Joel Embiid and the 6 worst playoff losses for NBA MVPs

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers was recently crowned the NBA MVP of the 2022-23 regular season. He will go on to receive the newly-instituted Michael Jordan trophy. There is no individual honor more prestigious in the game of basketball than the NBA MVP award.

Embiid became the 36th person to receive the award, joining the likes of six-time winner Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, five-time winner Michael Jordan and four-time winner LeBron James. Embiid also joined Hakeem Olajuwon as the only two players from the continent of Africa to be named NBA MVP.

Considering that every eligible NBA MVP has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, this win bolsters Embiid's chances of one day being enshrined in the pantheon of the game's greats.

With this award also comes increased pressure and expectations to perform well in the playoffs. Out of the 68 MVPs that have been awarded by the league, 23 have gone to players who led their league to the title that season. Fans hold NBA MVPs to a higher standard and their inability to deliver in the playoffs often remains a stain on their resumes.

Joel Embiid returned to action in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics in what turned out to be a blowout loss for the 76ers.

Read on to find out where Joel Embiid's performance ranks among the worst losses in playoff history for reigning NBA MVPs

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Honorable Mention: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The only thing worse for an NBA MVP than a bad performance in the playoffs is not making the playoffs at all. That is exactly what happened to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1975-76 season. The NBA legend averaged 27.7 points, 16.9 rebounds, five assists and 4.1 blocks, but his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, finished with a 40-42 record, which was not good enough to make the playoffs. To this day, this remains the only instance of a player being awarded the NBA MVP in a season in which their team failed to qualify for the playoffs.

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#6. Joel Embiid: 34-point loss vs. Boston Celtics in 2023 ECSF Game 2

Philadelphia 76ers v Boston Celtics - Game Two

After suffering a knee injury in the first round, Joel Embiid missed the first game against the Celtics. In Embiid's absence, former-MVP James Harden stepped up, scoring a career playoff-high 45 points and led the 76ers to a four-point win over the favored Celtics. Shortly after being officially declared the MVP, Joel Embiid returned to action in Game 2, which ended up being a 34-point win for the Celtics on the back of 25 points from Jaylen Brown. The Celtics held Embiid, the regular season scoring leader, to a mere 15 points. Embiid also recorded career playoff lows in rebounds and assists with three and zero, respectively. It remains to be seen whether Embiid can bounce back from this setback in this series.

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#5. Kevin Durant: 35-point loss vs. San Antonio Spurs in 2014 WCF Game 2

Kevin Durant with the MVP trophy

In the 2013-14 regular season, Kevin Durant averaged 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No. 2 seed in the West. After a gruelling seven-game series against the Memphis Grizzlies, and a six-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder faced off against the No. 1 seed San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. In Game 2 of the WCF, the Spurs stifling defense held Durant to 15 points on six of 16 from the field, en route to a 35-point loss. The Thunder were unable to bounce back and ended up losing the series in six games.

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#4. LeBron James: 36 point loss vs. San Antonio Spurs in 2013 Finals Game 3

Miami Heat v Sacramento Kings

'The King' will definitely want to forget this one. The 2012-13 season bore witness to James winning his fourth NBA MVP award and leading the Miami Heat to the No. 1 seed in the East with a 66-16 record. The Heatles were pushed to seven games by the No. 3 seed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they entered the finals as the favorites to win it all.

Gregg Popovich's patented suffocating defense held James to just 15 points on seven off 21 from the field. The Spurs won the game by 36 points and took a 2-1 lead in the series over the defending champions. What subsequently happened in that series is part of NBA lore, with the Heat triumphing over the Spurs in seven games. Had they gone on to lose the series, this game definitely would have stung more.

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#3. Kobe Bryant: 39-point loss vs. Boston Celtics in 2008 Finals Game 6

NBA Finals Game 4: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers

Any 39-point loss is bad. But if you're a Lakers fan, it couldn't possibly get worse than a blowout loss in a 'win or go home' game of the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. The first five games of the series were competitive, with the largest margin of defeat being 10 points in Game 1. When the series returned to Boston for Game 6, the Celtics held a 3-2 lead, and the Lakers needed to win to keep the series alive.

Bryant, the 2007-08 NBA MVP, who had built a reputation as a clutch player, failed to live up to the high standards that he had set for himself. He scored an inefficient 22 points on seven of 22 from the field. The Celtics blew out the Lakers by 39 points and won their first championship in over two decades. Bryant went on to avenge the loss two years later when the Lakers and Celtics faced-off once again in the NBA finals.

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#2. James Harden: 41-point loss vs. Golden State Warriors in 2018 WCF Game 3

Houston Rockets v Washington Wizards

If Joel Embiid wants any advice on how to cope after a resounding loss, all he has to do is ask his teammate James Harden. Back in 2018, Harden was on the Houston Rockets and putting up Jordan-esque scoring numbers. He was awarded the NBA MVP that season for leading his team to the No. 1 seed in a stacked western conference.

The Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals without much difficulty. Waiting for them in the WCF were the juggernaut Golden State Warriors consisting of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. In Game 3, Harden shot 7-16 from the field and scored only 20 points in a 41-point loss. Despite being down 2-1 in the series, the Rockets rallied to win Games 4 and 5. However, they could not finish off the job, losing both Games 6 and 7. Had they won this series, the Rockets would have been favored over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals and James Harden likely would have a ring by now.

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#1. Bob Pettit: 58-point loss vs. Minneapolis Lakers in 1956 WDS Game 2

Bob Pettit

We have to go way back in time for this one. In 1956, the Hawks were playing in St. Louis and the Lakers were based in Minneapolis. The NBA had instituted the MVP award that year, and the inaugural winner was Bob Pettit. If you don't know who Bob Pettit is, he was the one of the best players of the 1950s and 60s. The star player of the St. Louis Hawks made 11 consecutive All-Star appearances from 1955-65. He was also the first NBA player to score 20,000 points and held the career scoring record before it was broken by Wilt Chamberlain.

In 1956, the first round was called the Western Division Semi-Finals and only consisted of three games. In Game 2, the Lakers held Pettit to only 14 points on four of 15 from the field. This 58-point loss remains tied for the largest margin of victory in an NBA playoff game. Pettit bounced back with a 41-point performance in Game 3 to clinch the series.

Two years after this debacle, Pettit led the Hawks to a title, the only one they have ever won. In arguably the greatest close-out game performance in NBA Finals history, Bob Pettit dropped 50 points on the juggernaut Boston Celtics.

76ers fans can hope that, like all these other legends, Joel Embiid will also be able to bounce back from the setback his team suffered in Game 2.