While the 2015 postseason left little doubt about the Golden State Warriors ' place in the NBA, there was some controversy regarding who the NBA Finals MVP really was. Andre Iguodala came away as the winner, but some argued that either Steph Curry or LeBron James deserved the award more.
However, former Warriors big man Festus Ezeli laid the debate to rest by explaining why Iggy truly deserved the honor.
While carrying a heavy load is nothing new for LBJ, the 2015 NBA Finals were more difficult than usual as he played without his All-Star teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love , who suffered season-ending injuries.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly bereft of superstar talent, the King was forced to do it all, which he did, as he averaged 41.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in Games 1 to 3. Most importantly, he towed the Cavs to a surprising 2-1 lead over the powerhouse Warriors.
Ezeli, a backup center for the Warriors during that time, recalled how they were all at their wits' end trying to figure out how to stop LeBron.
"LeBron was playing phenomenal. Like, I've never seen a human being play like this live. The way he carried that team — his numbers were insane in that playoff run in 2015. He lost Kyrie Irving, lost Kevin Love, and we had a conversation before Game 6, I think, before we won, where guys were like, 'Yo, what do we do against this guy?'" Ezeli shared .
"We were throwing everything. We were throwing the kitchen sink at him," the 6'11" center from Nigeria commented.
Given the ultimate green light to do whatever he could to will the undermanned Cavs to victory, James played his very best. He used his physique and athleticism to bully any defender in front of him. And it wasn't just his scoring either; with the defensive attention the Warriors had to give him, he opened up opportunities for his teammates.
Aware of the extraordinary level LeBron was playing, the Warriors knew they had to do something out of the ordinary to fight fire with fire. They took starting center Andrew Bogut out and replaced him with Iggy. It was a bold move by head coach Steve Kerr that left the shaded lane open for anyone to attack the rim.
However, Ezeli remembered that making that switch allowed them to play their brand of basketball: loose, fast and free-flowing.
"When they switched Andre to start on LeBron, that's when a lot of things changed in the dynamic of the game, right? The game became faster for the Warriors — advantage us, right? Because now we're playing faster. Draymond is playing the five, all these things," Festus remarked.
One thing that stood out was Iggy's defense on LeBron. While the latter still scored 30.7 points in the series' last three games, he didn't shoot the ball quite as well, making only 39.3 percent of his attempts. Most importantly, Iguodala made all the little plays that translated to winning — whether it was making timely three-pointers or defensive stops.
"Andre played incredible basketball for us to win. He hit big shots for us. And the thing about it, which is so cool — and I love that he won — is because you never really see the role players getting the love that they deserve, right?" Ezeli shared.
"So when he came into the game defensively, he put him on LeBron. He's doing everything to stop him, but he's also in the passing lanes, getting stops, getting deflections. And then on offense, he's not a guy that you expect to shoot the ball, but he was hitting big shots for us. Every time he got the ball, he was like our point guard that got Steph the ball to get shots," he continued.
Iguodala averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the series' final three games, all of which were Warriors' victories. He punctuated his performance by scoring 25 markers, eight in the fourth, in Golden State's title-clinching win in Game 6.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
