![]() ![]() With this in mind, here are the 3-point field goal numbers by game in this NBA Finals: What about 3-point percentage? My hypothesis is that if shooting more 3-pointers correlates with winning, then shooting more effectively from downtown should help even more. ‘Few stats correlate better with winning than 3-point attempts,’ he wrote. Know the winner of each game in the NBA Finals (without looking at points)Īs John Hollinger wrote in 2009, there’s a new motto in today’s NBA: Live by the 3 or die. These topics include: the importance of 3-pt shooting, the importance of Shaun Livingston, the emergence of Matthew Dellavedova, the effects of going small, the underwhelming Klay Thompson, and the players with the highest usage rate in NBA Finals history. It has been a great Finals so far, and with so many possible stats to discuss, we decided to look at as many as possible. James became the first player with a 50-point game in the Finals since Michael Jordan in 1993, but Golden State won in overtime and went on to sweep the Cavs for the championship.Īfter missing the playoffs in his first year with the Lakers, LeBron has a chance to join John Salley and Robert Horry as the only NBA players to win a title with three different teams.Įven more impressively, though, he can become the first player of any of the major leagues in the United States – NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL – to win the championship MVP award with three different teams.The Golden State Warriors won Game 5 last night to go up 3 – 2 in the series over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith's brain fade at the end of the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the third straight matchup with the Warriors. His phenomenal block on Andre Iguolada with less than two minutes remaining laid the foundation for Kyrie Irving to seal the win.Ģ017: The Warriors gained vengeance with a 4-1 success the following season, despite James averaging a 30-point triple-double in the Finals – a feat no other player has achieved since the NBA-ABA merger.Ģ018: Things could have been very different had it not been for J.R. However, it was not enough to stop the Heat slumping to a 4-1 defeat against the Spurs.Ģ015: Although the Cavs lost 4-2, James produced a string of stellar displays against the Golden State Warriors to become the first player to average at least 35 points per game in a Finals since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.Ģ016: In a rematch against the Warriors a year later, LeBron spearheaded a Cavs side that became the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and win the NBA championship. He finished Game 5 with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, making him the first player since James Worthy in 1988 to have a 25-point triple-double in a title-clinching win.Ģ013: The Heat went back-to-back by defeating the Spurs 4-3 and in the process James became the first player to have two triple-doubles in a single Finals since Magic Johnson in 1991 – the second of those came in Miami's incredible Game 6 overtime win, having been five points down with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.Ģ014: LeBron became the first player to average at least 25 points per game on a minimum of 50 per cent three-point shooting in a Finals since Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in 2002. It is the only time he has been held to under 20 in a playoff series.Ģ012: LeBron's wait for a first ring finally ended and he was pivotal to the Heat's 4-1 success against the Oklahoma City Thunder. ![]() That is the most by any player in a Finals in the past 30 years.Ģ011: As the Heat's dream team was defeated 4-2 by the Dallas Mavericks, James averaged 17.8 points per game. James has produced some memorable displays in the Finals, but also some he would probably rather forget.Īhead of Game 1 on Wednesday, we use Stats Perform data to look back at some of his stand-out performances in the championship series and see what milestones await.Ģ007: Things got off to a shaky start for James, who had 5.8 turnovers per game as the Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The three-time champion will make his 10th appearance in the showpiece series when the Lakers battle his former team the Miami Heat for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. ![]() LeBron James is back in the NBA Finals and a significant achievement is in the offing for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
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