Ranking the biggest legacy defining losses in NBA history.

[coastalmarker99]

1 1968 Ecf as had the 76ers closed out Boston in five as they did the year prior.

Wilt would have basically sealed the debate between him and Russell in his favour.

2 1984 finals as had Magic won he would have beaten Bird in every H2h matchup they had from college to the pros and the debate between the two would have been completely over as Magic would have 6 rings to Birds 2.


3 2011 finals as had Lebron won and played to his usual standards.

he would have had a three peat and a extra ring and finals MVP to go along with his many other accolades.

And as a result more people would side with him over Jordan.


4 Durant 2016 WCF as had he beaten GS and then the Cavs in the finals his legacy would have gone through the roof.


Instead he lost and outside of playing with the most stacked team of all time he has zero rings.


5 Barkley 1995 WCSF As had the Suns win that series (in which they were clear favorites), there’s a really good chance the Suns win the championship. Barkley would be top 15 all time and would have a ring, the thing missing from his resume.


6 doctor J 1981 Ecf as had the 76ers not choked away that series to Boston.

there’s a great chance that they win the championship over the Rockets with Doctor J being the finals MVP which is the one thing missing from his resume.

[Colbinii]

2011 is no longer that legacy defining considering he is nearly unanimously viewed as a Top 3 all-time player, Top 1 in many reasonable lists and for people who are lower on LeBron typically don't simply look at 2011 but instead think he was simply not a Top 5 GOAT candidate for other reasons.

2016 for Durant is good as it sparked other decisions which led to him being unliked by many.

[penbeast0]

Russell still beat Wilt 8/10 times rather than 9/10 times in the playoffs. I don't think it completely shift the narrative and additionally, I think the 69 loss with the Lakers hurts Wilt more.

[Lou Fan]

Sonics loss to the the 95 Lakers for GP is a pretty big one. I think many people would look at him very differently if they win that one and go on to win it all. Maybe one of 05-07 or 10 for Nash but he played pretty great in all those series so hard place that at his feet. I guess you could maybe say 03 WCF but with Dirk hurt they were pretty screwed anyway. Chris Paul vs the Rockets in 15 is another as is last years loss. Speaking of the Rockets the 18 WCF loss for Harden will loom large especially if he never wins one. 94 finals for Ewing another big one.

[Dr Positivity]

My #1 is Malone in 1998. Taking out Jordan with 30 million people watching would be huge. The Bulls were beatable and it's possible had to win in Game 6 or else would've ran out of gas.

Harden 2018 - erases playoff doubts about him, also good for Paul

Paul 2021 - would be epic to go to long suffering Suns and bring them a title

I'd pick Cavs over Thunder in 16, so maybe 12 for Durant, although the series wasn't that close to flip, it's like giving Howard 09 or Butler 20 it's kind of reaching. Maybe 21 vs Bucks for Durant? They likely make finals and then have to beat Suns, not bad odds.

[No-more-rings]

I don’t think 1 series really defines a legacy as much as people like to think. Hard to say in hindsight though. Probably applies more to people with 0 rings. In recent years, Chris Paul had some rough endings in 2018 and 2021. Especially 2021 considering he was actually healthy, but the Suns folded anyway. That was his last year to get a meaningful ring. You can do these sort of examples with any players though. So I don’t see it as a super interesting exercise.

[Ursusamericanus]

If the Knicks had won game 7 in the 1994 finals, the hole in Ewing's resume would be filled.

[FuShengTHEGreat]

Chris Webber becomes a top 5 (to date circa 2002) PF ever if he showed any semblance of guts (I want to use more harsher language) in the 2nd half of game 7 vs the Lakers in 02 as the Nets in the Finals would've been a mere formality.

Instead he got lost in the mix of lower tier PFs historically.

[The Explorer]

2018 finals - James going 7-13 in the decisive game 4 against golden state. This was a passive lebron in an elimination game when his team needed him to just get 1 game to avoid a sweep on their home floor. Rodney Hood took the most shots on the team and James was a bit disinterested in the 2nd half.

[migya]

If Jordan somehow pulled it off in game 7 against Pistons in 1990, he'd have won seven rings and without a doubt be considered the GOAT by most.

[falcolombardi]

Very few players are really defined by specific losses

It may be more accurate to say that lacking a ring affects a lot of player legacies but for most of them is their biggest succeses and wins that become legacy defining

[MyUniBroDavis]

2018 finals - James going 7-13 in the decisive game 4 against golden state. This was a passive lebron in an elimination game when his team needed him to just get 1 game to avoid a sweep on their home floor. Rodney Hood took the most shots on the team and James was a bit disinterested in the 2nd half.

Bro his hand was yeeted and they were down 3-0, no one cares he lost that game lol

[MyUniBroDavis]

Anything CP3 related lol

Cp0 rings is just an unfortunate name that’s starting to catch on

[Colbinii]

double post

[Colbinii]

2015 CP3 loss to the Rockets

[The Explorer]

2018 finals - James going 7-13 in the decisive game 4 against golden state. This was a passive lebron in an elimination game when his team needed him to just get 1 game to avoid a sweep on their home floor. Rodney Hood took the most shots on the team and James was a bit disinterested in the 2nd half.

Bro his hand was yeeted and they were down 3-0, no one cares he lost that game lol

At the time, the media was bashing him for being passive and saying any goat talk should not be entertained, especially when bench guys had more field goal attempts than him.

[onedayattatime]

At the time, the media was bashing him for being passive and saying any goat talk should not be entertained, especially when bench guys had more field goal attempts than him.

this honestly sounds like skip bayless level coverage. a player's fga aren't a result of how 'interested' he is or if he 'wants it more'. professional teams run plays to create shots for certain players, and they play against defenses that try to influence the play - taking away or discouraging certain options.

[MyUniBroDavis]

2018 finals - James going 7-13 in the decisive game 4 against golden state. This was a passive lebron in an elimination game when his team needed him to just get 1 game to avoid a sweep on their home floor. Rodney Hood took the most shots on the team and James was a bit disinterested in the 2nd half.

Bro his hand was yeeted and they were down 3-0, no one cares he lost that game lol

At the time, the media was bashing him for being passive and saying any goat talk should not be entertained, especially when bench guys had more field goal attempts than him.

Idk why ur acting like 2018 is ancient history people were calling it the most ridiculous run ever a few weeks after

This is a horrible take or attempt to troll and you should feel bad about it

[Texas Chuck]

yeah Wilt doesn't surpass Russell by losing one less time lol. And Lebron isn't remotely defined by losing to a better team with an all-time great at the absolute peak of his powers closing out games for the Mavs. That was not an upset. Those two teams played 8 games. Miami won 2. And Lebron really struggled in the regular season games. Dwayne Casey realized two things:

1. Miami had no depth and that Wade/Bosh weren't likely to beat you by themselves so sell out on defending Lebron
2. Zone was always to be a bit of an achilles heel for a team lead by two stars who were scorers more than shooters.

Sometimes its okay to credit the other team when you lose instead of calling a guy a choker. Even if you don't like him.

[migya]

yeah Wilt doesn't surpass Russell by losing one less time lol. And Lebron isn't remotely defined by losing to a better team with an all-time great at the absolute peak of his powers closing out games for the Mavs. That was not an upset. Those two teams played 8 games. Miami won 2. And Lebron really struggled in the regular season games. Dwayne Casey realized two things:

1. Miami had no depth and that Wade/Bosh weren't likely to beat you by themselves so sell out on defending Lebron
2. Zone was always to be a bit of an achilles heel for a team lead by two stars who were scorers more than shooters.

Sometimes its okay to credit the other team when you lose instead of calling a guy a choker. Even if you don't like him.

That Mavs team was completely outmatched, or was an upset. Old men Kidd and Marion wouldn't have been much of a factor, possibly moreso Jason Terry.