Despite a stellar career during his time with the Golden State Warriors, Hall Of Fame small forward Chris Mullin‘s post-season success remains rather limited, as the Warriors struggled to maintain consistent playoff success. Most of his greatest playoff moments came across just two seasons, in 1989 and 1991, when the Warriors advanced the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Here are Mullin’s greatest post-season performances from those two playoff runs.
5. at San Antonio Spurs – Game 2, 1991 Western Conference Quarter-Finals
While the Warriors never went further than the Western Conference’s second round, Mullin’s teams did seem to have a knack for the first-round upsets. Mullin’s leadership and coach Don Nelson‘s unique fast-break style of basketball twice sent the Warriors into the conference semi-finals as the 7th seed.
In the second of these upsets, Mullin led the Warriors past the San Antonio Spurs, winning 3 consecutive games after falling behind in the series 1-0. In the all important Game 2, Mullin went for 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, while also hitting 14 of 15 from the free throw line. The team would use a 17-0 run that spanned halftime to open up 65-47 lead, and the Spurs would never recover, losing the game 111-98, and the series 3-1 after failing to even the series with a win in Oakland.
Mullin scored 22 of his 27 in the second half, after beginning the game just 1-8 from the field, leading the Warriors and the rest of Run TMC past David Robinson‘s 28 points and 15 rebounds.
4. vs Utah Jazz – Game 3, 1989 Western Conference Quarter-Finals
In his first closeout game as a important contributor, Mullin lived up to his billing as a budding star with a 35-point performance to send the Jazz packing with a 120-106 victory. Mullin, and rookie teammate Mitch Richmond put together stellar performances, out-dueling John Stockton and Karl Malone, who combined for 67 points.
The team rode Nelson’s small-ball strategy to one of the most surprising upsets in NBA playoff history, as the 7th-seeded Warriors knocked off the 2nd seed Jazz in a series most predicted would end in a sweep of the Warriors. Instead, the Warriors completed a sweep of their own in convincing fashion at home in Oakland.
3. at Phoenix Suns – Game 2, 1989 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Mullin piled up 37 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in a win over the Suns, knotting the series at 1-1 as it headed back to Oakland. The Warriors would lead for much of the game, but a Phoenix run in the 4th quarter would put the Warriors behind 120-116, before the Warriors surged back to get the win.
Leading 125-122 with under 8 seconds to play, Mullin would collect a Kevin Johnson missed 3-point attempt and ice the game with 2 made free throws, as the Warriors went on to win 127-122. Mullin played all 48 minutes after scoring just 18 points in a blowout Game 1 loss.
2. at Utah Jazz – Game 1, 1989 Western Conference Quarter-Finals
The second game of this series on this list, it’s clear that after a relatively pedestrian showing in his first playoff appearance as a rookie in 1987, Mullin returned to the post-season with a bang in 1989. The Warriors small forward tallied 41 points in a 123-119 Game 1 upset over the favored Jazz, eventually leading the Warriors to a 3-game sweep over Stockton and Malone.
Mullin added 3 rebounds and 4 assists, while recording a tremendous 18-point third quarter. While Mullin finished 16-30 (both career playoff-highs) from the field, the difficulty and importance of his made shots made Jazz coach Jerry Sloan feel like he couldn’t miss.
The 41-point mark remains tied for Mullin’s career-best playoff point total, and it certainly was a statement game for the Warriors, who announced their post-season relevancy with that impressive win over the Jazz in Salt Lake City.
1. at Los Angeles Lakers – Game 2, 1991 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Mullin finished with 41 points for the second time in his playoff career on 16-21 (.762) shooting, including a 4-4 mark from beyond the 3-point line. He would help the Warriors outlast Magic Johnson‘s 44 points and near triple-double to defeat the Lakers 125-124 at The Forum.
The two stars’ performances are still remembered for putting together one of the greatest offensive showings in playoff history. They traded scores throughout the game before the Warriors made a final push late in the game to overcome a 4-point deficit in the final minute.
While the series ended in just 5 games, the two teams remained competitive throughout, with 3 games decided by 5 points or less, and just one margin of victory larger than 10 points.
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