The top 25 NBA Finals performances of all time - ESPN

As this year's Finals take place with the Miami Heat facing the Denver Nuggets, we're looking back at legendary performances from superstars such as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Jordan, with the help of Basketball-Reference.com's game score archive.

Game score, pioneered by John Hollinger, is a measure of a player's single-game value factoring in all elements of the box score from scoring efficiency to playmaking to rebounding and defensive impact. Although imperfect, it quickly captures a player's baseline performance and allows us to compare conference finals games going back to 1978 — the first year the NBA tracked individual turnovers.

Over that span of 45 years of NBA Finals, we've highlighted the top 25 individual performances, 16 of which came in victories for their team. How did each player succeed and what did their heroics mean for the series and the NBA playoffs as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the top conference finals performances, highlighted by four from James and two from Jimmy Butler, who will look to add to his total in the games to come.

— Kevin Pelton

2016 Finals: Game 6 vs. Golden State Warriors

By now you've seen the viral clip of James in the Cavs' locker room after Game 6 of the 2016 Finals, putting the 15th piece of the team's 16-piece Larry O'Brien Trophy championship puzzle in place while telling his team the Warriors are «f---ed up… mentally and physically.» He dealt a fair portion of that damage with 41 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Cleveland jumped out to a 31-11 lead after the first quarter and won by 15 points to set up a Game 7 for the ages.

— Dave McMenamin

2021 Finals: Game 6 vs. Phoenix Suns

With the Bucks one win away from winning