The NBA Playoffs are starting to wind down, and sadly, we don't have an Illinois basketball player in the NBA Finals.
Historically, the Illini have had some pretty big NBA Playoff moments. While the NBA Finals aren't on the docket this season, you can't gloss over the fact that Illinois has made an impact over the decades .
I put together a list of the top 10 NBA Playoff performances by an Illinois basketball player since the NBA/ABA merger.
The names on this list are legendary. There are some massive performances that will live on for the rest of time.
34 points
9 assists
7 rebounds
1 steal
13-23 (56.5%) FG
2-5 (40%) 3PT
Deron Williams played in 90 playoff games during his career, and in his first playoff appearance, he helped lead the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference Finals.
The Jazz ran into the eventual champs, the San Antonio Spurs, but Williams gave them everything they could handle. This included an incredible performance in game one where Williams dropped 34 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and one steal. He only had one turnover in the contest and shot 13-of-23 from the floor.
It was hard to put losses on this list, but when you go up against a dynasty in San Antonio, and you push them the way Williams did, this performance has to be No. 10.
30 points
12 rebounds
3 assists
1 steal
1 block
12-16 (75%) FG
5-8 (62.5%) 3PT
Exactly 12 years after Williams had an all-time outing against San Antonio, another Illinois player, Meyers Leonard, put up a game no one saw coming.
The Portland Trail Blazers gave the Golden State Warriors a test in a couple of games in the Western Conference Finals back in 2019. They about clipped them in game two, and in game four, Leonard came to life.
Leonard, the 7-foot big man who isn't known to shoot three-pointers, started stepping back and getting hot from deep. This was a source of scoring that kept Portland in the game. I still remember the energy that Leonard brought to that game. While the Trail Blazers would lose in overtime, Leonard finished with an incredible 30 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. He also shot 5-of-8, 62.5%, from three-point range. It was one of the crazier games I have seen.
30 points
8 rebounds
6 assists
1 steal
11-14 (78.6%) FG
7-10 (70%) 3PT
Coming off an NBA Finals appearance the year before, the New York Knicks were looking to make another run. They had to get past the Cleveland Cavaliers first, though.
Cleveland won game two, but the Knicks looked to clinch the series in game four of the then-five-game series. Derek Harper put on his cape and came to the rescue.
Harper scored 30 points, which was the second-highest in the playoffs of his career. He also had eight rebounds, six assists, and one steal in the series-clinching win. On top of that, Harper hit a career-high for him with seven three-pointers in the game.
This was a pretty big game from Harper, and I thought about putting it higher on the list because it was a series-clinching game. But he holds strong at No. 8.
34 points
7 rebounds
5 assists
1 steal
13-20 (65%) FG
6-8 (75%) 3PG
This can't be a top list without Eddie Johnson. He played 89 playoff games in his illustrious career, and to me, his game against the Golden State Warriors in 1989 is one of the best ever by an Illinois player.
Johnson, obviously, came off the bench for the Phoenix Suns. Those were some good pre-Charles Barkley teams, and the Suns needed a spark plug off the bench to help get past a young and hungry Warriors squad led by Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond.
In game four, Johnson was that spark plug in a big way. He finished game four with 34 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Three-pointers weren't a huge thing back in the 1980s, but Johnson, ironically, shocked the Warriors by going 6-of-8, 75%, from deep in that game. This massive playoff game earns Johnson the No. 7 spot.
35 points
7 assists
5 rebounds
3 steals
13-25 (52%) FG
7-11 (63.6%) 3PT
Williams' name is popping up a lot on this list because he played so many playoff games and had so many big performances.
Throughout his career, Williams made a few stops in his journey. In his last playoff run with the Brooklyn Nets, he had one of the greatest playoff performances by an Illinois player.
The Nets ran into a really good Atlanta Hawks team in 2015. Brooklyn was able to tie up the series at 2-2 with Williams going off for 35 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. In the overtime win, Williams hit 7-of-11 from three-point range as well.
Injuries had been hampering Williams for quite some time at this point, and the fact that he could get back in the time machine and pull out a legendary performance was special. That is why it makes the list at No. 6.
31 points
8 assists
5 steals
1 rebound
1 block
10-19 (52.6%) FG
4-5 (80%) 3PT
Some of Williams' early playoff matchups were against legendary franchises. Against the Spurs in 2007, he had two of the greatest playoff performances by an Illinois player. I already went over the first one at No. 10. Williams also had a massive game in game three.
The Jazz only won one game in the Western Conference Finals that year. Game three was a shock to the San Antonio system, as Utah punched them right in the face. A 26-point win for the Jazz showed the world this team could be pretty special if they stayed together.
In the victory over the soon-to-be champs, Williams dropped 31 points, eight assists, five steals, one rebound, and one block. He also hit 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Think about that game for a second. Against the likes of Tim Duncan , Tony Parker , and Manu Ginobili , Williams had an all-time game. That is pretty special and helped secure a win for the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.
29 points
14 assists
3 rebounds
2 steals
1 block
9-13 (69.2%) FG
3-4 (75%) 3PT
Are you tired of seeing Williams on this list? Spoiler alert, this is the last time he is mentioned. The Western Conference was so good when Williams was just starting. He had to go head-to-head with a Spurs dynasty. Not to mention, the Los Angeles Lakers were also chugging along.
The Jazz came back after falling to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and gave the Lakers everything they could handle in the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
In game four, Utah tied up the series against Kobe Bryant and a Lakers team that would eventually get to the NBA Finals. The Jazz needed a massive effort by Williams just to clip the Lakers in overtime. He finished the game with 29 points, 14 assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block. He was 9-of-13 from the field that day, too.
Those were some great matchups against the Lakers. Williams was an incredible player, and he gave great all-time teams all they could handle. The fact that Williams had 14 assists, which is the most by any Illinois player in a playoff game, was special. That is why this performance earns him a spot at No. 4.
34 points
7 rebounds
2 assists
1 steal
0 turnovers
13-27 (48.1%) FG
1-2 (50%) 3PT
Johnson once again dons this list of the greatest NBA Playoff performances by an Illinois player. He had some big games in his career, but in 1991, this game takes the cake.
The Seattle Supersonics were young and hungry. Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were just at the beginning of their careers, and they ran into a 63-win Portland Trail Blazers squad in the first round.
While the Supersonics took Portland to game five but came up short in an effort to clip the No. 1 seed in the five-game series, they wouldn't have gotten there if it weren't for Johnson's big game in game four.
Johnson started in the contest, and he put up 34 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He shot 13-of-27 from the field in the contest. What elevates Johnson's game-four performance is the fact that he put up those massive numbers and had zero turnovers in the game.
This was a Seattle team that wanted to shock the world. Johnson was the veteran leader on this squad, and he was one of the main reasons they came so close to shocking the world. That is why he earns the No. 3 spot on this list.
35 points
7 assists
6 rebounds
1 steal
12-21 (57.1%) FG
3-6 (50%) 3PT
Some of the matchups Illinois players went through were incredible. Harper is No. 2 on the list of the greatest NBA Playoff performances by an Illinois player because of the massive game he put up in 1988.
Harper was a great player for the Dallas Mavericks, and he helped elevate them to the Western Conference Finals. The opponent waiting was the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Harper had to go up against Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others.
Despite all of those legends on the other team, Harper still put up a massive fight. The Mavericks took the Lakers to seven games, and it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for a huge performance in game four by Harper.
Harper finished that game-four win over Los Angeles with 35 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and one steal. He was shooting from distance in that game, which was rare back then. Harper was 3-of-6 from three-point range.
You are talking about one of the all-time great teams in the Lakers getting pushed to the brink of defeat by Harper and the Mavericks. This performance was special and earned him that No. 2 spot.
43 points
4 rebounds
1 assist
1 block
13-17 (76.5%) FG
5-5 (100%) 3PT
12-12 (100%) FT
And finally, we get to No. 1 on the all-time NBA Playoff performances by an Illinois player. Ayo Dosunmu is finally on a quality team, and he got to play in 10 playoff games in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
A huge reason he was able to get to the second round was due to his great play in round one against the Denver Nuggets and one of the greatest players of all time, Nikola Jokic .
The Minnesota Timberwolves were hurt throughout their playoff run. Dousnmu had to put on the cape numerous times and save the day, but his masterpiece in game four against the Nuggets was the greatest performance by an Illinois player ever.
Minnesota won the game, and Dosunmu outdueled Jokic to the tune of 43 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block. The 43 points is most by an Illinois player in the NBA Playoffs since the merger.
This was one of the most efficient games you will ever see, too. Dosunmu was 13-of-17, 76.5%, from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range and 12-of-12 from the free throw line.
Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo played less than 19 minutes combined in game four due to injury. Dosunmu answered the bell in a big way. His 43-point performance in a playoff win over one of the greatest players of all time earns him the top spot of the greatest playoff performances by an Illinois player.
This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Top 10 NBA Playoff masterpieces by an Illinois basketball player .
