NBA Postseason 2021 Quiz

Question: Which American sports commentator is famous for shouting “Bang!” upon a big shot being made?

Answer: Mike Breen, lead announcer for the New York Knicks and sports commentator for NBA games on ESPN and ABC, is known for shouting “Bang!” when a big shot is made. One of his more famous examples is when Ray Allen made a game-tying three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs to send Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals into overtime. Down two games to three in the series, the Miami Heat would go on to win the title in seven games.

Question: How many titles do the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have between them?

Answer: As of May 2021 each franchise has won the NBA title 17 times. The Los Angeles Lakers won it most recently in 2020. The Boston Celtics last won it in 2008.

Question: Which NBA team failed to win in the finals during the 2015–16 season, despite having the greatest regular season record (73–9) of all time?

Answer: Despite beating the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls’ regular season record of 72–10, the Golden State Warriors were unable to overcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. They lost the series three games to four.

Question: Which NBA player has won the most championship rings?

Answer: Bill Russell has won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, the most by a single player. He won his first title in 1957 and his last in 1969.

Question: Who holds the NBA record for the most postseason points in their career?

Answer: As of May 24, 2021, LeBron James had 7,509 points in the playoffs. Michael Jordan was in second place with 5,987 points.

Question: Which NBA player has the most 40-point games in finals history?

Answer: Jerry West, who is immortalized in the NBA logo, accomplished 10 40-point games in his NBA finals career, the most of any player. LeBron James holds second place with 8.

Question: In Game 4 of the 1980 NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers, which Hall of Famer scored a reverse layup after jumping from behind the basket?

Answer: Julius Erving’s miraculous shot helped the Philadelphia 76ers even the series at two, but the Sixers were eventually defeated in six games.

Question: Who holds the NBA record for the most three-pointers during a single postseason game?

Answer: On June 1, 2021, Damian Lillard made 12 three-pointers, setting the NBA record for most threes made in a single postseason game. His Portland Trail Blazers would lose to the Denver Nuggets 140–147 in double overtime. 

Question: Which legendary Los Angeles Lakers player, known as the Black Mamba, won five championships between 2000 and 2010?

Answer: Kobe Bryant won five championships between 2000 and 2010 during his legendary career. During this time he also won two finals MVP awards. Bryant was posthumously elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Question: Which NBA coach has won the most championships?

Answer: Phil Jackson has won 11 NBA championships, the most ever as a head coach. He won six championships between 1991 and 1998 with the Chicago Bulls and five championships between 2000 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Question: True or false? There is a team that has had two different players record triple-doubles in a single postseason game.

Answer: Both Stephen Curry (37 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds) and Draymond Green (18 points, 11 assists, and 14 rebounds) recorded triple-doubles for the Golden State Warriors in a postseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. This is the only time that this has been accomplished in the history of the NBA.

Question: Which of these NBA Hall of Famers never won a ring?

Answer: The Round Mound of Rebound would reach the finals only once in his career. In 1993 his Phoenix Suns would lose to the Chicago Bulls in six games.

Question: Who is the oldest NBA player to score 50 points in a postseason game?

Answer: On April 22, 2000, Karl Malone broke Michael Jordan’s record with 50 points for the Utah Jazz against the Seattle SuperSonics. He was 36 years and 273 days old, the oldest to score 50 or more points in a postseason game.

Question: Which NBA player holds the record for most free throws made in a single postseason game?

Answer: In a game against the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) on March 21, 1953, Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy went 30 for 32 from the free-throw line, the most made in a postseason game.

Question: Which NBA Hall of Famer once grabbed a record 41 rebounds in a single postseason game?

Answer: On April 5, 1967, against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers’ center Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds—the most ever for a postseason game—along with scoring 20 points and 9 assists. Second place Bill Russell achieved 40 rebounds on three separate occasions.

Question: Which NBA player, along with John Stockton, holds the record for most assists in a single postseason game?

Answer: Magic Johnson and John Stockton have both accomplished 24 assists in a single game, a postseason record.

Question: In Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics, who did Larry Bird steal the inbound pass from before delivering the game-winning assist?

Answer: With five seconds left in the game and the Boston Celtics down by one, Larry Bird stole Isiah Thomas’s pass and found Dennis Johnson for the win.

Question: Which NBA team dominated the league in the 1990s, winning six championships with two three-peats?

Answer: On the backs of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bulls put on a show that could rarely be stopped. With Phil Jackson as head coach, the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Utah Jazz (twice) in the finals, going 6–0 in their finals appearances.

Question: Which NBA player holds the record for most steals in a single postseason game?

Answer: In a game against the Orlando Magic on May 13, 1999, Allen Iverson recorded 10 steals—the most in a postseason game—and 33 points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ winning effort.

Question: Which NBA player holds the record for most points in a single postseason game?

Answer: In a 135–131 loss in double-overtime against the Boston Celtics on April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan scored 63 points, the most ever scored in a postseason game. Larry Bird would later suggest that Michael Jordan was actually “God disguised as Michael Jordan.”