The NBA Finals can be very unpredictable, with many teams playing their best basketball of the year, the playoffs looking to be another exciting contest and fans still trying to figure out what they are going to get on the big screen.
But that isn’t going to stop us from taking a look back at some of the best moments from this year’s NBA Finals, and how they shaped our understanding of the league and its teams.
So let’s get started.
1.
James Harden makes a huge shot on a desperation 3 to end the second half of Game 1.
The Rockets were trailing by 10 points with 2:42 left in the third quarter of Game 3 of the NBA finals.
Harden had already scored 15 points in the quarter and was on the verge of a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the final frame.
The shot seemed destined for the back of the net, but Harden was just looking to put his team in a position to win it.
Instead, he made it, sending the Rockets into the final seconds of regulation down by five.
This wasn’t just a shot, this was an attempt at a clutch shot.
Harden took a step back, then took another step forward.
His right knee buckled as he came down the baseline, and he didn’t immediately recover, falling on the court.
The next time he attempted the shot, he hit a wide-open jumper over the top of Chandler Parsons.
Harden’s jumper was the third-best in the series so far, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and his career-high 11 assists are tied for fifth-most in the playoffs.
2.
James has a good night, too.
James is averaging 30 points, 6.6 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals per game.
That’s a lot of points, but he’s also leading the NBA in blocks and is shooting just 40 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.
His average of 12.6 rebounds per game is the best in the NBA.
James also is averaging 10.4 points and 6.8 assists, which is also tops in the league.
He has also shot 51.7 percent from behind the arc, which tops the league at 54.4 percent.
3.
Stephen Curry’s night.
Curry has been a big part of the Warriors’ success, scoring 26.9 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in his last six games.
His defense is a major reason the Warriors have been able to stay ahead of the Cavs and Rockets in the Western Conference standings.
Curry’s defensive rating of 100.0 ranks seventh among qualified players in the West.
4.
Kevin Durant is the MVP.
Durant’s MVP award has been awarded to the league’s top player in every playoff series since the 2010-11 season.
Durant has won five titles in the last seven years.
In the NBA playoffs, Durant has been the most efficient scorer in the conference.
In Game 1, Durant scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal, which tied him with the reigning NBA MVP LeBron James for the best scoring performance in a playoff game.
5.
LeBron James leads the Warriors to the best regular season record in the East.
Golden State has won 10 of its last 12 regular season games and has a seven-game lead in the division lead heading into Game 5.
The Warriors are one of only two teams with a winning record in all of basketball, the other being the Miami Heat, who won five straight from 2011-14.
The Cavs, meanwhile, are one game behind the Cavaliers for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
They have won four straight, including four straight from 2013-15.
6.
Curry and James have the best matchup.
Steph Curry is averaging 24.4 rebounds per contest, while James has been at 28.4.
James’ numbers are good enough to keep the Warriors at the top for the rest of the playoffs, but Curry’s defense has been huge.
In this series, Curry has blocked a total of four shots and has been able at times to defend Curry with his body and body control.
Curry is also shooting a blistering 47.2 percent from beyond the arc in this series.
7.
The Clippers are still the best team in the world.
The Los Angeles Clippers have won five of their last six regular season home games.
The team has won six straight, a stretch that stretches back to the 2013-14 season.
Los Angeles has been playing better basketball, but the Clippers are the team that has been putting the best teams away the most in the past decade.
The most recent loss to the Warriors was their third straight.
8.
Steph has the best postgame performance.
In his last three games, Steph has averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
He is shooting 40 percent overall, but also has shot 52.5 percent from deep.
His biggest play was a three-pointer with about a minute remaining that