The biggest charm of basketball is that everything is possible before the game is over, before the game starts, there will be people who compare the lineups of the two teams, thinking that the team with the better lineup will win the final victory, but the team lineup can not completely determine the direction of the game, the on-site play is crucial, seemingly no suspense of the showdown, there will often be a cold result, even in the NBA Finals there have been many similar situations, such as the following five groups of showdowns:
TOP5: Warriors of 2015
The way to win: Sweep the Pelicans 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, eliminate the Grizzlies 4-2 in the second round of the playoffs, beat the Rockets 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, and beat the Cavaliers 4-2 in the Finals.
That season, the Warriors finished first in the league with a 67-15 record in the regular season, but they were not an old powerhouse and belonged to the rising stars, ranking sixth in the West the previous season and eliminated by the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
In the 2014-2015 season, their core lineup remained unchanged, but suddenly achieved the first record in the league, Curry and Thompson were both first-time All-Star players, and the outside world was not optimistic that they could make a difference in the playoffs. Coupled with the fact that the NBA had not yet entered the era of small ball at that time, the Warriors abandoned the traditional way of playing and used small ball tactics uniquely was also a reason why they were not optimistic, and many basketball celebrities said that "jump shots cannot win the championship."
Even if they reached the Finals in the playoffs, not many people were optimistic about them winning the championship, because no one in the Warriors had experience in the Finals, and their opponent was the Cavaliers led by James, who had played 5 Times in the Finals before, was very experienced, and there was All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving around him.
Unexpectedly, Irving was injured after the first game, the Cavaliers big three became James alone to lead the team, in this unfavorable situation, James led the Cavaliers to win the second and third games, from the fourth game, the Warriors put Iguodala on the starting lineup, using the five small lineups to win three consecutive games, which is also the reason why Iguodala finally won the FMVP, the Cavaliers' injury and head coach Kerr's adjustment made the Warriors finally upset and win the championship.
TO4: Cavaliers in 2016
The way to win the championship: 4-0 sweep of the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, 4-0 sweep of the Hawks in the second round of the playoffs, 4-2 to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals, and 4-3 in the Finals.
In the 2015-2016 season, the Cavaliers achieved a regular season record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking first in the East, but this record can only be ranked third in the West, and the Warriors are 16 games ahead of the Cavaliers in terms of record, the gap is very large.
The reason why the Cavaliers are not optimistic is not because they are not strong, but their opponents the Warriors are too strong, after winning the championship with the five small lineups in 2015, head coach Kerr continued to optimize the "death five small tactics", so that the Warriors' offense became very smooth, ornamental, and the defense also had a sense of layering, Curry, Tomp and Dream Green all performed better than in 2015, and Curry became the first player in NBA history to get an MVP unanimously.
Thompson was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year, Dream Green was named an All-Star for the first time, and the Warriors became a team with a star + excellent system, and they achieved a 73-9 record in the regular season, breaking the Bulls' best record in 1996.
In the playoffs, the Warriors eliminated the Rockets 4-1 in the first round, defeated the Blazers 4-1 in the second round, and they once fell behind 1-3 in the Western Conference Finals, but they stubbornly achieved a big reversal, which made the outside world see their resilience and strength, so when they faced the Cavaliers again in the Finals, the Cavaliers became an undesirable side.
In the first two games of the Finals, the Warriors were big wins over the Cavaliers, the third game the Cavaliers won a round, the fourth game the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers again, only one win away from the two consecutive championships, but Dream Green was banned from the fifth game, Bogut was injured in the fifth game, allowing the Cavaliers to win three consecutive games, creating the only miracle of the Finals in the finals in a big reversal after falling behind 1-3. The Cavaliers in 2015 and the Warriors in 2016 mirrored each other, both of which were upset and lost due to injuries and other reasons under favorable circumstances.
TOP3: The Rockets in 1994
The path to victory: The Trail Blazers were eliminated 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Suns were defeated 4-3 in the second round of the playoffs, the Jazz were defeated 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, and the Knicks were defeated 4-3 in the Finals.
In the 1993–1994 season, Olajuwon led the Rockets to a record of 58 wins and 24 losses, ranking second in the West. Jordan had gone to play baseball that season, other teams wanted to take advantage of the championship, and the Rockets were not a promising team.
The teams that wanted to compete for the championship at that time were basically double-core teams, such as The Jazz's Malone and Stockton, the Suns' Barkley Kevin Johnson, the Supersonics' Kemp and Payton, the Eagles' Wilkins and Willis, the Knicks' Ewing and Stax, and so on.
The Rockets only have one outstanding player in Olajuwon, the second boss is Thorpe, who averaged 14 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the regular season, Thorpe can not become the second core, Olajuwon is actually a single-core team, not optimistic is also normal.
In the playoffs, Olajuwon has a very stable play in each round of the playoffs, and the second boss of the Rockets is not fixed, but in each round there will be one or two players who play well to help Olajuwon share the pressure, they stumble all the way to the Finals, the opponent is the Knicks led by Ewing and Stax, the Rockets are not optimistic due to the weak lineup.
However, Olajuwon dominated both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, scoring 26.9 points with a 50% shooting rate, averaging 3.9 blocks per game, leaving Ewing with only 18.9 points per game and shooting only 36.3%, and he played the ultimate offensive and defensive performance to lead the Rockets to a 4-3 narrow victory over the Knicks, bringing the Rockets the first championship in team history.
TOP2: Pistons of 2004
The way to win the championship: The Bucks were eliminated 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Nets were defeated in the second round of the playoffs, the Pacers were defeated 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Lakers were defeated 4-1 in the Finals.
In the 2003-2004 season, the Pistons achieved a 54-28 record in the regular season, ranking third in the East, but this record can only be ranked fifth in the West, and the regular season record is generally a reason why they are not optimistic.
The main reason why they are not optimistic is that there are no big stars in the team, only one player was selected as an All-Star that season, other players although they have a good performance, but have not yet reached the level of All-Stars, and the Lakers have O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in the current year, as well as Payton and Malone, although Payton and Malone are old, but they can provide rich game experience, in the playoffs and finals can play a major role, the Lakers' luxurious "F4" met the Pistons grassroots "Five Tigers", The latter is naturally not favored.
However, that year O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were not in harmony, the two had no connection between the court and the court, the "OK" combination was each played, the power was greatly reduced, Malone and Payton were physically exhausted because of their age, and the efficiency was very low under the Pistons' iron-blooded defense, on the contrary, the Pistons were all soldiers, and the starting Five Tigers were united at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and finally defeated the Lakers.
TOP1: The Lone Ranger of 2011
The way to win the championship: Eliminated the Trail Blazers 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs, swept the Lakers 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs, defeated the Thunder 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals, and defeated the Heat 4-2 in the Finals.
In the 2010-2011 season, the Lone Ranger's starters were almost all players over the age of 30, and the leader Nowitzki was also 32 years old, and he was the only one who was named an All-Star that season, and although they finished third in the West with 57 wins and 25 losses, no one was optimistic about the aging team.
In addition to the few lone rangers, older age, the competition is too strong is also the reason why the outside world is not optimistic about them, when the West is strong, it is very difficult to rush out of the West, who can think that Nowitzki played well in the playoffs, defeated Aldridge and Roy, Kobe and Gasol and the Thunder Three, successfully reached the Finals, but facing the Heat led by James, Wade and Bosh, they are still a weak side.
However, because of the 2006 Finals lost to Wade, in 2007 won the regular season but the Warriors black eight Nowitzki was scolded as a "soft egg" for many years, he will not let go of this opportunity to prove themselves, the veterans of the Lone Ranger do not want to let their careers leave regrets, under the leadership of Nowitzki, they shine in the Finals, and finally they defeated the young and fiery Heat Big Three 4-2, Nowitzki got the FMVP, a crown.