our stable of scribes to take one last look back at the 2011 NBA playoffs.
What’s the single most outrageous performance in a game from the 2011 playoffs?
Steve Aschburner: Russell Westbrook‘s 12-of-30 shooting night in Oklahoma City’s Game 4 loss to Denver in the first round was a glimpse into Westbrook’s brash game. It was a sign, too, of how this incredible athlete, more lively than heady at times, still can be a love-him-or-hate-him player who can dominate a game in ways good and bad. Sure, he scored 30 points, but he was 0-of-7 from the arc and had no business jacking up 12 more shots than Kevin Durant. As Denver’s Kenyon Martin said afterward: “We’ll take that. Jeez boy. We’ll take that. If he can get 30 up and miss 18 of them, we’ll take that every day.”
Fran Blinebury: This is an easy one. It’s Dirk Nowitzki scoring 48 points on just 15 field goal attempts — without a single 3-pointer — in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. He was inside, he was outside. He shot over, twisted to go up and under. He set a record with 24-for-24 from the free-throw line. In all, Dirk took 39 shots on the night and he made 36 of them. He made the game look amazingly simple and breathtaking at the same time.
Shaun Powell: Brandon Roy stole a game from Dallas and a night from the playoffs with 18 points in the fourth and hit the game-winner. The Blazers were down by 23, and Roy, a man with no knees, was supposedly down for the count. Not on this night, he wasn’t.
John Schuhmann: LeBron James‘ personal 10-0 run to end the Celtics-Heat series. The Celtics were in control of that game (up six) with 4 1/2 minutes left, ready to take the series back to Boston and likely extend it to seven games. But the Heat tied it up and he then LeBron ended Paul Pierce‘s season with a pair of threes in his grill, like LeBron was Ray Allen or something.
Sekou Smith: LeBron James had a number of outrageously bad performances in The Finals, but top honors here go to Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant. They combined for an outrageous 88 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Nowitzki dropped 48 in a Mavericks’ win over the Thunder while Durant shot back with 40 of his own. Nowitzki was a perfect 24-for-24 from the free-throw line and also shot 12-for-15 from the floor. He aimed the ball at the rim 39 times in 41 minutes of action and found the bottom of the net an amazing 36 times. Durant shot 18-for-19 from the free-throw line and made 10 of his 18 shots from the floor in his 42 minutes. Outrageous!
No question Dirk Nowitzki’s 46 points and a playoffs record of 24-24 perfect FT performance in game 1 vs OKC.
*48points
48 pts with 12/15 shooting and NO 3PT FG’s? Unbelievable!
Nowitzki’s flu game wasnt all that bad either,
*But otherwise, you guys are right on the money
The brandn roy performance was amazing
miami flops on chicago Most outrageous and oscar worthy.
Yeah!
When MAVS was closing out the defending champs – ‘Raining’ 3 pointers from everywhere, topped it off with Bynum ‘s malicious hard foul on JJ Barea.
JET game four against Los Angeles. He was 9-10 for 3!! Nine treys. Jason Terry…
Yeh that was unreal. I hate the prick!
ahahahahaah couldnt agree more ahahaha
If you want to credit a performance in that game, then you should probably bring up both JET, and Peja.
Jason Terrry shot 9-10 from 3-point range, Peja shot 6-6 – they combined to score 45 points hitting 93.75% from the 3-point line !!
From any angle – that’s simply outrageous!
what about zach randolph’s 21 rebound game ?
dirks 40pts performance against okc in a(nother) tremendous comeback win!
I say Lakers going down 4-0 to the Mavs( Now 2011 Champs). For a 2 time champs, it was outrageous to see them struggling, not even wining a game, wow!
My favorite as well!
No question that it was either Dirk’s 48 pts. or Brandon Roy’s straight-out-of-a-sports-movie comeback performance against the Mavs. No other performance can compare with those two.
have to agree. saw both, didnt believe either.
the best performance is when wade drag down rondo on purpose and injured rondo’s arm
how bout dwights 46 and 19 in game 1 vs the hawks?
the lost that game, so…
it was still nice, but if you score 46 points and lose, what is going on with your team.
they lost , end of story
KD’s game 7 peroformance against the memphis grizzlies.. they needed that win and KD show how to get that W .. KD !!!
The most outrageous performance was James just standing around doing nothing in the fourth quarter of all the finals series. Was the fix in?
Lebron’s 8 points in Game 4 of the Finals… Although he had a near triple double, his stat line looked like Jason Kidd’s. The difference is that is Jason Kidd’s role. LeBron was near irrelevant. His presence was not felt defensively throughout the entire game. I am not a LeBron fan and even I was shocked that all he had was 8 points.
Roy was crazy in that game, just give him a top 3pt iso and watch him go.
Dirks 48 point night no doubt. 24-24.
No doub Brandon Roy that a history game 18pts in the 4 with the game winner
And down by 23 man that imposible comeback amazing
How about when Rondo dislocated an arm and then came back to with a game against the Heat? He even used the dislocated arm to steal the ball from Bosh.
Definetely either Terry’s individual performance in Game 4 vs the Lakers (9-10 3 pointers… unbelievable, had to hold my breath at every one of his shots, since I’m a Lakers fan
) or the collective performance from the dallas bench in this game (Stojakovic 6/6 3 pointers…). That was truly amazing, even though I’m a Lakers fan, I just told myself wow, this is an epic performance from a great team
What about when my Mavs went on a 20-2 run to even the series against Miami. That game was a series changer. The mavs were lookin brutal and then they pulled that. PURELY OUTRAGEOUS!
Yeah! And that’s the time I felt the Mavs are gonna win it. AND THEY DID!
What about Carmelo Anthony’s 42 point 18 rebound game?
nah
Brandon Roy’s game was the best.
brandon roys performance was the beast!! he had 18 points in a 4th quarter alone when his team was down 23, cmon if you saw that game you would know!!!
How bout manu’s game 2 comback with a broken arm?… he averaged 20.6 points against the griz in that series… with. a. broken. arm.
Brandoy Roy’s no doubt. Dirks performance was amazing but that outburst from Roy came outta nowhere, everyone thought the game was over. When Roy hit that stepback 3 and the end of the 3rd you kinda had a feelin somethin special was gonna happen….and the rest is history.
try mounting a 10 point comeback and an equalizer point+24 points in the 4th quarter in the playoff’s with no knee’s
brandon roy,simply amazing
John Suckman chose a LeBron performance…no surprise there! lool!
and cosign @ andrew: Manu was absoluely amazing, especially after new of his arm actually being BROKEN.
Spurs would ahad a big change had they been fully healthy
Yup no manu no ring… he truely is more amazing than the nba gives him credit for
ofcourse brandon roy’s 18 pt come back!! no doubt he can still play so why are they forcing him to resign? if blazers dont want him other teams will surely need him..c’mon..
I was not that impressed with dirk’s 24 – 24 free throws, its just a proof for superstar treatment in that game for him.
roy can still play ball
what about 3 point shooting in the Dallas vs. Lakers in game 4???
ofcourse brandon roy’s 18 pt come back!! no doubt he can still play so why are they forcing him to resign? if blazers dont want him other teams will surely need him..c’mon..
notice something… all of a sudden no heat fans. Even with a vid of a really sweet moment when they kicked boston out of the playoffs, no heat fans. I don’t know what is more saddening, the fact that LeBron choked so hard in the finals after finally starting to build a reputation of coming big in the big stage, or the fact that heat fans just prove to be bandwagoners all the way.
BRANDON ROY
Brandon Roy.
obviously brandon roys was the most outrages performance it was the biggest comeback in this years playoffs and something that is not explainable if u were watching it most of u guys are just saying dirk because either u only watch the finals or u guys forgot
BRAND ROY.
enough said. that game almost made me cry.
*brandon
That game 4 of Brandon Roy was great. Though being a Mavs fan, I have to admit that, especially considering his role. Nowitzki is great no doubt, but being the star he gets the ball if the team needs the push and I admire his great games he helped to win for the Mavs, but Brandon was out for so long and struggling between what he once was and what he was into, and this night he showed everyone, that there’s still that BRoy of old in him. I wish for him, he’ll come back well next season.
Ohh MY ROY!
most outrageous.
Lebron dressing up for the finals games. he should have stayed home.
No doubt about it. It’s got to be brandon roy and blazer’s furious comeback. That was the largest comeback in the 2011 playoffs, and it was against the current champs.
how about the 17 pt lead in just 6 mins left in game 2 of the finals? but as a mavs fan roy was unbelievable!
you always talking about roy nowitzki carmelo or lebron what about kobe ı think the best perfromabce of the playoffs is kobe’s back to back 17 point games against mavs nobody talking about kobe’s performance in 4 games against dallas kobe had just 1 layup and no dunk wow old fag
dirk/durant combining for 88 points (dirk 48 12-15/ 24-24) no threes
roy
dallas hitting all those threes (terry 9-10, peja 6-6)
dallas finals game 2 comeback
lebron closing out boston