5. Stephen Curry at San Antonio Spurs – 44 points (May , 2013)
Coming into the playoffs in 2013, Curry was on a tear in the second-half of the regular season, after not being voted to the All-Star Team in February. He poured in 26 points and more than four makes from distance a night, and continued that success with stellar play against the Denver Nuggets in First Round.
But even his 22-point 3rd quarter in Game 4 at Oracle couldn’t top his 44-point performance in San Antonio. Going in, the Warriors were heavy underdogs in the game and series, having lost 29 consecutive games on the road against the Spurs. Despite a 4th-quarter collapse and an eventual series defeat, Curry’s 44 points and 11 assists helped the Warriors build their confidence against the proven Spurs.
4. Chris Mullin at Los Angeles Lakers – 41 points (May 8, 1991)
Mullin makes his appearance on this list at a surprisingly low #4, with 41 points against the rival Lakers in the 1991 Western Conference Semi-Finals. More impressive than the point total, perhaps, was his shooting percentage in the game. Mullin made 16 of 21 attempts, including a perfect 4-4 from long distance to help the Warriors to their only win in the series.
Mullin led the Warriors to a 125-124 come-from-behind victory over Magic Johnson and the Lakers. The battle between the two stars made for one of the greatest playoff games ever, though the series ended in just 5 games.
3. Wilt Chamberlain vs Syracuse Nationals – 56 points (March 22, 1962)
In the same season that he scored 100 points in a regular season game, Wilt set the still-standing franchise mark for points in a playoff game, with 56 against the Syracuse Nationals. Wilt would lead the Warriors to a decisive Game 5 victory in the playoff’s first round.
Wilt’s prolific scoring just wasn’t the same in the playoffs, where he scored more than 50 points just four times compared to 118 times in the regular season. His 56-point playoff performance may never match the legend that is his 100-point game, but it likely meant nearly as much for the franchise. While they would be eliminated by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in seven games, Wilt’s dominance continued to grow his legend with, what was at the time, the highest playoff scoring total in league history.
2. Sleepy Floyd vs Los Angeles Lakers – 51 points (May 10, 1987)
Sleepy Floyd had a modest career when compared to the two men sandwiching him on this list. He wasn’t a prolific scorer and he never averaged 20 points per game. But that didn’t stop him from terrorizing the Lakers with an NBA record 39 second-half points in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
While few could have seen his offensive explosion coming, Floyd had his best season in the league that year, averaging 18.8 points and 10.0 assists, while also being selected to his only All-Star Game of his career. What made the 51 points even more impressive was he fact that he still managed to record double-digit assists (10) in the Warriors 129-121 win. The Warriors ended up losing the series 4-1, but Floyd helped the team stave off elimination at home.
Floyd would finish the game 18-26 from the field and 13-14 from the free throw line. His playoff averages of 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds will be remembered as one of the most impressive post-season performances in post-season history.
1. Rick Barry vs Washington Bullets – 38 points (May 23, 1975)
The 1974-1975 season is arguably the greatest season in franchise history, as it resulted in the Warriors’ only championship since moving the the San Francisco Bay Area. The same could be said for Barry, who averaged an incredible 30.6 to go with 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds during a 48-34 regular season for the Warriors.
After a stellar post-season performance in his sophomore NBA season (1966-67), which included a monster 55-point game (tied for 6th in the NBA all-time), Barry hadn’t done much in the post-season since returning from the ABA. In the team’s prior trip to the post-season, he had averaged just 16.4 points. But Barry’s post-season numbers in 1975 nearly matched his regular season line. He posted 28.2 points per game to go with 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds while leading the Warriors on a deep playoff run.
The 38-point outing wasn’t Barry’s highest scoring performance of the post-season (he put up 39 against Seattle earlier that year, but certainly was one of his most important. He totaled 38 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Bullets as the Warriors took a 3-0 series lead behind a 109-101 win. Each of the four games en route to a Golden State sweep remained close (no game decided by more than 8), and Barry’s scoring (36 in another game) was key in leading a young Warriors roster to the championship, for which he received the Finals MVP trophy.
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