The King’s third trip to the NBA Finals was his first successful one. LeBron James – 2012 NBA Finals LeBron was great for the Heat in 2012. He averaged 33.5 points in 41.7 minutes per game. Jordan ended the series with the MVP award after dropping 45 points in Game 6 and hitting the game-winner with 5.2 seconds remaining. However, he had little help from injured teammate Scottie Pippen (41% shooting with 15.7 points per game ). Michael Jordan shot only 42.7% from the field in the six-game series against the Utah Jazz. 23’s performance on the biggest stage in 1998 wasn’t his greatest, but it’s still good enough to rank as one of the best in recent memory. Michael Jordan – 1998 NBA Finals Michael Jordan’s battle with Karl Malone in the 1998 NBA Finals is legendary. Duncan won the MVP award for the Finals, instantly transforming into one of the best players in the game. He played an average of 45.8 minutes in the five-game series, scoring 27.4 points and grabbing 14 rebounds with 2.2 blocks per game. Against the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, 22-year-old second-year forward Tim Duncan came up huge. | Stephen Dunn/Getty Imagesīack in 1999, the Chicago Bulls ended their three-year reign as NBA champions, and the San Antonio Spurs stepped up to win their first title in franchise history.

Tim Duncan – 1999 NBA Finals Tim Duncan was a beast in his first ever NBA Finals. However, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala ultimately received the award. He briefly inspired an unusual idea - giving the MVP award to a player from the losing team - some credence.

James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.

During his first season with the Cavs, LeBron pushed the Golden State Warriors to six games in the Finals despite forward Kevin Love sitting out with an injured shoulder and guard Kyrie Irving being limited to one game with an injured knee. Henderson/Getty ImagesĬleveland Cavaliers star James gets a special shoutout on this list for a tremendous NBA Finals performance that ended in a loss. LeBron James – 2015 NBA Finals LeBron James looks to drive past Stephen Curry. But what about all the other great finals performances in NBA history? We looked at the 15 best individual performances in recent NBA Finals history. Against the Golden State Warriors, he led the Cavs back from a 3-1 series deficit to their first NBA championship ever. The 2015 –16 NBA Finals may have been his best effort of all time, however. | Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesĬleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is no stranger to playing in the NBA Finals - something he’s done every year for the last seven seasons.

Nba finals 7 game series