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2015 NBA Finals Can Answer, Does Experience Win Championships?

By Noah Strackbein

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Now that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have done what everyone expected them to do and brought a championship appearance to Cleveland, it’s time to finish the job. It isn’t going to be easy facing the red-hot Golden State Warriors and they’re sharp shooting offense and stingy defense.

The match-up of these two teams truly will display the NBA Finals as a match-up of the league’s best teams. The current dominance of both teams is truly remarkable and has caught the attention of everyone across the league. It hasn’t been a quiet journey for either team as both suffered injuries, some more devastating than others, and had to deal with tons of media attention. Neither team is a stranger to the attention and should have the confidence to calm their nerves in the Finals. The biggest difference between these two teams, is the separation of experience.

The Cavaliers obviously have one of the most experienced playoff players in the NBA with LeBron James. Yes, James is the only player in the relative starting five to have ever been as far as the Conference Finals. Never the less, he has more playoff experience than most NBA players, appearing in the last five NBA Finals.

On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors don’t have a single player to ever compete for the NBA’s most desired prize. Their only player to ever even make it to the Conference Finals, Leandro Barbosa, only averaged 14.3 minutes per game in the Conference Finals.

This match-up will truly be a battle of young vs. old, not that LeBron James is very old old. When it comes to playoff experience though, LeBron has the entire Warriors squad beat. It doesn’t help lower the expectations that the premiere NBA Finals match-up will be four-time MVP, LeBron James, against the raining MVP, Stephen Curry.

Both players have created their legacy as top NBA players. Curry and James are two players that were placed into teams, less than average, and told to fix them. Guess what? They did. Stephen Curry was named the “current” best player in the league, receiving the MVP, and LeBron James is arguably the best player in the world. This battle will be fierce and crowd pleasing.

Either team has the opportunity to put up 110 points a night while holding the other to 70 points. The clash of the NBA’s best provides a showcase of the No. 3 ranked offense (Cleveland) and the No. 1 ranked defense (Golden State).

Regardless of statistics or numbers, the match-up may finally provide the answer to the long gated debate, does experience win championships?

To get more opinions, I took to Twitter to see how NBA fans felt on the debate.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors are on a mission to prove that experience doesn’t matter. Much like LeBron and the Cavaliers tried to do in 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t able to succeed. The Warriors aren’t relying on past numbers. In fact, they shouldn’t look at their past at all, considering they haven’t been to a Western Conference Finals since 1976.

It’s not even like Golden State’s coach has Finals experience to pass onto his squad. He’s still considered a rookie head coach, which means that every time his team takes a new step, so does he.

The Cavaliers also have to face the same challenges, in other ways. They do have a rookie head coach with zero postseason experience. What they do have that the Warriors don’t, is five players with postseason experience past the Conference Finals, not including two of their three playoff stars, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith.

The Cavaliers do have some important experience in the Finals though. First, the team’s most important asset, LeBron James. James showed zero postseason nerves in the Conference Finals, averaging an almost triple-double with 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.3 assists. Without him, the Cavaliers may not even be in the postseason. They definitely wouldn’t be where they are now considering the injuries to key players like Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

The Cavaliers also have four other players who have some NBA Finals experience. Shawn Marion only appeared in the NBA Finals once with the Dallas Mavericks, but made a big impact in their 2011 Championship over the Miami Heat. On the other end of that championship was Mike Miller, who got his retribution the next two seasons, winning the 2012 and 2013 NBA Championships alongside LeBron James. James Jones will also be making his fifth NBA Finals appearance, two already resulting in rings. Kendrick Perkins got his taste of Finals play during his 2008 championship run with the Boston Celtics, then losing with the Boston Celtics, and then appearing again with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost to the Miami Heat.

The Cavaliers have experience. LeBron is accompanied by numerous players who all know what it’s like to win, and lose, in a NBA Finals. LeBron, the four-time MVP, may know the pressure of these games more than anyone, with his legacy being questioned on numerous occasions because of Finals’ loses.

Skip Bayless, of ESPN’s “1st and 10”, once wrote after the Cavalier’s 2006 playoff loss to the Detroit Pistons,

"“LeBron James has the size, strength, skill and instincts to be an all-time great player — more Magic than Michael. But he isn’t yet.Let’s be honest: He isn’t even close.”"

James has always been questioned and has certainly never been a stranger to the media. He’s learned how to control the pressure though, much because of the experience that he has. When LeBron addressed the media after signing with the Cavaliers, he didn’t bring any more attention to himself than he already had.

"“I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that.”"

It goes to show that he’s grown. This year’s 2015 NBA Finals is just another test to his growing experience. LeBron and the Cavaliers are going to try and prove, just like teams have proven to them, that experience wins championships. A third championship, one that may seal his already astonishing legacy.

LeBron James may, for once, dishearten the “haters” and prove that he is legendary. Being part of six NBA Finals, something only 33 players have ever done. Of those 33 players, 32 of them have spent a significant amount of their career playing for either the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, or Boston Celtics, the other one player being James.

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James has done it by himself. Creating his legacy on his own and turning average, or less than average, franchises into dynasties.

The Warriors now have to try and stop James from fulfilling this legacy, a task that is not going to be easy for the Warriors. Golden State enters the Finals as the favorite, rightfully so, triumphing through teams during the regular and post season.

With one team looking to distinguish a man’s legacy and another looking to begin their own, the 2015 NBA Finals will be a true test to finally answer the debate, does experience win championships?

Next: How the Cavs Can Guard the Warriors