NBA Finals: 5 reasons LeBron James wins Finals MVP
By John Buhler
2. James forced a Game 7 down 3-1 in the series.
James has been instrumental in the Cavaliers’ quest to do almost the impossible and win an NBA Finals after being down three games to one. Only twice in NBA history has a team down three games to one in an NBA Finals forced a Game 7: 1966 Los Angeles Lakers and the 1951 New York Knicks.
Both the 1966 Lakers and the 1951 Knicks would go on to lose deciding Game 7. In the 32 times that a team has been down three games to one in an NBA Finals entering the 2015-16, their combined record is 0-32. History isn’t on Cleveland’s side, but just forcing a Game 7 in these circumstances is nothing less than incredible.
Keep in mind that the team James plays for a city mired in perpetual playoff struggle. Also consider that the 2015-16 Warriors cruised to a record-setting 73-9 finish in the regular season.
There should be no way that Cleveland should still be playing for an NBA Championship with all that NBA history heavily against them. However, James is a once-in-a-generation type of player having what is very well his best playoff series to date. Even if he plays poorly for Cleveland in defeat in Game 7, he should still be the presumed favorite to win Finals MVP for his outstanding body of work in this series.
Next: 1. James leads both teams in all five major individual statistics.