No.1: LeBron James
March 3, 2014 vs. Charlotte Bobcats
61 points (franchise record) (22-33), (8-10 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Granted, this game came against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats but you can’t deny the ability and athleticism it takes to be able to drop 61 points on any night in professional basketball, which is why LeBron James take the number spot on the list.
The Bobcats weren’t that bad.
At the time of this game, they were 27-33 but ended up finishing the 2013-14 season strong with an overall record of 43-39, good enough for the seventh seed in the East where they were swept in the first round by this same Heat squad.
On this historic night, James played with a facemask to protect a broken nose he obtained in an injury after Serge Ibaka hit him in the face while attempting to block a dunk just 11 days prior.
He came out of the gate on fire, knocking down his first eight 3-point attempts.
By halftime, James had 24 points, then added another 25 in the third quarter alone.
He broke Rice’s franchise record for single-game points (56) with 5:46 remaining in the fourth when he spun past three Bobcat defenders for a poetry-in-motion layup that took him back to the free throw line, where he was 9 for 12 on the night.
Along with breaking Rice’s franchise record, he also broke his own career best on this play, which was 56 against Toronto on March 20, 2005, while he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron stunned Charlotte in a final score of 124-107.
He played 41 minutes and was without the help of Wade, who had the night off to rest but still enjoyed witnessing the historic night from courtside. The record-setting night also overshadowed a monster game played by Charlotte’s Al Jefferson, who scored 38 points while snagging 19 rebounds.
The victory marked the Heat’s eighth straight at the time, and would eventually finish the season 54-28, second best in the Eastern Conference. They would go on to make their fourth consecutive Finals appearance before being disappointed by the Spurs, falling in five games.
After the season, James became a free agent and opted to go back home to Cleveland.
While the Big Three’s final season didn’t have that storybook ending they hoped, James’ 61-point performance was possibly the biggest highlight of Miami’s 2013-14 campaign. His historic outing in his swan song season with Miami tops the list of the greatest single-game performance in Heat history.
And there you have it, folks.