SECTION 28 - The Least Deserving Finals MVPs of All-Time

Every once in a while, a player is deservedly awarded the Finals MVP despite not being the best player for the overall playoffs. A couple of examples include Dennis Johnson in 1979 and Joe Dumars in 1989. Gus Williams and Isiah Thomas were the best players on those respective championship teams, but DJ and Dumars were the best players for the NBA Finals alone. It is rare, but not implausible, for someone to be the best player for an NBA Finals series, but not the overall playoffs. 

On the other hand, there have been quite a few times where a player received the Finals MVP despite not being the best player for even the NBA Finals series alone. I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at which NBA Finals MVPs were least deserving of the award as well as who should have won the Finals MVP in their place. 

There are some players who have been labeled as undeserving Finals MVPs in the past that I do not agree with and did not make it to this list. In case certain readers are wondering why a particular player was left off the list, there will be a section at the end explaining why certain Finals MVPs were deserving of the award, in spite of some people's opinions. 

This list will be in chronological order. Players will not be ranked in order of the least bad to worst Finals MVP or vice-versa. 

1976 NBA Finals 

Undeserving Finals MVP: Jo Jo White 

Deserving Finals MVP: Dave Cowens

In the 1976 Finals, the Celtics won their 13th championship by defeating the Phoenix Suns in 6 games. Jo Jo White was named Finals MVP with averages of 22-4-6 on 45% with 1.5 spg. However, Dave Cowens outperformed him statistically, putting up 21-16-3 on 53% with 1.2 spg. White also averaged 4 more mpg than Cowens, yet Cowens had the superor statistical performance. I have not seen enough footage of Cowens to assess his defense, but Cowens was generally considered to be the better defender of the two. Dave Cowens made 1 All-Defense 1st team and 2 All-Defense 2nd teams, whereas Jo Jo White never made a defense team. 

Cowens was just slightly behind White in ppg, while playing 4 less mpg, and averaged nearly 4 times the rebounds as White even with a slight minutes handicap. White's advantage in assists didn't nearly make up for it, so along with Cowens' greater defensive reputation it appears that he, not White, was the Celtics' best player in the 1976 Finals. Cowens should have been the Finals MVP simply due to his superior statistical performance, and his case would only be further confirmed if his defense matched his reputation. 

1978 NBA Finals 

Undeserving Finals MVP: Wes Unseld

Deserving Finals MVP: Elvin Hayes

If this list was made to rank the least deserving Finals MVPs in order, Wes Unseld would be the number 1 player on this list. With the Bullets defeating the Sonics in 7 games, Wes Unseld averaged 9-12-4 on 52%, pretty pedestrian numbers for a Finals MVP. Unseld is the only player to win the Finals MVP with single digits in ppg, the next-lowest Finals MVP scorer is 1982 Magic Johnson with 16.2 ppg on 53%, but with 10.8 rpg and 8.0 apg.

Unseld's teammate, Elvin Hayes, had a far superior series of 21-12-1 on 48% with 1.6 spg and 2.0 bpg and was clearly the best choice for Finals MVP. I was thinking that Unseld may have had an exceptional defensive series which gave him the Finals MVP, but his defensive assignment Marvin Webster averaged 15-16 on 45%, not much better or worse than his season averages of 14-13 on 50%.

The real reason for Unseld winning Finals MVP is quite foolish. In Game 7, Elvin Hayes fouled out early in the 4th quarter, with the 5th and 6th foul being very questionable. Because Hayes did not play for the closing minutes of the decisive Game 7, the award was instead given to Unseld, which is terrible reasoning. Even with Hayes fouling out, he was still clearly the best player of the series, and a few phantom fouls in Game 7 were nowhere near enough to justify Unseld winning the Finals MVP over Hayes.

1981 NBA Finals

Undeserving Finals MVP: Cedric Maxwell

Deserving Finals MVP: Larry Bird

The 1981 Finals is unique for a couple of reasons. For one, the 1981 Rockets are the only team since the 1959 Lakers to make the NBA Finals with a losing record. No team at exactly 0.500 has made the Finals, either. It is also the only time that a Finals MVP was awarded to a player who never made an all-star team, before or after winning the award in Cedric Maxwell. However, Larry Bird was the best player in the series as the Celtics defeated the Rockets in 6 games. 

Maxwell averaged 18-10-3 on 57% to Bird's 15-15-7 on 42% along with 2.3 spg. Maxwell scored more efficiently than Bird, but the gap in ppg wasn't by a big enough margin to say that Maxwell was better than Bird in the series. Bird became the only player to average 15-15-7 in a Finals series (1967 Wilt was 0.2 apg short) and only had 1 less rpg than 6x rebounding champion Moses Malone of the Rockets. Factor in that Bird was better defensively than Maxwell, and Maxwell never made the playoffs as a starter without Bird, and it's clear that Bird's all-around game and intangibles made him the deserving 1981 Finals MVP.

1985 NBA Finals

Undeserving Finals MVP: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Deserving Finals MVP: Magic Johnson

With the Lakers defeating the Celtics in a Finals series for the first time in franchise history, Kareem became the oldest player to win a Finals MVP at 38 years old in 1985. Unfortunately, it never should have happened. Magic Johnson was the clear best player in the 1985 Playoffs and Finals. If you look only at the boxscore stats of the 1985 Finals, it looks like Kareem has the edge. Kareem averaged 26-9-5 on 60% with 1.0 spg and 1.5 bpg. Magic had 18-7-14 on 49% with 2.2 spg. The difference lies in Magic's playmaking and intangibles. 

Magic averaged a playoff record 15.2 apg and a Finals record 14.0 apg in 1985. Kareem and the other Lakers' scoring heavily benefited from Magic having the best passing and playmaking series in NBA Finals history. So simply copy pasting Kareem's stats and comparing them with Magic is not fair. Kareem's scoring, especially at that age, only looked so good because of the passing of Magic Johnson himself, by far the greatest playmaker and point guard of all-time. 

Keep in mind that 5 of Kareem's 6 highest FG% seasons came while playing next to Magic's passing, despite Kareem continuing to age past his prime. Before playing next to Magic, Kareem was also heavily dependent on the second-greatest playmaker of all-time in Oscar Robertson, evidenced by Kareem winning the only 2 scoring titles of his career while playing next to Oscar. Kareem always needed one of the two greatest playmakers of all-time to set him up and bring him deep in the playoffs, both during and after his prime. This is further evidenced by Kareem being the only consensus top 10 player to miss the playoffs twice in his prime, doing so in 1975 and 1976 without Oscar or Magic to set him up.

And when you factor in that Magic's 14.0 apg translates to at least 28.0 ppg (at least 2 points per assist) Magic accounted for at least 46 ppg in the Finals, far higher than anyone else in those Finals. So even though Magic's 18-7-14 doesn't seem like a better stat line than Kareem's at first, it is clearly better when you put Magic's apg in statistical context, not to mention the context of Magic's intangibles as mentioned earlier. Magic had by far the greatest passing NBA Finals series of all-time (nobody besides Magic has even reached 11.5 apg in the Finals) and should have been the clear-cut 1985 Finals MVP, without a doubt. 

1988 NBA Finals

Undeserving Finals MVP: James Worthy

Deserving Finals MVP: Magic Johnson

Magic was once again robbed of what should have been his 5th Finals MVP in 5 NBA Finals wins. James Worthy won Finals MVP off of Game 7 alone, being one of three players (1969 West, 2016 LeBron) to have a triple double in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Worthy did have a monster Game 7 of 36-16-10 on 15/22 FG (68%) and 2 steals to lead the Lakers over Detroit. For Game 7 alone, Worthy did outperform Magic. Magic had 19-5-14 on 6/9 FG (67%) and 2 steals, which is great, but not as great as Worthy's performance. But Game 7, no matter how important it may be, does not equal an entire series. 

For the series as a whole, Magic greatly outperformed Worthy. Magic had 21-6-13 on 55% and 2 spg to Worthy's 22-7-4 on 49%. Magic had nearly triple the amount of assists as Worthy, whereas Worthy didn't outperform Magic by nearly as much in any of the stats he had an advantage such as scoring (+0.9 ppg), rebounds (+1.7 rpg) and 3 more blocks in 7 games (+0.43 bpg). Magic was also a lot more efficient than Worthy. 

And Magic once again had a historic passing series with an incredible average of 13.0 apg. No player besides Magic has ever cracked 11.5 apg in an NBA Finals series, the closest being Jordan with 11.4 apg in 1991. So, as always, Magic's passing and playmaking was heavily responsible for setting up the Lakers to get their points, including Worthy. It is just far too obvious that Magic was the best Laker for the overall series, and Worthy's Game 7 alone is not enough to ignore that. Magic easily should be a 5x Finals MVP, but I'm sure he isn't complaining with the resume he already has.

2007 NBA Finals

Undeserving Finals MVP: Tony Parker 

Deserving Finals MVP: Tim Duncan 

Tony Parker had a great series in the 2007 Finals, greatly outplaying LeBron as the Spurs swept Cleveland.

Tony Parker (37.8 mpg)
24.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
57% FG, 3.0 TOpg

LeBron James (42.6 mpg)
22.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.8 apg
36% FG, 5.8 TOpg

However, as good as Tony Parker was, Tim Duncan was even better. Duncan was not as good offensively, as the Cavs interior defenders did a good job containing him. Duncan shot under 45%, the 2nd-lowest of his Finals career after 2005 and a 10% FG drop-off from his 2007 season average. However, Duncan was the best rebounder, passer, shot-blocker, and defender for the Spurs in the Finals despite his offensive struggles, and tied Ginobili and Finley as the leading stealers for the Spurs. 

Duncan had averages of 18-12-4 with 1.3 spg and 2.3 bpg on just under 45%. Parker was a better scorer than Duncan and more efficient, but that was it. Duncan led the Spurs in every other facet of the game, and his defensive advantage over Parker was just as big, if not bigger, than Parker's offensive advantage. And despite being a PF, Duncan still out-assisted Parker as the PG and primary ball-handler. Duncan, along with Magic, should have joined Jordan as the only players with more than 3 Finals MVPs.

2008 NBA Finals 

Undeserving Finals MVP: Paul Pierce 

Deserving Finals MVP: Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett

The Celtics defeated the Lakers in 6 games in the 2008 Finals to win the last of their 17 NBA titles, and Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP. However, Pierce was not the best player for the Celtics in any of the 4 rounds during their 2008 title run. Garnett was the best player for each of the first 3 rounds, and Ray Allen clearly outplayed Pierce in the Finals. You can make a case that Garnett also outperformed Pierce in the Finals, despite his offensive struggles. Let's break it down statistically

2008 NBA Finals 

Paul Pierce (38.8 mpg)

21.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 

1.2 spg, 0.3 bpg, 3.7 TOpg

43% FG

39% 3PT

83% FT

Ray Allen (41.0 mpg)

20.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 

1.3 spg, 0.7 bpg, 1.8 TOpg

51% FG

52% 3PT

87% FT

Ray Allen was much, much more efficient than Pierce, and only scored 1.5 less ppg. Ray had a slight rebounding, steals, and blocks advantage, while Pierce averaged 3.8 more apg. However, Pierce also had twice the turnovers as Ray Allen. Pierce played pretty good defense on Kobe in some of the 4th quarters, but Ray Allen did a better job defensively while guarding Kobe more often. 

Ray Allen also had the most clutch moment of the series, hitting the clinching layup to cap off the Celtics historic comeback in Game 4. There simply isn't any area where Pierce clearly outperformed Ray in this series. On the other hand, Ray was far more efficient than Pierce and at least as good, usually better, in the other aspects of the game. 

Kevin Garnett (37.9 mpg)

18.2 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 3.0 apg,

1.7 spg, 1.0 bpg, 2.7 TOpg

43% FG

0% 3PT

76% FT

Garnett was the worst of the Big 3 offensively, but by far the best defensively and on the glass. Garnett did an OK job guarding Gasol, though not as good as expected from the DPOY. Gasol had 19-8 on 59% with the Lakers in the 2008 season and 15-10 on 53% in the Finals. Garnett was not guarding Gasol as often as you would expect, so not all of those numbers were on Garnett. However, Garnett still could have done a better job when he was on Gasol. 

In spite of his not as great defense on Gasol, Garnett's rebounding and team defense was exceptional. Garnett had well over double the rebounds of any Celtic wth 13 rpg, with Ray Allen coming in at second with 5.0 rpg. Now take a look at his effect on the Celtics' team defense.

2008 Playoffs
- Celtics allowed 88.8 ppg
- 2nd-best mark in the playoffs, after the Cavaliers upon acquiring Ben Wallace

2009 Playoffs (no Garnett due to injury)
- Celtics allowed 102.1 ppg
- 2nd-worst among teams that passed the 1st Rd 

- 5th-worst including teams who lost in the 1st Rd

2010 Playoffs
- Celtics allowed 91.1 ppg
- 2nd-best mark in the playoffs, after Dwight Howard's Magic

Without Garnett, the Celtics were amongst the worst defensive playoff teams. But with Garnett, they were the 2nd best defensive team in both the 2008 and 2010 Playoffs, proving that he definitely deserved the 2008 DPOY. Garnett wasn't as good offensively as Pierce, but his contribution on defense and rebounding was vastly superior. The difference between Garnett and Pierce's defense was far greater than the difference in Pierce and Garnett's offense in those Finals. 

So the 2008 Finals MVP should have come down to Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett, for the reasons mentioned above. It all depends on whether you value Ray's great efficiency and clutch shot or Garnett's great rebounding and ability to anchor the team's defense. Garnett was the best Celtic for the overall playoffs, but for the Finals alone it looks like a 50-50 between Ray and KG to me. I wouldn't argue with anyone picking one over the other as Finals MVP, but it definitely should not have been Pierce.

This concludes the section of least deserving Finals MVPs, so now it's time to take a look at recipients of the Finals MVP who have been questioned for receiving the award, but in my view were still deserving of it.

Deserving Finals MVPs who are Sometimes Questioned

Jerry West, 1969 NBA Finals

Jerry West is the only Finals MVP on a losing team, and this may cause some to question the validity of Jerry West's accolade. Jerry West averaged 38-5-7 on 49% FG and 84% FT in a losing effort as the Celtics upset the Lakers in Game 7 after coming back from down 2-0 and 3-2. West performed great in Game 7 as well, putting up 42-13-12, the first triple-double in NBA Finals Game 7 history.

The two Celtics who have a case for 1969 Finals MVP are John Havliceck with 28-11-4 on 46% and Bill Russell wth 9-21-5 on 40%. Russell's defense was also great, nearly cutting Wilt's ppg in half from 20.5 ppg in the season to 11.7 ppg in the Finals. It does seem that either one of these players have a good case for winning the 1969 Finals MVP.

However, It's important to note that Jerry West has the highest scoring average of any player on a losing Finals team since the introduction of the Finals MVP award, and he did it on very good efficiency. Elgin Baylor and Rick Barry averaged 40+ ppg in the 1962 and 1967 Finals, respectively, but the award did not exist at the time (and Barry shot a mediocre 40% with 23.5 missed shots/game). Jerry West has arguably the best Finals performance of all-time on a losing team, so it's not an egregious mistake to award him with the only Finals MVP on a losing team.

Willis Reed, 1970 NBA Finals

The 1970 Finals is best-known for Willis Reed's return from injury in Game 7, inspiring the Knicks to a blowout victory over the Lakers on the way to their first championship. In Game 7, it was Clyde Frazier who had the best performance, putting up 36-19-7 while Reed only had 4-5-1, although he played great defense on Wilt Chamberlain.

Some feel that Frazier should have won Finals MVP off of Game 7, and his series averages of 18-8-10 on 54% were about the same, if not better, than Reed's 23-11-3 on 48%. The issue is that Reed's numbers plummeted because of his Game 5 injury and absence in Game 6. Through 4 healthy games, Reed averaged 32 ppg to Wilt's 19 ppg. With Reed's absence in Game 6, Wilt exploded for 45 points and 27 rebounds to force a Game 7, emphasizing the importance of Reed's effect on defense. 

Once you factor in Reed's injury, its effect on his numbers, and his essential defense on Wilt Chamberlain, it's clear that Reed deserve the Finals MVP, regardless of Frazier being the best player for Game 7 alone. It's also worth noting that Frazier, who is praised highly for his defense, was outplayed by Jerry West who averaged 31-3-8 on 45% for the 1970 Finals. 

Dennis Johnson, 1979 NBA Finals

Not many people pay attention to the 1979 Finals, where the Sonics defeated the Bullets 4-1 in a rematch of the previous year's NBA Finals. The few people who do look at this series may feel that Gus Williams outperformed the late, great Dennis Johnson in this series. Let's take a look at the numbers

1979 NBA Finals

Gus Williams (36.6 mpg)

28.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.6 bpg

49% FG, 63% FT

Dennis Johnson (44.8 mpg)

22.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 2.2 bpg

46% FG, 72% FT

DJ averaged more rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, playing 8 more minutes per game on average to do so, which is a lot of time. Although DJ played a lot more minutes, the disparity in the latter 4 stats of +2.4 rpg, +2.4 apg, +0.8 spg, and +1.6 bpg seem like it may be just enough to cancel Williams' +6 ppg advantage. 

Dennis Johnson was also better defensively than Gus Williams, being widely acknowledged as one of the greatest defensive guards of all-time. I wouldn't argue  if someone were to make a case for Gus Williams deserving Finals MVP over DJ, but it wouldn't be by enough of a margin to say that DJ was one of the least deserving Finals MVPs of all-time. Although Dennis Johnson was deserving of Finals MVP, Gus Williams did perform better for the playoffs as a whole.

Magic Johnson, 1980 NBA Finals

A good number of people feel that Kareem should have won the 1980 Finals MVP to add to his regular season MVP. Kareem averaged 33-14-3 on 55% with 4.6 bpg for the 5 games he played in that series, incredible averages. Magic put up great numbers as well, flirting with triple double averages of 22-11-9 on 57% along with 2.7 spg. Even so, looking only at box score stats it still looks as if Kareem has the edge. 

However, Magic's intangibles and his keys to the Lakers' success, even as a rookie, cannot be understated. In the 5 prime seasons that Kareem played after Oscar and before Magic (1974/75 to 1978/79), he missed the playoffs twice in his prime and never won more than one playoff series in any year, despite playing with good players such as Goodrich, Dantley, Norm Nixon, and Wilkes. 

In 1979/1980 Kareem's first season next to Magic's playmaking, he shot a career high 60% FG and won consecutive playoff series for the first time since the 1974 Bucks Finals run. Magic's playmaking was clearly essential for Kareem, and the rest of the Lakers, to play at such an efficient level and in order for the Lakers to have success as a team. 

Lastly, Magic proved that he could get it done without Kareem, clinching Game 6 of the Finals on the road against the Sixers with a monster stat-line of 42-15-7-3-1 while Kareem nursed his ankle injury. Magic was fully capable of putting up even greater stats than he normally did when necessary, but as the greatest playmaker of all-time he was content with making sure his teammates were playing great, while sacrificing his own stats for team success. That key intangible was the reason Magic Johnson was the best player on each of his 5 championships, regardless of who won Finals MVP.

Michael Jordan, 1996 NBA Finals

A small minority of basketball fans feel that Dennis Rodman should have won the 1996 Finals MVP. Rodman only scored 7.5 ppg on 49%, but had a great series on the boards with 14.7 rpg. Jordan had the least impressive Finals series of his career, putting up 27-5-4 on 42% with 1.7 spg. Those in favor of Rodman winning the Finals MVP argue that his rebounding was the key to winning while Jordan did not shoot well.

There are two key points to remember. Firstly, Jordan only had 2 poor performances in 6 games of the 1996 Finals, Games 4 and 6. Those 2 games by themselves heavily brought down his series averages, even though he played well for 4 out of 6 games in the series and in 3 of the 4 wins. Secondly, Jordan was still the best Bulls defender in the series, even with Rodman's rebounding. 

With Ron Harper playing negligible minutes in Games 3, 4, and 5 due to a knee injury, Jordan took on the task of guarding and locking down the Sonics' best player, Gary Payton, who had averaged 22-5-7 on 50% through 3 rounds. Rodman did a great job on the boards, but could not stop Shawn Kemp, who had a great series of 23-10-2 on 55%. 

Pippen struggled offensively in the series with 34% FG, so with Rodman's limited offense, Jordan was the only member of the Bulls that contributed on both offense and defense for the series, and thus clearly the 1996 Finals MVP. The only reason Jordan's 1996 Finals stands out so much is due to the fact that Jordan played at such a high level so consistently, it's especially surprising to see the few times he played below his averages. 

Even Jordan's worst Finals performance was better than Dirk Nowitzki's 2011 Finals, yet Dirk's 2011 Finals is considered a great performance.

Michael Jordan, 1996 Finals

27.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 apg on 42% FG

1.7 spg, 0.2 bpg

Dirk Nowitzki 2011 Finals

26.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.0 apg on 42% FG

0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg

Their stats look about even, but then you have to consider that Dirk also averaged more turnovers (2.8) than assists (2.0), and didn't contribute much on defense while Jordan did a great job defending the Sonics' best player, Gary Payton. Dirk also had far more offensive help from Terry and Marion than any of Jordan's teammates on offense, making it much easier for Dirk to perform well. So again, it's simply due to the fact that it's Jordan, that his not as impressive 1996 Finals stands out as a "bad" Finals performance. 

Tim Duncan, 2005 NBA Finals

I have seen a small number of fans claim that Manu Ginobili deserved the 2005 Finals MVP while putting up 19-6-4 on 49% FG, but this is a ridiculous claim. Duncan may have had the worst shooting series of his career at 41.9% FG, (excluding the 2016 WCSF at age 40, the last series of Duncan's career) but he was also the Spurs' best rebounder, shot-blocker, and defender by a clear margin. Duncan had more than double the rebounds and blocks of any other Spur, and led all players in scoring, although he didn't shoot well as stated earlier. Duncan averaged 21-14-2 on 42% FG with 2.1 bpg for the Finals. 

To emphasize the importance of Duncan's rebounding, take a look at this. In the 2004 Finals, Ben and Rasheed Wallace averaged a combined 21.4 rpg. With Duncan keeping the Pistons off the glass in the 2005 Finals, Ben and Rasheed combined for just 15.9 rpg, with Antonio McDyess actually out-rebounding Rasheed off the bench. Ben and McDyess combined for 17.6 rpg. And finally, Duncan may have struggled offensively, but he still made the clutch plays on offense in the critical moments. 

In Game 7, the Spurs were down 48-39 with 7:44 left in the 3rd quarter, and a 9-point lead was huge in this series considering how great the Pistons defense was. From the 7:44 mark to the 0:53 mark of the 3rd quarter, Duncan outscored the Pistons by himself 12-9, before Lindsey Hunter made a buzzer beater to tie it at 57 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Duncan was 4/8 FG with 3 rebounds and 1 block during that roughly 7 minute stretch, singlehandedly bringing the Spurs back to tie the game entering the 4th quarter. 

In the 4th quarter, Duncan scored or assisted on 11 of the Spurs' 24 points, continuing to step up in the most crucial moments. When Detroit was in danger of pulling away, in a defensive series where every basket was hard to get, Duncan made the big plays to bring the Spurs back in the game and kept their championship hopes alive in Game 7.

Kobe Bryant, 2010 NBA Finals

Kobe had a tough time shooting the ball against the Celtics in the 2010 Finals, shooting under 50% in all 7 games. The main argument for Pau Gasol winning the 2010 Finals MVP over Kobe Bryant are the 4th quarter stats. Pau Gasol shot 10/17 (58%) in the 4th quarter to Kobe's 12/41 (29%). However, it's important to note that playing next to Kobe had much to do with Gasol's efficient play during his time with the Lakers. 

4 of Gasol's 5 highest FG% seasons came while playing next to Kobe, including 2008 when he shot 59% with the Lakers compared to 50% in Memphis, bringing his 2008 season FG% to 53%. During the Lakers' 2008, 2009, and 2010 Finals runs, Gasol shot 53%, 58%, and 54% next to Kobe in the playoffs. 

On the other hand, Gasol only cracked 50% FG in one of 5 playoff runs without Kobe, a 4-game 1st-round sweep in 2004 while shooting 57%. So Gasol's efficient shooting had much to do with being able to play next to Kobe in the first place. 

And the 4th quarter, as important as it is, is just one of the quarters in the game. You still have to play 4 quarters to win the game, not just one, so you still have to consider the series averages as a whole to determine the Finals MVP. Kobe's series averages of 29-8-4 on 41% with 2.1 spg is still better than Gasol's 19-12-4 on 48% with 2.6 bpg. Kobe did not shoot as well from the field, but also shot 88% FT to Gasol's 72% FT and led all players in threes to help close the efficiency gap while scoring at a +10 ppg volume than Gasol.

And in Game 7, Kobe did do his job in the most crucial moments. All of the Lakers besides Derek Fisher, who only took 6 shots, shot under 40% for Game 7, so it was not just Kobe alone who was struggling to shoot the ball. With everyone struggling on offense, Kobe had 10 points on 1/3 FG and 8/9 FTs in the 4th quarter along with 15 rebounds to pull off the win in Game 7 and repeat as champions.

Andre Iguodala, 2015 NBA Finals

Iguodala's series averaged of 16-6-4 on 52% don't seem comparable to Curry's 26-5-6 on 44% with 1.8 spg, but it's important to remember that Iguodala came off the bench for the first 3 games, which brought his averages down. In the 3 games Iguodala started, he averaged 20-4-2 on 48% FG and 41% 3PT, although he shot a poor 35% FT. Iguodala joining the starting lineup was a key factor that allowed the Warriors to come back from down 2-1 to beat the Cavaliers in 6.

On top of averaging 20 ppg as a starter, Iguodala played great defense on LeBron throughout the series. LeBron had 2 points in the OT of Game 1 and 0 points in the 4th quarter of Game 4. According to ESPN, LeBron shot 18-54 (33%) when guarded by Iguodala, though ESPN does post inaccurate stats on FG/FGA against one player from time to time. Although Iguodala may not have been better than Curry for the overall series, it's not outlandish to say that Iguodala's 2-way play was more valuable for the 2015 Finals. Every once in a while, there is a difference between being the best player or the most valuable, and this accurately describes the case for Curry and Iguodala.

LeBron was the best player in the series, but his poor defense, which contributed to Iguodala's offensive success, and sub-40% FG meant that even as the best player, he wasn't efficient enough or engaged enough on defense to win the Finals MVP on a losing team. Jerry West, the lone losing Finals MVP, was very efficient, though there is nowhere near enough footage to observe his defense in the 1969 Finals. 

SECTION 1 - Players From Jordan's Day Against 2000s Defenses

- Looking at how the Jordan Era players had an easier time in the modern era

SECTION 2 - How Washed-up Jordan Did Against the Top Defenders of the "Advanced, More Athletic, Superior" 2000s Era

- Looking at how a 38-40 year old Jordan himself schooled the 2000s defenders

SECTION 3 - Jordan's "Weak" Defensive Competition Compared to Lebron/Kobe's "Advanced" Competition
- Proving the vast superiority of individual defenders of Jordan's era compared to the 2000s

SECTION 4 - The "Jordan Never Faced Zone" Myth

- Destroying the myth that Jordan never played zone defense

SECTION 5 - The Myth That 80s/90s Defenses Can't Contain Modern Players Without the 80s/90s Rules

- Proof that 80s/90s players would still have success guarding 2000s players without the 80s/90s rules

SECTION 6 - The Myth of Jordan's Inability to Deal with 80s Teams, and the Truth About Expansion

- Looking at how Jordan did against the 80s teams and why expansion did not make it easier to win championships

SECTION 7 - "Jordan Played Weak Competition in the 80s/90s"

- Proof that Jordan's Competition was 80s-quality and far better than the 2000s era

SECTION 8 - The Myth that Jordan Was Not As Valuable to His Teams' Success

- Looking at the truth of how the Bulls did without Jordan, and how other great teams did without their stars.

SECTION 9 - "Jordan Got All the Calls"

- Did Jordan really get any more special treatment than other superstars? Nope.

SECTION 10 - Wilt Chamberlain: Great, but Far From the Greatest

- Exposing the myths behind the great, but misunderstood, Wilt Chamberlain

SECTION 11 - The "Lebron is a 6-8 250 Freight Train and too Big/Strong/Fast to be Guarded in the 80s/90s era" Myth

- Looking at how Lebron got locked down by defenders of the 2000s era and comparing them to the vastly superior 80s/90s

SECTION 12 - Lebron: The Most Overrated Defender of All-Time

- Destroying one of the media's biggest misconceptions regarding Lebron's solid but vastly overrated defense

SECTION 13 - "Lebron Doesn't Have Enough Help, and No One Can Carry a Team Like Him"

- Lebron fans think no player in history could succeed if their teammates don't step up, and that Lebron is the only one who has carried a team on his back. Is that really the case?

SECTION 14 - Jordan vs Lebron: The Truth

- The real Jordan vs Lebron comparison

SECTION 15 - Jordan vs Kobe: The Truth

- The real Jordan vs Kobe comparison

SECTION 16 - Jordan (and Hakeem) vs Kareem

- Kareem is great, but he is not even the greatest center of all-time, let alone the greatest of all-time.

SECTION 17 - The Truth about Michael Jordan Without Scottie Pippen

- The full context behind Jordan's struggles without Pippen

SECTION 18 - Michael Jordan's Wizards Years

- A look at how Jordan turned the Wizards around before his knee injury caught up to him

SECTION 19 - The Case for Jordan as the Best Perimeter Defender of All-Time

- Looking at Jordan's defensive impact in detail, both as a team player and 1 on 1 defender

SECTION 20 - Why Jordan Would Accomplish More In Cleveland and Miami than LeBron

- Looking at the strong evidence supporting that Jordan would have achieved more than what LeBron has in Cleveland and Miami 

SECTION 21 - Hakeem Olajuwon: The Greatest Center of All-Time
- Hakeem Olajuwon is the best center of all-time, and there is strong evidence to prove it

SECTION 22 - Chris Paul: The Most Overrated Point Guard Of All-Time

- Chris Paul is an extremely overrated playoff performer and defender, and isn't even a top 5 PG of his own era, let alone all-time

SECTION 23 - Kevin Johnson: The Most Underrated Point Guard Of All-Time

- Kevin Johnson is an extremely underrated and under-appreciated point guard, who should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer and considered a top-10 point guard of all-time

SECTION 24 - The Three Greatest Playoff Runs of All-Time

- Analyzing the three greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history

SECTION 25 - The Worst Finals Performances of All-Time

- Analyzing the worst performances in NBA Finals history

SECTION 26 - Jordan vs Russell

- Comparing the two players who won the most championships as the best player on their team

SECTION 27 - The Five Greatest Coaches of All-Time

- Taking a look at the greatest coaches in NBA history

SECTION 28 - The Least Deserving Finals MVPs of All-Time

- Taking a look at the players who least deserved to win their Finals MVPs

SECTION 29 - Refuting 10 Myths About Michael Jordan
- Refuting certain myths about Jordan, as well as abridging of some of the main points in earlier sections for easier reference.

SECTION 30 - The 20 Greatest Conference Finals Runs of All-Time
- Ranking the 20 greatest playoff runs in which a player played 3 rounds before losing prior to the NBA Finals

SECTION 31 - The 1970s: The Weakest Decade of the NBA's Post-Infancy
- Why the 1970s was the weakest decade of any era from 1960-present

SECTION 32 - The 10 Worst Supporting Casts on NBA Finals Teams (1960-Present)
- Examining the worst supporting casts on teams that reached the NBA Finals

SECTION 33 - The 10 Greatest Rookie Playoff Runs of All-Time
- The most impressive playoff runs in which rookies led their team to at least one series win