For the better part of the last decade, NBA fans have gotten used to seeing Stephen Curry, LeBron James, or both players in the NBA Finals every year. With the exception of 2021, either Curry or LeBron James has appeared in every NBA Finals series since 2011. For 4 straight seasons from 2015 through 2018, we were able to bear witness to these two transcendent superstars facing off against each other in the Finals. James has been to 10 NBA Finals in his career, while Curry has been to 6, with each player taking home 4 NBA championships.
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- Shooting Percentage
- NBA Finals Record
- Final Result
- Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James 2-5
- LeBron James Is The Considerably Better Finals Performer Than Stephen Curry
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Today, we will take a look at each of these two superstars and compare them based on their Finals performances. James has the clear edge with 4 NBA Finals MVP awards over Curry’s one that he just recently earned in 2022. James has also earned his 4 titles with 3 different teams, while Curry has won all 4 of his with the Golden State Warriors. As two of the greatest stars and icons for an entire generation, it is only right that we dive deeper into their performances on the game’s biggest stage.
This is the Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James Finals stats comparison.
Points
Stephen Curry: 27.3 PPG (928 Total Points)
LeBron James: 28.4 PPG (1,562 Total Points)
Both LeBron James and Stephen Curry have turned in some epic scoring performances in the NBA Finals. Curry’s best scoring performance in the NBA Finals came in his most recent championship run in 2021-22. Stephen Curry and the Warriors faced off against the Boston Celtics in the Finals and downed them in 6 games to claim their 4th NBA title in 8 seasons. Curry averaged 31.2 PPG on 43.7% shooting from 3-point land and 48.2% overall. He turned in 30+ point games in all 6 games, which included 2 games with over 40 points scored.
For LeBron James, scoring in the Finals is something he has done his entire career outside of the 2011 disaster vs. the Dallas Mavericks. His highest scoring effort in a Finals series came in a 2015 loss to the Warriors. James averaged 35.8 PPG on 39.8% shooting overall and 31.0% from three. His highest-scoring Finals series in a victory was in 2020 when he won his 4th NBA title with the Lakers. James averaged 29.8 PPG in the 6-game series over the Heat and shot 59.1% from the floor.
Advantage: LeBron James
Rebounds
Stephen Curry: 5.8 RPG (196 Total Rebounds)
LeBron James: 10.2 RPG (561 Total Rebounds)
For this category, we expected LeBron James to hold a significant advantage over Stephen Curry, and that is exactly what we got. Curry is by no means a bad rebounder for his position, especially in the NBA Finals. In the 2017 NBA Finals against James’ Cavaliers, Curry averaged 8.0 RPG with 2 games of 10 rebounds or better. He also has 4 other series in which he averaged over 5.0 RPG and 2 with over 6.0 RPG.
We have watched LeBron James quite literally do it all in the NBA Finals and for the better part of 2 decades. James averages 10.2 RPG in the Finals for his career and has 6 different series in which he averaged 10.0 RPG or better. Once again, his career-high in the Finals came in the 2015 defeat to the Warriors, where James averaged 13.3 RPG. In that series, James had games in which he grabbed 14, 16, and 18 rebounds and grabbed less than 10 rebounds just once.
Advantage: LeBron James
Assists
Stephen Curry: 6.0 APG (204 Total Assists)
LeBron James: 7.8 APG (430 Total Assists)
Both of these players have been exceptional passers during their careers in the NBA Finals and across the board during their careers. Stephen Curry has played 34 games in the NBA Finals and has dished out 204 assists in those games. His best Finals series as a facilitator came in the 2017 Finals once again, as he dished out 9.4 APG in the series. He only averaged less than 6.0 APG in the Finals during the 2016 and 2019 series, which are the only 2 Finals losses on his record.
The track record is long and clear for LeBron James as a playmaker who recently passed Magic Johnson on the all-time assists list. There have been 2 instances in which James has averaged 10.0 APG in the NBA Finals but lost the series in overwhelming fashion. In back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018, James averaged 10.0 APG in losses to the Golden State Warriors. James was a force on the court, doing everything he possibly could to earn another championship. Unfortunately for him, his team fell short of that goal.
Advantage: LeBron James
Steals
Stephen Curry: 1.6 SPG (55 Total Steals)
LeBron James: 1.7 SPG (93 Total Steals)
For as long as I can remember, the NBA community has labeled Stephen Curry as a negative defender and liability on that side of the ball. However, Curry has found ways to be disruptive on that end throughout his NBA Finals career and beyond. Curry has accumulated 55 steals in 34 Finals games with his quick hands and savvy off-ball instincts. Curry has put forth 2 efforts of 2.0 SPG or better in his career during the Finals. During the 2017 performance, Curry recorded 2.2 SPG, and in 2022 against the Celtics, he averaged 2.0 SPG.
LeBron James has always been the complete opposite of Curry in the defensive department. During his prime, he was an incredibly versatile defender who could pick up any position at any point and get a timely stop. This dominant defense didn’t end when it came to the NBA Finals. James’ best defensive series by far came in the historic 2016 comeback win over the Warriors. He averaged 2.6 SPG for this series, and many of them helped to seal the most historic series in NBA history. James also averaged 2.3 SPG in the 2013 Finals and 2.0 SPG in 2014.
Advantage: LeBron James
Blocks
Stephen Curry: 0.3 BPG (11 Total Blocks)
LeBron James: 0.8 BPG (46 Total Blocks)
I cannot think of a single time over the last 10 seasons that someone has referred to Curry as a shot-blocker. Whatever the case, Curry has had his moments during the NBA Finals with blocking shots despite the low 0.3 BPG average in 34 games. Curry recorded 3 blocks in a game during the 2016 NBA Finals against James and the Cavaliers. He also had another 3-block game against James and the Cavs in 2018. Curry and the Warriors went 1-1 in those games and 1-1 overall in the series.
James’ shot-blocking ability was at its peak in his younger days with the Cavaliers and Heat. However, as far as the Finals go, James’ best series was once again the 2016 comeback over the Warriors. The series’ most famous play is a chase-down block by James on Andre Iguodala, and it is only fitting considering the effort he put forth with 2.6 SPG and 2.3 BPG for the series. James’ best series aside from 2016 as far as shot-blocking came when he averaged 1.0 BPG in 2017 and 2018.
Advantage: LeBron James
Shooting Percentage
Stephen Curry: 43.2 FG%, 39.5 3P%, 91.7 FT%
LeBron James: 48.4 FG%, 35.2 3P%, 73.1 FT%
If there was any category that we spoke about today where Stephen Curry was going to have an advantage over LeBron James, shooting efficiency was going to be the one. Stephen Curry is the greatest all-around shooter that the game has ever seen and, with unlimited range, strut his stuff in the NBA Finals more than once. Curry’s overall percentage is just lower than James, but that is what happens when one player attacks the rim exponentially more than the other. Curry shoots his foul shots at over 91.0% in the big games, while James sits at just 73.1%.
The 3-point shooting is much further apart than just 4.3%. With Curry’s sheer volume of shots from beyond the arc alone, his 39.5% mark from three is incredibly impressive. The best Curry ever shot from three in a Finals series was in the 2022 victory over the Celtics at 43.7% on 11.8 attempts per game. As for James, he shot 51.9% from three in the 2014 loss to the Spurs but on only 5.4 attempts. He also shot 41.7% from three in the 2020 Finals with the Lakers on 6.0 attempts. The difference in volume and accuracy truly tells the story of Curry’s shooting greatness.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
NBA Finals Record
Stephen Curry: 4-2
LeBron James: 4-10
Stephen Curry and LeBron James are forever linked together as the 2 greatest stars of a generation. They also happen to be linked together for their battles in the NBA Finals4 years in a row from 2015 through 2018. Curry and the Warriors emerged from 3 out of the 4 meetings as NBA champions, while James completed an improbable comeback down 3-1 for his one win over Golden State. Curry added a 4th championship in 2022 when he claimed Finals MVP in a 6-game series victory over the Boston Celtics.
LeBron James has been to the NBA Finals 10 times in his career, including 8 straight seasons from 2011 through 2018. In his first sting in Cleveland, James went to the Finals in 2007, where he was swept by the San Antonio Spurs. He then went to 4 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat from 2011 through 2014. James and the Heat fell to the Mavericks in 2011 and the Spurs in 2014 but picked up victories over the Thunder in 2012 and Spurs in 2013. His 3rd ring came over the Warriors in 2016, but he suffered losses to Golden State in 2015, 2017, and 2018. His 4th and final championship came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 when they took down the Miami Heat in the Finals. James claimed Finals MVP in all 4 wins in the NBA Finals.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
Final Result
Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James 2-5
LeBron James Is The Considerably Better Finals Performer Than Stephen Curry
As we can see when it comes to individual performances, LeBron James is better than Stephen Curry in nearly every basic stat and metric. On the defensive side, I do not really think it is a question when LeBron is out there disrupting most possessions and guarding every position on the floor. Let’s be clear, though, Stephen Curry is grossly underrated on the defensive end. He may not be out there guarding the best player, but he can be disruptive off the ball.
As for what offense entails, James has been considerably better despite dropping 3 out of 4 matchups against Curry’s Warriors. Do I really need to compare the personnel in each series? This doesn’t take a single thing away from what Stephen Curry has meant to 4 NBA championship teams. For all 4 titles, he was either the best or 2nd-best player on the court for a championship-winning team. James has been the best player on the court overall in 90.0% of his NBA Finals appearances, whether he won or lost. You can argue whose playstyle was more conducive to winning, but you cannot deny the greatness of both of these champions on the game’s greatest stage.
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