(Kobe Bryant winning his 5th and final championship SB Nation)
The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner. This shortened season has been a very interesting one, to say the least. Over the course of the season, we have seen injuries to some of the biggest names in basketball. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis, and the list goes on and on. Some of those names will be ready by playoff time; some will not. The NBA playoffs are coming up rapidly, just under a month, and will last around two months.
The NBA Playoffs are riddled with history and unbreakable records.
three records that will
stand the test of time.
Number 3
The winningest player in NBA history, and, no I am not talking about Michael Jordan. Bill Russell grabbed 4,104 rebounds averaging nearly 25 rebounds per game. This list shows who is the second, third, fourth, and the next closest active player (LeBron, who is at sixth).
Wilt Chamberlain 3,913 191 difference
The Big Fundamental Tim Duncan 2,859 1,200 difference
The Big Diesel Shaquille O'Neal 2,508 1,600 difference
LeBron James 2,348 1,700
The record does not look that unbreakable at first glance; however, it is whenever you dive into the how dominant Bill Russell was on the boards. This record has stood the test of time, as Russell broke the record in the 1960s, and he still holds the record.
Bill Russell grabbing a rebound via The Sports Pics on Pinterest
Number 2
Michael Jordan had a rough start to the 1985-1986 NBA season. Early in the season, he broke his foot, and some thought he would be done for the entire season. He started 7 games as he worked his way back into the lineup and played 18 total games. The Chicago Bulls would sneak into the playoffs with a 30-52 record, which is well below .500. Nonetheless, they got in as the eighth seed to take on the number one seeded Boston Celtics. The Celtics would take game 1, 123-104, Jordan dropped 49 points, but in game 2, everything clicked. In game 2, on April 20th, 1986, Jordan went for a record and playoff career-high of 63 points. Larry Bird went as far as to say, "It's God disguised as Michael Jordan." He was so impressive that night. The Bulls, however, would go on to lose that game 135-131 and would eventually get swept in the series 3-0. Michael Jordan broke the late great Elgin Baylor's record of 61 points, which he set on April 14th of 1962. The most recent player to get close to this record was Donovan Mitchell going for 57 in the 2020 NBA playoff bubble.
Number 1
LeBron James has the most unbreakable record in playoff basketball history. He has scored 7,491 career playoff points. LeBron has made the playoffs in 14 of his 18 seasons in the NBA. LeBron has averaged 28.8 points per game in his 260 playoff games which landed him first on the all-time playoff scoring list. Rounding out the top 5 are some of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
Here is the rest of the top 5.
Michael Jordan 5,987 1,504 difference
Karee Abdul Jabbar 5,762 1,729 difference
Kobe Bryant 5,640 1,851 difference
Shaquille O'Neal 5,250 2,241 difference
LeBron is still playing at an elite level especially in the playoffs. A reachable goal for LBJ would be 8,500 when his career is all said and done. LeBron has been terrorizing the league for as long as I can remember, and he still has got a lot of terrorizing left to do.
What record will stand the test of time?
What record would you add to the list? Let us know in the comment section!