LeBron James lost his fifth NBA Finals, but it surely wasn't due to a lack of effort, as he became the first player ever to average a triple-double in the NBA Finals series.
Despite his incredible performance, the Golden State Warriors simply had too many weapons. This was a team that went 73-9 in the 2016 regular season and then signed superstar Kevin Durant. This was the third NBA Finals in a row pitting LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers versus Steph Curry's Warriors.
It was also the seventh straight Finals appearance for LeBron, something that hasn't been done by a player since the 1960s Boston Celtics.
After eight NBA Finals appearances, LeBron set the record for most triple doubles (9) in the Finals, surpassing Magic Johnson (8). He also broke Michael Jordan’s record for most free throws made in the playoffs (1,463) and most points all-time in the playoffs with 6,163. LeBron is now third in all-time Finals scoring.
Another unusual record: most triple-doubles when facing elimination (3).
The Cavaliers as a team broke a host of scoring records in their Game 4 win, including:
- Most points in a quarter, Finals - 49
- Most points in a half, Finals - 86
- Most points in a half, playoffs - 86
- Most 3-pointers made in a half, Finals - 13
- Most combined points in a half, Finals - 154
- Most 3-pointers made in a game, Finals - 24
Before you knock LeBron for his 3-5 NBA Finals record, take a closer look at the teams he took there. On average, his Finals opponent have been on average 3.28 points better than his teams. In his eight Finals trips, LeBron averages 27.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
With a strong draft class coming up, expect a shakeup in the NBA before next season. Cleveland may very well pull a page out of Golden State's book and make a huge acquisition of their own.
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Image credit: Keith Allison, Flickr
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