Who Faced the Toughest Finals Competition—LeBron or Jordan?
A lot of people debate GOAT status based on rings, but what about the actual competition? Teams—not just star players—make the difference in the Finals.
Based on SRS (Simple Rating System), Jordan’s teams were favored in all six Finals, averaging +2.3 points better than their opponents. LeBron’s teams, on the other hand, were underdogs—averaging -2.8 points worse. He’s actually won two rings as the underdog, which is rare for a superstar.
Out of 55 Finals runs by Bird, Magic, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Jordan, LeBron, and Steph, LeBron’s teams faced the toughest Finals opponents relative to his own team’s strength. He’s taken the three “worst” teams to the Finals, faced the four hardest opponents, and went up against six of the only nine teams with an SRS of 8+ (including 2008 Boston in earlier rounds).
LeBron’s average team SRS in Finals runs is also the lowest of the group at 4.6. For comparison:
Bird 6.9, Magic 5.6, Kobe 6.1, Shaq 5.6, Duncan 7.3, Jordan 9.1, Curry 8.2.
Factoring in all the injuries his teams faced, is it time to give LeBron even more credit for his Finals runs?
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