Triple-doubles? We’ve seen plenty. Fifty-point games? Common for modern superstars. But when the stage is biggest and the pressure is at its peak, only one player in NBA history has dropped 60+ points in the playoffs more than once.
That man is Elgin Baylor, a pioneer of athleticism and finesse. While today’s stars dominate the regular season, Baylor did the unthinkable twice when it mattered most — in the heat of the postseason.
🏟️ The Moment That Shattered Expectations
The year was 1962. The stakes? Nothing less than the NBA Finals. The opponent? The Boston Celtics dynasty was led by Bill Russell. And in Game 5, Elgin Baylor delivered a performance for the ages:
- 🏆 61 points
- 🏀 22-of-46 from the field
- 💪 17 rebounds
- 📍 In the hostile Boston Garden
To this day, Baylor’s 61 remains the most points ever scored in an NBA Finals game. It wasn’t just a scoring outburst — it was a clinic of footwork, physicality, and relentless aggression. And he didn’t have a 3-point line to help pad the score.
But that wasn’t the only time Baylor scorched Boston.
A year earlier in the 1961 playoffs, he dropped 64 points — again against the Celtics. It’s a stat line that remains underappreciated in the annals of NBA history, mainly because Baylor played before the explosion of media hype and online fandom.
📈 Why It’s a Record No One Has Touched
🔥 Two 60-Point Games — In the Playoffs
Only Elgin Baylor has scored 60+ points twice in playoff games. Even some of the greatest postseason performers haven’t matched that feat once.
- Michael Jordan had one 63-point playoff game — the most ever — but never did it again.
- Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry have zero 60-point playoff games.
- Damian Lillard came close with 55, but still no 60+.
In an era filled with explosive regular-season scoring, the postseason remains a wall very few can climb — and no one has climbed it twice like Elgin.
🛡️ No Threes, No Soft Fouls, No Load Management
Let’s not forget the context. Baylor’s performances came:
- Without the 3-point line
- Against elite, physical defenses like Russell’s Celtics
- In an era where hand-checking, hard fouls, and no flagrant calls were standard
- With heavy minutes, often 40+ per game
Today’s stars have rest days, spacing, and high-scoring pace. Baylor had none of that — just skill, strength, and supreme will.
🧠 Who Was Elgin Baylor?
Before Julius Erving. Before Jordan. Before Kobe.
There was Elgin Baylor — a player decades ahead of his time.
- 🧍 One of the first “hang-time” players — he could float before finishing
- 🧠 Averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds over his career
- 🔄 Changed the small forward position forever, blending finesse with toughness
- 🏀 Missed several games throughout his career due to military obligations — imagine his stats without that
He played in eight NBA Finals, came painfully close to winning a ring, and remains a top-5 all-time playoff scorer by PPG.
🏛️ Legacy & Aftermath
Baylor never got the flowers he deserved. Overshadowed by Russell’s rings and Wilt’s stats, his name doesn’t come up in casual GOAT debates — but it should.
📊 His 61-point Finals game still stands
It’s been over 60 years — no one’s broken that record. Even in today’s high-scoring, 3-heavy NBA, no player has cracked 60 in the Finals.
🧠 Baylor paved the way
Without Elgin, there’s no Dr. J. No MJ. No Kobe. He introduced a vertical game in an era dominated by ground-bound set shots.
🏆 Finally honored
While he never won a ring, Baylor was an 11-time All-Star, a Hall of Famer, and had his jersey retired by the Lakers. In 2021, the Lakers unveiled a statue in his honor, a long-overdue tribute.
🧩 Trivia Corner
- 🧠 Baylor averaged 35.0 PPG in the 1961–62 playoffs.
- 🎖️ He served in the U.S. Army Reserve while playing, once arriving for a playoff game after military duty.
- 📈 He scored 50+ points 8 times in the playoffs — second only to Michael Jordan.
- 🧱 The Lakers lost the 1962 Finals in 7 games, despite Baylor’s 61-point effort in Game 5.
- 🎥 Elgin once held the record for most points in a Finals series (284 points in 7 games).
Leave a Reply