NBA Finals: Has anyone ever

[TheCorporation]

Played a game without their #2 (Irving); #3 (Love); & arguably #4-5? (Varejao) players?

And more importantly, has anyone ever WON an NBA Finals without their #2, #3 & #4 guy.

It's so crazy to see a team in the Finals without those key starters. Imagine teams without those players.

Clippers:
CP3 (No Blake, Deandre, or Crawford)

Spurs:
Kawhi (No Duncan, Parker, or Ginobli)

Bulls:
Rose (No Butler, Gasol, or Noah)

Funny to even think about how stripped down teams would become.

Warriors line up would be:

Curry (No Iggy, Green, or Klay)
Barbosa
Barnes
Lee
Bogut

Jordan's Bulls without Pippen, Rodman or Kerr. Hell, we all know Jordan already couldn't win if we took away Pippen, imagine taking away Rodman & Kerr too.

[nba_55]

Lebron is FMVP, if he doesn't win it, the award is death. It wouldn't mean anything.

[Rocketswin2013]

Jordan's bulls without Pippen, Rodman and Kukoc would be more accurate. People forget Kukoc existed so much. He was as good as Heat Bosh.

[ArbitraryWater]

now it will become "that just proves how stacked the Cavs are beyond their top 3"

no..

Cavaliers:
James
Dellavadova
Shumpert
Thompson
Mozgov

Smith
Miller
Jones

Without LeBron, that is bar none the worst team in the NBA...

and no, nobody has ever won a title without their 2nd and 3rd best players, or come to a game 7.

[TheCorporation]

Jordan's bulls without Pippen, Rodman and Kukoc would be more accurate. People forget Kukoc existed so much. He was as good as Heat Bosh.

I was thinking Kukoc (6th man winner) or Kerr.

[nba_55]

http://i60.tinypic.com/2d9cj00.png

[TheCorporation]

now it will become "that just proves how stacked the Cavs are beyond their top 3"

no..

Cavaliers:
James
Dellavadova
Shumpert
Thompson
Mozgov

Smith
Miller
Jones

Without LeBron, that is bar none the worst team in the NBA...

and no, nobody has ever won a title without their 2nd and 3rd best players, or come to a game 7.

This Cavs Roster sans LeBron James is a borderline D-league team. Pains me to say that about Shump & JR (because they have had some decent games) but overall, man....

Delly
Shumpert
J.R Smith
Thompson
MozGOD

Bench:

James Jones
Mike Miller
Shawn Marion
Kendrick Perkins
Brendan Haywood

Does this team win 20 games in the EAST? 15?

[TheCorporation]

http://i60.tinypic.com/2d9cj00.png
That's a damn shame.

[riseagainst]

http://i60.tinypic.com/2d9cj00.png

just outta curiosity, anyone know what "par/g" is?

[warriorfan]

Empty stats

[nba_55]

Empty stats
meltdowwnnnn :oldlol: :oldlol:

[oarabbus]

Jordan's bulls without Pippen, Rodman and Kukoc would be more accurate. People forget Kukoc existed so much. He was as good as Heat Bosh.

Jordan's Bulls barely make it to the ECF without Pippen.

[Magic 32]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qwq76p93U8

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/Celtic_Maiden/gifs/troll-dance.gif

[nba_55]

Jordan's Bulls barely make it to the ECF without Pippen.

What? It's a known fact Jordan was 1-9 without Pippen, how he made ECF with 1 win?

[UK2K]

just outta curiosity, anyone know what "par/g" is?
Points above replacement/ game was my guess. Seems about right

Lebron thus far would be 60 points (in this case, pts, rebs, and assts) better than your average SF inbthe league.

[oarabbus]

What? It's a known fact Jordan was 1-9 without Pippen, how he made ECF with 1 win?


Maybe he doesn't even make it that far then.

The point is Jordan on this Cavs team goes nowhere

[scm5]

No, but also no one's ever had a cast quite this stacked.

Lebron
Kyrie
Love
Varejao
Mozgov
Thompson
JR
Shumpert
Dellavedova


TT has put up 9 and 13
Mozgov put up 17 and 8 (took out game 5 because Blatt is an idiot and didn't give Moz minutes)

These two playing at such high levels, especially defensively, has kept the Cavs in the series.

Let's also not forget Kyrie put up a beast game for all of regulation before getting injured in OT.

It's not exactly like Lebron has absolute garbage out there. They can play and have played well and above their means.

[unbreakable]

kobe played with garbage most of his career and still got 5 rings

[2swift4u]

I haven't even thought about it that way but it's actually crazy to even get to game 6 of the finals without 3 starters.

I don't think it's going to happen but he should definitely get the finals mvp trophy!

[jayfan]

The Lakers played without their 1 & 3 (Magic & Scott) in 1989.

Lost to the Pistons in 5.




.

[jstern]

A lot of people not familiar with the 90s think Kerr was some type of hall of famer.

[dazzer87]

kobe played with garbage most of his career and still got 5 rings
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/mueelquo5ozaoaiawssu.gif

[2swift4u]

No, but also no one's ever had a cast quite this stacked.

Lebron
Kyrie
Love
Varejao
Mozgov
Thompson
JR
Shumpert
Dellavedova


TT has put up 9 and 13
Mozgov put up 17 and 8 (took out game 5 because Blatt is an idiot and didn't give Moz minutes)

These two playing at such high levels, especially defensively, has kept the Cavs in the series.

Let's also not forget Kyrie put up a beast game for all of regulation before getting injured in OT.

It's not exactly like Lebron has absolute garbage out there. They can play and have played well and above their means.


Sure there are some decent players on this Cavs team but lets be honest: Lebron is all alone out there. Their 2nd and 3rd best players are out, there's no good point guard around and there's no decent second scoring option on this team anymore. I mean in Miami Lebron didn't have a very good point guard either but at least he had help on the offensive end. Wade and Bosh coud create their own shots. Right now Lebron doesn't have any help at all in that regard.

[3ball]

Jordan's Bulls barely make it to the ECF without Pippen.


Jordan's 1998 Finals had less help than Lebron's current team:


Pippen:.. 15.0 PPG
Kukoc:....15.0 PPG
Harper:...5.3 PPG
Longley:. 5.0 PPG
Kerr:..... 3.8 PPG


Mosgov:. 13.4 PPG
Smith:... 10.0 PPG
Tristan:.. 9.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG
M Della:. 8.8 PPG
Shump:.. 6.2 PPG


In case you're wondering, Rodman averaged 3 PPG and 8 RPG in the 1998 Finals, so he didn't make the list.. He averaged the same stats for the ENTIRE 1997 playoffs including the Finals - MJ's help in 1997 was just as weak as his help in 1998.. Keep in mind, the 1998 Utah Jazz had a lower playoff DRtg than anything Lebron ever faced in the Finals.