Post by eric on Jun 20, 2021 16:44:19 GMT -5
The first recorded championship-clinching triple-double in NBA history came in 1982, when Magic Johnson recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. He led all players in rebounds and assists, and was sixth on his own team in points. The only Laker to play more than one minute and not outscore Johnson was Kurt Rambis and Kurt Rambis' moustache.
Finals box scores exist very clearly back through 1960, before that it gets a little spotty but we hear from this source that the only players to play in that era and record triple-doubles in any Finals games were Elgin Baylor ('70), Bill Russell ('62 and '65), and Bob Cousy ('58 and '59, both non clinchers)... so Johnson was the actual first on top of being the recorded first.
After Johnson was Johnson in 1985, recording 14 points 10 rebounds and 14 assists and STILL outscoring Kurt Rambis, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's monstrous 26/9/5 per game on 60% from the field and 77% from the line was enough to overcome him fouling out of the decisive game (...with 14 seconds left and up 13 points...) and take home the Finals MVP.
The next player to record a second championship-clinching triple-double was LeBron James in 2016's Game 7, leading all Cavaliers with 27 points and 11 assists, chipping in 11 rebounds second only to Steph-stopper Kevin Love. In addition to being James' second after 2012's 26/11/13, it was the NBA's second in a Game 7 after James Worthy's 36/16/10 in 1988.
Since then, the only multi-clinching triple-doubler has been LeBron James again, adding a third to his resumé with 2020's 28/14/10.
LeBron 3.
Magic 2.
Nobody else in NBA history - more than 1.
.
And by the basketball-reference metric "Game Score" the best championship-clinching game of James' career is none of these, it's the sublime 37/12/4 on a cool 1.40(!!!) pts/tsa in Game 6 of 2013.
.
.
The other singletons:
1986 Larry Bird
2003 Tim Duncan
2015 Draymond Green - the only other player to clinch a championship with a triple-double and not win Finals MVP
2018 Kevin Durant
Finals box scores exist very clearly back through 1960, before that it gets a little spotty but we hear from this source that the only players to play in that era and record triple-doubles in any Finals games were Elgin Baylor ('70), Bill Russell ('62 and '65), and Bob Cousy ('58 and '59, both non clinchers)... so Johnson was the actual first on top of being the recorded first.
After Johnson was Johnson in 1985, recording 14 points 10 rebounds and 14 assists and STILL outscoring Kurt Rambis, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's monstrous 26/9/5 per game on 60% from the field and 77% from the line was enough to overcome him fouling out of the decisive game (...with 14 seconds left and up 13 points...) and take home the Finals MVP.
The next player to record a second championship-clinching triple-double was LeBron James in 2016's Game 7, leading all Cavaliers with 27 points and 11 assists, chipping in 11 rebounds second only to Steph-stopper Kevin Love. In addition to being James' second after 2012's 26/11/13, it was the NBA's second in a Game 7 after James Worthy's 36/16/10 in 1988.
Since then, the only multi-clinching triple-doubler has been LeBron James again, adding a third to his resumé with 2020's 28/14/10.
LeBron 3.
Magic 2.
Nobody else in NBA history - more than 1.
.
And by the basketball-reference metric "Game Score" the best championship-clinching game of James' career is none of these, it's the sublime 37/12/4 on a cool 1.40(!!!) pts/tsa in Game 6 of 2013.
.
.
The other singletons:
1986 Larry Bird
2003 Tim Duncan
2015 Draymond Green - the only other player to clinch a championship with a triple-double and not win Finals MVP
2018 Kevin Durant