Ranking Each Team LeBron James has Taken to the NBA Finals

10. 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers

Part of the reason for this being the worst team that LeBron James has taken to the finals is the fact that James himself was only 22 years old at the time and had not yet developed into the superstar that he would one day become. The other reason is that this collection of players had no business being anywhere near the NBA Finals.

The Cavs second-best player was a pick em’ between Larry Hughes and a 31-year-old Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and their bench was comprised of Sash Pavlovic, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao, and Damon Jones. Coaching was an issue as well for the Cavs. Although second-year head coach Mike Brown was a defensive wizard, the Cavs offense consisted of little outside of ‘give the ball to LeBron’.

The Cavs would ultimately fall to the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games.

9. 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers

There are so many similarities between the 2007 and 2018 Cavaliers, however one thing was very different – LeBron James. In 2018, LeBron took his game to historically great heights, dragging the Cavs to the Finals in arguably the most impressive playoff run in modern history averaging 34 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.

James’ supporting cast was only slightly better in 2018 when you consider that he still had running mate Kevin Love. JR Smith, George Hill and Tristan Thompson rounded out the starting line-up while Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson rounded out the bench.

Unfortunately, the Cavs would suffer the same fate as they were dispatched by the Golden State Warriors in four games.

8. 2015 Cleveland Cavaliers

After re-joining the Cavaliers in 2014, LeBron James’ new squad included the likes of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and a host of talented role players such as JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, Shawn Marion, and Tristan Thompson. With that being said, LeBron’s co-stars had played in zero combined playoffs games heading into the season and they would experience chemistry issues all year long before finally finding their groove just in time for the post-season.

Unfortunately, four games into the playoffs Kevin Love would suffer a season-ending shoulder injury. Kyrie Irving was hampered by knee issues throughout the second and third rounds, limiting his effectiveness and forcing him to miss two games in the Conference Finals before breaking his kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Even JR Smith would miss two games due to a suspension and Iman Shumpert, although he didn’t miss any games, was limited due to injury as well.

Despite the Cavalier roster being completely decimated, LeBron James’ otherworldly play still turned the Finals into a series worth watching before losing in six games to the Golden State Warriors.

7. 2011 Miami Heat

Many looked at the 2011 Miami Heat as an absolute lock to win the NBA Championship that year, and for obvious reasons. Wade, James and Bosh had combined to average 80 PPG in the previous season and to that point had twelve All-NBA appearances between them in only seven seasons.

The problem was that after signing the ‘Big 3’, Miami really struggled to fill out the rest of the roster. In the playoffs the Heat had to rely on Joel Anthony, James Jones, and Udonis Haslem to play big minutes while Wade, James, and Bosh were each on the court for 40 minutes a night.

The Heat would fall to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

6. 2014 Miami Heat

By the 2014 playoffs, it was starting to become clear that there were problems with Miami’s roster. The Heat had serious issues re-tooling over the summer and were unable to add impactful role players after the departure of Mike Miller and the stark regression of Shane Battier. Furthermore, Dwyane Wade has hampered by injuries all season long, appearing in only 54 regular-season games and limping through the entirety of the playoffs.

By the time the Finals came around, Dwyane Wade’s knees were shredded, Chris Bosh looked disinterested and the better part of the bench was unplayable.

Although the series lasted five games, the Heat were run off the floor by that San Antonio Spurs in record fashion.

5. 2020 Los Angeles Lakers

Oh, how quickly the narrative changes…

Despite the Lakers having arguably two of the top five players in the NBA, very few of us expected them to make it out of the Western Conference Finals this year. Part of that was due to how talented the Clippers looked on paper, especially after Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 playoff performance. But part of it was due to how inconsistent each of the Lakers, not named James or Davis, had played all year long.

The question has always been around which of the remaining Lakers could become a dependable third option on offense. But the Lakers proven throughout the playoffs that their third option does not have to be the same guy game in and game out. Some games Kyle Kuzma would step up, in others it would be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. We have also seen games from Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard that have been reminiscent of their 2011 former selves.

Although LeBron is still arguably the best basketball player in the world, he is quite clearly no longer the player he was two years ago, let alone five years ago. But with all that being said, the differentiating factor that puts this team above all of the previously mentioned squads is the presence of Anthony Davis. Without a shadow of a doubt, Davis is the absolute best teammate LeBron James has played with, and perhaps that makes all the difference.

4. 2012 Miami Heat

The most obvious difference between the 2011 Heat and the 2012 Heat was the addition of Shane Battier. His presence changed how the Heat could operate, allowing James and Wade time to rest throughout games on the defensive end. The scoring load was also eased as Mario Chalmers developed into a tertiary ball-handler and at times was a reliable scorer.

However, at the end of the day, it was the overwhelming talent possessed by the Heat’s ‘Big 3’ that made this team click. James himself came into 2012 more focused than ever and began to showcase much improved 3-point shooting and a low-post game that hadn’t been a part of his repertoire up to that point.

LeBron would finally capture that first NBA Championship as the Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.

3. 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers

You may be surprised to see this team so close to the top of this list, but when you think about it, you shouldn’t be.

The ‘Big 3’ in Cleveland was arguably just as talented as the one in Miami when you consider Wade’s age and health. Yes, Bosh was better defensively, but offensively he and Love were pretty much neck and neck. Kyrie, on the other hand, was just entering his prime in 2015 and by 2016 he was a bonafide superstar.

Add to the fact that the Cavaliers still had a great deal of depth in 2017 adding Kyle Korver and Deron Williams to a supporting cast that already included JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, and Richard Jefferson.

The only reason that the Cavaliers did not repeat as champions in 2017 simply boils down to the fact that the Warriors added Kevin Durant to a roster that had just won 73 regular season games the prior year. The Cavs would ultimately fall to the Warriors in five games.

2. 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2016 Cavaliers were very much the same team as they would be in 2017, the only difference being that they would be a little younger, a little faster and a little more athletic. Outside of that they were very much the same team.

Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye were able to contribute more in 2016. Frye’s ability to operate as a stretch five and Jefferson’s ability to play on both ends gave the Cavs an added dimension that proved invaluable in the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers would storm back from a 3-1 deficit to upset the Golden State Warriors in seven games.

1. 2013 Miami Heat

Not only was this the greatest team LeBron James has ever been a part of, this team is one of the greatest in NBA history.

Many believe that during this season LeBron James was at his absolute peak and the weapons that Pat Riley had put around him were perfectly matched to his skillset.

The ‘Big 3’ were joined by Ray Allen, Shane Battier and Mike Miller on the wings while also receiving quality minutes from Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen. Wade and Bosh had settled comfortably into their roles as second and third options and the Miami Heat had become an efficient well-balanced juggernaut, at one point going on a 27-game winning streak during the regular season.

The Heat would go on to win the NBA Championship in a seven-game war with the San Antonio Spurs.