NBA Finals: Ranking the 10 Greatest Performances of the Warriors-Cavs Rivalry
Rivalries are what makes sports interesting. It is almost a necessity to have a rivalry in a sport. Over the years, we had some great rivalries in the game of basketball. This matchup (Cavs-Warriors) between the two, although very different in its own way from the previous ones, is undoubtedly one of the best rivalries in the history of this league.
Never before in the 4 major North American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) have the same teams faced off four consecutive times in a championship round. That just goes to show the way these two teams have dominated the league over the years and therefore have developed a kind of animosity as well as mutual respect for each other.
Although the 4 Finals have been lob sided, there are bound to be some brilliant performances considering that the two teams possess some of the best talents of this generation. Everything from clutch plays to players making one unbelievable shot after another to record-breaking performances, this great rivalry has provided us with some of the best performances this game has ever seen.
Therefore, let us look at the top 10 finest performances from the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry.
#10 Andre Iguodala - Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals
Stat line: 22 points, 8 rebounds and 1 steal
The Golden State Warriors playing their first NBA Finals were facing an arduous task ahead, being 2-1 down in the series against a short-handed Cavaliers team. With the next game on the road, the Dubs were in desperate search of inspiration from somewhere to help them win game 4 and keep their hopes alive in the NBA Finals.
Head coach Steve Kerr, taking advice from one of the personals in the Warriors team, decided to insert Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup and decided to go small. Iguodala, who had never started for the Warriors that season, came up big when it mattered the most.
He scored 22 points, took down 8 boards while shooting 44 per cent from three-point range and 53.3% from the field. He did a fabulous job of guarding 'the King' and made it as difficult for him as possible. LeBron James ended up scoring only 20 points, which were the lowest he scored in that Finals.
Although the numbers are not comparable to the other performances that have been listed here, the significant impact that he had on the game made all the difference and allowed the Warriors to level the series. Iguodala's Game 4 performance spread like a virus and inspired the Warriors as they went onto to win the next two games and therefore their first championship. Iguodala was named as the 2015 Finals MVP.