How difficult is it to score 40 points in the first game of the finals? Only 6 people have done it in history, and only one person is active!

The tactics and intensity of the NBA Finals are not the same as other games, so it is impossible for a superstar to quickly adapt to such intensity and score high scores. So, in NBA history, who can score 40+ points in the first game of the Finals? This issue of the column will help you learn about it.

Special List: Thunder Alexander made his debut in the 2025 Finals with 38 points

Both the Thunder and Alexander ushered in the peak this season: the team reached the finals for the first time since 2012, and Alexander has the opportunity to achieve a major grand slam of the season's major honors, so in the finals against the Pacers, he fully demonstrated his desire for this victory with 38 points. Although Halliburton's quasi-finals took away the victory, Alexander's 38 points was also the third highest score in the league's finals debut after Iverson and McCann.

Sixth place: Kobe Bryant G1 scored 40 points in the 2009 Finals

The 2008 Finals failed to show Kobe's smooth stubbornness to the extreme in the next season and returns to the finals smoothly. In the finals, the Lakers faced the young Howard and the Magic. The Magic obviously did not have a good restrictive method for Kobe. In the first game of the series, Kobe scored 40 points and set a new single-game scoring record in his career finals. That year, the Lakers finally defeated the Magic and won the championship trophy.

Fifth place: George McCann. G1 scored 42 points in the 1949 Finals

As the superstar of the "Ancient Period", McCann did not have much reputation in modern times, but it cannot be denied that his existence laid a solid foundation for the evolution of basketball in modern times and the rules of the game. In 1949, McCann led the Lakers, who were still in Minneapolis at the time, to the Finals and scored 42 points in the G1 against Congress. That year, the Lakers also successfully won the championship.

Fourth place: Iverson. G1 scored 48 points in the 2001 finals

2001 was the intersection of the overall strength of the 76ers and Iverson's personal peak. While he won a lot of honors, the team also made it to the finals as they wished, and their opponent was the Lakers led by the OK group. That year, the Lakers achieved a terrifying record in the playoff series before the Finals. However, Iverson broke the Lakers' unbeaten golden body in the playoffs with a 48-point performance in G1. It can be said that Iverson was the most feared figure in the Lakers' championship journey that season.

Third place: O'Neal. G1 scored 43 points in the 2000 Finals. G1 scored 44 points in the 2001 Finals.

O'Neal's dominance was the only one in the top. Once he was allowed to enter the inside opponent, he could only watch the monster dunk score. Between 2000 and 2002, O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships and established the Lakers dynasty, and he scored 40+ points in the first game of the finals in two years, showing his dominance to the fullest.

Second place: James G1 scored 44 points in the 2015 Finals G1 scored 51 points in the 2018 Finals

From 2015 to 2018, the Cavaliers led by James and the Warriors in the West "reunited" four times in the finals. In terms of team strength, the Cavaliers are inferior to the Warriors, but in terms of personal performance, James is unique. In the G1 with the Warriors in 2015 and 2018, James scored 40+ and 50+ points. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers eventually lost the series in the past two years.

First: Jerry West. G1 scored 41 points in the 1966 Finals. G1 scored 53 points in the 1969 Finals.

The Lakers in the 1960s had a group of talented players, and Jerry West was one of the best. Unfortunately, they encountered the Celtics in that era, so they could only accept the bitter fruit of losing many times in the finals. Jerry West scored 40+ points in the first game of the finals in 1966 and 1969, and the 53 points in 1969 set a record for the first game of the finals in the history of the finals. Unfortunately, the Lakers have become the ultimate losers in the past two years.