How The Finals Restored Order to the NBA

The 2016 NBA Finals didn't have one close game through the first six games. Each win had an exclamation mark on it. Each win was by a double digit margin, and in games 2 and 3 the two teams traded 30 point blowout victories. However, the score differential in each individual game did not represent the closeness of the series as a whole. Both teams scored the exact same amount of points in the series as a whole through six games. The seventh game went down to the wire and accurately epitomized the series as a whole singular entity, even while emphatically defying the relatively one-sided storylines in each of the previous six games. The competitiveness of the series was finally showcased in a single game. A single game that would do the series justice, and show the true overall parity between the opposing teams with dire aspirations of being crowned. The Warriors knew that their historic 73-9 regular season was meaningless without the validation of a championship, and they knew without that final win that their chance to even be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan and Pippen’s Bulls would vanish as fast as it arose. Despite LeBron’s irrefutable dominance and reign over the league, he knew that the media would have a field day if he lost to their golden boy for the second time in a row. The media loved Curry to such an extent that they voted him MVP unanimously, and at many times to further honor Curry’s spectacular season they did so at the expense of his teammates by often nearly disregarding the depth of skill and even the competency of the Warriors as a whole. Many people didn’t understand that the Warriors had perhaps that deepest array of talented versatile wing players in NBA history. Many people disrespected Klay Thompson by labeling him as a sidekick or simply a common star (as oxymoronic as that sounds), while he was clearly playing at the level of a superstar. When Klay went on one of his ruthless locked in scoring sprees during the season it was often referred to as “Klay with his best Steph Curry impersonation.” Klay Thompson is also an elite on ball defender. Klay Thompson bailed Steph out on multiple occasions including in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals when he hit a playoff record 11 threes on the road in the deafeningly loud Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City. In Game 4 of the same series Klay Thompson scored 19 consecutive points for the Warriors in the 3rd quarter. Klay Thompson is a playoff WARRIOR, and I believe that he is a Top 10 player in the league for his play on both ends of the court. Steph is a slightly above average defender who often escapes from the task of guarding rival star point guards. However, Steph has notably great hands and defensive awareness. And we all know Stephen Curry has legendary handles and offensive creativity. In the regular season his field goal percentage was above 50%, which seems magical when you take into account the difficulty of an average Steph Curry attempt and that he was a volume scorer who also led the lead in scoring. Curry is also better than almost any other point guard at dictating the tempo of the game. Curry deserved heaps of praise, and yet the media still reached. Higher. Higher. Higher. Trying to make Steph’s success into something miraculous…..heavenly. Elaborating on how he is a devout Christian as a way to hint that he may be in fact a gift from above. The media simultaneously tried to make him out as this highly successful athlete despite his “very average natural athletic ability” in an attempt to make him more relatable to the average American. “If he can do it. Anyone can.” This was a tactic meant to glorify Steph, but I think it undermined his athletic gifts in an attempt to attach his success to an otherworldly or mythical force. Curry’s success isn’t accidental or as unlikely as it is made out to be. Just because Curry’s style isn’t predicated on dominating with sheer athleticism doesn’t mean he lacks elite athleticism. Curry is the child of a professional basketball player and has had every resource at his disposal to help him develop. Curry may not be Russell Westbrook on the fast break, but Curry is still a lengthy guard with supreme quickness who has been videotaped performing windmill dunks effortlessly off of two feet hops to the rim during workout sessions. The way Steph Curry dribbles and uses that death touch to gun in jumpers and guide pretty high rising floaters in the basket is not magic. Curry is remarkably cut physically even though he lacks bulging muscles (that would only hinder the fluidity of his shot to some degree), and his conditioning appears to be extremely elite as his ability to get up and down the court endlessly reminds me of Steve Nash (another back to back MVP) in his prime. Curry is more coordinated physically than perhaps any athlete I have ever seen grace a basketball court, and he understands and embraces his strengths with zero hesitation and with a killer mentality. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry are likely the two best shooters of all time, and Steph is worthy of slightly more praise because he is the orchestrator of the rhythmic flow that the Warriors play with that combines a lack of hesitation and methodical focus with free flowing creativity. It’s fun yet effective. Often deadly. But Klay was never a side kick. Klay is top 5 for his position offensively and defensively. They are both superstars, and future hall of famers. Draymond’s inconsistency prevents him from breaking into superstar territory, but he was a versatile star forward. Just as Klay relieved Curry from having to guard the opposing star point guards, Draymond relieved Curry from having to be the team’s primary setup man as he put on an assist clinic. Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston were also elite defenders who possessed all-star qualities and played at all-star levels. They just didn’t have high usage rates or force their will offensively with high doses of shots on a daily basis for the sake of the team’s success as a whole. That doesn’t mean they weren’t stars. They were all essential to what that team was. After six games came GAME 7 of The Finals. A single game that was more important than any previous game ever according to all the participants, and the vast majority of the fans. There were 20 lead changes. Kyrie continued to outplay Curry in the series as he connected on a series of spectacular seemingly impossible shots that culminated in him hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA history. A 3 pointer over the outstretched hand of the 3 point man himself….Steph Curry. The irony. The type of play many hopefuls anticipated Steph would be on the other end. An ending nobody predicted. A decisive clutch 3 to win The Finals. That was released from the hand of his opponent. After a season where Steph Curry was undoubtedly the clutchest performer in all of the league. Before Kyrie’s 3 pointer of course there was “The Block”, which is LeBron’s career defining play. Order was restored to the league. Now the world fully understands the obvious truth that LeBron is the best player. While Curry simply had the most electrifying and outstanding 2015-2016, which truthfully revolutionized the game. The media lived in the moment and tried to propel the relatable and ultra-talented Stephen Curry to a place that asked for things of him that were beyond his means. Curry was the most outstanding player in the 15-16 season, and he is perhaps more skilled than any basketball player on the planet. He is dazzling and people have been foolishly convinced that his game is relatable. However, LeBron can do EVERYTHING on a basketball court and is already a Top 3 player of all time. LeBron James led both teams in the 2016 Finals in every major statistical category (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks). No one has ever done that in any playoff series. He can play every position on either end of the court. He is on pace to challenge every conceivable record including most points scored ever and most points scored in the playoffs (which he is rapidly approaching). LeBron James is a generational Mount Rushmore-gracing type of player. Stephen Curry is spectacular and displays a game based more on elements involving skillful dazzling moves, but he will never challenge the cumulative overall (overwhelming) greatness of LeBron James in his prime.

Who is the King of the Post-Jordan Era? Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James Honorable Mention: Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki

Kobe Bryant The most recognized heir to Jordan in the world of basketball today is the infamous Kobe Bean Bryant. A lot of factors play into why and how he was granted this crowning all-powerful title with so much conviction as if his name is the sole answer to a very complex equation. Firstly, the media has reversed its vilification of the Black Mamba and it can be traced back to the very day in late November 2015 when Kobe gracefully announced his retirement by releasing a poem expressing his love for his beloved muse: BASKETBALL. The name KOBE BRYANT echoes through urban culture in a mythical fashion. He’s a man that rigorously shed his skin and reinvented himself multiple times throughout his life. His trademark fierce competitiveness allowed him to conquer onslaughts of allegations and controversies. It’s that same competitive fervor that drew comparisons to Michael Jordan. It wasn’t that Kobe Bryant was always the most dominant player in the league since Jordan, in fact more often than not he wasn’t the league’s top dog (although he was almost always among them). It was how his approach to the game mirrored the GOAT. It was how his flashiness and confidence that bordered on arrogance, mirrored his. Kobe Bryant sits directly beside him on the all-time scoring list. Kobe Bryant is likely most hailed for his exciting attacks to the basket just as “Air Jordan” was, despite the fact that both of their games revolved around incredibly versatile and deadly assaults on the defense that derived from a never-ending assortment of familiar yet distinct mid-range jump shots that made me feel like I was watching a rare art form as opposed to a sports match. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a single game and did it largely from the perimeter in the modern era (something fans will never let one of his defenders Jalen Rose forget), which makes it vastly more impressive than Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game in which Wilt simply physically overpowered comparatively inferior opponents. Kobe Bryant is 3rd all-time on the list for career points scored in the playoffs as well as 3rd on the list for career points scored in the regular season. Kobe Bryant once averaged 35 PPG (points per game) in a season. Kobe Bryant’s standing on the list of greats is highly controversial because his legacy is so often marginalized and sensationalized. He is marginalized by people who ridicule him for the amount of shots he fires up (missed more field goals than anyone in NBA history) and the type of shots that he attempts. However, they fail to realize that Michael Jordan shared Kobe’s creative fearlessness that allowed him to take the type of shots that coaches would not urge their children to replicate. He is also criticized for being a teammate that didn’t always mesh well with others (who lacked his drive), especially other stars. Kobe is also sensationalized because he happened to be a superstar that was operating his mechanical yet fluid game while playing for the most famous and followed franchise in the history of basketball. Kobe Bryant was a star for the stars to watch. His every success or failure was destined to be amplified and exaggerated. He ricocheted between being widely recognized as villainous and widely recognized as heroic all throughout his career, and now as it concludes his swan song has a heroic melody. The end makes us truly appreciate everything that used to be. The ride wasn’t always smooth and Kobe was by no means infallible but there was not a man who ever lived that loved the game, immersed himself into his craft, and lusted for the champagne showers of victory more than Kobe Bryant. Determining greatness requires that we account for both longevity, level of competition (often a forgotten factor), and peak dominance. It’s hard to unveil a line in between those three considerations that would allow us to accurately appoint rankings that can withstand the inevitable criticism that will persistently attack any list of this variety. However, when I think of the single word: “dominance” one name forces its way to the forefront of my mind. There is a valid reason for people to believe Kobe may have at times had uncertainties that led to habitual insecurities about his own greatness because of the greatness Kobe himself had to marvel at and witness on a nightly basis. His type of play was groundbreaking. Not only did this other man change the league in a powerful way, but he also threatened the life span of the floor that had to absorb the force of him propelling into the air and crashing down for each of the many rebounds, blocks, and unstoppable dunks throughout his span of complete dominance that featured opponents who were genuinely frightened by the Diesel’s presence on the court. Andrew Bynum was incredibly strong. Dwight Howard has insane physical strength. Shaquille O'Neal What Shaq had however was a class above strength. He had freakish raw physical POWER that was comparable to that of Charles Barkley’s, but Shaq was over half a foot taller than Chuck standing at 7’1. He usually weighed more than 300 pounds throughout the years and had a thick wide body that still wasn’t massive enough stop his protruding muscles. He possessed freakish explosiveness and coordination when you take his enormous size into consideration. Between 1997 and 2002 Shaquille O’Neal led the NBA each season in PER (Player Efficiency Rating). He was yet another prolific Los Angeles Laker big man, and Kobe Bryant aided him as the unprecedented force led his team to a three peat within those years of terror. A reasonably legitimate argument could be made that no player ever dominated the league as thoroughly as Shaquille O’Neal did within that time frame. Kobe and Shaq were a great duo, but repeatedly pairing their names together when accounting for the three peat has accidentally led many to believe that they were equally responsible for those championships. Kobe was a budding superstar who had extracted the fiery passion and thirst for winning out of Jordan’s eyes as they intently sized each other up in their few storied matchups against one another. However, no interpretation of events can sufficiently provide an argument that allows Kobe’s greatness in the early 2000s to parallel Shaq’s legendary greatness. Shaq won an MVP in 2000. He won the NBA Finals MVP in all three championships that he and Kobe captured together. Michael Jordan is the only other player in NBA history to ever win the Finals MVP in three consecutive seasons (MJ did it twice). In 2004, Shaq’s ultra-dominant prime was concluding and he was humbled in the NBA Finals by an energetic center who was in far better shape at the time. Ben Wallace outworked, outhustled, and ran the life out of a lethargic looking Shaquille O’Neal. This illuminated the contrast between the great long-lasting work ethic of Bryant and the less driven work ethic of Shaq who could attribute his physical dominance on the court to genetics more so than he could point to consistently adequate training regiments. However, Kobe also had an extremely lackluster series and the urban tales and jokes are still circulating to this day of the dreadful shot selection and efficiency of Kobe in that series. In all fairness, their chemistry was in question at the time and they were matched up against a gritty, all rounded, and defensive oriented Detroit Pistons band of rough riders that were destined to claim the championship that year regardless. Shaq later went on to win a fourth championship in Miami in 2006 alongside another legendary shooting guard by the name of Dwyane Wade (in that series Shaq was still a beast but he was outside of his prime and Wade led the way). Shaq’s span of greatness was not as lengthy as anyone else mentioned on this list because his attention to his health was far less rigorously meticulous than the others, but at his peak he may have been more dominant than anyone else….ever. LeBron James The prodigy. If any human being was ever destined to play in the NBA….it’s LeBron James. If James Naismith had not invented the game of basketball then just imagine LeBron James wandering the lands in search of his destiny. In reality I’m sure he would’ve just became a football player in the absence of basketball, but although football is a more prominent sport in America, it would not have allowed for the superstar that is LeBron James to blossom. Football doesn’t even allow for a singular player to consistently impact the game both defensively and offensively in the manner LeBron James has been doing for the last decade. LeBron James was dubbed as “The Chosen One” and compared to Michael Jordan while he was still in high school. LeBron James was signed to a $100,000,000 deal with Nike as an 18 year old. LeBron James is a frighteningly mobile, extremely explosive, and quick man with large yet lean muscles who is 6’8. He is often referred to as a freight train, a far quicker Karl Malone, and a point forward who has the ability to play all five positions effectively on either offense or defense. He was quick enough to shut down his playoff rival Derrick Rose (point guard) in every key moment against the Bulls, and his rare unexplainable presence on the court both bolsters a team’s rebounding potential while also direly limiting the other teams potential for a fast break due to his speed and ability to embarrass opponents by pinning their scoring attempts against the backboard in an iconic fashion as if he is a living windshield wiper blade. My all-time favorite LeBron James moment was in a decisive Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals when he powered in all of his team’s final 25 points including a game winning layup in double overtime against a tough Detroit Pistons defense in a game where his strength was more apparent than ever as he finished through heavy contact and many missed foul calls to go along with a skillful series of highly contested off balance jumpers that required immense athleticism to even attempt. His sole presence on the court can transform any otherwise below average team into a playoff contender if not a full-blown threat to win the NBA Finals. LeBron James is unfairly criticized for not being clutch, which is largely due to his 3-4 record in The Finals. It is true that LeBron doesn’t have the same unwavering competitiveness as Jordan or Kobe and despite the fact that he has cracked the Top 5 of All-Time list as a 31 year old it can still be assumed that given his physical gifts, he could’ve done more if he did possess the raw intangible fire that defined Jordan and Kobe. However, LeBron is only notably responsible for actively contributing to a losing effort in the 2011 Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron’s tentativeness and lack of the fearlessness was vividly present in that series as he set a new career low for scoring in Game 4 when he accumulated a mere 8 points. In the six game Finals series in 2011 James only made 7 shots in all the fourth quarters combined out of 21 attempts. James finished the series averaging 17.8 PPG after previously averaging 26 PPG during the 3 previous playoff series leading up to the Finals performance that admittedly still haunts LeBron to this day. LeBron is one of the most prolific facilitators and game managers in the history of the league but that was an example of how on occasion his unselfishness makes him prone to becoming an offensive spectator despite the fact that his uncanny athleticism makes him especially adept at being able to create quality shot attempts when faced with the elevated defenses birthed from the urgency that’s present late in games, in rivalries, in the playoffs, and especially in the NBA Finals. This is still a minor blip in the career of one of the greatest athletes ever, however it does completely eliminate his chance to ever be mentioned as the singular greatest player ever above Michael Jordan. LeBron’s three other Finals losses were due to circumstances way outside of his dictation, which often revolved around having little to no help in his pursuit of a championship. And in 2014 the Spurs beat LeBron while putting on the most dominant, cohesive, and beautiful team performance ever seen as they won by a record average margin by way of surreal high arcing floaters and rhythmically released jump shots that were shot in a mechanical fashion after a series of passes so tactical and quick it was hard to comprehend whether our eyes were playing tricks on us. Since Jordan’s retirement, the best player in the league changed frequently, but I believe LeBron James has spent the greatest length of time as the world’s best player in the last decade. In this sense he has validated the nickname “King James” as he has so frequently been in possession of the “best player” crown. LeBron James won 4 regular season MVP awards in 5 years. LeBron led the league in PER (Player Efficiency Rating) 6 consecutive years, which has only been bested by Jordan who led the league in PER in 7 consecutive seasons. LeBron tallied another astonishing less well known statistical feat when he had a mind boggling PER of 37.39 in the 2009 playoffs. Only the great and also insanely versatile center Hakeem Olajuwon bested that number (in 1988 by posting a 38.96 PER) throughout the playoffs in any year and the year Hakeem posted that efficiency rating his team was swept out of the first round. LeBron maintained his astronomical 37.39 PER all the way through the Eastern Conference Finals before LeBron’s far inferior teammates finally crippled LeBron’s greatness. In the Eastern Conference Finals (which the Cavs eventually lost to the Magic) LeBron also hit the most revered electrifying buzzer beater of his career in Game 2, which famously sent an Ohio news anchor out of his seat during a live telecast. Jordan’s best playoff PER was five points less at 32.04 and besides Jordan no player (except for two before 1980 against incomparable competition) came within 5 of LeBron’s spectacular playoff PER in 2009. LeBron won the NBA Finals MVP all three times his team was victorious in The Finals. He has currently led his team to The Finals in 6 consecutive seasons and has personally made a mockery of Eastern Conference competition, which albeit has been considerably weaker than the Western Conference during those years. Some would disqualify LeBron from this argument because the more widely acknowledged and logical end of Jordan’s true reign was in 1998 when his Bull’s career concluded as opposed to when he retired in 2003, and LeBron has only been in the league since 2003. When LeBron left Cleveland for Miami in 2010 he altered the entire landscape of the league in ways that can only be compared to when Shaq left Orlando for Los Angeles. Personally, I feel that it is questionable whether LeBron should be included in this debate but given his extreme level of dominance in an overlapping period of time and taking into account how he drew comparisons to MJ in high school I decided it would be ignorant to not acknowledge his legacy as the most versatile player ever who can impact a team more significantly and in more ways as a singular force than anyone has ever been able to before him. In 1999, LeBron was an 8th grader playing in the AAU national championship game. His future NBA Finals rival was busy capturing his first championship. LeBron would go on to face this man 3 times in The Finals and he only escaped victorious once, and the one victory was a result of Ray Allen hitting one of the clutchest shots ever made. Tim Duncan “The Big Fundamental” is so consistent and predictable that he has found a way to make greatness lack excitement, which has led to a tragic lack of appreciation for a player that has truly and thoroughly dominated the entirety of the Post-Jordan Era. Tim Duncan has never won less than 50 games (out of 82) in his career. Tim Duncan is the only player ever to win a championship in 3 different decades. In Tim Duncan’s very first season he averaged 21 PPG, 12 RPG, and 2.5 BPG (Blocks per Game) while going on to be named to the All-NBA First Team. Tim Duncan is the greatest Power Forward of all time. Tim Duncan’s entire career is dynastic. Tim Duncan currently has won five championships and was the Finals MVP three times. Tim Duncan won the MVP in both 2002 and 2003 with season averages of 25 points and 13 rebounds followed by season averages of 23 points and 13 rebounds. Tim Duncan averaged over 14 rebounds in the playoffs on four separate occasions and during those years his playoff averages for points per game were 20, 24, 25, and 28. Kobe’s known for being a closer and rightfully so, but Tim Duncan’s repeated outbursts in the playoffs and especially in The Finals became so routine and easy for him that his reputation somehow isn’t widely recognized on the same level as Kobe’s even though evidence would suggest Tim has definitely matched if not exceeded Bryant’s greatness in big moments. Tim Duncan has also been one of the most feared and effective rim protectors in the history of the league, which highlights his defensive ability. Duncan is 5th all-time in career blocks and also 6th all-time in career rebounds. Duncan is first all-time in career blocks in the all-important postseason. Duncan played with a magical combination of grace, power, deception, and length that all morphed together to create a devastating post game that never even bordered on recklessness as his moves were always tactically calculated yet unpredictable. His patient, fundamentally exquisite, and deadly shimmies in the post during The Finals are a visualization of a lengthy montage of greatness that will always come to mind when the name Tim Duncan emerges in conversation. When It Really Counts..... I put a lot of emphasis on how players perform in the most critical and intense moments as opposed to players that excel at advantageously preying on mediocre players in moments of midseason complacency. I think it is most important what one accomplishes against the most elite competition in the most competitive moments when everyone puts it all on the line and exerts energy as if there is no tomorrow. The most meaningful performances come under the greatest pressure. As I look to crown a king in the Post-Jordan Era I need to account for what players did in the playoffs and on the biggest stage in the game of basketball…………on the hardwood in THE FINALS. No player has yet surpassed the overall playoff or Finals resume of the His Airness, but who has done the art of basketball the most justice since his absence? Others have reached and touched the plateau of greatness for singular Finals performances that can rest comfortably beside those of Jordan himself. In 2009, Kobe Bryant had his most dominant Finals performance averaging 32.4 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 5.6 RPG. However, Kobe Bryant is the only player in NBA Finals history to ever win the Finals MVP without shooting over 50% from the field in a single game, and both times he won Finals MVP he did not shoot above 50% in a single game of either series. His grit, relentless competiveness, and unwillingness to lose was still enough to nobly lead his team to victory over the Celtics in a Game 7 featuring teammate Pau Gasol’s exploitation of the rebounding liability that was Glen Davis in 2010, and over a dysfunctional unbalanced Magic team in 2009 that relied heavily on three pointers and their good fortune that allowed them to avoid colliding with a healthy Kevin Garnett who led the Celtics to a 27-2 record to start the season before eventually falling prey to injury. But let’s rewind back to Kobe’s first few rings, and the big man who cleared the paint and paved the way to that trio of trophies. In the year 2000, during Shaq’s supreme reign over the league he had an inconceivably dominant NBA Finals performance (to Reggie Miller’s dismay) averaging 38 PPG, 16.7 RPG, and 2.7 BPG as he obliterated anyone who had the courage to step into the paint that he had marked as solely his property. In the 2001 NBA Finals Shaq averaged 33 PPG, 16 RPG, 5 APG, and 3.4 BPG against a Sixers team that was being carried by another superstar that was potently dominant for a short period of time. With an emphasis on short, at a mere 6 feet 0 inches and at a puny weight of 165 pounds Allen Iverson was “The Answer”. That is if the question was: Who was the only the only small guy to ever will his team to The Finals with ferocity, fearlessness that has never been emulated, and a laughable supporting cast of teammates (in terms of the blatant lack of stardom)? Or if the question was: Who was the smallest player to ever win an NBA MVP award? “The Answer” is Allen Iverson. Allen Iverson averaged 35 PPG in the 2000 Finals despite his team getting overpowered by Shaq and having to often score against an elite and much taller defender in Kobe Bryant. Besides Michael Jordan himself, no player has a higher scoring average in the playoffs than Allen Iverson’s 29.73 PPG. Allen Iverson averaged 27 PPG and 6 APG in his career during the regular season and won 4 scoring titles, which is 4 more than anyone else under the height of 6’1. In 2002, Shaq concluded his campaign of terror by averaging 36 PPG, 12 RPG, 3 BPG, and 4 APG as the Lakers swept their way to their third straight title. As you know Shaq would later go on to get a heat check in the 2004 Finals due to the tenacity of Ben Wallace’s stifling defense, athleticism, and endurance. Shaquille O’Neal concluded his Finals career with another humbling performance in 2006, although he was still efficient and notably impactful as he recorded 14 PPG and 10 RPG to assist his Miami Heat teammate. Shaq’s teammate was the young superstar Dwyane Wade. Dwyane Wade had one of the best Finals performances of all time and put on his career’s best performance in 2006 to help Shaq win his fourth and last championship. Wade averaged 35 PPG, 8 RPG, 3 SPG (Steals per Game), and 4 APG as he carried his team back from a 0-2 deficit in the series, winning the following 4 games. Dwyane Wade is the best shot blocking guard in the history of the NBA, one of the best rebounding guards of all time, and was the most powerful and forceful guard of all time (Russell Westbrook is on pace to take that title). Wade specialized in making cuts off the ball and exploding towards the rim with a surprisingly controlled elegant form of raw explosiveness. Wade later went on to win back to back championships with King James in 2012 and 2013. Like Allen Iverson did in 2001, LeBron carried a lowly Cavaliers supporting cast to The Finals in 2007 (however it is less impressive than A.I.’s run because LeBron is 8 inches taller and was 100 pounds stronger). In LeBron’s first Finals performance against the experienced Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and the San Antonio Spurs the Cavaliers were handily swept away. The pesky Bruce Bowen (one of the greatest wing defenders of all time) forced LeBron to shoot 36% from the field, and the paint was of course being anchored down by Tim Duncan (who is second all-time in blocks in The Finals). The Cavaliers second and third leading scorers were Drew Gooden and Daniel Gibson, which essentially means it was a young LeBron James by himself up against experience, depth, the best coach in NBA history (Gregg Popovich), and grittiness that created an insurmountable obstacle for the young prince James who would have yet to be crowned despite being among the best in the league at the time. Over the next few years he would be silenced twice by a young playoff standout Rajon Rondo and his savvy trio of motivated aging stars Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce who joined forces in the twilight of their primes on the Celtics to chase the championship that had eluded them previously due to the same problem LeBron was currently experiencing…a lack of help. When the Celtics disposed of Cleveland in the 2010 playoffs LeBron’s frustration was evident and the Celtics trio inspired LeBron to mimic their idea of creating a Big Three. This led to him joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Their first Finals appearance against the Mavericks was that debacle in 2011 featuring LeBron’s most regrettable performance of his career in which he was reduced to a passive spectator as he willfully was sentenced to defeat by another generational player. It was unsettling to watch LeBron fail the way he did in that series. However, that was somewhat offset by how gratifying it was to see Dirk Nowitzki cap off an amazing season with a championship to help him get his due recognition for his way too often overlooked and underrated career. Dirk won an MVP award in 2007 while also finishing the season in the revered 50-40-90 club (50% from the field, 40% from beyond the 3pt arc, and 90% from the free throw line). On nine separate occasions Dirk finished a season in the top 10 in both points (PPG) and efficiency (PER). Dirk’s career averages throughout his illustrious playoff career are 25 PPG and 10 RPG, and he was a longtime and crucial member of the competitive Wild Wild West showdowns when he often exchanged baskets with the likes of Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan in heated rivalrous bouts that became deeply personal as time continued to pass. Dirk was a versatile power forward who was 7ft tall yet could shoot deep threes over the hands of outstretched defenders. Many 7 footers don’t even possess the coordination to hit free throws, but Dirk could hit jumpers with his body falling away as he nimbly balanced his massive awkward body on a single foot before releasing his high arcing shot from a release point well above his head making it impossible to truly bother, alter, or at all contest his shot. Dirk Nowitzki’s 2011 Finals victory avenged the 2006 collapse against the same Miami Heat franchise. 2006 was when Dwyane Wade went on a tirade to reverse their 0-2 deficit into a 4-2 victory. In the 2011 NBA Finals Dirk averaged 26 PPG, 10 RPG, and most memorably caught fire from the free throw line as he made 45 out of 46 attempts. He was the Finals MVP. Earlier in the playoffs in that same year he made 24 free throws in a single game without missing any (NBA record), and he finished that postseason with a 94% free throw percentage (out of 186 attempts). Only 5 players in NBA history have scored more points than Dirk Nowitzki. When LeBron and Wade dueled against Durant and Westbrook in the exciting fast paced 2012 Finals they executed better down the stretch and were surrounded by a sufficient amount of 3 point weapons to overcome how they were outscored by the Thunder’s dynamic duo. Durant only averaged 2 more points per game than LeBron, but he also had a field goal percentage that was 8% higher than LeBron’s. However, LeBron’s excellence was still on display as he averaged 29 PPG, 10 RPG, and 7 APG on his way to his first of back to back championships and Finals MVPs. In the following 2013 Finals LeBron averaged 25 PPG, 11 RPG, 7 APG, and 2 SPG as they beat the San Antonio Spurs after a miraculous Ray Allen (current leader in career 3s) 3 pointer in one of the most classic series in the history of basketball. In the following 2014 NBA Finals LeBron was outplayed by budding superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard (2014 Finals MVP) as the extremely motivated and vengeful Spurs avenged their loss from the previous year to claim the 5th title for Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich, and the storied franchise. The Spurs were on a mission that season and won that Finals easily by a record margin as Kawhi’s defense harassed LeBron. Although, LeBron lost his own matchup in that series I would still contend that there was absolutely no amount of greatness that could’ve been exhibited by any single player ever that would have stopped the unbelievable 2014 Spurs from taking the title that they believed had been wrongfully taken from them the previous year. In truth, the Heat won in 2013 fair and square, even if the victory did resurrect from a three so miraculous that it was an aberration. However, the Spurs admitted to watching the tape of their defeat over and over until it sufficiently motivated them, which fueled their maniacal outbursts against their opponents. In 2015, LeBron was once again playing for his homely Cleveland Cavaliers and he once again faced a challenge that presented little hope for perseverance. This new Cavaliers lineup features two other stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. But the problem was that they were both injured. So once again all the pressure rested on the broad shoulders of LeBron James, and he was up against a historically balanced and deep Warriors lineup. Another issue was that without their star point guard Kyrie Irving they had no one to put any offensive or defensive pressure on opposing superstar point guard Steph Curry. LeBron also was up against two extremely athletic small forwards who were both also excellent defenders (Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes). LeBron and the Cavaliers lost the 2015 Finals in 6 games, but LeBron’s performance was so spectacular that he received serious consideration for the Finals MVP award despite the fact that his independent greatness couldn’t match the vast depth and continuity of the Warriors. LeBron became the first player in Finals history to record more points, assists, or rebounds than any other player on either team with 36 PPG, 13 RPG, and 9 APG. When LeBron James was off the court the Cavaliers had no one who was able to generate any offense. Cavalier teammates JR Smith, Matthew Dellavedova, James Jones, and Iman Shumpert were unable to make a single shot out of 21 attempts in the series when LeBron James wasn’t on the court to either provide the Warriors defense with a threat that allowed others to have space or to directly facilitate for others. LeBron notably shot 39.8% from the field in that series but he was forced to take an uncomfortable amount of shots against an arsenal of great Warriors defenders because he was the only healthy Cavalier left who could create offense. LeBron’s teammate JR Smith who at times can be an offensive spark plug regressed to looking like a player who had no right even wearing an NBA uniform based on his putrid performance in the 2015 Finals. LeBron played with a relentless competitive energy that allowed him to valiantly take on every role on the court in the face of desperation as he singlehandedly pushed the series to 6 games despite the overwhelming hopelessness of having his two stars out against a phenomenal and thoroughly healthy Warriors team. In the 2016 NBA Finals LeBron had his career defining moment that is epitomized by “The Block”, as he became the first player to come back from a 3-1 deficit and the first player to lead a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, ad steals. He also blocked a 73 win team from becoming the winningest (and potentially the greatest) team of all time. In 2003, Tim Duncan was at his peak. Vintage Tim Duncan had just won an MVP award and was playing in The Finals against the New Jersey Nets who were an excellent defensive team, and individually Tim Duncan was matched up against Kenyon Martin who was a talented young power forward at the time. Tim Duncan put on his greatest showing of his entire career and averaged 24 PPG, 17 RPG, and 5 APG in the series. When the Spurs needed one more win and with the championship on the line in Game 6, Tim Duncan almost recorded a quadruple double as he poured in 21 points, ripped down 20 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and swatted away 8 shots while forcing his defensive assignment Kenyon Martin to shoot a horrendous 3 for 23 from the field. In Tim Duncan’s first 4 Finals series (over the course of 22 games) he averaged 23 PPG, 14 RPG, and 3 BPG. In his very first NBA Finals at age 23 (in his second season) Tim Duncan averaged 27 PPG and 14 RPG. Duncan, Shaq, LeBron, Wade and Nowitzki are all in the Top 20 in all-time career PER. Kobe is just outside the Top 20 at number 23. Jordan is unsurprisingly first on that list, LeBron is second, and Shaq is third. All Time Leaders in Points Scored in the Playoffs 1. Jordan 2. Kareem 3. Kobe 4. LeBron 5. Shaq 6. Duncan ... 11. Wade ... 15. Dirk

A motive for the creation of this site is to illuminate: The Complexity of Winning

Winning involves coaching, great role players (depth), ball movement, chemistry, intangibles, and rebounding. Winning is not solely reliant on the amount of raw star power a team possesses. Every championship team needs and had a Robert Horry, Andre Iguodala, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Boris Diaw, or even a Tristan Thompson. Basketball is complex, and sometimes you need to look even beyond the stars.