Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Game 7*
* But were afraid to ask.
Tonight’s matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history. Here’s everything you always wanted to know about the first 19 winner-take-all games.
When was the first Game 7?
The first Game 7 in the NBA Finals occurred on April 21, 1951, with the Rochester Royals (now Sacramento Kings) defeating the New York Knicks 79-75. The Knicks had rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to force a seventh and deciding game.
When was the last Game 7?
Prior to this year, the last Game 7 in the NBA Finals took place on June 19, 2016, with the Cleveland Cavaliers upsetting the Golden State Warriors 93-89 to complete the first (and still only) 3-1 series comeback in Finals history.
How often does the home team win?
The home team has won 15 of the 19 Games 7s in NBA Finals history, or 78.9% of the time. The four teams to pull off road victories are:
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers, 1969
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks, 1974
Washington Bullets at Seattle SuperSonics, 1978
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors, 2016
How often does the winner of Game 6 also win Game 7?
It’s essentially a coin flip. The Game 6 winner has also won Game 7 of the NBA Finals nine times in 19 tries (47.4%).
Has a Game 7 ever gone to overtime?
Yes, it’s happened twice in the NBA Finals:
In 1957, the Boston Celtics held off the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in double overtime. Celtics rookie Tom Heinsohn scored a team-high 37 points and grabbed 23 rebounds.
In 1962, the Boston Celtics nipped the Los Angeles Lakers 110-107 in overtime. Boston’s Bill Russell scored a team-high 30 points and hauled in a Finals-record 40 rebounds (more on this performance below).
What’s the smallest margin of victory?
The smallest margin of victory was one point in 1955, when the Syracuse Nationals defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons 92-91. All seven games in that series were decided by seven or fewer points.
What’s the largest margin of victory?
The largest margin of victory was 19 points in 1960, when the Boston Celtics routed the St. Louis Hawks 122-103. The Hawks led 30-29 after the first quarter, but Boston broke the game open by outscoring St. Louis 41-23 in the second period.
What’s the average margin of victory?
The average margin of victory is 6.9 points. The most common margins of victory are two points, four points, and seven points, all of which have occurred three times each. Only four of the 19 games have been decided by double digits.
What’s the most points scored by a team?
The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in double overtime in 1957. Those are the two highest point totals in a Game 7 in NBA Finals history. The most points scored in a regulation game is 122 by the Boston Celtics versus the St. Louis Hawks in 1960.
What’s the fewest points scored by a team?
The New York Knicks were held to just 65 points in 1952, falling 82-65 to the Minneapolis Lakers. However, that was before the introduction of the shot clock. The lowest point total in the shot-clock era is 74 points by the Detroit Pistons in 2005, an 81-74 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
What’s the most points scored by a player?
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West scored 42 points in a 108-106 loss to the Boston Celtics in 1969. Despite the outcome, West was named Finals MVP (the first year the award was given). He’s still the only player from a losing team to take home the honor.
The only other player to record a 40-point game in a Game 7 is the Los Angeles Lakers’ Elgin Baylor with 41 points in 1962. That effort also came in a loss, and also came at the hands of the Boston Celtics (110-107).
Has any player recorded a triple-double?
Three players have recorded a triple-double in a Game 7:
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West produced 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in 1969 versus the Boston Celtics. As noted above, the Lakers lost this game 108-106.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ James Worthy racked up 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in 1988 versus the Detroit Pistons, a game the Lakers won 108-105.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James compiled 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
What’s the best performance by a player in a Game 7?
This is totally subjective, of course, but here are my three stars, with the “first star” considered the best of the three performers:
⭐️ Walt Frazier, 1970
Frazier was incredible, producing game highs of 36 points and 19 assists in the New York Knicks’ 113-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Frazier shot 12-17 from the field and a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. He also ranked second on the team with seven rebounds.
⭐️⭐️ Jerry West, 1969
Even though it came in a losing effort, West’s performance was one for the ages. As noted above, West had 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-106 loss to the Boston Celtics. He played all 48 minutes, shooting 14-29 from the field and 14-18 from the free throw line.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bill Russell, 1962
As mentioned earlier, Russell scored a team-high 30 points to go with an astounding 40 rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-107 in overtime. Russell’s 40 boards matched his NBA Finals single-game record from 1960, a record which still stands. He went 8-18 from the floor and 14-17 from the charity stripe, and also dished out four assists while playing the full 53 minutes.
Honorable mention:
Draymond Green, 2016 (32 PTS, 15 REB, 9 AST, 11-15 FG, 6-8 3P)
James Worthy, 1988 (36 PTS, 16 REB, 10 AST, 15-22 FG)
LeBron James, 2013 (37 PTS, 12 REB, 12-23 FG, 5-10 3P, 8-8 FT)
What’s the worst performance by a player in a Game 7?
Once again, this is totally subjective, but I’d have to go with the Seattle SuperSonics’ Dennis Johnson in 1978. Johnson went 0-14 from the field in a 105-99 loss to the Washington Bullets, the most field goals attempted without a make in any playoff game in NBA history (he’s tied with Chick Reiser). He recorded just two assists in 38 minutes played, committing four personal fouls and three turnovers.
Dishonorable mention goes to the New York Knicks’ John Starks, who shot a dreadful 2-18 from the field in a 90-84 loss to the Houston Rockets. Starks was 0-11 from beyond the arc, the most 3-pointers attempted without a make in any game in NBA postseason history (he’s tied with James Harden and Anthony Edwards). On the bright side, he wasn’t charged with a turnover in 42 minutes played.
Which franchise has appeared in the most Game 7s?
The Los Angeles (nee Minneapolis) Lakers have appeared in nine Game 7s, winning four times. The Boston Celtics rank second with eight such appearances, winning all but once.
Which franchise has won the most Game 7s?
It’s the Boston Celtics, unsurprisingly, with seven such wins. The only other franchise to win multiple Game 7s is the Los Angeles Lakers with four.
Which franchise has lost the most Game 7s?
Again, this one isn’t a surprise: the Los Angeles Lakers with five such losses. Three other franchises have lost multiple Game 7s: the New York Knicks with three, the Detroit (nee Fort Wayne) Pistons with three, and the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks with two. The Knicks are the only member of that trio to win a Game 7 (1970).
Which player has appeared in the most Game 7s?
Bill Russell appeared in five Game 7s with the Boston Celtics. He went home a winner each time.
Which player has won the most Game 7s?
Bill Russell (see above).
Which player has lost the most Game 7s?
Elgin Baylor and Jerry West each lost four Game 7s playing for the Los Angeles (nee Minneapolis) Lakers. Neither player won a Game 7.
What’s the best Game 7?
Another totally subjective answer, but it seems hard to beat the 1957 game between the Boston Celtics and the St. Louis Hawks, a double-overtime contest that was the highest-scoring Game 7 in Finals history. The Celtics came out on top 125-123, with some great individual performances on both sides:
Tom Heinsohn, Celtics — 37 PTS, 23 REB
Bill Russell, Celtics — 19 PTS, 32 REB
Bob Pettit, Hawks — 39 PTS, 19 REB
Cliff Hagan, Hawks — 24 PTS, 16 REB
Slater Martin, Hawks — 23 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST
Boston’s Hall of Fame backcourt of Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman struggled mightily, going a combined 5-40 from the field (2-20 for Cousy, 3-20 for Sharman). Cousy somewhat compensated for this poor shooting by dishing out a game-high 11 assists.
Pettit made two free throws with seven seconds left in regulation to force the first overtime, while teammate Jack Coleman hit a jumper with 10 seconds left to force the second extra period. The Celtics went ahead for good in the second overtime when Frank Ramsay hit a free throw to put Boston up 122-121.
P.S. As for the two OT game 7s, in 1962 Frank Selvy of the Lakers memorably missed a buzzer-beater in regulation that would've snapped the Celtics' 8-peat after their 3rd, and I could go on about the 1957 series:
Most OTs in any finals (game 1 also had double OT and the exact same score, only in the Hawks favor), worst reg season team to make the finals (the Hawks were 34-38 which somehow tied for 1st between the 4 Western Div teams), and so on.
Well made as always.
Two minor notes:
* The 1951 Knicks not only rallied from 1-3 down, but from 0-3 down (and the score was tied at 75-75 with a minute to play in game 7). It remains the only such instance in the NBA Finals to date, and was the only one in the playoffs until 1994.
* Boston's regulation scoring record is 122 (rather than 120), as noted by yourself in the "largest margin" entry.