One of the biggest criticisms people have on LeBron James is his Finals record. As of writing, the 6-foot-9 superstar forward has a 3-6 losing record in the pinnacle of the sport. Nevertheless, the fact that he has been to the Finals nine times — including six straight times with two different teams — absolutely speaks volumes of the greatness of James.
So what has LeBron actually achieved in the Finals, aside from winning the chip three times? Below we take a look at each of his nine performances in the biggest stage of them all.
2007 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio Spurs
Cavs lose 4-0
LeBron's averages: 22.0 points (on 35.6 percent shooting), 7.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 5.8 turnovers
James made his first trip to the NBA Finals in his fourth year in the league. He was just 22 at that point, and his inexperience against the San Antonio Spurs Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili was on full display. Case in point was the 5.8 turnovers he committed per game, as well as his poor shooting throughout the series (he shot 47.6 percent from the field in the regular season).
Nonetheless, the fact that James took this particular Cavs side all the way to Finals — with Zydrunas Ilgauskas as the second-best player on the squad — speaks volumes of how dominant LeBron was at that time.
2011 NBA Finals vs. Dallas Mavericks
Heat lose 4-2
LeBron's averages: 17.8 points (on 47.8 percent shooting), 7.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 4.0 turnovers
Four years later, and LeBron decided it was time to jump ship. He turned his back on the Cavs to join the Miami Heat, and this resulted in a trip to the Finals in just his first season with the team. He had a much better set of teammates in Miami, with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh forming the other two of their own Big 3.
Unfortunately for them, they suffered a huge upset at the hands of Dirk Nowitzki and the underdog Dallas Mavericks — still one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. It is worth noting that this was LeBron's career-low in terms of average points scored in any Finals series. At just 17.8 points per game, that's nearly half of his Finals career-high average of 35.8 points in 2018 (more on this later).
2012 NBA Finals vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Heat win 4-1
LeBron's averages: 28.6 points (on 47.2 percent shooting), 10.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 3.8 turnovers
After losing twice in the Finals, question marks about LeBron's legacy already began surfacing. How could he be the greatest if he couldn't win a title?
James quashed all doubt in 2012 when he finally won his first NBA championship — at 27 and in his ninth season in the league.
Miami were on a redemption quest all season long, and this run reached its pinnacle in a high-octane matchup against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC were the up-and-coming squad at this point, but James and company proved that 2012 was going to be the year of the old guard.
Along with his first championship, LeBron was also awarded as the Finals MVP for the first time in his career.
2013 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio Spurs
Heat win 4-3
LeBron's averages: 25.3 points (on 44.7 percent shooting), 10.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.3 steals, 2.6 turnovers
Miami was back in the Finals again a year later, and this time around, James had the opportunity to redeem himself against an old nemesis — the Spurs.
James was coming off an MVP year (his third at this point), and was intent in avenging the 2007 Finals sweep by San Antonio. This amazing series went all the way to seven games, with the Heat needing to win the final two games of the series in Miami after going down 3-2 after Game 5.
Finals MVP honors were once again given to LeBron after a tremendous series against the mighty Spurs.
2014 NBA Finals vs. San Antonio Spurs
Heat lose 4-1
LeBron's averages: 28.2 points (on 57.1 percent shooting), 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 3.0 turnovers
As fate would have it, a rematch between the Heat and the Spurs would be in the books just one year later. Note that at this point, LeBron had already led Miami to the Finals for the fourth year in a row (making it four Finals trips in four seasons during his time with the Heat).
Despite James' heroics — his 57.1 percent shooting clip is a Finals career-high — this series is characterized by the rise of one Kawhi Leonard. A then-22-year-old Leonard proved to be the biggest factor in this series, as he not only led San Antonio to another title, but he also played a huge role in the demise of the Heat Big 3.
2015 NBA Finals vs. Golden State Warriors
Cavs lose 4-2
LeBron's averages: 35.8 points (on 39.8 percent shooting), 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 3.5 turnovers
After seeing out his contract with Miami, LeBron decided that it was time to go home to Cleveland. The prodigal son had returned and in amazing fashion, he carried the Cavs to the Finals in his very first season back.
Unfortunately for them, the dynasty of the Golden State Warriors was on the rise, and the Cavs served as their first victim in the Finals. Despite averaging a career-best 35.8 percent in the Finals (he shot poorly, though), LeBron and the Cavs proved no match to Stephen Curry and the rest of the Dubs.
2016 NBA Finals vs. Golden State Warriors
Cavs win 4-3
LeBron's averages: 29.7 points (on 39.8 percent shooting), 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, 2.3 blocks, 4.4 turnovers
There is no denying that the 2016 NBA Finals was LeBron's greatest Finals performance ever. His numbers were just okay — by his high standards, of course — but what he did in this series was simply amazing.
Up until this point, no other team had gone back from 3-1 down in the Finals. James shattered that record by doing exactly that. We must also mention that he did it against a record-breaking 73-9 Warriors side led by back-to-back MVP winner Stephen Curry.
James averaged a Finals career-high 2.3 blocks in this series, but there's no denying that the best of them was his jaw-dropping block on Andre Iguodala in the dying moments of Game 7. To this day, this remains to be one of the greatest plays in Finals history.
That blocked the epic series comeback, LeBron's thid Finals MVP, his third NBA title, and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest of all time. This was also the first title in Cavs franchise history since their establishment in 1971.
2017 NBA Finals vs. Golden State Warriors
Cavs lose 4-1
LeBron's averages: 33.6 points (on 56.4 percent shooting), 12.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks, 4.2 turnovers
With the Cavs and the Warriors tied 1-1 in their Finals series matchups at this point, the 2017 Finals was set to determine who was truly the better team.
The Warriors — now with Kevin Durant in the mix — proved in dominant fashion that their 2015 title was no fluke. They made easy work of LeBron and the Cavs, taking the championship in just five games. It wasn't until Game 4 that the Cavs logged their first victory in the series. However, after digging themselves into a 3-0 hole, there just wasn't any coming back from that. Not this time.
James astoundingly averaged a triple-double in the series — the first to ever achieve this unbelievable feat.
2018 NBA Finals vs. Golden State Warriors
Cavs lose win 4-0
LeBron's averages: 34.0 points (on 52.7 percent shooting), 8.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, 5.0 turnovers
LeBron James marked the end of his second Cavs reign on a sour note. As how it started more than a decade prior, it would come full circle in 2018 as Cleveland were the victims of another forgettable sweep. This time around, it was against a team that had emerged as their arch-nemesis over the past few years — the Warriors.
This series will be most remembered by JR Smith's bonehead play in Game 1, when the Cavs swingman literally forgot the score in a crucial juncture in the final period. Words can't do justice to that play, so here's a look at it again:
The Cavs could have had a proper chance to win that game had Smith not gone into a temporary brain shutdown. The Dubs ended up winning in OT, and with momentum on their side, they succeeded in winning the next three games for a clan sweep on LeBron and company.
You could see in LeBron's reaction how frustrated he was with Smith after that play. That perhaps perfectly depicts how his final couple of years were with the Cavs — the supporting cast just did not deliver. In case you had any doubt that James carried this team in the Finals, do note that he scored a Finals career-high 51 points in Game 1.
We're not letting James off the hook, though, and despite his amazing performance throughout the four-game series, he is still as much to blame in this one as is his teammates.
The biggest takeaway here for LeBron's legacy is his eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals — with two different squads. Currently, James is the only player to appear in at least eight straight Finals that was not part of the insane Boston Celtics dynasty in the 1950's and 1960's. Bill Russell currently holds the record of 10 straight trips to the Finals.
Say what you want about LeBron and the multiple times he failed in the Finals. One things is undeniable, however — the fact that he has been to the pinnacle so many times in his career is a true testament to his greatness. This achievement is something no one can take away from his legacy.
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