Prior to the 2018 Finals, the Vegas odds had listed Andre Iguodala as a 125-1 pick to take home the Finals MVP award. It was especially uncommon for a reserve to win this individual honor -- let alone a season-long reserve.
Here are the six Finals MVPs 2018 who account for the 10 games off the bench in the regular season:
1988: James Worthy (LAL) – 3
1989: Joe Dumars (DET) – 2
1984: Larry Bird (BOS) – 2
2002: Shaquille O’Neal (LAL) – 1
1986: Larry Bird (BOS) – 1
1982: Magic Johnson (LAL) – 1
To put everything into perspective, Iguodala stepped on uncharted territory by coming off the bench for all regular season games (played in 77) and 18 of 21 playoff games (started NBA Finals Games 4-6) while emerging as the Finals MVP. It might seem atrocious to give the MVP to a player who averaged under 18 points per game, shot below 40% from the free-throw line and allowed the opposing player to rack up one of the best statistical lines in NBA Finals history. When looking at LeBron's basic numbers, some may jump to conclusion that Iguodala barely slowed him down.
However, Andre Iguodala is worthy and deserving of the Bill Russell Award. This should come as no fluke or surprise and here's why.
Defending LeBron
A year ago, Kawhi Leonard won the Finals MVP while guarding LeBron James. Leonard, one of the elite perimeter defenders in the league today did a magnificent job on James but it can be said that Iguodala accomplished a greater feat from an efficiency standpoint. Per ESPN Stats & Information, James shot 58% from the field against Leonard in the 2014 Finals and an abysmal 33% with Iguodala as the defender. While it is hard to 'stop' LeBron James, it is not impossible to wear him down.
As the primary defender on James, Iguodala contested and forced him into tough shots throughout the entire series. James was often seen trying to get a jumper up with the shot-clock winding down because of great on-ball defense by Iguodala in the isolation. Besides that, Iguodala has also been discipline by rarely switching off of James. ESPN Stats & Information states that of the 90 possessions where Iguodala started off on James, the Cavaliers could only force him to switch 18 times (20 percent).
According to SI's Lee Jenkins, Iguodala has literally been preparing for matchups against James, studying his tendencies and moves for years. Here are James' statistics with Iguodala on bench versus Iguodala on court:
Iguodala on Bench: 44% FG, 82% FT, 47% eFG, +30 +/-, 107.4 offrtg, 88.6 defrtg, +18.8 netrtg
Iguodala on Court: 38% FG, 66% FT, 41% eFG, -55 +/-, 94.1 offrtg, 109.7 defrtg, -15.5 netrtg