When Magic was the defending Finals MVP in 1981 he had a stacked team with defending NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-Star and future HOFer Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon who averaged 17-3-9 and would be an All-Star the next year, and future DPOY Michael Cooper.
That STACKED team lost in the first round to a team with a losing record. In the deciding game of the series, Magic went 2-14 with 9 turnovers and only shot 6-11 from the line. With 30 seconds left and a 1-point lead he went to the line and missed both shots, had Dunleavy hit the game-winner in his face, then went for the game-winner himself and airballed it from just 8 feet away.
You're talking midgets when the player that was bodying the Lakers to the tune of 21 and 5 was 5'9" Calvin Murphy.
But that doesn't count, cause somehow 1st-round losses to 40-42 teams are more noble than Finals losses to great teams, and because Magic isn't held to the same standard as LeBron for obvious reasons.
We could also talk about a Finals where Larry Bird scored 8, 8, and 12 points in three consecutive games against a shytty opponent and only averaged 15ppg on 42% shooting for the series....but again, Bird isn't held to the same standard.
Or Kobe averaging 22-3-4 on 38% shooting (17% from three) while straight shooting his team out of a Finals against a heavy underdog....but again, not held to the same standard.