As the NBA Finals get underway between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, it is time to take a look back at some record-setting performances over the years in the season’s final series. With Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler taking the court, no record can be marked as safe. However, there are several records that can be deemed untouchable in the modern NBA, still holding strong over a long period of time. To ignore the fact that some of these records are bound to fall would be an ignorant denial of the game of basketball’s progression over the years. After all, records are made to be broken.

Just as we did with the most unbreakable playoff records of all-time just a few weeks ago, we will count down these NBA Finals records based on how unbreakable they are. I believe that all of these records have no chance of being broken in my lifetime, but some are much more unobtainable than others. From the number of championships one player has accumulated to the number of free throws one has taken in a single Finals game, let’s take a deep dive into the history of the NBA Finals.

These are the 10 most unbreakable records in NBA Finals history.

10. Highest Career Scoring Average In NBA Finals

Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Record: Rick Barry – 36.3 PPG

Rick Barry was a 14-year veteran of both the NBA and ABA from 1966 thru 1980. Barry averaged 30.5 PPG over four seasons in the ABA and 23.2 PPG scorer in 10 seasons in the NBA. In his NBA career, Barry would appear in two NBA Finals series with the Golden State Warriors. In 1967, Barry’s second season, he led the NBA in scoring with 35.6 PPG and led his team to the NBA Finals against Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers. In the series, Barry would have three games with 40 points or more and averaged 40.8 PPG overall, but the Warriors would fall in six games.

After his stint in the ABA, Barry returned to the Warriors in 1974 and would have them back in the NBA Finals by 1975. During that regular season, Barry would average 30.6 PPG and win the steals title with 2.9 SPG. This time in the Finals, Barry and the Warriors would take on Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and the Washington Bullets. Barry would capture his first and only Finals MVP award with 29.5 PPG. Currently, there is one current player who could challenge for this record but has yet to reach a second NBA Finals to give it a true chance. Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 PPG during the 2021 NBA Finals, which is third right behind Barry and Allen Iverson. With another Finals appearance, this record could be Giannis’ before the end of the 2020s.

9. Most Free Throws Attempted In A Finals Game

Record: Shaquille O’Neal – 39 Free Throws Attempted, vs. Indiana Pacers, June 9, 2000

In the 2000 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers met the Los Angeles Lakers led by perhaps the most dominant player in NBA history. Shaquille O’Neal just had an MVP season that saw him lead the NBA in scoring with 29.7 PPG with 13.6 RPG and 3.0 BPG as well. For the first time since joining the Lakers in 1996-97, O’Neal had the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and he was not about to let another one slip through his fingers as he did in 1995 with the Orlando Magic. However, with the dominance O’Neal displayed in the paint against Indiana’s inferior bigs, Indiana implemented a strategy that almost worked by sending Shaq to the foul line as often as possible.

The “Hack-A-Shaq” method, as it was dubbed, sent the 52.7% free throw shooter to the line 29 times, where he made just 18 attempts. Despite his struggles from the line, O’Neal finished with 40 points and 24 rebounds to give Los Angeles a 2-0 series lead. The Lakers would go on to win the series in six games and capture their first of three straight NBA championships, with O’Neal awarded his first of three straight Finals MVP awards. I do not see many players getting the same amount of touches leading to nearly 40 free throws as O’Neal was during this incredible run. In today’s game, anything can happen when the referees decide to inject themselves into the outcomes of games, though.

8. Most Rebounds In A Single Finals Game

Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY SPORTS

Record: Bill Russell – 40 Rebounds, vs. St. Louis Hawks, March 29, 1960, and vs. Los Angeles Lakers, April 18, 1962

Remember, it is not that we think these records can be broken at all but rather the likelihood they will be broken when compared to the other records on this list. With that being said, Bill Russell recording 40 rebounds in a single Finals game is an unlikely record to ever be broken. Russell first accomplished this feat during the 1960 NBA Finals against the St. Louis Hawks. The Celtics would win the series in seven games as Russell averaged 24.9 RPG along with 16.7 PPG.

The second time Russell would accomplish this feat would be in the 1962 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell would add 30 points on that night as well, and the Celtics would take down the Lakers in seven games. As far as this record goes, no player has come close to touching it in the last 50 seasons. To go even further, no player has grabbed more than 29 rebounds in a game in over 40 years. Can Nikola Jokic give this record a go in this year’s NBA Finals?

7. Most PPG In A Single Finals Series

Record: Michael Jordan – 41.0 PPG, vs. Phoenix Suns, 1993 NBA Finals

As the NBA entered the 1992-93 season, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls looked absolutely unstoppable, having won back-to-back NBA championships. As the season progressed, there was a challenger in the West that arose for Jordan and the Bulls in the form of MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns. In the NBA Finals, the two teams would meet, with the GOAT feeling slighted by the committee’s selection of Barkley as MVP. What proceeded was pure annihilation.

Jordan would lead the Bulls to their first three-peat as NBA champions with a 41.0 PPG scoring average in six games. This included four total games with 40 or more points and a series-high 55 points in Game 4. The closest that anyone has come to this record in the last 25 years is Shaquille O’Neal, with 38.0 PPG in the 2000 NBA Finals and 36.3 PPG in the 2002 NBA Finals. Is there any player in the 2023 Finals that could challenge one of Jordan’s many NBA Finals records? Jokic? Butler? Perhaps the 40-year anniversary of this performance is the year it finally falls.

6. Most Consecutive NBA Finals By A Player

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Record: LeBron James – 8 Straight NBA Finals From 2011-2018

Ok, first, let me explain why we aren’t counting Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics’ dominance of the 1960s in this list. The Celtics should absolutely be celebrated for what they accomplished during those times, and they will later on down the line. However, what LeBron James did in the 2010s was far more impressive when you consider it was against nearly three times the amount of competition. The 1960s was a league of 12 teams with two rounds before a team could reach the Finals. The first round was a best-of-three-game series as well.

James also had to face three rounds before the NBA Finals, with every round being a best-of-seven-game format. During this time, James accumulated an overall record of 3-5 in the NBA Finals. In 2011, he would lose to the Mavericks in the NBA Finals in his first season with the Heat in six games. This is easily the largest scar on his resume in the GOAT debate. He would get his revenge, claiming two championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013 over the Thunder and Spurs. In 2014, James and the Heat would take on the Spurs for the second straight Finals but lose in five games thanks to a monstrous defensive effort from Kawhi Leonard.

In 2015, James returned to the cavliers and would lead them to four straight NBA Finals as well. In 2015, James and the Cavaliers would fall to the Warriors in six games. In 2016, James would lead the greatest comeback and upset in NBA playoff history when the Cavaliers won in seven games after falling down 3-1 in the series. James would lead the Cavaliers to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018 as well but now, the Warriors were armed with Kevin Durant. In the two Finals series, the Cavliers would go 1-8 and lose both series convincingly.

5. Most Finals Appearances By A Player (Career)

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Record: Bill Russell – 12 Career NBA Finals Appearances

See? I told you I was going to give Bill Russell his flowers, and this isn’t even the last time. As one of the most dominant defenders and rebounders in NBA history, Russell led the Boston Celtics to 12 appearances in the NBA Finals in his career. Russell suffered just one season in which he and his teammates didn’t make the Finals in 1967 and suffered just one loss in the NBA Finals in his career in 1958 against the St. Louis Hawks.

Russell went to his first NBA Finals and captured his first NBA championship in his rookie season in 1957. The final time that he and the Celtics would make it to the NBA Finals was in Russell’s final season in 1969. Although not a scorer, Russell was the engine behind the Celtics’ dominance during the 1960s with his relentless pursuit of the ball as a rebounder and defender. The only player that could even come close to breaking this record is LeBron James. If James sticks around until he is 45 years old, it is only for the pursuit of NBA championships and playing with his son. Even two more Finals appearances to tie the record seems unlikely as time progresses.

4. 6-0 NBA Finals Record With 6 Finals MVP Awards

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Record: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998

In the modern NBA, capturing just one NBA championship is a major accomplishment these days. Both Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler are seeking their first championship and Finals MVP award in 2023. Just last season, Stephen Curry won his fourth NBA championship but just his first Finals MVP award. LeBron James has four NBA championships and Finals MVPs but also has six losses in the Finals to hinder consideration from this record.

That is what makes Michael Jordan’s 6-0 record and NBA record six Finals MVP awards so untouchable. Sure, Robert Horry is 7-0 in the Finals but was never once the best player on the court or even in consideration for a Finals MVP award. John Havlicek has eight NBA championships but just one Finals MVP award and only two titles after the departure of Bill Russell. This record is sure to stand forever, as are the next three that fall above it in our rankings.

For his first NBA championship, Michael Jordan and the Bulls took down the Los Angeles Lakers led by Magic Johnson. Jordan claimed Finals MVP as the Bulls took the series in five games. In 1992, Jordan and the Bulls took down Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in six games with Jordan capturing Finals MVP once again. Jordan claimed his third Finals MVP and championship in 1993 with a record-setting 41.0 PPG in the series against the Phoenix Suns.

After taking two nearly two seasons off after losing his father tragically, Jordan returned with a vengeance. In 1996, he led Chicago to 72 wins and their fourth NBA title over the Seattle SuperSonics. In 1997 and 1998, Jordan and the Bulls would have to navigate a tough Eastern Conference only to face the Jazz in the NBA Finals both years. Jordan and the Bulls would defeat the Jazz in six games in 1997 and 1998 with Jordan being awarded both Finals MVP awards once again.

3. Most NBA Championships By A Player

Credit: Fadeaway World

Record: Bill Russell – 11 NBA Championships – 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969

Once again, Bill Russell gets some well-deserved attention for the things he accomplished in his career. Russell played just 13 seasons in the NBA and finished with an NBA record 12 Finals appearances and 11 NBA championships. He won his first championship as a rookie in 1957, averaging just 13.9 PPG but controlled the glass with 24.4 RPG and immaculate defense. Then, from 1959 through 1966, Russell and the Celtics captured eight straight NBA championships. He averaged 18.3 PPG and 26.4 RPG throughout the playoffs over those eight years.

After falling short in 1967, Russell capped off his career in 1968 and 1969 with back-to-back NBA championships. Over those two championship runs, Russell averaged 12.7 PPG and 21.7 RPG. When it comes to this record, no one even comes close to being in contention other than Russell’s teammate Sam Jones with 10. As for current NBA players, nobody is on the trajectory they would need to be to catch Russell, at least not yet.

2. Most Three-Peats As NBA Champions

Credit: Fadeaway World

Record: Chicago Bulls – Two Three Peats In Eight Years, 1991-1993, 1996-1998

Since the 1960s Celtics ran through limited but extraordinary competition, there have only been three teams to three-peat as NBA champions. The 2000-2002 Los Angeles Lakers are the most recent example of this, led by Kobe Bryant and three Finals MVP performances by Shaquille O’Neal. Then, of course, there were the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and a tremendous supporting cast.

During their first three-peat, the Bulls defeated the Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Suns in 1991, 1992, and 1993. Jordan claimed all three Finals MVP awards but Pippen, Horace Grant, and John Paxson all played a part in their wins. From 1996 thru 1998, the Bulls added Dennis Rodman in place of Grant as well as Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and others. They would defeat the SuperSonics in 1996 and the Jazz in both 1997 and 1998 to secure their second three-peat in eight seasons.

1. Most Consecutive NBA Championships Won

Credit: Fadeaway World

Record: Boston Celtics – 8 Consecutive NBA Championships Won, 1959-1966

Of course, for the final time, we must honor the greatest dynasty in NBA history, the 1960s Boston Celtics. Advancing to eight straight Finals as a team seems like an impossible task in today’s game, let alone winning eight straight. For the Boston Celtics, Bill Russell and Bob Cousy were the stars who received most of the credit for their success during this time. Their supporting cast was also full of Hall of Famers. Players like Sam Jones, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, and even John Havlicek all deserve tremendous credit for making a dynasty like this possible.

To say that this is impossible for any modern-day NBA team to topple is an understatement. When we think about the great dynasties over the last 40 years, they don’t come close to eight straight wins in the NBA Finals. The Warriors needed eight seasons to capture four NBA championships. The Spurs needed 15 years to win five championships. The Showtime Lakers needed 10 years to win five NBA championships. In order to break this record, the most elite NBA players would have to join forces on a superteam the likes of which have never been seen. Fortunately, I don’t see the NBA, Adam Silver, or the fans ever letting that happen.