The stakes are high in the NBA Playoffs with the championship up for grabs for the best teams in the NBA. But while teams and players are expected to shine the brightest in the playoffs, not everyone is capable of playing with the pressure of the postseason. Let’s take a look at the 10 biggest choke jobs in NBA playoff history.

10. Kawhi Leonard goes cold in Game 7 to blow 3-1 series lead

Kawhi Leonard is often highly regarded as a dominant force in the postseason after leading the Spurs and the Raptors to NBA championships. However, the Clippers have yet to enjoy that version of Leonard. In fact in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals at the NBA bubble, Leonard could only muster 14 points on 27 percent shooting from the field in Game 7. In the process, the Clippers completely surrendered a 3-1 series lead to exit the NBA Playoffs early.

9. James Harden’s playoff record in turnovers

James Harden easily evolved from Sixth Man into Superstar in his time with the Rockets. However, Harden rarely translated his success in the postseason. After setting the playoff record of 10 turnovers in the 2013 postseason, Harden broke his own record at the worst time possible. In Game 5, when the Rockets were facing elimination, Harden tallied 13 turnovers while making only 18 percent of his 11 attempts to finish with 14 points. As a result, the Rockets were blown out 104-90 in the series decider.

8. Gilbert Arenas’ two crucial misses at the charity stripe to eliminate Wizards

Although free throws are often unbothered, that wasn’t the case for Gilbert Arenas in the series decider against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Despite shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line that season, Arenas missed two crucial free throws after James’ words. Those misses led to a game winner by Damon Jones to conclude the series in six games for the Cavs.

7. Patrick Ewing misses potential game-winning layup in series decider

While Reggie Miller pretty much torched the Knicks in their 1995 playoff duel, Patrick Ewing had a clear gimme to give the Knicks a chance to take the series in Game 7. Unfortunately, despite a clear shot under the basket off an inbound pass, Ewing missed the layup as the Knicks conceded to Miller and the Pacers.

6. Isiah Thomas gives up the inbound pass at the worst time possible

In a crucial Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons were up by one. Although the Pistons would’ve had final possession with five seconds remaining, Isiah Thomas coughed up the rock in an inbound to Bill Laimbeer. Larry Bird made the clutch steal to pave the way for a game winner by Dennis Johnson to give the Celtics a victory en route to an NBA Finals appearance.

5. LeBron James’ forgettable 2011 NBA Finals

While LeBron James was favored to win the 2011 NBA championship after forming the Big Three in South Beach, the Mavericks’ zone defense ultimately shut down The King. James only averaged a measly 17.2 points per game, including a nightmare eight-point outing in Game 4.

4. Seattle Supersonics become the first No. 1 seed to get eliminated in first round

Being the top seed gives the team home-court advantage. As a result, beating an eighth-seeded squad should be easy. After taking advantage of the home court early in the series, the 1994 Supersonics seemed to have lost their composure after going on the road. Dikembe Mutombo and the Nuggets capitalized and stunned the top-seeded Sonics in five games, the first time a number-one seeded team lost a first-round series.

3. J.R. Smith’s infamous mistake in Game 1 of 2018 NBA Finals

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were on a mission to give themselves a fighting chance against Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. Despite the lack of star power, James’ 50-point explosion gave the Cavs a chance to set the momentum of the series. But after George Hill’s crucial free-throw misses in regulation, Smith grabbed an offensive rebound but surprisingly ran out the clock to send the game to overtime, mistakenly thinking that the Cavs had the lead. After the costly mistake, the Warriors outscored the Cavs by 10 points in overtime. To make matters worse, the Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the Finals.

2. Warriors blow 31-point second-half lead

After winning back-to-back NBA championships, it seemed like the Warriors were going for a three-peat. Although the Warriors made it to the Finals that year, the Clippers didn’t make it a walk in the park in the first round. After the Warriors seemed to be in control with a 31-point lead in the third quarter, the Warriors failed to weather a 72-37 Clippers storm in the final minutes of the game.

1. 73-9 Warriors slip in 2016 NBA Finals

Although the Warriors are a tough dynasty, they also had a lot of choke jobs even before their 2019 NBA playoffs collapse. Arguably the worst collapse in Finals history, the Warriors failed to capitalize on a 3-1 series lead despite having won an NBA-record 73 games during the regular season. James and Kyrie Irving conspired to complete a historic comeback to give the Cavs their first franchise title.