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Making an NBA Finals appearance is one of the most difficult feats in the NBA. It's the final stage that decides a champion. But while it usually requires a well-balanced team to make it there, some players are just brilliant enough to carry their teams in heroic fashion. Here are the 10 best NBA stars who dragged the worst teams to the Finals, ranked.
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1. LeBron James: 2006-07 & 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James' first trip to the NBA Finals in 2007 ended up in a sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in 2007. However, his best teammates during that time were Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Donyell Marshall, Larry Hughes, Mo Williams, and Daniel Gibson.
While Williams and Ilgauskas were borderline All-Stars, the rest of the cast were role players at best. As a result, it was an unbelievable job by James to carry this Cavs squad to the NBA Finals, capped off by a 48-point explosion in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons.
Roughly over a decade later, in his second tenure in Cleveland, the Cavs had to endure the departure of a disgruntled Kyrie Irving. Nonetheless, after a slow start to the season, the team gambled on a roster makeshift at the trade deadline, which paid off as James carried a Cavs squad filled with role players of Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Korver, Cedi Osman, etc., to the Finals where the Golden State Warriors swept them.
2. Jimmy Butler: 2019-20 & 2022-23 Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler was the biggest reason as to why the Miami Heat surprisingly became relevant in the early 2020s. Prior to the ugly breakup between Butler and the Heat, he put up a herculean effort to carry the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020.
He averaged 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game to lead the fifth-seeded squad over its Eastern Conference rivals, despite having a developing Bam Adebayo, a rookie Tyler Herro, and an aging Goran Dragic as his best teammates. Unfortunately, injuries got the best of Miami, leading to a Los Angeles Lakers championship victory in the end.
Three years later, Butler found a way to replicate his success. In the 2023 NBA playoffs, he kicked into a new gear, tallying 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. While he had the company of a more experienced Adebayo, Herro, and Robinson, it was still not enough to overcome Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Nonetheless, Butler played a huge part in reaching the Finals.
3. Jason Kidd: 2001-02 & 2002-03 New Jersey Nets
Prior to Jason Kidd joining the New Jersey Nets, the team was a cellar dweller in the league. However, Kidd led the team back to relevancy. Coming off a 26-win season, Kidd led the Nets to a 52-30 record a season later. But more importantly, he played an instrumental role as the centerpiece to power the Nets into the NBA Finals.
However, his most notable teammates were Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, and Brian Scalabrine. They were simply overpowered by a Lakers squad led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
It was roughly the same story a season later. Kidd maintained his fine play as the face of New Jersey. However, he had a relatively similar supporting cast to the prior year. Pitted this time against a seasoned San Antonio Spurs, they simply had no answers for Tim Duncan in the frontcourt.
4. Elgin Baylor: 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers
Losing teams rarely make the playoffs, let alone the NBA Finals. However, Elgin Baylor actually managed to do so back in 1959, when he led the 33-39 Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals. It was easily the worst team to ever make it that far in the playoffs.
Outside of Baylor, the next best players were Dick Garmaker, Larry Foust, and Vern Mikkelsen. Although they were multiple All-Stars, Foust and Mikkelsen were already way past their prime while Garmaker was still finding his footing in the league. As a result, it required big-time heavy lifting from Baylor to make a Finals appearance for the Purple and Gold.
5. Moses Malone: 1980-81 Houston Rockets
Aside from the 1959 Lakers, the second team with a losing record to make the Finals was the 1981 Houston Rockets. Led by Moses Malone, the 40-42 Rockets found a way to carve out an appearance at the NBA Finals after beating out the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Kansas City Kings. With Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich battling Father Time, Malone was the pillar who gave the Rockets a championship chance before the Boston Celtics prevailed in six games.
6. Allen Iverson: 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers
Allen Iverson cemented his superstardom in the 2000-01 season by earning NBA MVP honors. But while Iverson was great, the rest of the team were questionable at best, especially when Theo Ratliffe went down with an injury, convincing the front office to swap him for an aging Dikembe Mutombo.
But as great as Iverson was, he was forced to singlehandedly lead the Sixers all the way to the NBA Finals, but they were overpowered by the Lakers duo of Shaq and Kobe. As a result, without much help, it wasn't surprising that Iverson eventually forced his way out of Philly, which marked the decline of his career.
7. Dirk Nowitzki: 2005-06 Dallas Mavericks
In the 2005-06 season, the Dallas Mavericks reigned supreme in the West, earning a 60-22 record. They also ran past their Western Conference rivals in the playoffs. But in reality, the team was mostly great due to the brilliance of Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki averaged 26.6 points on 48.0% shooting from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. His best teammate was Jason Terry, a solid guard who can make an impact but was never an All-Star caliber player.
8. Reggie Miller: 1999-00 Indiana Pacers
For several years, Reggie Miller was the franchise cornerstone for the Indiana Pacers. And in the 2000 NBA playoffs, despite already being 34 years old, Miller was still a force to be reckoned with. His elite shooting led the Pacers to a 56-win season before taking care of their conference rivals in the East in the postseason.
While Jalen Rose, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, and Rik Smits can make cases to be effective, it was still on Miller's shoulders to keep Indiana within striking distance as they fell to the Lakers in the Finals.
9. Luka Doncic: 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic was poised to be the face of the Dallas Mavericks in the present and future. However, Dallas just couldn't seem to surround him with the right pieces. The best they could do was an injury-riddled Kyrie Irving, rookie Dereck Lively, and a role player in Daniel Gafford. Thanks to Luka's elite level of play, he transformed the Mavs into legitimate championship contenders, leading to a Finals appearance. However, the Boston Celtics proved to be too much.
10. Dwight Howard: 2008-09 Orlando Magic
Dwight Howard was one of the elite centers during his peak. But while he was dominant in Orlando, none of his teammates would be considered premiere players. While names like Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jameer Nelson were impactful, they would hardly be classified as stars. Nonetheless, it was Howard's interior presence who made it work enough to warrant a Finals appearance, capped off by upsetting James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
