NBA Finals: Ranking LeBron James' 5 best games against the Golden State Warriors

#1 Game 5: 2016 Finals

Stat line: 41 points, 7 assists, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks

LeBron's performance in this game deserves to headline the Cavs vs Warriors Finals rivalry spearheaded by LeBron. Cavs were down 3-1 in the series and facing elimination in a building considered to be one of the toughest to play in, the Oracle Arena.

The Warriors were on the verge of becoming back-to-back champions on their homecourt, but LeBron and Kyrie had other plans. James and Irving each scored 41 points to become the first teammates in Finals history to score 40 or more in the same game, and won game 5 112-97.

LeBron had already lost in the Finals to the Warriors in the previous year, with a 4-2 series end. But the alibi that he didn't have Love and Kyrie at his service didn't hold this year. If he hadn't shown up in game 5, another Finals loss would have been enough to tarnish his legacy against the Warriors.

Some might argue that this game should not top the list (also because Kyrie aided his cause), but when considering the circumstances and pressure LeBron was in while playing this elimination game, it seems like a fairly decent choice.