Ranking LeBron James’ Best And Worst NBA Finals Performances

Some players are lucky to make the NBA Finals once. The goal of the NBA is to make it through the playoffs and win the championship. We have seen some players like Bill Russell win 11 championships while others are fortunate to get one ring. Either way, becoming a champion is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports. Chasing greatness is what defines a player’s legacy.

Michael Jordan went a perfect 6-0 in the Finals. The player often compared to the greatest of all time is LeBron James. There was a stretch where James was featured in the NBA Finals for eight consecutive years with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Eventually, James played and won a championship with the Lakers as well. In his 10 appearances, James may have a 4-6 record but has put forth some very impressive appearances in the NBA Finals. If we ranked the best and worst performances, this is what that would look like.

Here are the best and worst performances in the NBA Finals by LeBron James.

10. 2011 NBA Finals

NBA Finals Series Result: Heat vs. Mavericks 2-4

It was the second time that James had made the NBA Finals and the first of eight years. James had joined the Miami Heat to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a superteam. The Heat took the opening game 92-84, with James leading the team with 24 points. It was one of two games in which James led the team in scoring. James led the team in Game 6 as well by scoring 21 points in the 105-95 series-clinching loss.

In the six games, James averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.7 steals. James was second on the team in scoring but led the team in assists and steals. Chris Bosh nearly beat out James in rebounding with 7.3, while Wade led the team in scoring with 26.5 points per game. This is the worst NBA Finals performance in LeBron James’ career, but he would use this Finals appearance to spear a change of two championship teams the following two years. 

9. 2007 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbhtEAFPakM

NBA Finals Series Result: Cavaliers vs. Spurs 0-4

It took four years, but James led his Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. It was the first appearance in franchise history that the team made an appearance in the championship game. It was the fourth time for the San Antonio Spurs, and it showed that the team had experience. Tony Parker was named the Finals MVP, beating out multi-winner Tim Duncan.

The fact that the Cavaliers made the Finals was already an impressive feat. Around James featured a roster constructed with Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao. James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in the four games. James led the team in scoring in Games 2, 3, and 4 with 25, 25, and 24 points, respectively.

8. 2018 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4fnnKF1Axg

NBA Finals Series Result: Cavaliers vs. Warriors 0-4

It was the fourth time that the Warriors met the Cavaliers in the Finals, but it was the first time without Kyrie Irving. While what the Cavaliers did was respectable, the team was outmanned. James did everything in his power to lead the team, but it was not enough. That included 51 points in the team’s 124-114 overtime loss in Game 1. James scored 29 points and 13 assists in the 122-103 loss in Game 2.

The Warriors took a 3-0 lead with a 110-102 win despite 33 points and 11 assists from James. In the sweep, the Warriors blew out the Cavaliers 108-85 despite 23 points and eight assists from James. Kevin Durant won his second Finals MVP Award. James averaged 34.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 44.7 minutes per game.

7. 2014 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7aYVlBTGk4

NBA Finals Series Result: Heat vs. Spurs 1-4

After falling to the Heat in a seven-game series the year prior, the Spurs roared back to finish off the Heat dynasty. The Spurs dominated the series from start to finish. The team opened up with a 110-95 win over the Heat despite 25 points from James. In the Heat’s lone win, James led the team with 35 points and 10 rebounds to take the 98-96 win. The Heat would lose three straight games despite James leading the team in scoring.

James scored 22 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in a 111-92 Game 3 loss. James added 28 points and eight rebounds in a 107-86 Game 4 loss. The Spurs closed out the series 104-87 in Game 5 despite James leading the team with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. James averaged 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals, leading the Heat in all four categories.

6. 2015 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99tD_SglWxo

NBA Finals Series Result: Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2-4

Led by MVP Stephen Curry, the Warriors won their first title in 40 years, while James returned home to Cleveland to try and lead the team to their first title in franchise history. With the addition of Kevin Love and James around Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers looked like the team was going to pull off the unthinkable. Despite averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists, the Warriors pulled out the six-game win.

Among James’ performances, including scoring 44 points in the opening 108-100 overtime loss in Game 1. The second game went to overtime, but James used 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the 95-93 win. James scored 40 points in this game, a 96-91 win. After getting blown out in Game 4, James scored a triple-double of 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in Game 5, but the Warriors came out victorious 104-91. In the final game, James scored 32 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists in the 105-97 loss.

5. 2017 NBA Finals

NBA Finals Series Result: Cavaliers vs. Warriors 1-4

For the third consecutive year, the Cavaliers met the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers sought to defend their title, but the addition of Kevin Durant was too much to stop. The Warriors, who had won 73 games the year prior, were just too much for the Cavaliers. With that said, it was the first time that a player averaged a triple-double in the Finals. Despite losing the championship, some were calling for James to win the Finals MVP.

James scored 28 points and eight assists in the 113-91 loss in the opening game. The Warriors doubled down with a 132-113 win in Game 2, with James scoring 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Warriors took the 3-0 lead despite James scoring 39 points and nine assists in the 118-113 loss. The Cavaliers stole Game 4 with a 137-116 win, where Irving scored 40 points. James responded with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in Game 5, but the Warriors won the series 129-120. In the five games, James averaged 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists.

4. 2012 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsSVTG-gz_8

NBA Finals Series Result: Heat vs. Thunder 4-1

Despite finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Heat stormed back to the NBA Finals. This time, the trio of James, Wade, and Bosh won their first championship together. After losing the first game, the Heat won four consecutive games to take the 4-1 series lead. James led the team with 30 points and five assists in a 100-96 victory in Game 2. He followed that with 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 91-85 victory in Game 3.

The final two games featured two more great games from James. In Game 4, James scored 26 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists in the 104-98 win. To close out the Thunder, James led the Heat in points, rebounds, and assists with a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. James was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in five games.

3. 2020 NBA Finals

NBA Finals Series Result: Lakers vs. Heat 4-2

For the first time in NBA history, James won Finals MVP with a third franchise. It came over James’ former team, the Heat, where he won two Finals MVP Awards. In the first game, the Lakers used 34 points from Anthony Davis to win 116-98, but James added 13 rebounds and nine assists. The second game featured a 124-114 win as James scored 33 points to lead the team in scoring. The Heat rallied with a 115-104 win in the third game despite 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists from James.

The fourth game featured the Lakers responding with a 102-96 win as James scored 28 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. The fifth game featured the Heat winning 111-108 as Jimmy Butler out-dueled James’ 40 points and 13 rebounds with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. However, the team clinched the series with a 106-93 win as James scored 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks in the six games.

2. 2013 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcRsvXpC5gM

NBA Finals Series Result: Heat vs. Spurs 4-3

It was the fifth time the Spurs had made the NBA Finals since 1999, which was the second-most behind the Los Angeles Lakers. The Heat were the defending NBA champions, and defending their title was anything but easy. The Finals featured so many stars, with four winners of the NBA Finals in James, Wade, Parker, and Duncan. The Spurs got off to the early series lead despite James finishing with a triple-double of 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Heat won the second game 103-84 but was blown out 113-77 in Game 3.

James got back on track by leading the Heat to a 109-93 win in Game 4 with 33 points. James scored 25 points in Game 5, but the Heat lost 114-104. In the memorable Game 6 that featured the series saving a three-pointer from Ray Allen, James led the team with 32 points and 11 assists in the 103-100 overtime win. To seal the series, James scored 37 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in a 95-88 win. James averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.3 steal to win Finals MVP.

1. 2016 NBA Finals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl3JCYxLvDI

NBA Finals Series Result: Cavaliers vs. Warriors 4-3

The greatest series in Cleveland sports history featured the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit. In the first four games, James led the team in scoring once, which was a 32-point effort in the 120-90 win in Game 2. After trailing 3-1, James went on a historic three-game stretch. In Game 5, it featured James and Irving scoring 41 points each to lead the Cavaliers to a 112-97 win. James also led the team with 16 rebounds and seven assists. Back in Cleveland for Game 6, James scored 41 points again and added 11 assists in the 115-101 win.

The final game was set in Oakland, and it featured one of the greatest two-minute stretches ever. James led the team with 27 points and 11 assists but was remembered for his block on Andre Iguodala to prevent the Warriors from tying the game. When the buzzer rang, James could be seen crying on the court, delivering on his promise to bring Cleveland a championship. James led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks in 41.7 minutes per game.

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