How difficult is it to win 3 doubles in the finals? Better than Kobe 0 times, the God of Basketball 0 times, and 1 person won 11 times

When the NBA entered an era of data booming, a triple-double in the regular season is no longer new. Westbrook has averaged triple-double per game for three consecutive seasons. As a center, Jokic can turn averaged 25+10+10 per game into the norm, and even role players can occasionally win triple-double by relying on the schedule bonus. But everyone knows that the triple-double in the regular season is "home-cooked meal", and the triple-double in the finals is "Manhan and Han full-time" - that is the most demanding examination room in the basketball world. Only players standing at the top of the pyramid are qualified to enter the examination room, and it is rare to hand in the "triple-double answer sheet". The stadium of the

finals has never been a hotbed of data. There are no weak teams here, no slack defense, and each team is an elite who stands out from 82 regular season games + four rounds of playoffs. The defensive intensity is several times that of the regular season, and the tactical targeting is an upgrade in the playoffs. Even if a superstar wants to reach double-digit numbers in the three statistics of scoring, rebounding and assists, he has to lose his skin. As the old coaches often say: "You can be lazy in the regular season by talent. If you are lazy in the finals once, you may lose a championship. "

It is also because of this that when we open the historical ledger of the finals, we will truly understand the weight of the word "triple double". Kobe won five championships in his 20 years of Lakers' career, but he has never touched the edge of a triple-double in the finals; Jordan won 6 times in the finals, scoring like a trick, but he didn't even leave a triple-double; Jokic, as the most comprehensive center in history, has only won two triple-double in the finals. But there was one person who turned the triple-double in the finals into a "routine operation" - LeBron James, 11 times, this number is enough for latecomers to look up to half a century.

Kobe: The "last centimeter" of the scoring machine, Kobe's career is an epic about "ultimate scoring". He scored 40 points in the finals, scored 30+ in two consecutive games, and scored 8 three-pointers in a single game, but he almost reached the threshold of a triple-double. The closest time was in the 2001 Finals, where the Lakers played against the 76ers, and he scored 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, which was 1 assist away from a triple-double. But this one assist has become an eternal regret for his career in the finals.

It is not that Kobe is incapable, but that in his basketball philosophy, "winning" is always more important than "comprehensive". During the OK combination, he had the rebounding monster O'Neal and a point guard like Fisher. His task was very clear: score and use scores to tear the opponent's defense. When O'Neal left, the Lakers became "Bryant One Team", and the scoring burden on his shoulders became heavier - in the 2009 Finals, he averaged 32.4 points per game and shot 40.5% from the field. Even if his efficiency is not top-notch, he must carry the team forward. At that time, how could he have the extra energy to deliberately brush rebounds and assists?

More importantly, the opponent's defense against Kobe has always been "at all costs". In the finals, he had to face the double-team of two people and cracked various joint defense traps. If he could send the ball into the basket, he had already exhausted most of his energy. In Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, the Celtics used Pierce + Allen + Rondo to consume him in turn. He made 6 of 18 shots in the game, but he survived to the end with 15 rebounds and 6 assists. He was only 4 assists from a triple-double in that game, but looking at the Celtics' ubiquitous defensive trap, you know that these 4 assists are harder to get than 40 points.

Kobe's greatness lies in his "scoring" to the extreme. The lack of triple-double in the finals is not his shortcomings, but his chosen path - he would rather be a sharp sword than a shield that takes into account both offense and defense.

Jordan: God of War's "Concentration Blind Spots "

Jordan's finals resume is the most perfect answer in basketball history: he entered the finals 6 times, won the championship 6 times, and had a MVP in the finals, with averaging 33.6 points per game, and a shooting percentage of 48.1%. But it was such a "god" who lost zero on the triple-double list in the finals.

It's not that Jordan can't do comprehensiveness, but that his "comprehensive" has a sharper point. In the 1993 Finals against the Suns, the team led by Barkley dragged the Bulls with a fast pace, and Jordan was forced into a desperate situation - he averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists per game, scoring 55 points in the fourth game, and defeating the Suns with scores. In that series, his rebounds and assists were not low, but no one would ask him to get a triple-double because his score had become the deadliest weapon.

Bulls' tactical system also determines Jordan's "focus point". In Zen Master's triangular attack, Jordan is the final terminator, not the main initiator. Pippen is in charge of the organization, Rodman is in charge of the rebounds, and Jordan only needs to stand up and score at the most critical moment. In the 1996 Finals against the Supersonics, he averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game. The data seemed to be mediocre, but it was his restraint that gave Pippen and Kukochi more room to play. For Jordan, there are many ways to "win" and triple-double is never a necessary option.

What's more interesting is that Jordan's desire to compete is always the most prosperous in "scoring". The more his opponent provokes his scoring ability, the more he wants to crush his opponent in scoring. In the 1991 Finals against the Lakers, the Magic said "Jordan is not as comprehensive as me." As a result, Jordan averaged 31.2 points and 11.4 assists per game, almost winning a triple-double - but his assists soared, not to prove the overall, but to hit the Magician in the face with a pass.. This "playing with emotion" trait makes his finals data always follow the "opponent's weaknesses" rather than the "triple-double standard". Jordan's greatness lies in his ability to accurately find the shortest path to winning. For him, it’s not that he can’t do it, but that it’s unnecessary.

Jokic: The emergence of the all-round center has subverted people's perception of the center. A 280-pound big man who dribbles like a guard, passes like a point guard, and averages 10 rebounds per game, and getting a triple-double in the regular season is like drinking water for him. But in the finals, he only had 2 triple-doubles.

This is not a problem for Jokic, but a special test for the "all-round center" in the finals. In the 2023 Finals against the Heat, Jokic averaged 31.6 points, 14.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, including 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the third game, but the Heat quickly adjusted their strategy - they used Adebayo to stick Jokic to break his pass route with joint defense. Jokic's assists dropped to 5.3 times in the next three games, and never got a triple-double again. The defense in the finals will infinitely amplify the weakness of "comprehensiveness". Jokic's rebounds and scores depend on physical confrontation, but in the finals, every opponent will consume him in the roughest way; his pass depends on his vision, but the opponent will specially arrange people to block his passing route. In the 2024 Finals against the Celtics, he averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists per game, which seemed to be close to a triple-double. But looking at his average of 4.3 turnovers, you can tell how targeted his opponent's defense is.

But Jokic's story is not over yet. He is only 30 years old and has won a triple-double in the finals twice. In the future, as long as the Nuggets can continue to enter the finals, this number is likely to rise. But even if it rises to 5 or 6 times, it will be difficult for him to catch up with James - because James' triple-double hides another rare "all-round".

James: Turning the finals into a "own court"

11 finals triple-double, this number itself has a "unreasonable". You should know that Magic Johnson, as one of the most comprehensive point guards in history, only won 8 triple-doubles in the finals throughout his career; among the active players, Greene has 3 times and Jokic has 2 times, which is less than half of James's.

James can do all this first and foremost because of his "innate comprehensiveness". From the first day he entered the league, he has not been a simple scorer. In his first finals in 2007, he averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6.8 assists per game. Although the team lost, he has shown the prototype of "triathletics". In the 2012 Finals against the Thunder, he averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists per game, and took away the championship with two triple-doubles. At that time, he already understood that the victory in the Finals required a triple insurance of "scoring + rebounds + assists".

More importantly, James turned "control of the game" into an instinct. He is not as persistent in scoring as Kobe, nor is he focused on finishing like Jordan, but like a "coach on the court" - he can always make accurate judgments when to score, when to pass, and when to grab rebounds. In Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, the Cavaliers were 1-3 behind the Warriors, James scored 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the game. In the final moments, they were both scorers (blocking Irving’s three-pointer), and rebounders (snatching key rebounds). That triple-double is not a pile of data, but a "all-round domination". The high-pressure environment of the finals can actually stimulate James' potential. When he was 38 years old, he averaged 31.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists per game, with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in the fourth game, almost scoring a triple-double. You should know that many players have retired at this age, but James can still suppress his opponents in the finals stage at the same time in scoring, rebounding and assisting. This is not based on luck, but on his 20-year self-discipline, his ultimate physical care, and his understanding of the game.

James' 11 finals triple-double is essentially the ultimate expression of "basketball all-round". He proved that a player can be more than just a scorer, not just a organizer, not just a rebounder, but can be both three at the same time and do this in the highest intensity game. The triple-double in the

finals has never been the only criterion for measuring greatness. Kobe used scores to define "killer ", Jordan used victory to define "God of War ", Jokic used all-round to define "New Center Template ", and James used 11 triple-doubles to define "Total domination ". But when we look back on history, we are always moved by those "scarce achievements". Just like the top of Mount Everest, not everyone can go up. Among the people who go up, only James can leave 11 footprints.

Perhaps there will be more comprehensive players in the future, and perhaps there will be teams that can give players enough space to perform their versatility like the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers back then. But at least for now, we can be sure: James' 11 finals triple-double is like a monument in basketball history, with a line of words engraved on it - some greatness is destined to be unprecedented and it is difficult to come.