With the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers squaring off for this season's NBA title, it's appropriate to revisit three of the more impactful and memorable individual performances in Finals history.
Will Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's MVP and leading scorer in the regular season (32.7 PPG), or Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton match or exceed these epic performances by LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Michael Jordan? Or will another player shine in the white-hot Finals spotlight?
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | 2016
James led the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors in an epic seven-game series. The Cavaliers were down 3-1 to the defending champion Warriors, but James and his unit had other plans.
In the Finals, LeBron averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. Plus, he had arguably the greatest defensive play in NBA Finals history late in Game 7. Andre Iguodala may still be having nightmares about this:
James delivered on his promise to bring Cleveland a championship, and he did so in the most awe-inspiring fashion imaginable. It's safe to say that this historic victory ignited the eventual pairing of Kevin Durant with the Warriors the following season.
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors | 2017
Durant, who played for Oklahoma City from 2009-2016, had the NBA world buzzing after signing with the Golden State Warriors in free agency during the offseason. Some crushed KD for joining a team that had won the 2015 title and an NBA-record 73 games (but no title) in 2016.
Ample pressure fell on Durant to deliver under the scrutiny. And, oh boy, did this dude deliver.
In the Finals, the league MVP averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the five-game series win over the Cavaliers. The 2007 No. 2 overall pick also hit a clutch three-pointer in a critical Game 3 over James. Sure, Durant may have taken the easy route to a title on the star-laden Warriors, but his performance in the spotlight makes it memorable.
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls | 1993
Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and the Bulls won their third consecutive NBA championship, this one against a Phoenix Suns team that featured MVP Charles Barkley.
The Bulls became the first team to '"three-peat" since the Boston Celtics in the 1960s. Jordan had an absolute masterwork of a performance in the six-game series. The six-time NBA champion averaged 41 points (the highest points-per-game average in Finals history), 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
Jordan had other exceptional performances in his other five Finals appearances, but the 1993 Finals stands out.
The performances of Durant, James, and Jordan are iconic, impactful and memorable. Are any of the Pacers or Thunder up to this Finals challenge?
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