Basketball Reference Blog

Archive for July, 2024

Ranking Kobe Bryant’s Five NBA Title-Winning Postseasons

13th July 2024

(last updated on October 18, 2025)

The legacy of Kobe Bryant has many facets. We often judge greatness by the number of championships he won. In the case of Kobe, his five championships certainly raise his status among the best players ever in the NBA. His title wins have come with varying levels of responsibility – and therefore varying levels of influence.

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Most Missed Shots in a Single NBA Game (player)

12th July 2024

(last updated on October 18, 2025)

In the high-stakes world of the NBA, every shot counts, but what happens when they don’t? Let’s delve into the fascinating records of the most missed shots in a single game, uncovering the relentless drive of athletes who dared to keep shooting despite the odds. This is the list of players with the most missed shots in a game since 1983-84.

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Top Single-Game Performances in the NBA Finals (Part Four: the last two decades)

3rd July 2024

(last updated on October 18, 2025)

We are going to continue our look at the greatest single-game performances in the NBA Finals. This list will focus on the Finals since 2010. Many familiar names and future Hall of Famers will be getting an entry. To refresh your memory from the previous edition, for a player’s performance to qualify for this list, his team had to win the title during that series. Another rule for this list is that no player will get multiple entries. For instance, LeBron and Steph have several worthy performances, but each can only have one make the list. 

Let’s look back at the last two decades … a time of smartphones, social media, and Uber. We will now revisit some of the top single-game performances in NBA Finals history since 2010.

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Top Single-Game Performances in the NBA Finals (Part Three: the 2000s)

3rd July 2024

(last updated on October 17, 2025)

We are going to continue our look at the greatest single-game performances in the NBA Finals. This list will focus on the 2000s. This was a decade heavily dominated by two Western Conference powers. To refresh your memory from the previous edition, for a player’s performance to qualify for this list, his team had to win the title during that series. Another rule for this list is that no player will get multiple entries. For instance, San Antonio legend Tim Duncan appeared on a previous list, so he will not appear again even though he has a few worthy single-game performances during the 2000s. 

Let’s transport back to the 2000s … a time of Y2K paranoia, flip phones, and traditional NBA titans returning to glory. We will now revisit some of the top single-game performances in NBA Finals history during the 2000s.

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