Ranking each NBA Finals of the decade from worst to best

1. 2013 NBA Finals: Miami Heat beat San Antonio Spurs (4-3)

Competitiveness: 10/10
Conclusion: 10/10
Overall excitement: 10/10
Average score: 10/10

It’s difficult to put the 2013 NBA Finals into words. The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat were two powerhouse franchises that collided in such a spectacular way that anyone who watched this series while it happened live will be retelling the story of this battle for decades.

LeBron James and the Heat were at their best this season. Coming off of his first championship season, the pressure was finally relieved from James’ shoulders. As a result, we saw one of the most complete individual seasons in NBA history.

LBJ was simply an all-around beast in the 2012-13 season. With numbers of 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, James finished one vote away from being the first ever unanimous MVP winner and fell just shy of winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

However, he was far from a one-man show. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had found their rhythm playing alongside the King, while the addition of veteran sharpshooter Ray Allen had taken the Heat to their next level. Miami finished with an NBA-best record of 66-16, including a historic 27-game win streak in the second half of the season.

As for San Antonio, their old trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili was getting ready to welcome in their newest star, Kawhi Leonard. Still a raw prospect, Leonard began to make huge strides in his game this season and blossomed in the NBA Finals.

From the very first game, this series was a thriller. Parker got the ball rolling for San Antonio by drilling a dagger shot in Game 1 — a shot that was within milliseconds of being a shot clock violation.

The next four games of the series was a back-and-forth battle. Following an unbelievable Game 5 performance from the Spurs starters, who combined for 107 of the team’s 114 points, San Antonio took a 3-2 series lead.

Up to this point, the series had been dominated by a number of different story lines. San Antonio’s Big 3 was living up to usual expectations, but this time it was coming in what felt like perhaps their last run together. Meanwhile, Danny Green was in the midst of knocking down an NBA Finals record for total 3-pointers and Leonard was making his name known worldwide for his lockdown defense.

Of course, at the end of the day, this series fell into the hands of LeBron James. With his team trailing by seven points heading into the fourth quarter of Game 6, James responded with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. This burst of offense kept the Heat within striking distance, but they still found themselves trailing by three points with under 20 seconds to play and facing elimination.

We all know what happened next. As James’ 3-point attempt clanked off of the rim, Bosh positioned himself perfectly to snag the rebound and immediately find Ray Allen, who was sprinting back towards the 3-point line. Allen proceeded to drill one of the most cold-blooded shots in NBA history to force overtime. Miami would then lock up the victory with a blocked shot at the buzzer by Bosh.

All of this madness brought us to a decisive Game 7. The final game was a brawl from start to finish, with neither team leading by more than seven and the game within one possession until there was less than a minute to play.

Duncan posted a strong stat line, scoring 24 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and racking up four steals. Leonard also had an impressive performance of 19 points and 16 rebounds. As for the Heat, they received zero scoring from Bosh but did enjoy 23 points from Wade and a crucial 18 points off of the bench courtesy of Shane Battier.

In the end, it was once again James who got the job done. Mounting up 37 points and 12 rebounds, James drilled the game-sealing bucket over Leonard. This explosive series came to an exciting end, with LBJ capturing the Finals MVP and completing his most impressive all-around season to date.