The NBA Finals includes the top Eastern Conference team vs. the top Western Conference, however, in view of historical matchups a few different ones have proven to be lopsided mismatches, such as the following:
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3.) San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2007)
Result: Spurs swept 4-0
A 22-year-old LeBron James carried his 50-32 Cavs team to the NBA Finals, yet they had to go up against the Spurs dynasty that included prime Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. LeBron (22.0 points) was often times double/tripled teamed throughout the series, which resulted in Cleveland scoring the lowest points per game in Finals history (81.5 ppg). To note, the second and third leading scorers on the Cavs roster were Drew Gooden (12.8 points) and Daniel Gibson (10.8 points).
2.) Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Jersey Nets (2002)
Result: Lakers swept 4-0
The LA Lakers came into the 2002 Finals looking to three-peat, and they didn't have much of a challenge in doing so, as Kobe and Shaq went up against Nets star Jason Kidd, along with Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, and Todd MacCulloch... which clearly wasn't enough. That is, Shaq averaged 36.3 points (59% FG) and 12.3 rebounds, leading the Lakers to a dominant 11.5 points average margin of victory on their way to an easy sweep to secure their third straight championship.
1.) Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2018)
Result: Warriors swept 4-0
In 2018, the Cavs and Warriors faced off in their fourth straight Finals matchup vs. each other, yet it wasn't a fair fight. That is, with Kyrie Irving no longer in Cleveland, LeBron (34 points, 9.1 rebounds, 9,0 assists) appeared to be a one-man team vs. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Needless to say, a supporting cast that featured an aging Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, George Hill, Tristan Thompson were not able to hang with Golden State's super team, as the Warriors went on to put up a 60+ point differential in route to claiming their third championship in a four-year span.
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