Latrinsorm
08-05-2014, 02:16 PM
There have been 748 players to play at least 1 minute in a Finals game in NBA history. With LeBron leaving a team that was just in the Finals, I wondered what the stats were like for switching, so here are some:
92 players have played at least 1 minute in a Finals game for at least two separate franchises.
11 players have done so for three separate franchises:
Clyde Lovellette (Lakers, Hawks Celtics)
Danny Ainge (Celtics, Trailblazers, Suns)
Eric Snow (Sonics, 76ers, Cavaliers)
Gary Payton (Sonics, Lakers, Heat)
Horace Grant (Bulls, Magic, Lakers)
John Salley (Pistons, Bulls, Lakers)
Larry Foust (Pistons, Lakers, Hawks)
Robert Horry (Rockets, Spurs, Lakers)
Sam Perkins (Lakers, Sonics, Pacers)
Shaquille O'Neal (Magic, Lakers, Heat)
Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors, 76ers, Lakers)
None have done so for four or more.
.
12 players have played in back to back Finals for two different franchises:
Andy Phillip - All Star point guard and Finalist for the 55 Pistons who maybe threw that series(!!!), waived after their loss in the 56 Finals, 3rd guard for the 57 Celtics
Danny Ainge - sixth man for the 92 Blazers and 93 Suns
Don Nelson - bench player for the 65 Lakers, walked in free agency(???) and won the first of five rings in that capacity with the 66 Celtics
Earl Monroe - started for the 71 Bullets, threatened to jump to the ABA, traded to the Knicks for a washing machine, played limited minutes in 72
Jim King - 3rd guard on the 66 Lakers, taken in the expansion draft by Chicago, traded to and started for the 67 Warriors
John Tresvant - end of the bench guy for the 70 Lakers, traded for a 2nd rounder, sixth man on the 71 Bullets
Larry Foust - the only player on both lists, started as an All-Star for the 59 Lakers, traded for nothing, deep bench player for the 60 Hawks
Pep Saul - bench player for the 51 Royals, somehow ended up in Baltimore the next year, was traded to the 52 Lakers as a bench guy
Steve Kerr - bench player for the 98 Bulls, traded during the lockout for nothing, deep bench player for the 99 Spurs
Steve Mix - deep bench player for the 82 76ers and 83 Lakers, managed to be on the losing side of the match and the rematch
Todd MacCulloch - deep bench player for the 01 76ers and starter for the 02 Nets via free agency, got to get crushed by Shaq twice
Wally Walker - deep bench player for the 77 Blazers and 78 Sonics
Now, Earl Monroe is a legend and for good reason. Games Started aren't recorded until the 85 season, and in looking back at youtube videos of that season I can't find any indication whether he did or didn't start. He definitely did not start game 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZdPYMiAHLo) of the Finals. I have also found two quotes, one in a contemporary newspaper saying he didn't expect (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19711112&id=KCs0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=G-EIAAAAIBAJ&pg=793,4285342) to start, one in a retrospective saying that he didn't in fact (http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/nykbookexcerpt111018/nba-garden-was-eden) start.
The facts are that in the 72 season he played 20.6 minutes a game while Dick Barnett (the established shooting guard in New York) played 28.6. The facts are also that in the 72 Finals Dick Barnett only played 4 of 5 games in the Finals at 12 minutes a game, Earl only played 21 in all 5 (and was terrible), and game 5 starter Dean Meminger racked up 22. My guess is that if the Pearl or Barnett did start it was only briefly, and Holzmann eventually went with a two point guard lineup of Dean and Frazier. Frazier at 6'4" could credibly guard SGs in that era, and the Laker backcourt was 6'1" Gail Goodrich and 6'2" Jerry West anyway.
Thus, we can be reasonably sure no player in NBA history has started for two different franchises in back to back Finals. If we estimate 30 minutes per game as starting, there have been 17 players who eventually did so: Horace Grant, Moses, Paul Silas, Shaq (twice), Wilt (twice), Clyde, Lionel Hollins(!!!), Bob Dandridge, LeBron, Mario Elie, Dennis Johnson, Horry, Sam Perkins, Kareem, Karl, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd.
Kareem of course is the only player to win FMVP for two teams, but Wilt probably would have if it had been awarded in 1967.
.
Bottom line, it would be historically unprecedented for LeBron and therefore the Cavs to make the Finals this year, but it would not be unprecedented for them to eventually win a title with him as their best player.
92 players have played at least 1 minute in a Finals game for at least two separate franchises.
11 players have done so for three separate franchises:
Clyde Lovellette (Lakers, Hawks Celtics)
Danny Ainge (Celtics, Trailblazers, Suns)
Eric Snow (Sonics, 76ers, Cavaliers)
Gary Payton (Sonics, Lakers, Heat)
Horace Grant (Bulls, Magic, Lakers)
John Salley (Pistons, Bulls, Lakers)
Larry Foust (Pistons, Lakers, Hawks)
Robert Horry (Rockets, Spurs, Lakers)
Sam Perkins (Lakers, Sonics, Pacers)
Shaquille O'Neal (Magic, Lakers, Heat)
Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors, 76ers, Lakers)
None have done so for four or more.
.
12 players have played in back to back Finals for two different franchises:
Andy Phillip - All Star point guard and Finalist for the 55 Pistons who maybe threw that series(!!!), waived after their loss in the 56 Finals, 3rd guard for the 57 Celtics
Danny Ainge - sixth man for the 92 Blazers and 93 Suns
Don Nelson - bench player for the 65 Lakers, walked in free agency(???) and won the first of five rings in that capacity with the 66 Celtics
Earl Monroe - started for the 71 Bullets, threatened to jump to the ABA, traded to the Knicks for a washing machine, played limited minutes in 72
Jim King - 3rd guard on the 66 Lakers, taken in the expansion draft by Chicago, traded to and started for the 67 Warriors
John Tresvant - end of the bench guy for the 70 Lakers, traded for a 2nd rounder, sixth man on the 71 Bullets
Larry Foust - the only player on both lists, started as an All-Star for the 59 Lakers, traded for nothing, deep bench player for the 60 Hawks
Pep Saul - bench player for the 51 Royals, somehow ended up in Baltimore the next year, was traded to the 52 Lakers as a bench guy
Steve Kerr - bench player for the 98 Bulls, traded during the lockout for nothing, deep bench player for the 99 Spurs
Steve Mix - deep bench player for the 82 76ers and 83 Lakers, managed to be on the losing side of the match and the rematch
Todd MacCulloch - deep bench player for the 01 76ers and starter for the 02 Nets via free agency, got to get crushed by Shaq twice
Wally Walker - deep bench player for the 77 Blazers and 78 Sonics
Now, Earl Monroe is a legend and for good reason. Games Started aren't recorded until the 85 season, and in looking back at youtube videos of that season I can't find any indication whether he did or didn't start. He definitely did not start game 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZdPYMiAHLo) of the Finals. I have also found two quotes, one in a contemporary newspaper saying he didn't expect (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19711112&id=KCs0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=G-EIAAAAIBAJ&pg=793,4285342) to start, one in a retrospective saying that he didn't in fact (http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/nykbookexcerpt111018/nba-garden-was-eden) start.
The facts are that in the 72 season he played 20.6 minutes a game while Dick Barnett (the established shooting guard in New York) played 28.6. The facts are also that in the 72 Finals Dick Barnett only played 4 of 5 games in the Finals at 12 minutes a game, Earl only played 21 in all 5 (and was terrible), and game 5 starter Dean Meminger racked up 22. My guess is that if the Pearl or Barnett did start it was only briefly, and Holzmann eventually went with a two point guard lineup of Dean and Frazier. Frazier at 6'4" could credibly guard SGs in that era, and the Laker backcourt was 6'1" Gail Goodrich and 6'2" Jerry West anyway.
Thus, we can be reasonably sure no player in NBA history has started for two different franchises in back to back Finals. If we estimate 30 minutes per game as starting, there have been 17 players who eventually did so: Horace Grant, Moses, Paul Silas, Shaq (twice), Wilt (twice), Clyde, Lionel Hollins(!!!), Bob Dandridge, LeBron, Mario Elie, Dennis Johnson, Horry, Sam Perkins, Kareem, Karl, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd.
Kareem of course is the only player to win FMVP for two teams, but Wilt probably would have if it had been awarded in 1967.
.
Bottom line, it would be historically unprecedented for LeBron and therefore the Cavs to make the Finals this year, but it would not be unprecedented for them to eventually win a title with him as their best player.