Where 2018 Warriors Rank Among LeBron James' All-Time NBA Finals Opponents
For a while, the Golden State Warriors didn't seem guaranteed to reach a fourth consecutive NBA Finals appointment with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only did they have to fight their way back from a 3-2 series deficit against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, but they also found themselves in a big hole during Game 7.
Then the third quarter happened.
Houston, even operating without Chris Paul for the second straight outing, seemingly couldn't miss during portions of the first half. But the Dubs made another patented third-quarter run Monday night, going from an 11-point halftime deficit to a seven-point advantage heading into the final period of their eventual 101-92 victory. Now, the franchise is set to match up with James for the fourth time of his nine career Finals appearances.
Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are still in the Bay Area, but this is a different squad than last year's edition. Consistency hasn't been as easy to come by, and the offense has featured a distinctly different feel even as the Warriors work their way by the best the Western Conference has to offer.
Now, how does this new challenge facing James stack up against the other tests he's endured in the NBA Finals?
To determine the order in purely objective fashion, I averaged two numbers for each of the four-time MVP's nine opponents: their team ratings during both the regular season and the playoffs—but only the portion of the postseason that predated the Finals experience, or else exposure to James would change the numbers and distract from what we're trying to see. Team rating, as explained by NBA Math, is a combination of offensive and defensive ratings adjusted for the era such that a score of 100 indicates perfectly average play.
To be clear, each of these nine teams is a historically excellent squad. You almost have to be in order to make the Finals out of the Western Conference in this millennium.
But some have to be better than others. That's just math for you.
9. 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks (103.04)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 102.21
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 103.87
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler
Finals Result: Dallas Mavericks 4, Miami Heat 2
Though the Dallas Mavericks successfully game-planned their way to a series victory by forcing LeBron James to become a mere bystander for much of the action and asking the Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh battery to shoulder heavier loads, this wasn't a dominant team for much of the year. It took advantage of matchups, had a Hall of Famer in his prime (Dirk Nowitzki) and was brimming with underrated role players (Shawn Marion, in particular), but it rarely throttled opponents.
With a 57-25 record, the Mavs fell behind the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings. They earned both the No. 8 offensive and defensive ratings. Not quite dominant on either end, they just beat their foes with a well-rounded game that could feature contributions from plenty of different spots in the lineup. Eight different players earned positive box plus/minuses during the regular season, and 11 did so in the playoffs.
Perhaps that's why they became so tough come playoff time. The rotation featured precious few weaknesses, and the ability to get positive performances from a litany of options negated the concerns that typically exist for a Finals contender not headlined by too many legitimate stars in their primes.
8. 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs (103.19)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 104.57
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 101.81
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Tim Duncan
Finals Result: San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0
The 2007 Finals featured the worst team James dragged into the Finals before the current campaign. Not unexpectedly, it wasn't much of a match for the 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs, even though they were likewise one of the weaker squads seen at this stage of the postseason procession.
To be fair, that wasn't true during the regular season. The Spurs finished just behind the Chicago Bulls in the race for the league's best defense, and they weren't much worse on the offensive end (No. 5 in points scored per 100 possessions). Tony Parker was speeding by one opponent after another while Tim Duncan showcased his fundamental excellence with those patented bank shots from the elbows. Manu Ginobili thrived off the bench, and the defensive role players were content filling their roles with aplomb.
But the playoffs posed more of a challenge.
The Spurs blitzed past the Denver Nuggets in the opening round and the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals, but the Phoenix Suns gave them some trouble between the two. Sure, they emerged victoriously, but not without controversy stemming from Robert Horry's hip-check of Steve Nash and the suspensions levied out to Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the Phoenix bench. Even sans one of their best players, the Suns nearly won Game 5 before a San Antonio comeback changed the narrative.
Still, the Spurs were actually outscored by five points in the second-round series, which helps explain why the postseason team rating is lower than you might expect.
7. 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder (103.36)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 103.16
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 103.55
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins
Finals Result: Miami Heat 4, Oklahoma City Thunder 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder were so good throughout the first 66 games of the lockout-shortened year (47-19) and the first three rounds of the playoffs that only a Finals loss keeps them from earning widespread recognition as an all-time-great outfit. Led by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, as well as an early-career James Harden serving as a bench spark, they thrived on the offensive end regardless of opponent.
The Dallas Mavericks found that out the hard way in an opening-round sweep. Then came the Los Angeles Lakers, who could only win a single contest against OKC. The San Antonio Spurs pushed them to six games in the Western Conference Finals, but the Thunder won four consecutive contests by a combined 39 points after losing the first two by just 12. They realized just how beneficial their athletic advantages had become, and they never looked back.
But the youngsters couldn't all live up to the moment when the Finals rolled around.
A 23-year-old Durant was magnificent against the Big Three-era Miami Heat, averaging 30.6 points while slashing 54.8/39.4/83.9. Westbrook, also in his age-23 season, put up big counting numbers but struggled to find his shot and refused to back down, leading to the pervasive arguments that he needed to do more deferring in order for the Thunder to maximize their collection of elite talents. Harden was the worst of the bunch, as the 22-year-old disappeared for lengthy stretches and shot just 37.5 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from downtown.
Perhaps a better stretch of games might've kept this elite trio together rather than forcing the Thunder to pick Serge Ibaka over Harden for cap and positional reasons and eventually let Durant walk away to the Warriors.
6. 2017-18 Golden State Warriors (103.88)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 102.72
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 105.04
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: TBD
Finals Result: TBD
These Warriors aren't the unstoppable force we witnessed one year ago. They’ve spent much of the 2017-18 campaign operating half asleep or in an injury-driven state of flux, frequently refusing to exert energy unless doing so is absolutely necessary. Perhaps that's inevitable for a team overloaded with All-Star talents and defending a title; complacency is bound to set in.
That didn't prevent the Dubs from winning 58 games and earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but it does depress their standing in this particular competition. Only the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks had a lower team rating during the regular season.
The playoffs, however, have told a different story.
The San Antonio Spurs, operating at a significant talent deficit without Kawhi Leonard, couldn't win more than a single game in the opening round. Ditto for the New Orleans Pelicans in the second, though Anthony Davis did his darnedest. The Rockets put up a helluva fight and might have emerged victoriously if Chris Paul had remained healthy instead of suffering a hamstring strain late in Game 5, but Golden State was still fought back from a 3-2 deficit and double-digit holes in both Game 6 and 7.
Its third-quarter prowess remains one of the sporting world's biggest sureties.
Now that the Warriors are closer than ever to the first back-to-back titles in franchise history, perhaps they'll remain fully motivated. When that happens, the Warriors look every bit as dangerous as the '17 edition that waltzed its way to a title.
Stephen Curry is still Stephen Curry, dropping in miraculous triples and finishing tough plays around the basket with only the tiniest modicum of space. Kevin Durant, though he's more prone to playing isolation basketball to the detriment of his troops, remains an offensive cheat code with a more versatile game than ever. Draymond Green always elevates his performance in the postseason (especially on defense), while Klay Thompson is invariably good for a big triple or two.
Golden State isn't currently as deep as past iterations, especially on the wing. Head coach Steve Kerr has to play flawed contributors (Nick Young), declining veterans (Shaun Livingston and David West) and not-quite-ready youngsters (Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell). But talent typically reigns supreme in the NBA, and no one has more than the Bay Area residents who entered Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals ranked Nos. 2 and 1 in offensive and defensive rating, respectively, during the postseason.
So long as they remain focused (particularly relevant when the careless turnovers start piling up), they're ready to present James with one of his career's toughest tests—one that shouldn't be held against him if he can't will a limited supporting cast to another title.
5. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs (103.93)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 103.88
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 103.97
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter
Finals Result: San Antonio Spurs 4, Miami Heat 1
On paper, these San Antonio Spurs might not have seemed talented enough to advance through a loaded Western Conference, take down the Miami Heat (who still featured James, Wade and Bosh) or earn a top-five spot in these particular rankings. But they served as one of the greatest examples of a cohesive team in NBA history, routinely put together marvelous displays of extreme ball movement that dazzled opponents and created easy buckets.
Take this one against the Oklahoma City Thunder as an example, since plays like this helped them overcome an athleticism deficit and win the Western Conference Finals in six outings:
This action in Game 3 of the Finals might've been even more impressive:
Those weren't isolated incidents, either.
When the NBA's official YouTube channel creates a three-minute-long video commemorating your teamwork, you know you've done something special.
And something special was required with the Big Three (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan) moving closer to the twilights of their careers and Kawhi Leonard still in the process of breaking out.
4. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (104.03)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 105.06
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 103.0
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut
Finals Result: Cleveland Cavaliers 4, Golden State Warriors 3
No, this doesn't take into account the infamous erasure of the Golden State Warriors' 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. We're only concerned with what happened before the ultimate matchup, which works in the favor of these Dubs because of their authoritative regular season and the relatively smooth path to the biggest stage.
First and foremost, we have to acknowledge Golden State's record-setting ways. By going 73-9 through the first 82 games, it earned more victories than any other team in the NBA ever has. Of course, that slightly oversells its pre-playoffs prowess, since the 105.06 team rating based on offensive and defensive performance still lags behind the marks of nine other squads.
Then came the playoffs, and the Warriors continued thriving in spite of a difficult schedule. Stephen Curry was still in unanimous-MVP mode, while Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were asserting themselves as bona fide All-Stars. Even Harrison Barnes understood his role and was willing to function as a complementary option.
The Dubs never had to face the Spurs (five spots ahead on the historical regular-season leaderboard for team rating), but they did breeze by the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers before digging out of their own 3-1 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Had they followed that up with a closeout against the Cavs, they might be legitimately viewed as the greatest team of all time—owners of the best record in NBA history, a historic comeback and a Larry O'Brien Trophy.
3. 2012-13 San Antonio Spurs (104.33)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 103.25
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 105.41
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter
Finals Result: Miami Heat 4, San Antonio Spurs 3
Yes, the Spurs were great during the regular season. Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green made a formidable core, and we can't forget about Tiago Splitter, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Matt Bonner. This team had top-tier talents and plenty of depth.
Yadda yadda yadda.
Focusing on the first 82 games is fine in most scenarios, particularly when they lent themselves to this much success. But they still pale in comparison to the Spurs' magnificent run through the Western Conference, featuring plenty of patented ball movement and some of the most impressive results the NBA has witnessed.
Seriously, this three-series run should stack up favorably against almost anything:
- San Antonio Spurs 4, Los Angeles Lakers 0: 20.4 net rating
- San Antonio Spurs 4, Golden State Warriors 2: 4.0 net rating
- San Antonio Spurs 4, Memphis Grizzlies 0: 12.1 net rating
This was unadulterated mastery. The Spurs were a genuine juggernaut, taking down an endless stream of quality adversaries that included Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
They couldn't emerge victoriously against the red-hot Heat, but that shouldn't diminish what they did while working to the Finals. This remains the best team James has toppled with everything on the line, even if the 3-1 comeback against the '16 Warriors was a more legendary achievement.
2. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors (104.5)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 104.91
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 104.08
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andrew Bogut
Finals Result: Golden State Warriors 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 2
Though the '16 Warriors, who won a record-setting 73rd game during the regular season, were a superior squad prior to the beginning of the playoffs, this iteration suffered exactly zero playoff letdowns.
Stephen Curry continued his MVP play through the first three rounds, averaging a stately 29.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists, which he earned by shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from downtown and 82.0 percent from the stripe. Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green joined him in double figures, while Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa all provided important contributions. And most important, the Dubs stifled the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, dropping only three games en route to the Finals.
The Warriors weren't setting records during Kerr's first year on the sidelines. They didn't yet boast the firepower they'd gain in subsequent seasons. But they hadn't won a title since 1975 and were eager to prove themselves to the rest of the Association.
After all, they played like it from start to finish.
1. 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (106.58)
Regular-Season Team Rating: 105.43
Pre-Finals Postseason Team Rating: 107.73
Starting Lineup in Game 1 of Finals: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia
Finals Result: Golden State Warriors 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 1
Sorry, but it's not even close. And if you expected anything else, you probably should've been paying more attention to the tear this team went on during Kevin Durant's first season with the Warriors.
Complacency hadn't yet sunk in, though adjustments were certainly necessary as the incumbent All-Stars figured out how to thrive alongside yet another ball-dominant star. They just kept overwhelming opponents with their excessive collection of talent, finishing the regular season ranked No. 1 in offensive rating and No. 2 in defensive rating.
Then they got better during the playoffs.
The Portland Trail Blazers couldn't win a single game during the opening round, and only Game 3 featured a single-digit margin. The Utah Jazz couldn't avoid double-digit losses in any of their four losses during the second stage. Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals was at least close, but the Dubs earned a third straight sweep.
Cleveland prevented Golden State from going 16-0 with a 137-116 victory in Game 4, jetting out to a win behind 40 points from Kyrie Irving and a 31-point triple-double from James, but that was only a small consolation. Unlike the previous year's edition, these Warriors refused to let up, and cemented themselves as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
2018 Warriors: Avoiding Pitfalls
Though critics love pointing to James' 3-5 record in the NBA Finals, the Warriors can't breathe easy.
They'll inevitably be massive favorites for possibly every game in the series, but the Cavaliers' resident GOAT candidate has already managed to defeat two opponents ranked better than his new foe. Granted, he had Kyrie Irving to fall back on for big-time shot-making in key situations. Kevin Love wasn't dealing with the concussion protocol. The supporting cast wasn't this putrid.
Nonetheless, any team featuring James can't be overlooked, and the Warriors have to avoid the traps that forced them into a series deficit against the Rockets.
If they move the ball like they did throughout the regular season (and the first two rounds of the playoffs) rather than sinking into ISO-heavy sets that feature too many takeover possessions from Durant, they should have the requisite firepower. And perhaps even more important, they have to keep any non-James members of the Cavaliers from exploding. Even if the opposing superstar goes for 40-point triple-doubles on a regular basis, that won't be enough without double-digit contributions from Love, Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith.
The '17 Warriors understood focus was necessary, even while slaughtering one opponent after another. The '16 Warriors had trouble with that concept, and infamously squandered a 3-1 lead despite boasting the talent advantage.
The world doesn't yet know on which side of that fence this team will fall, but the early indications are positive after the inspired Game 6 blowout and third-quarter comeback in Game 7 against the West's No. 1 seed.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats courtesy of Basketball Reference, NBA.com, NBA Math or ESPN.com and accurate heading into games on May 28.
