The defensive intensity of the NBA Finals is terrible, even superstars have times when they are limited, they may concede a lot of goals, let's take a look at the five players who have played the most iron in the Finals:
TOP5: Kobe Bryant, averaging 15.4 iron per game
2008-2009 Finals, Lakers vs Magic;
In the first game, Bryant shot 16-of-34, cut 40 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, shooting 47.1% from the field. In the second game, Kobe Bryant shot 10-of-22, scoring 29 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, shooting 45.5% from the field. In the third game, Kobe Bryant shot 11-of-25, scoring 31 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists, shooting 44% from the field.
In the fourth game, Kobe Bryant shot 11 of 31, cut 32 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 35.5% from the field. In the fifth game, Kobe Bryant shot 10-of-23, cut 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks, shooting 43.5% from the field.
In the five games of the series, Bryant averaged 32.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, averaging 11.6 of 27 shots per game, averaging 15.4 hits per game, shooting 43% from the field, leading the Lakers to a 4-1 victory over the Magic to win the championship.
TOP4: Michael Jordan, averaging 15.6 irons per game
1997–1998 Finals, Bulls vs Jazz;
In the first game, Jordan shot 13-of-29, scoring 33 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, shooting 44.8% from the field. In the second game, Jordan shot 14-of-33, cut 37 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 42.4% from the field. In the third game, Jordan shot 14 times, cut 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 50% from the field.
In the fourth game, Jordan shot 12-of-27, cut 34 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, shooting 44.4% from the field. In the fifth game, Jordan shot 9-of-26 and shot 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, shooting 34.6% from the field. In the sixth game, Jordan shot 15-of-35, cut 45 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 4 steals, shooting 42.9% from the field.
In six games in the series, Jordan averaged 33.5 points, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, averaged 11.7 of 27.3 shots per game, averaged 15.6 hits per game, and shot 42.7% from the field, leading the Bulls to a 4-2 victory over the Jazz to win the championship.
TOP3: Michael Jordan, averaging 16.4 irons per game
1992-1993 Grand Finals, Bulls vs Suns;
In the first game, Jordan shot 14-of-28 and scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, and shot 50 percent from the field. In the second game, Jordan shot 18-of-36 and scored 42 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, shooting 50% from the field. In the third game, Jordan shot 19-of-43, cut 44 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, shooting 44.2% from the field.
In the fourth game, Jordan shot 21-of-37, cut 55 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 56.8% from the field. In the fifth game, Jordan shot 16-of-29, cut 41 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks, shooting 55.2% from the field. In the sixth game, Jordan shot 13-of-26, cut 33 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal, shooting 50% from the field.
In six games in the series, Jordan averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, averaging 16.8 of 33.2 shots per game, averaging 16.4 hits per game and shooting 50.8 percent from the field, leading the Bulls to a 4-2 victory over the Suns to win the championship.
TOP2: Allen Iverson, averaging 19.2 iron per game
2000-2001 Grand Finals, 76ers vs Lakers;
In the first game, Iverson shot 18-of-41 and scored 48 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals, shooting 43.9% from the field. In the second game, Iverson shot 10-of-29, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, shooting 34.5% from the field. In the third game, Iverson shot 12-of-30 and scored 35 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block, shooting 40 percent from the field.
In the fourth game, Iverson shot 12-of-30, cut 35 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal, shooting 40% from the field. In the fifth game, Iverson shot 14-of-32, scoring 37 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, shooting 43.8% from the field.
In five games in the series, Iverson averaged 35.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, averaged 13.2 of 32.4 shots per game, sang military songs 19.2 times, shot 40.7 percent from the field, and lost 1-4 to the Lakers.
TOP1: LeBron James, averaging 19.7 iron per game
2014-2015 Grand Finals, Cavaliers vs Warriors;
In the first game, James shot 18-of-38, scoring 44 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 47.4% from the field. In the second game, James shot 11-of-35, cut 39 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 31.4% from the field. In the third game, James shot 14-of-34 and scored 40 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, shooting 41.2 percent from the field.
In the fourth game, James shot 7-of-22, scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, shooting 31.8% from the field. In the fifth game, James shot 15-of-34, cut 40 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 1 steal, shooting 44.1% from the field. In the sixth game, James shot 13-of-33 and scored 32 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, shooting 39.4% from the field.
In six games in the series, James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, averaged 13 of 32.7 shots per game, averaged 19.7 hits per game, and shot 39.8% from the field, making the Cavaliers lose 2-4 to the Warriors.